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I'd spent my first two weeks in Japan on the quiet northerly island of Hokkaido - and now it was time to hit the crowds. Having sailed south across the Sea of Japan for almost 24 hours I found myself in Osaka, a city of millions that was set to challenge my mountain-life mentality.

Japanese Tales: Japan 2000, a lengthy tale (2)

Joseph Tame
2006-06-30 12:53:00

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The Big City was a complete shock to my system having spent the previous six months in the quiet Alps, and so I often sought to find the places where one could relax and breathe again. The park surrounding Osaka Castle became a favourite haunt for me, as somewhere to enjoy nature away from the bustle of street life. I spent hours simply sitting in the sun writing. Writing letters, writing my journal - I also frequented an Internet café, and for the first time truly appreciated the benefits of Email. For a few days Email became my absolute lifeline, as daily I shared my experiences with friends and family on five continents. Without that outlet for my thoughts and feelings I felt that my head would simply no longer be able to cope with all the input I was receiving. It was also good to know that there were others around me, no matter how far away in reality, to give me support.

Osaka showed me for the first time the true extent of Japanese politeness in society. Simply walking down the street, one couldn't fail to be greeted by someone or other.A lady creating a window display would nod and smile as you walked past. Outside a multi-storey car park (unlike any I've ever seen before, these seemed more like huge vending machines dispensing vehicles!) a worker would be stationed with a little flashing red baton to guide you across the narrow entrance, stopping all traffic and bowing for your benefit. Entering a restaurant you would be greeted by a chorus of enthusiastic voices calling "irasshaimase!é ('Welcome!') - When leaving all staff would thank you before saying goodbye. It was a pleasure to experience such manners, although looking back I do feel that there are many instances where the Japanese fall victim to their own culture: one of the most cherished ideas about the Japanese is that the group is more important than the individual. This manifests itself ...