First impressions of Japan

I decided to start this blog so I could share my experiences from our recent trip to Japan with a few friends. I'll definitely write about more than travel, but since I love travel and have been to 23 countries and 49 states, what better theme than travel? Neither Robin nor I had been to Japan before, and while the dollar-yen exchange rate was distinctly not in our favor, we decided this would be another trip-of-a-lifetime for us. So I'll write about the Japan trip in the next dozen or so blog entries (11 days, and there was a lot to see!).

November 18, about 3:20pm (local Tokyo time, still November 17 back home). Wheels down on United 837 from San Francisco. Despite the 10 1/2 hour flight from SFO, Robin and I weren't all that tired. Business class seats help, of course, though we still had to suffer the surly service that is United. Add in a 2 hour bus ride to the Sheraton Miyako in Tokyo and the jet lag begins to show. Still, you could do a lot worse for bus service. The friendly porters greet you politely and quick organize everyone's bags - sorted by the stops the bus is making - while you wait for the bus. As other buses go by, one of the porters always makes sure to bow courteously to the drivers.

When we got to the Sheraton, every staff member we saw bowed to us and welcomed us. It wasn't just because we were checking in - they did this every time they saw us. There was no refusing the porter's help with bags. Whether you had just a few shopping bags or a truck full of luggage, they were there to eagerly assist you - and amazingly, there's no tipping at all in Japan. The porter showed us to our room and gave us a quick tour, explaining everything including the toilet with many buttons, then bowed his way out. We bowed back, which led to more bowing before he left.

We were fading quickly, so we went to the concierge for a dinner recommendation nearby and she directed us to a well-known noodle shop nearby. Upon entering, we realized this was going to be an interesting experience - everything was in Kanji script - no English or even Romanji (Japanese in Latin characters). Fortunately for us, a Japanese businessman sitting at the next table spoke excellent English and helped us order, which meant Robin could avoid fish. With a belly full of noodles and a bit of beer, we made it back to the hotel for an 8pm bedtime.

Our first impressions of Japan - we could learn a few things from them. No surprise there, really. Everyone is extremely polite and goes out of their way to be helpful. The service staff everywhere is typically well-dressed, too. The bus driver from the airport had on a dress shirt, vest and tie. The porters at the airport were in pressed slacks and shirts, and handled all the luggage carefully. The hotel staff, the businessman at the restaurant and even the restaurant staff who didn't speak English were immediately helpful.