October 18th – 23rd 2016

Japan Tokyo became a day and half visit for me, there was enough English speaking individuals especially with the younger generation for asking directions or questions, the Japanese people are very polite, respectful and always bowing upon meeting/greeting and thank you or goodbyes.

I personally found the Japanese people to be very organized and obedient as walking the streets the garbage containers were not so visible, when I bought a coffee or something to eat as I walked the streets, I did not know what to do with the litter, until I asked and the litter bins became exposed to me, they were for the most part not so hidden but more liken to being camouflage along the streets, blending in somehow.

I did not notice police or police vehicles or seeing and hearing any police emergency vehicles pulling cars over, I did observe strict obedience when the do not walk signal to cross a narrow lane way without any vehicle traffic as far as the eye could see to be obeyed and not crossed until walk signal appeared, even though it was totally safe to cross, and being a very narrow lane way. Perhaps this is one reason as to why the police are not visible as the so called citizens regulate and police themselves.

In Tokyo many, many Japanese ride bicycles, even ladies working at the office dressed in slacks or skirts looking very professional, I found this rather sexy looking. The men dressed in business suits, so many all well dressed looking very serious and professional.

The accomodations in Tokyo was simply sleeping in a pod in a large room with many other men, sharing bathroom and showers, this would be equivalent to dormitory accomodations, but no mixed with men and women, men on one floor and women separated being on another floor. This cost me 3600 yen per night (42. CAD) expensive for me as a backpacker wanting to travel world as cheap as I can due to limited budget, but for Tokyo this is probably as cheap as one is going to get, the place was called; ‘Bay Hotel’ for short or ‘Tokyo Nihonbashi Bay Hotel’.

The traffic was right handed this takes some getting use to, just visualizing it all seems to be backwards being so use to left handed driving.

Everywhere I went to use the bathroom, I found heated toilet seats and computerized warm wash sprays, no need for toilet paper, in the middle of the night sitting on a heated toilet seat was very satisfying for me, so much so I wish I had reading material just to sit and enjoy.
I paid 7200 yen (85. CAD) to travel a 12 hr bus ride from Tokyo to Hiroshima.

Hiroshima for me would be a 3 1/2 stay to the 1 1/2 stay in Tokyo for a 5 day stay total in Japan for me. Now in Hiroshima I stayed at a hostel called, Reino Inn (Hiroshima Peace Park) and the dormitory room was 2700 yen (31.CAD) per night, the room card-lock key has a photo of Dome and Peace Park on it for one to keep as a souvenir after your stay there. Reino Inn is also very near and walking distance to Peace
Park, where I experienced much humbleness and surreality seeing the skeleton remains left of a building called the “A-Bomb” Dome still standing from the blast and hypocenter of the Atomic bomb back on August 6, 1945. Where over 70,000 people were killed instantly, and another 70,000 suffered fatal injuries from the radiation. It now serves as a memorial of bombing and a symbol of peace.

Now again I witnessed many people riding bikes, even in the rain as they would simply carry and hold umbrella while bike riding. The young Japanese women like to dress in short shorts and high heels, stockings, in some cases looking like a naughty schoolgirl, not complaining at all just pointing out what I noticed. There was a covered street like shopping area nearby where it seems like everyone loves to buy and shop daily for clothing, snack foods or junk food while shopping.

In Japan there is also the underground economy where many other shops, liken to any North American mall with stores selling anything and everything, but just underground, underneath the busy city traffic being above, this was so in both Tokyo and Hiroshima.

I spotted an apple for sale on the streets of Hiroshima with a 1000 yen ( $11.50CAD) asking price, coffee was usually around 450 yen, and not a large cup of coffee either. So I found myself buying a large coffee at the many 7/11 convenient stores for like 150 yen, quite the value.

I was surprised to see the popularity of these 7/11 stores as they are everywhere, sometimes it seems like 2 within the same block. But for cheap coffee I and many others appreciated not having to go to far for a freshly brewed cup of joe.