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...The final leg of my tour is accompanied by an amalgamation of indiscernible emotions. I sat with a larger than life frown in Hong Kong International Airport as the tourism official ploughed on with her inquisition despite my obvious disinterest. Truth be told, I suppose I was glad for the distraction for I was more than reluctant to be leaving people and a country that had hosted me so well. Yes, Nick you can take that as a personal compliment! I flew, Hong Kong to Singapore, having no time to exploit the free internet and other services at Changi Airport before being swiftly hauled onto a connecting flight that would bring me here: to the home of bullet trains, technological advance, strange foods and shinto temples, where beneath the concrete jungle of buildings, lurks a scurry of life steeped in cultural traditions and a way that is, authentically Japanese. In fact, so Japanese that after seven months of solo travel across the globe, I am experiencing the most extensive cultural shock suffered thus far.

Final Leg

Asha Patel
2006-08-23 10:15:20

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...The final leg of my tour is accompanied by an amalgamation of indiscernible emotions. I sat with a larger than life frown in Hong Kong International Airport as the tourism official ploughed on with her inquisition despite my obvious disinterest. Truth be told, I suppose I was glad for the distraction for I was more than reluctant to be leaving people and a country that had hosted me so well. Yes, Nick you can take that as a personal compliment! I flew, Hong Kong to Singapore, having no time to exploit the free internet and other services at Changi Airport before being swiftly hauled onto a connecting flight that would bring me here: to the home of bullet trains, technological advance, strange foods and shinto temples, where beneath the concrete jungle of buildings, lurks a scurry of life steeped in cultural traditions and a way that is, authentically Japanese. In fact, so Japanese that after seven months of solo travel across the globe, I am experiencing the most extensive cultural shock suffered thus far. At the moment I am in the big T - the capital city of Tokyo, which, I had presumed to be relatively international. Yet, I find myself in a linguistic jam, where the tools of communication and comprehension are beyond my reach. Whilst this reduces functionality and practicality to a minimum, I am trying, as you said Ant, to have fun with it. In response to the service with a scowl that I sometimes receive here, I offer the universally understood large beaming grin, to which the reactions are varied and amusing. Some suddenly find fascination with their feet as they abashedly look downward, others reciprocate with a shy reserved smile of their own, whilst some, just become further enraged by this strange smiling gaijin that they display by furrowing their frowns... it really is amusing...

...At first appearance, to use Thatcher's vocabulary, Tokyo is an atomistic society, awash with individualism. But, underneath this cloak, pumps the lifeblood ...