Your fabulously oriental Heyday Friday newsletter

Back from my Japanese adventure with so much to share with you, starting with some very special experiences.

Nov 15, 2024

Hellooo!

How have you been?

I’m back. And I’ve got sooooo much to tell you about!

Japan was utterly fantastic. What an amazing and fascinating country. We had so many memorable adventures and experiences in our three weeks of travelling.

We rode on the absurdly beautiful and astonishingly fast bullet trains, looked round beautiful historic buildings and stunning ultra modern ones and lost count of the number of Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples we visited.

We met so many fascinating, friendly people, including a 17 year old geisha-in-training and a 79-year old woman who was born four days after the atomic bomb exploded in her home city of Hiroshima.

We discovered cultural and religious rituals, tried a lot of traditional Japanese food - not all of it entirely identifiable - and hiked through mountainous cedar forests on an ancient pilgrimage trail.

You’ll find out more about all of that, along with some of the more unusual and unexpected aspects of Japanese life and culture, in this week’s blog which you can read by CLICKING HERE.

WHAT’S MADE ME HAPPY THIS WEEK

Neither of these two things happened this week, but it makes me happy to thank you for being much valued newsletter readers by sharing two particularly special experiences from our Japan adventure exclusively with all of you.

The first was having an hour-long private calligraphy lesson in our teacher’s beautiful home in the suburbs of Kyoto. Here’s what it looked like outside.

And inside

Here’s she is showing me how it’s done

My practice attempts at writing my name

And our completed symbols which spell out the words ‘spirit’ (chosen by my lovely fella) and ‘joy’ for me, with our names down the left hand sides of our finished results.

The second was an entirely unexpected opportunity to try on a traditional kimono. The process of being dressed in it was far more intricate than I realised - it took over 15 minutes to complete - but once it was done the gorgeous kimono was actually far more comfortable to wear than I expected.

Forgive the clumsily sped up video. I didn’t think you’d fancy sitting through the full 15 minutes.

Here’s the finished result in all it’s beautiful glory (the kimono, not me, clearly. It was the end of a long day of exploring, so I was more than a bit bedraggled. If I’d known what was about to happen I’d at least have brushed my hair!)

WORDS OF WISDOM

I’m obviously not going to be able to resist giving all the content of this week’s newsletter a Japanese theme/flavour (or using more of the hundreds of pics I took on our travels), so here is one of their proverbs (in Japanese and English) which reflects the national spirit of resilience and determination - much tested over the centuries thanks to many wars, national and international, and natural disasters including earthquakes, floods and fires.

The picture is of the Golden Pavillion in Kyoto, so called because it’s literally covered in gold leaf. Outside and in.

THIS WEEK I’VE BEEN….READING

Again, not something I read this week, but in the spirit of staying true to my Japanese theme and because so many people suggested I should check it out ahead of my trip, this was my long outbound flight reading. And jolly good it was too.

Chris Broad first arrived in Japan in his early twenties as a participant in JET, a long-running government programme to place native speakers in Japanese state schools. Allocated a position in a school in Sakata, a small, snowy mountain town in the north east of the country, disappointingly far from the excitement of Tokyo and the attractions of Kyoto, he was, as he writes, “overwhelmed and utterly naive. I had no idea what was going on.”

A decade later Chris is not only still in Japan but has carved out a life in the country he has come to love, and a career as a hugely successful YouTuber - his channel, which has the same name as the book and serves up videos showcasing Japanese life and culture, has over 2 million subscribers.

The book follows his journey from newly arrived gaiji to firmly embedded resident, via plenty of social misunderstandings and unintentional blunders, and is written in the same affable, funny, self-deprecating style his legions of on-line fans know and love.

For anyone planning a trip to Japan (or on the plane on their way to one) this an ideal introduction to the country and its culture. For anyone who already knows and loves it, it’s a delightful and affectionate reflection of a place that has firmly lodged itself in the heart of the author.

Abroad in Japan is available in all good bookshops, including Waterstones

FRIDAY FUNNY

There’s a reason spring and autumn are the busiest tourists seasons in Japan. And it’s summed up by Chris Broad with his trademark wit.

Pic is of the Hamarikyu Gardens - a glorious, traditional Japanese garden right in the heart of Tokyo

SMART SAVE TIP OF THE WEEK

I have little hope that this would ever be something that would ever be adopted here with the zeal it’s adhered to in Japan, but maybe each of us could do our bit towards making it a habit.

There is NO litter in Japan. Literally, zero. Even in the busiest metropolis.

Pic is packed downtown Osaka. You’ll have to take my word for the fact that there was no rubbish anywhere.

Which is all the more remarkable when you consider that there are also almost no litter bins anywhere.

That’s because Japanese people always take any litter they have home with them and dispose of it there.

I got into the habit of carrying a small plastic bag with me wherever I went and putting any rubbish we had in it, then chucking it in the bin back at the hotel. And re-using the bag next time we went out. Obviously.

That’s it for now. I’m afraid there is going to be more on Japan next week, you’ll see why when you read THE BLOG. But I promise I won’t dedicate the entire newsletter to it (unless that’s what you’d like. There’s lots more I could share with you).

Hope you’ve had a good few weeks since we were last together. I’d love to know what you’ve been up to. And do, please, click the like heart if you’ve enjoyed all these oriental offerings, which, of course, I do hope you have.

Until next time.