In November, Dennis and I headed across the Pacific to spend almost 3 weeks in Asia. We went for a friend's wedding, but since it's such a long flight to get there, we decided to make it a bit of a vacation.
We started in Tokyo, which is the first time I've ever been to Japan. (I know, considering I'm half Japanese it's pretty embarrassing it's taken me this long to visit.) We only had a couple of days there but they were great! The food, the culture, the architecture, the fashion. It was amazing! And I felt incredibly safe! Although I had heard that from a few people so I wasn't overly surprised.
It was still a bit of a culture shock. People don't talk (or talk incredibly quietly) on the subway. Or in coffee shops. We actually got shushed on our last morning by an elderly gentleman. It was pretty funny, but out of respect we left shortly after so we could continue our convo.
I also found the dedication one had to ones job incredible. I'm not sure if that's just the attitude in Japan, but as we walked through the Meiji Shrine, we saw a man sweeping up fallen leaves with one of those long bristle type brooms. The way this gentleman was sweeping up the leaves, so thoroughly and completely, was amazing. I'm not going to lie, I did stop to watch for a bit because I found it kind of inspiring.
I definitely want to go back again. A couple of days wasn't nearly enough time to eat all the ramen I wanted! ;)
