The Reason Why You Should Actually Visit Japan

First published in Times Now

The bullet train from Tokyo to Osaka was slated for 8 pm. I reached well in time since it was also the last train between the two cities, and I had a flight to Vietnam the next morning. The platform stayed vacant even as my watch read 7.45 pm, feeling like an oddity.

A Japanese man, dressed in a formal suit, stood next to me, busy checking out something on his phone.

This is how you would see most people in Japan—a world unto themselves, not looking around and definitely a far-cry if you have travelled in most other Asian countries—especially in India, where liveliness is a way of life. The Japanese keep to themselves, mostly looking impassive to the world around them.

With that in mind and the fact that the platform was still vacant, I cautiously reached out to the man, showing him my ticket. He read it with surprising nimbleness, gesturing to me that my train would arrive on the platform opposite. Dayum! With hardly 10 minutes to spare, I stood at the wrong platform, waiting for the last train of the day, with an earnest looking man trying to help me out.

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I thanked him quickly and dashed down the stairs with my guiltily heavy luggage and backpack to make it to the other platform. I crossed over to the other side of the staircase, only to realise that I would have to climb some 30 steps to make it to the platform. I knew I would not be able to make it, not with my luggage at least, not with the herniated disc in my back that turns painful if I lift more than a few kilograms in one go.

So yes, I was set for a night of travel that no traveller would like.

Just when I had given up, the man who had helped me earlier, came running to me, picked my luggage and held out his hand to me. Without saying a word. Of course, I grabbed his hand as he helped me to the platform and to the right train, which departed mere seconds after I got in. I could hardly thank him as the train pulled away from the station.

Well, this was Japan for me—its people.

You might plan a trip to Japan to soak in the sheer vibe that Mt Fuji is, or, to go all geeky at Akihabara or, to gorge over traditional Japanese dishes or, for the love of architecture that has a following of its own (including me) or, to live your ghibli dreams or, to merely make reels of the Shibuya crossing for social media feeds.

You might plan a trip for all or any of this but what you would remember the most once you are back from Japan is its people.

The Japanese do not wear kindness on their sleeve, they have it in their heart; in fact, they might look self-absorbed to some, neither passing smiles nor making eye-contact. They live by rules; you would not see anybody rushing at the metro stations or roads because everyone leaves for their destination well in time. You will pass them by in public areas without anyone throwing you even an off-chance glance. In all probability, most people in Japan might look disinterested in others.

Surprisingly, all of this disappears the second one needs help. If you look lost at a restaurant, wondering how and what to order, the staff would guide you well, with smiles. If you lose your way again and again (like I did) and approach somebody for directions, they will come along till you are at least in some proximity to wherever you want to be (remember that Google Maps might not take you a long way in Japan, especially in bigger places like Tokyo, for there are just a few landmarks and most of the buildings are built similar to not look jarring).

If you have been to Japan, you would know that most of the signboards are in Japanese and there is a rare chance that you would find somebody who is fluent in English either. So yeah, this is the land where a lot could go lost in translation. Pun intended. Yet, my praise for the Japanese does not owe entirely to me getting hassled because of a new language.

As soon as I posted about my Japan trip on social media, queries started pouring in, about people wanting help with their trip. What stood out in all the questions was the fact that a lot of people believe Japan a tough land to travel through, too techie to understand, with rumours about Japanese cuisine being unaccommodating to vegetarians or people with a different palate, and the belief that the Japanese have a set of rules and rituals that is all conforming.

A lot of this is true, but a lot of is not since there would be somebody or the other to help you out. In my initial days there, as I clocked in almost 20k steps daily (when in Japan, you got to walk), department stores were my go-to for food. From Lawson to 7-Eleven to Japan’s famous vending machines, there was somebody around to help me out if the things weren’t clearly self-explanatory. Much to my readers’ bemusement, I can share that a Japanese staff member at a Lawson taught me how to brew perfect Americano, piping hot and fresh from the store machine.

The other notion that travellers who do not follow the customs are looked down upon by the locals is also not true. They very well know that you are new to their country and nobody will bat an eyelid if you stand on the wrong side of the elevator, tip the staff or walk while eating. Of course, please do not make chewing noises! Nobody, anywhere, would appreciate it.

Perhaps, Japan is one of those places where people save you with their kindness. Warmth in Japan is just a stranger away when you are at your most vulnerable.