Reflection from our Japan trip
I just arrived from a vacation in Japan last Thursday, a personal trip I and my wife planned some months ago. We visited Tokyo and Osaka, and from Osaka we took a side trip to Kyoto before going back to Cebu via Kansai International Airport in Osaka.
As a tourist in Tokyo, I can now relate to what some observers say about Japan, that it is quite a xenophobic country. Xenophobia is defined as "the fear and distrust of that which is perceived to be foreign or strange."
For sure, the people we interacted with were very helpful and extremely courteous. But one thing that we were not ready for upon our arrival in Narita airport was the confusion that came with trying to figure out how to get out of the airport and get to our hotel in one piece.
I had been in airports of some non-English speaking countries before, and none came as challenging as Japan's Narita airport in terms of the effort it took to figure out if we were in the right rail platform and the right train going out.
But it was the smartphone app Google Maps that proved to be valuable in this trip. That was after several attempts to get directions from airport signages and patrol officers in Narita. Google Maps worked accurately, with details on route, train location, and time of arrival extracted from the rail system of this ultra-modern country.
Incidentally, Tokyo is set to host the Summer Olympics in 2020, officially known as the Games of the 32nd Olympiad. The games are scheduled to take place from July 24 to August 9, 2020.
The flight from Cebu to Tokyo via Narita airport is just about over four hours. In other words, the Olympics will be relatively nearer to us in Cebu, and there is still enough time to save up for that trip if you plan to watch the games live.
The last time the Summer Olympics was held in Tokyo was in 1964. That period was considered a turning point in Japan's modern history as it marked the country's return to the global stage as a "peaceful, economically confident nation" still recovering from the war.
The 2020 Olympics is estimated to cost $7.7 billion, which is less than 1 percent of Japan's national budget, according to the Wall Street Journal. Thus, there is no question that Japan can very well afford to host the games and with much more interesting things to offer, I hope.
Indeed, we already know about how advanced a country Japan is --economically, technologically, culturally, gastronomically-- you name it. But whether or not it can succeed in designing its metropolis as an international city, even just for this coming Olympics, so that first-time visitors don't feel disoriented, remains to be seen.
Hosting the Olympics can prove to bring positive and lasting changes to the host city and country just like what happened to Beijing in 2008 and London in 2012. So beyond the gray efficiency running through Japan's technologically advanced society and its amazing human resource efficiency and work ethics, the 2020 Olympics is an opportunity for the country to rebrand itself in more creative and innovative ways for the next generation in this age of globalization.
I like traveling because it exposes me to different places and cultures and I enjoy learning about new things. Yet traveling also gives me a chance to reflect on our own culture and practices, particularly the positive side, and what aspects of these we can impart to foreigners.
I saw a glimpse of that in the excited reactions of Japanese tourists on our way back to Cebu as the plane approached the Mactan runway at dusk, giving the passengers a view of the red and orange to yellow warm shade of the sky. Despite all the imperfections of my country, the tourists can look forward to fun and interesting times here --unpredictable in various ways, but always warm and vibrant.
Perhaps for the Japanese tourists, it was also a break from the hectic rushing around of a regular day and from the cool, dry air they've gotten used to in their country at this time of the year.
As I and my wife stepped out of the airport terminal in Mactan, I relished the warm, moist air that greeted us, and the laidback pace of the people which, for sure, is totally different from being lazy.
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