Japan withdrawing symptoms. Again.
Japan's the first country other than Malaysia, that I've revisited. It won't be the last time. But the next trip won't be so soon either.
The reason why I enjoyed this trip, was primarily because of the great familiarity that struck me, even though I had never been to the Kansai Area before.
I must say that planning for an entire trip yourself, is very rewarding. Firstly, you would spend days and days reading up and researching, to the point that you're pretty sure of the orientation of the area and have less chances to get lost. Secondly, you would have have known some facts and history of the places you're visiting, and you tend to appreciate them better--much more than merely looking at the exteriors of the buildings. Thirdly, you are at your own liberty to change plans or even wander away from commonly-trodden tracks by other tourists.
So, once I touched down at Kansai, there was such an air of familiarity. Probably the previous trip to Tokyo in 2007 had prepared me alot. I knew about the vast, confusing networks of countless railway companies; the dos and don'ts in Japan; some of the cultural habits; and some of the things to expect. The Japanese voices that sounded around me became less alien, but communicating with native Japanese was still much of a problem. I can ask them questions, but I may not catch their answers sometimes.
I'm not sure why the feeling of familiarity was so strong. This wasn't the first time I planned for a trip. I've planned for trips to Vietnam and East Malaysia before too, and had obviously done a good deal of research beforehand as well. Probably I inherently liked Japan all along. Probably the people were so nice and helpful and friendly and good-natured, that I felt so comfortable and at ease for the entire 12 days.
Prior to the trip, I came up with a rather detailed itinerary, over 5 full days. (If anyone is going Kansai, feel free to request from me!). I'm glad I managed to follow most of it. As it was planned according to my personal taste, I'm sure it didnt cater well to everyone, especially the UNESCO World Heritage Site visits. (I have a personal target to hit lah!) But frankly speaking, I still feel that a group of 8 is a tad too big. Though I unofficially became a tour guide for 12 days, I kept worrying if some of them would be too bored of my plans and hence regretted paying $2000 to come along.
I feel that Japan might also be a possible place to visit alone. It's easy to navigate, and personally, i think that communication is not that difficult.
Till we meet again, Japan! Travel entries will be up a few days later.
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P.S.: Thanks to Wenjian for lending me the novel. I
only read a small bit during the trip. Was either busy gazing at scenery/sleeping when commuting. Will read on, nevertheless!
P.S.: Thanks to Jinhui for lending me the backpack. I didn't use in the end, cos I figured out that my squeeze-packing skills aren't that great. But thanks alot, nevertheless!
人生是黑白的.
5:21 PM <3
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