I grew up in Japan. Yes I know, I don't look Japanese. In fact, I'm not Japanese at all, but, I was blessed with the opportunity to travel the world at a young age because of my dad's service in the military and my mom's job as a DoDDS teacher. With over ten years of living in Japan, I have compiled a list of why I think Japan is the best and why I think you should definitely add it to your list of future travels.
1. Travel is cheap
Traveling by car in Japan is not exactly ideal. Everything is pretty spread out and there isn't a lot of parking options, and realistically, the places you want to go are right outside of the train stations. So, grab yourself a PASMO, put 1,000 Yen on it and go explore! You can end up half-way across the country in about an hour on the train.
2. The menus draw you in
If you've ever been to Japan, you know most of the restaurants have life-sized menus that show you what their food looks like before you even enter the establishment!
3. The arcades are amazing
If you've never seen a picture of a Japanese arcade, just know they're intense. People will be going all out on the dance games, other people will be killing the taiko drum game and many others are playing the typical arcade games. Sometimes the arcades are just one floor, and sometimes, they're four stories tall. It all just depends where you go.
4. The photo booths are cute and fun
In Japan, they have this thing called "Purikura" which are basically a Japanese photo sticker booth. AKA "sticky pics." In these photo booths, they have green screens and lots of bright lighting to make you look cute, or kawaii. You get to choose different backgrounds and you get to decorate them when you're done taking the pictures but don't be surprised if your eyes are bigger than normal and they added makeup on to you because that's just what the Purikura booths do.
5. The themed cafes
Japan is known for their themed cafes. Wether it's a cat cafe where you get to drink coffee and play with cats, or the maid cafe where the waitresses are all dressed up like sexy hollywood maids, they're all very intresting and diverse. There's even one cafe where you can pet owls and hold them! Isn't that neat?
6. Kimonos
Every year around the new year, there is a coming of age day or "Seijin no hi," when all the women who are 20 within a certain time frame celebrate the fact that they've become an adult, and they all walk around in Kimonos! Kimonos are a celebratory, traditional dress that the Japanese men and women wear. They are made of beautiful colors and fabrics and it's quite beautiful to see everyone walk around in them.
7. The shopping districts
There are tons of shopping districts. Wether it's Harajuku, Shinjuku, or Shibuya, they have tons of shops, vendors and food.
8. THE FOOD
Japanese food is unlike any other. There's traditional ramen, not the crappy cheap college dorm ramen you're thinking of; onigiri which is a rice ball; takoyaki or fried octopus balls; and yakatori, or as we like to call it, chicken on a stick. All of it is so flavorful, amazing and you HAVE to try it.
9. Family Mart
Family Marts are the convenience stores of Japan. You pop in to grab whatever you need (in my case it's always Japanese food!). Usually people will go in to buy an apple tea, spicy chicken, onigiri or candy. All awesome options from your local Family Mart!
If you ever get the chance, I hope you get to visit Japan. The culture is so different than the American culture, and I wish everyone else could experience it to see how amazing the world is outside of our country's borders. So if you do ever get to visit, happy traveling!
