My cousin recently went to Japan with a group of friends. I was excited to interview him because I admire his interest in Japanese culture and Kendo, a form of martial arts. Years ago, my family watched one of his Kendo classes and I was very intrigued by his hobby as well as my cousin’s knowledge of such an exotic martial arts form and culture.

What inspired you to go to Japan?

A group of us from martial arts class decided to go together. My current instructor had been training with an instructor for 20 years and decided to finally take his chief instructor on a trip to show him appreciation. He invited the rest of us to go with them. I had always wanted to go to Japan. He had lived there for ten months, spoke the language, and knew enough Japanese that he acted as tour guide.

What is the name of your martial arts class? Isn’t it Kendo? Is that based on Japanese sport?

Yes, Kendo but we now call it Ken-Jutsu. It’s our version of calling it to differentiate our style.

Did you use a travel program or agency?

No, the instructor put it together. He planned the whole trip himself.

Where did the itinerary take you?

He gave us a rough draft of what we’d expect to see everyday. Skytree, a district in Tokyo, a shrine, a festival, and whatever people wanted to do…dinner, hanging out, and if you wanted to do something different, you could. On our traveling days, we stayed in Tokyo for three days, Kyoto, then Shirahama.….the relaxing portion of the trip on the beach. It was 11 days altogether but two of those were travel days.

What was your favorite meal?

One meal we had in Kyoto was an all- you- can- eat Yakiniku  bbq buffet but not how we think about bbq. You sit at a table with a hole in it with a burner underneath. You order off the menu all the meats, seafood, and vegetables you want. They bring it out to you for basically an hour and a half, nonstop. It’s up to you what you order and put on the grill.

What surprised you the most about Japan?

Hmmmm….that’s a good question. Not a lot surprised me but I’d have to say in Tokyo at least, it was how densely populated it was and how busy it was on the subway. I kind of knew about it but until you are there, you don’t realize how jam-packed and populated it is. People cram themselves into the subways. They push themselves in early in the morning or right at 4-6 p.m. Then,  you have to be ready to push in before the doors close and people are still cramming in. I didn’t realize how fast paced it was. It’s a whole other thing when you experience it for yourself.

What excursions do you recommend?

In Tokyo, you can take the train everywhere. We saw a sumo match, a shrine, different districts….the one district called Harajuku.

AH!! Harajuku!! That’s the one I am fascinated with. One of my favorite songs is Harajuku Girls by Gwen Stefani. “….where the catwalk got its claws…Ira she mase”

I didn’t see them because it was during the day. They dress up as anime characters; both men and women. They have the electronics district, video games, and karaoke clubs. That was one thing we didn’t get to do was the karaoke.

Did you stay in only Air BnBs?

Yes. It worked out better. It wasn’t necessarily roomier than a hotel, though.

Describe the vibe of the culture.

Not laid back but much closer to America. It’s all about the work, the rush to get to work and the same work ethic. All the men wore suits and you rarely saw men or women wear casual clothes. All the kids wear school uniforms. The women wear nice dresses and clothes; very professional. It’s very much about work and when they get off work, they go wind down at the local restaurant and then they return to work.

Did you observe any customs there?

In Kyoto, we saw more women willing to wear kimonos out in public, especially around the shrines. There are rules for example, on the subway and buses, people give up their seat for an elderly person, pregnant woman or blind person. It’s not really told to you but the gentleness is inferred by the pictures. Even if they are in a hurry and bump into you, they always apologize and do that bow. They also know more English than you think but I don’t know why they don’t let on. They are respectful in the temples and holy places they go to and they remove their shoes as well as in the BnB’s. Another custom I observed is that many Japanese people wear surgical masks and that intrigued me. They openly wear them for two reasons; not because they are germaphobes necessarily, but apparently so that they don’t have to talk to you. Not just to foreigners but to each other.

What did you learn about yourself on this trip? How did the trip enrich your life?

Going with a group of friends was great and I was so happy about that.  I just love the old architecture (especially in Kyoto) that has been leftover from WWII bombing.  A lot of places were destroyed by bombs in WWII but I learned that American allies said we should not touch Kyoto at all because it had that old world feel. It was still modern times but old world charm. Of course Tokyo was great, too, but more modern.

I have always been a big fan of the Japanese culture.