A new dawn, a new day...

Let me just sum up my feelings of Japan in the most concise way I know.

"Wow

"Fucking. Wow."

My affinity for the land of the Rising Sun has simply grown to proportions that not even I could've anticipated. However, I have also kept in mind that my affliction with Japan-itis could be borne of the idea that it is simply not the same as Australia, and that the unfamiliarity accentuates my fascination.

However, since returning to Australia I have:

Been abused by drivers for driving 25kph in a 25 kph zone.

Been abused by council workers for driving 30kph in a 25kph zone

Been told to not walk on a side walk because it was under repairs (for a hairline crack)

Been told of how good Australia is because we are "laid back"

That last one really amuses me. We are "laid back" according to all and sundry.

I have news for you Australia: You. Fucking. Aren't.

In Japan I freely rode a bicycle without helmet, bright colours or nigh on a hundred airbags... and I did just fine.

I walked on sidewalks that were in ill shape and were no wider than a dvd player, with cars passing mere feet away from my person, and I never even came close to being hurt.

I saw buses practically park in the street, and watched as all the cars queued up behind it patiently, with no honks or toots from their "warning devices".

Yet, back home I see constant signs everywhere of how powers that be are trying so fervently to protect ourselves from ourselves, and seemingly failing because of the same reason.

People shout abuse at each other for slight inconveniences, and news shows constantly show how not enough is being done to prevent something from something... or something else.

Yet, in another country where they give people the right to use their own judgement, they use it properly. In a country that on the outside appears that it simply shouldn't work, and its people should've become extinct for the lack of any safety precautions that prevent people from throwing themselves in front of trains ("There wasn't a sign to say I shouldn't do it, so I did it, your honour..."), Tokyo... seems to work... despite its best effort to not work...

I walked freely through Harajuku wearing the daggiest clothes I could find, and I didn't receive any looks of disdain, or subdued giggles of ridicule from fashionistas. Whereas in Australia, outrageous clothes are often worn for shock value... in Japan, it was worn in a "This is fun!" kinda way.

Ginza... well... imagine the snobbiest shopping district you can fathom. Ginza has that plus ten times the bug up its arse...

The people in Ginza were the real deal. And if they weren't the real deal, they were damn good at faking it... and if they're that good at faking it, I'm glad I'm not sleeping with any of them...

Look, I simply cannot sum up Japan (and tokyo) in a single post without it being long winded and contrived.

I will probably do this over a few posts, including the many photos I took.

But at the end of the day... I know that through and through... no matter which way you look at me... I'm still Australian.

Much like how no matter which way you cut a steak... it is still a hunk of dead animal.