Back
Chiquita and I came back from Japan yesterday afternoon and I am still feeling a bit dazed and jetlagged. We had the best 2 weeks EVER. I have just downloaded my more than 1300 (!) photos to my computer and am deciding which ones to upload to a digestible web album. Expect some photo-posts devoted to different topics in the next few days.
Everything was superlative: amazing sights and scenery, incredibly friendly people, delicious food, mild weather, trains that were always on time and surprisingly cheap prices. It is hard to imagine that we will actually be able to survive without matcha lattes and onigiri. Sigh!
It was also a shopaholic's dream - unlike in Europe when you you find outlets of the same highstreet chains wherever you go, most of the Japanese brands (apart from my beloved Uniqlo) where unknown to me and had I not arrived with a suitcase already weighing 21.7 kilos - the baggage allowance being 20 kg - which prompted check-in staff to tell me to "be careful", I would have gone wild. Well, I did anyway and by getting rid of some of my clothes and shoes in Japan, posting a parcel home and stuffing my carry-on bag full to the brim, I managed to check in a moderate 19.9 kg: some feat!
I could go on for hours about the beautiful packaging and wrappers of food and souvenirs alike. Consuming really is elevated to an art form in Japan and it's interesting to see that there are almost as many Louis Vuitton branches there are convenience stores. Japanese women seem to be crazy about nail art and I was THIS close to buying mad nail polish and/or going for some crazy manicure. It seemed like the thing to do but then I reminded myself that I'm actually not the type to boast glittery tips.
Here is a pretty representative picture of some of my typically Japanese purchases:
Everything was superlative: amazing sights and scenery, incredibly friendly people, delicious food, mild weather, trains that were always on time and surprisingly cheap prices. It is hard to imagine that we will actually be able to survive without matcha lattes and onigiri. Sigh!
It was also a shopaholic's dream - unlike in Europe when you you find outlets of the same highstreet chains wherever you go, most of the Japanese brands (apart from my beloved Uniqlo) where unknown to me and had I not arrived with a suitcase already weighing 21.7 kilos - the baggage allowance being 20 kg - which prompted check-in staff to tell me to "be careful", I would have gone wild. Well, I did anyway and by getting rid of some of my clothes and shoes in Japan, posting a parcel home and stuffing my carry-on bag full to the brim, I managed to check in a moderate 19.9 kg: some feat!
I could go on for hours about the beautiful packaging and wrappers of food and souvenirs alike. Consuming really is elevated to an art form in Japan and it's interesting to see that there are almost as many Louis Vuitton branches there are convenience stores. Japanese women seem to be crazy about nail art and I was THIS close to buying mad nail polish and/or going for some crazy manicure. It seemed like the thing to do but then I reminded myself that I'm actually not the type to boast glittery tips.
Here is a pretty representative picture of some of my typically Japanese purchases:
I also bought clothes, a funny hat, a new camera and make-up (mainly from Shu Uemura).
Time for some caffeine...more soon!
posted at 1:28 PM
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