For An Exotic And Rewarding Vacation, Visit Japan
For most Americans the idea of visiting Japan can be intimidating. They immediately focus on the fact that the Japanese speaking a drastically different language. In addition with the scene on television is a place that is terrifically overcrowded. The reason that they see this on TV is because it is an anomaly in Japan itself usually only experienced during the holidays when nearly everyone has the same time off. We experienced much the same thing during the Christmas holidays.
The Japanese are much more polite in their social relationship with one another. Politeness is a strong social norm and keeps a highly populated island calm and running smoothly. When two people meet they bow politely, with the elder acquaintance given the greater respect. In fact, respect for the elderly is so formalized that their seating is reserved even on crowded trains.
Besides this overt politeness and the language, another significant difference is our diets. In the United States, barely a day will go by without each of us consuming bread in some fashion. To an even greater degree, every Japanese consumes rice every day. This is common among easter cultures, as in China, there words for ‘How are you?’ literally translates to ‘Have you eaten rice today?’ So it is little surprise that every home in Japan has at least one or more rice cookers.
Because cooking rice in the equivalent of the bread making machine is so much easier than cooking rice in a pot on the stove devices becoming available, even popular here in the United States. But here there is usually one size in one type if the store carries them. In Japan there is an enormous selection with one of the more popular types being the Zojirushi rice cooker.
Another interesting feature of the Japanese home is the complete absence of shoes. Because one where she’s outside the home releases that they are contaminated with a wide variety of unsavory materials which could not be tracked inside the house. Most Japanese shoes, therefore, are slip on slip off types. Every home also has a wide variety of slippers for guests to wear inside the home.
The majority of homes in Japan have Tatami mat floors. These mats are made of intricately woven rice straw. Originally, the centers of the mats were also constructed from rice straw but increasingly today the centers are made of a synthetic material. These types of fluids stay cool in summer and warm in winter, but require a more gentle cleaning and western floor made of wood or that is carpeted. That is the most popular floor cleaning devices are handheld vacuums.
Visiting Japan can be a truly rewarding and exciting event. If you are courageous enough to try, the rewards are great. The people are friendly and welcoming, especially of Americans, and their society is enigmatically tied to both the future and the past. Their ability to adopt new technology is legend, while they revere both nature and their cultural heritage which is many times longer than American history.
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Tags: japan, relaxation, vacation
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