What sets Japan apart from the rest

En route to Tokyo — it’s more than two hours away from Kyoto by bullet train, so I’m taking the opportunity to make it for this column’s deadline. 

The first time I was in Japan was in 2006 for Nagmamahal Kapamilya to document Filipinos living in Japan. It left quite an impression on me, starting with the Filipina that I met at the airport who lent us her cellphone. I was also pleasantly surprised when a Japanese went out of his way just to give us directions when we got lost looking for the bus station. 

I, along with other Kapamilya celebrities, had our fan moment with the Filipina lifestyle reporter Ellen when she covered a TFC event. Everyone remembers her coy style of interviewing in Japanese and then translating it on the spot for the Filipino viewers. 

The last thing I like best about Japan during my first and very brief one-day visit was the food — the very tender beef in particular when we had shabu-shabu.

My main concern for this trip is the language barrier because my husband and I don’t have a tour guide with us. Good thing, it’s been very easy to get around Japan because people are very helpful. There were times when it was a challenge to communicate and we had to do some sign language, but when our “charades” would not suffice, the Japanese went out of their way to lead us where to go. 

There are many things beautiful about Japan — the history, the culture and the spirituality. While that may all seem too complex to grasp, it all boils down to the people that you encounter. They are very simple and yet they gave special attention to detail — from the preparation of their food to their clothing. 

You’d notice that they keep on bowing, too, normally reflective of one’s social status. As guests in a hotel or a ryokan, they bowed to us. 

When we visited a ryokan in Kyoto, the lady of the house so gracefully fixed our shoes and went down on her knees! However, I didn’t feel any sense of inferiority in the gesture but sheer graciousness.

Of course, some were not especially courteous 100 percent of the time.  I encountered a â€œmasungit” elderly Japanese woman in queue, but I sensed she was more the exception. There were also a few who seemed averse to foreigners, but I felt it was because of the language barrier more than anything. 

There was also no time during our stay in Kyoto that I felt unsafe. My husband Orange joked, “A criminal would be happy here because he doesn’t have rivals.” When we accidentally left our bag in the tour bus, we informed the hotel concierge and they took care of everything! I was not a bit worried that our bag would not be returned. True enough, they brought our bag to us within two hours!

When we chose Japan for this vacation, I was told that it was like any metropolitan city. Now, in Tokyo, I know what they meant — from high-rise buildings to stores of designer brands — but what sets Japan apart from the rest is the people.  

Before I end this column, let me add another thing I noticed about Japan — there were no garbage bins in public areas, but there was hardly any sight of litter. That, too, speaks so much of the Japanese people.  

More on Japan in my next column. 

(E-mail me at [email protected].)