WHATCHATHINKIN'

When I sit, you sit. When I kneel, you kneel. Et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.

King Mongkut – The King and I

Adverb: used at the end of a list to indicate that further, similar items are included.

This quote rolled around my head throughout our trip in Japan. While it was said, originally, in a quite serious manner by Yul Brenner in the King and I, it has oft been spoofed on Mystery Science Theater 3000 as well as referenced in Psych. You may rightly ask, ‘Why were you thinking of a catch phrase used by the king of Siam while in Japan?’ I will get to that, but in this context it will be used to fill in my thoughts and perceptions of The Land of the Rising Sun.

14 hours. Non-stop. Unlike Brian, I was not thinking of gas consumption but rather how much of that 14 hours I could spend in a restful sleep. I am one who has no difficulty falling asleep, almost anywhere, at any time. But the confines of an airplane seat, even with extra legroom, had me worried. After a movie or two, and reading a few pages of my Clive Cussler book, I donned my blackout mask and spent a good portion of the flight in a pretty good slumber. The flight home was a touch shorter and I slept even more, thanks to not eating whatever it was that United had to offer for their meals.

Speaking of food – that was probably one of the most asked questions about our trip – ‘how did you find the food there?’ One word – amazing. I don’t think there was one thing that I didn’t like. I suppose if you are averse to eating fish, you may have a slight problem. The sushi, sashimi and every piece of fish there was super fresh, flavorful and beautifully presented. Aside from fish, there was ramen, udon and miso along with waygu and kobe beef. The ramen was not the kind found in college dorm rooms prepared on a hot plate – this was more culinary expertise. Fresh noodles, broth, assorted vegetables with spices that I had not seen before – some used on experimentation. And then there was tofu. I was never a fan, but that was simply because I had never had it prepared properly. One particular restaurant in Koya-san not only served a tremendous variety but it was so artfully presented that it was almost too pretty to eat – almost. No matter what was put in front of me, I tried it. Yes, there were some textural oddities – some jellied dishes that just didn’t ‘feel’ right in the mouth, but as far as taste, it was quite the experience.

Cleanliness. In the 14 days we traveled I can honestly say that I did not see one bit of trash on the street, perhaps one small marking of graffiti and the only outside garbage cans were at the rest stops, which were marked with recycle/garbage/etc,etc,etc. In a country with so very many people, it was astonishing that the cities, especially, are kept so very clean. The carry in/carry out principle is in full play, and I found myself with a pocket of papers and wrappers to throw out at the end of the day.

Respect on the road. Speaking of cities, and traffic, which we saw going in and out of Tokyo and Kyoto especially; for the most part everyone ‘played nicely’ and there was only one or two incidents of very mild road rage, which I think came from vehicles with ‘out of town’ plates. Honestly, as a group I think we were probably the worst offenders as we utilized lane-splitting (which is not really a practice in Japan) quite often and in pretty tight situations. We were split into two groups of 6-7 bikes each, so the ‘staying together in the city’ was made just a little bit easier.

ETC, ETC, ETC. Each motorcycle was fitted with an electronic toll collector, and we went through quite a few of these tolls along our routes. Where we see E-Z Pass notices on the toll lanes, Japan has these marked with large letters – ETC. I began hearing Yul Brenner in my head each time we passed through one, interspersed with refrains of Getting to Know You and Shall We Dance.

Final word – toilets. Every single bathroom had a bidet. Life changing. We were home one week and had one installed.