I told Jue that she could make really interesting blog just sharing her experience in Japan. Once I met a foreign correspondent in Japan, and he said that they have to be transferred to new places after 3-4 years in a particular area, so that their journalistic could be re-sharpened and not dulled by familiarity with any particular area.
And I have to admit that maybe after living in Tokyo for more than 2 years, I've gotten too familiar with how things are being done here that they fail to amaze me anymore.
Like how clean Tokyo is even without having lots of rubbish cans.
Like how lots of Japanese will go out of their way to assist if they are asked for help.
Like how good it is to have a street clean of cigarette smoke since smokers only smoke in designated smokers' area.
Like how one actually doesn't need to know that much Nihonggo to enjoy touring in Japan, as one could get by with knowing some Engrish phrases - so it's not toilet, but toi-re, not escalator, but es-ka-ree-ta, and not elevator, but e-re-bee-ta...
Like how difficult it could be to get halal food when one could not read Japanese (and in the end they stick to buying what they bought when they were with me - Van Houten cocoa, Calpis, Pasco Sandwich bread etc)
Jue and Man too now have first-hand experience of rushing to change trains, carrying the stroller up and down the stairs where there was no escalator/elevator to be found in the eki, and walking a few hundred meters back to the mosque after they'd missed the right bus stop, not once but a few times (they dozed off in the bus, and yes, it could take ages to reach Higashi Asakusa from Tokyo eki by bus)
Main point is - they had an interesting family vacation, and I am really glad to form part of it...
No comments:
Post a Comment