Japan 7 Years Later

I just got back from a couple weeks in Japan and had a terrific time. It had been seven long years since my last visit, so it was nice to renew connections with family, friends, and places. I accumulated a lot of great material for my blog and website and look forward to adding content in the coming weeks. Not only has the trip reinvigorated my passion for writing about Japan, it has helped reassure me that my opinions are grounded more in the reality of Japan as it is right now and not the Japan of my memory.

More focused posts are on the way, so don't mind me if I dispense with some more random observations upon first reflection.

Little Changes, Little Culture Shocks

Of course it's foolish to assume that nothing will change about a place after 7 years away, but the lazy part of the brain that forms and stores impressions is easily surprised.

Prepaid train cards are a thing of the past. They have been replaced by IC cards like the Pasmo card and with few exceptions allow riders to seamlessly travel between trains, subways, and buses regardless of the company. The downside is that prepaid train cards no longer appear to be available. On previous short term trips I used to enjoy collecting the prepaid cards as little local souvenirs that were easily transportable home as bookmarks. My trivial concern aside, I am impressed with the speed with which these cards were adapted by commuters and how well they are integrated across so many platforms. In the Toronto area it seemed to take forever to implement the similar Metro Presto card, and that was integrating only publicly owned transit systems, never mind the complicated array of public and private transportation systems crisscrossing Japan.

Designed by Apple?

The real downside for short term travellers isn't the lack of prepaid cards however, but the reduction of ticket vending machines and even gates one can use the tickets in. It's a small thing, but be prepared next time you visit.

Riding on the train is soooooooo quiet. No one seems to talk, and cell phones NEVER ring. Phones even come with a "Manners" mode you are supposed to select every time you ride on the train. Posters remind riders to use manners mode, but I was probably the only one who needed to be told. Fortunately, I was informed before receiving a call from anyone.

This is more of a local one, but the Keisei Skyliner/Morning Liner/Evening Liner is working better than ever. It only costs an extra 400 yen over a regular train ticket to ride it now, and the seating experience is close to being on a shinkansen. If my memory serves me correctly, it used to cost more and run less frequently. The only trade off is that fewer Limited Expresses seem to run now, but for the time savings, the Skyliner variations serve tourists much better for the price.

In the wake of the 2011 tsunami, Japanese were asked to embrace conservation and we noticed signs of this everywhere two years later. Until it got really hot toward the end of our second week, we did not notice much air conditioning use in trains, on buses, or in stores. Once we got over the initial surprise, we realized that being in a warm place in summer wasn't really all that bad after all. There's certainly a lesson in there for Canadian malls and office buildings where "meat locker" still seems to be the only setting on the dial.

Another heat busting trend is the ice pack scarf, handkerchief, or headband. Our kids loved them, and found it easier to cope with the heat of the Japanese summer when wearing one. I haven't tried mine yet, but I think summer yardwork is going to be a lot more comfortable now. The brains behind this one is making a LOT of money for his or her company this summer.

Customs and immigration runs a lot smoother at Narita Airport now. I used to wonder about the Yokoso Japan tourism campaign when I thought about the long lines I had to endure every time I came to Japan. We experienced little waiting time entering and leaving Japan this year. Hopefully this is the new norm.

One HUGE thing that hasn't changed

The prices. Seriously. Everything seems to cost the same as it did when I lived in Japan in 1997! Yes, I know the economy has been flat for 20 years now, but no change? In fact, some prices are even better. It used to be a big deal when you could find a vending machine drink for 110 yen instead of 120. Now, 100 yen machines are common enough that you can find at least one in every neighbourhood.

During Canada's deficit-fighting period in the 90s, the economy seemed a bit bleak, and Japan's famously high prices were a little more intimidating. Since then, Canada's slow and steady growth should change people's minds about prices in Japan. We spent a couple days in Finland (more on that later) before heading to Japan and found the prices way higher there. If you have ever let rumours about  high prices in Japan stop you from visiting before, now is the time to book that vacation, especially with exchange rates near par.

Little Regrets

Ramune, that cool refreshing drink

Kakipi, my greatest weakness

I was so busy, not to mention well fed, that I never got a chance to try a few snacks while they were cheap and available. 1) Ramune - the perfect summer drink with the marble in the bottle. 2) Kasugai green peas (my kakipi addiction got the best of me as a daily snack). 3) Green tea Kit Kat. I was enjoying so many higher quality green tea flavoured treats, that the Kit Kats never appealed to me--until after I got on the plane back home.

Don't Regret

Not seeing the Tokyo Sky Tree up close. Even though it's Tokyo's latest, greatest attraction, I forgot about it completely until I saw it through the haze from the Tokyo Kasai Rinkai Aquarium. What a monolith! It was a bit like seeing the top of Mount Fuji across the bay, and yet I didn't give it another thought or try spot it on other trips into Tokyo.

In my previous three summer trips to Japan, I always sifted through the competing songs of summer and bought my favourite to serve as the soundtrack of summer once returning home. This time I didn't. Whether it is the onset of middle age or the fact that my in-laws no longer subscribe to MTV Japan (or its equivalent), I just never felt the need to get in on the summer pop song phenomenon this time around. Receiving Orange Range's Greatest Hits from a friend on the second last day probably helped here too.