300 Years of isolation. Japan.

If you hear Japan the first thing you should get in mind is not Sushi, Origami or Anime it is all about the rules and honor.

Plenty of things makes Japan so unique and so absurd that you don't even can't imagine. The things went very quickly in just some hundreds years. In the beginning many civil wars then 300 years of isolation from rest of the world. In this 300 hundred years Japanese core has formed. The country had no other influence, no more wars took place, the grow of the city was substantial and the wellness of country rose.

After implementation of western  technologies and culture, japan participated in first world war and was devastated in second world war. All this events made Japan how we know it today. Of course you can't achieve so much without implication of USA, strong believes in nationalism, dignity, obligation and the rules everybody have to follow.

Fukuoka to Japan

After spending one night in Fukuoka I went to the train station and bought Japan railpass for 14 days. Later that day I couldn't stop thinking and was exited in waiting for this "Bullet Train". I witnessed how elegant this giant moves on such a high speed, it felt more like a boat gliding smoothly on the water then a actual train.

 If you didn't know, the first bullet train begin to operate already in year 1964. And you for sure think what it is so important with this year? I will tell more later.

Night life TokyoAs fast the work is finished many people rush to the night life district Shinjuku here is the center where a many of unpleasant things going on. As the city guide told to our group the Japanese people drink a lot or at least those who are in this area. Different people here but majority seems to be office workers with shirt, suit and handbags what mean they don't go home but directly to a Izakaya. A small traditional bar where you can eat and drink at the same time. Here you can find contrasting signs which shows you the way in underground. There is not legal to sell sex in the Japan but as in many countries organized criminals find way to avoid the law. Our guide was very precaution don't spell loud the word ''Yakuza" because here the streets are controlled by the mafia. And with the mafia also drugs, prostitution, robbery, fraud and even murders. I can't believe that in our day justice still didn't solve this issue. The yakuza problem goes up until to the highers position of police and in the government covering and hiding mafia organisation.  What is authentic for Japan in the night life is "Love Hotel". Probably everybody in Tokyo or other cities had used this form of place if you need intimidation and to spend some time to do just one thing, SEX. Yeah right and doesn't matter if you are marry or meeting someone for a long time or just a date it is so common as in west culture to go in cinema. Sounds crazy but this is a normal evolution of overcrowded Tokyo, dignity and shame. Long story short, almost every unmarried couple lives with their family so they will never come to spend a night in a parents apartment.                                              Even married people goes to Love Hotels because they just get used with that and it's very convenient. No people at the reception, cozy furniture, pleasant environment, aromatic smelling rooms and so on, everything to make you happy.                         The last train goes close to midnight and many loudly companies rush to get last train. So at this point people rather to go home they choose to go to Karaoke where they can continue to drink and to sing until the morning :)

Food

To my surprise the sushi is not so famous in japan as a fancy meal as everybody outside Japan thinks it is. By the fact the sushi is the grab food you get from in a convenient store and is not expensive at all. From the past the sushi had the same value, when a traveler are in hurry he will take from the street kitchen a role of sushi while you still going, make sens for me. So once again sushi is not what Japanese eat everyday and majority will take it just in case you don't have time to eat.There is plenty of dishes the japanese people like but in my opinion what they really eat and love very much is Ramen, oh yeah amazing noodle soup. 

   

Tokyo city

If i will need three words to describe Tokyo then I will say: busy, crowded with less green spaces.

Indeed the city is very crowded, many people commute long distances to get to work so is not strange that people wake up at 4 am to get ready and to take the first train. The image of reading, looking in smartphone, eating or sleeping people on the train it's quite usual. Some streets or open areas are paved entirely and there isn't left any places for trees or grass, this could be the reason why it is so hot in the city. 

Now lets go back to the year 1964, so what happened then? This was a famous year for the Japan and for Tokyo because in this year Tokyo was a host for the 18th Olympic Game. This year Japanese people united together one more time and displayed for the rest of world how a culture can achieve incredible success. Why I am telling all this? Well because this phenomen should be taking in consideration if we want to learn from the past. Lets take a look on two picture: one is the Tokyo of the end of the war year 1945 and the other 1964 the year of Olympic Game.

So where to begin rebuilding if the completely destroyed city had nothing working, no water, no gas, no roads and to all that a huge mass of demolished buildings?

The answer is: follow the rules, don't lose your honor and hard work, this what it takes for the people to made this great job.

That mean that in just 19 years from nothing to Olympic Game host this is very impressive.

But if we could see in the future and look at the Tokyo after 54 years lets say year 2018 then probably you will not be able to distinguish even the Tokyo from 1964.