The courtesy ever-present in interactions with Japanese people is something I’ll never forget.

Daniel – I agree, but those impressions were not on our first, very short visit – probably took the second trip to get that. In particular, the collective good of the society, in little things from how people queue for trains, or simply help each other. Sure there are a lot of people that are rushing around, but we have also found some very genuine and friendly people where we have made the effort (and had the luxury) to make return visits to cement those relationships.
One of the things we enjoy now is being able to introduce new people to the range and depth of “little things” that they might otherwise miss on a trip to Japan 🙂

Thanks, Patrick. Those were certainly similar to our memories of the cities. But I think there was something deeper and at the root of the Japanese psyche that I still recall when I think of Japan and a Japanese experience. And that was as interesting, even if not more so, than the physical and infrastructural aspects of traveling in Japan.

After lots of travel, we still love the trains, people and the ability to have a great time with the local people we meet 🙂

Thanks for such a thoughtful comment and for sharing your experience in Japan.

The public transport was just amazing though pricey by Indian standards. It was easy to use (even the Tokyo subway), clean and punctual. No one frowned when we fumbled with our money or our passes. The driver would patiently wait till we finished. Walking was a real pleasure after the sidewalks of Indian cities.

On the Braille bit, apart from the sidewalks, there was Braille on the elevator buttons, on the railings of staircases (at the ends) and even on the toilet control buttons. The attention to detail was incredible and everything seemed to be designed with people in mind. What a change from India where it is the survival of the fittest.

@Kaori: I love hearing this. Your comment makes me think two things:
1) Normal is in the eye of the beholder
2) Visitors always have a way of a showing us a different perspective of home.

Great to meet you this past weekend!

@Mariko: It’s interesting to know that the high-tech toilets are common across Japan, in homes and apartments. Being open to new cultures — from our standpoint — is the only way to go. Makes things more interesting and more fun, and a bit easier to make friends along the way. Thank you so much for your thoughtful and insightful comment. Stay tuned for more posts from Japan (we’ll be mixing them up with other destinations, but there will be many more!).