Japan – a country where everything goes smoothly

Japan – a country where everything goes smoothly

It took us some time to choose the right title for our Japanese experience. It could also be: 'Japan - if you like to complain don't go!'; 'Japan – the country for those who like to be spoiled'; 'Japan – tastes good, smells good, feels good'!

It is not easy to say what is Japan's greatest highlight. There are iconic natural sites, such as Mount Fuji; 

there are Imperial capitals Kyoto and Nara, with all their temples ... 

... Zen gardens ...

... bamboo forests ...

... charming streets ...

... 'geishas' walking around.

 there are super modern, vibrant and yet amazingly tidy megalopolises - Tokyo and Osaka. 

It's rather the whole package that makes this country so unique and so enjoyable. The key components of the 'Japanese package' are: excellent food; ease of traveling (that is to say super modern, fast and punctual trains); politeness of its people, tidiness and cleanliness everywhere, modernity of its cities, relaxing ambience of Ryokans (traditional guesthouses) ...

and Onsens (hot baths); subtle beauty of Buddhist temples, Shinto shrines and Zen gardens. On top of that comes the cherry blossom - an amazing spectacle of natural, man-made beauty (it seems that in Japan there is not so much contradiction between the natural and man-made, as many other places of natural beauty are designed by men, like Zen gardens, bamboo forests, Tateyama snow corridor).

When we walk the streets or take the public transport, most of Japanese cities may feel similar to the Netherlands, Switzerland or Germany. They are clean, tidy and very well organized. The architecture is modern and simplistic. Many people go around on their bicycles - so reminiscent of the Dutch cities. The shop-assistants and bartenders are extremely polite. The weather is very European, the climate in Tokyo or Osaka is similar to Northern Italy or Southern France; as mountains are all around, the setting of Japanese cities is much alike Milan or Grenoble. However, these similarities are superficial, in reality Japan is distinctly unique.

Let's start with food; eating places are omnipresent and the great news is that you don't need to worry for recommendations - whatever place you pick, the food tastes yummy. Without much exaggeration, the meals were so good that our appetite was literarily growing as we ate :). Many of the Japanese delicacies are already available in Europe, especially in Brussels, where sushi bars have become almost as wide-spread as pizzerias. Nonetheless, the Japanese cuisine is still full of surprises. The sushi bar where the fish is going around on a conveyor belt and you can pick the one that you like is not a big surprise in Europe anymore. However, in Japanese ones, also hot water is circulating around; each person has it's small tap and can get as much hot water as they like. At the beginning we thought that it's a custom here to take sushi with hot water; only after some time we realized that in front of each customer there is a small box with powdered green tea (matcha) and you can drink as much tea as you want. In the end, it's not hot water but hot green tea that goes best with the raw fish. In Japan it really pays off to look around to see how the locals do.

Few interesting remarks on the most popular Japanese food – sushi. Raw fish without rice is called sashimi, whereas raw fish with rice is called sushi. The one served on a small bed of rice is called nigiri-sushi and the one served in a seaweed roll is called maki-sushi. Interestingly, in Japan the chunks of fish in nigiri-sushi are always much longer than the rice bed, as you are supposed to dip only the tip of the fish in the soya sauce and not the rice (thanks to this you get much more fish as a bonus :). The Japanese favourite choice is tuna (maguro), which comes in many varieties: lean (the cheapest one); semi-fatty; fatty (the most precious one and very rare in Europe); lightly grilled and minced (kind of tuna tartar). Other common choices for fish are: squid (ika), eel (unagi) and yellowtail fish (hamachi), which is one of our favourites. Surprisingly, the raw salmon (sake) is not as popular as it is in the European sushi restaurants. Instead the Japanese are keen to have a grilled salmon for ... breakfast. Almost every meal is accompanied by a small bowl of miso soup (a soup thickened with fermented soya beans paste, often with added tofu, vegetables and clams). The other common dishes are: noodle soups (ramen, udon and soba); yakitori (skewers) usually consumed in Izaka-Ya (a Japanese pub); gyoza (a dumpling filled with minced meat); Okonomiyaki (really hard to explain – something like a cabbage omelet with meat or seafood on top, fried in front of you on a teppan (iron hot plate)); tempura (battered and deep fried seafood or vegetables) and much much more ...

Sometimes is not so easy to understand the menu.

The Japanese are not the most flexible nation. We knew that from the stories of other people, though the instances when that inflexibility came out were quite unexpected. For example, we are consuming sashimi in a sushi eatery, the chef cuts it with all Japanese diligence and precision in front of us. Needless to say, it tastes mouth-watering. Though as we are used to chew it with a pinch of rice, we are asking for a bowl of steamed rice. No way, in this eatery you don't eat sashimi with rice and even if the service is super kind and big stacks of steamed rice are at our arm's length, there is no way to convince the chef to give us a bowl of it. The only solution that he can think of to get us rice, is to make us order nigiri sushi or maki sushi (fine, they are excellent too). You almost always end up over-eating sushi, though contrary to Europe it's not bad for your pocket as it's relatively cheap in Japan.

The Japanese are super polite – Japan is the country with the highest quality of service we experienced, even if most of them do not speak English very well. To break the language barrier they will either use the smartphone translators or look for someone who speaks it a bit. Several times while we got lost we asked some passers-by for help; to our surprise, if they were unable to explain us directions, they just escorted us to the right place for a few minutes, even if it was not on their way. Still, there were also cultural shocks. Imagine our astonishment to hear that in the noodle soup restaurant everyone is slurping noisily, while sucking in their udon, ramen or soba. The Japanese make these sucking noises so loud that we were wondering if there was a competition going for the one who can make it the loudest. Something that is considered very rude in Europe, is totally fine in over-polite Japan.

Another amazement in Japan is a visit to the toilet. My first encounter with it was a bit dramatic and happened even before I reached the country - in a Japanese restaurant in Bangkok. Toilet is electrified and it has a sort of control panel. 

I was curious what happens if I press one of these buttons. So, while standing over the bowl I leaned forward to press one of the keys and ... the jet of high pressure water shot up straight into my face. I jumped back to escape, but the water kept on splashing up on the ceiling and from the ceiling down on me. The water kept on running and I was trying to figure out how to stop this monster (while of course getting wetter and wetter). Finally, I pressed the red button and the 'shower' stopped. Wet and embarrassed, I quickly came over to our table and said: 'Ieva, let's get out of here'. Fortunately, it was a warm Bangkok night, so I got dry quickly. The conclusion – if you start playing with a Japanese toilet (or rather washlet, as it's a toilet and a bidet in one), sit on it :). And sitting on it is quite pleasant as the toilet seat is nicely warm (because it is electrically heated).

Public transport – trains are just great, fast, tidy, comfortable and super interconnected – in short - all you can wish to have on the train. The punctuality is so good that you can set your clock according to the departure time :). This transport paradise has one hellish side though – it's very expensive. However, for the foreign tourists like us, there is an easy way to make it cheaper by getting the JR Rail Pass. This Pass is the best 'investment' you can make in Japan, it allows you to take almost every train in the country, including most of the Shinkansen – SuperExpress trains, moving at over 300 km/h. We've hardly ever had such a freedom of travel :). The connections are so good that it is not a problem to visit Kyoto while staying in Osaka (50 km away). While in most of the countries taking public transport is a hassle, in Japan it is a pleasure. As we mentioned previously, flexibility is not a Japanese strength, though there is at least one example of things that are rigid in Europe but flexible in Japan - on Japanese trains you can choose if you want to sit face or back to the front of the train as seats can easily switch the direction :).

Here we arrive to the end of the first Japanese episode, though watch this space as amazing stuff is still to come.

The Philippines – get ready for surprises

It's not an overstatement to say that the Philippines is a country like no other. The peculiarity of the land is due to its geographical location – it's insular, volcanic and isolated from the rest of the Asian mainland at the edge of the greatest emptiness on Earth – the Pacific Ocean. The exceptionality of its culture lies in its diversity and also in it's partial isolation.

The Filipino culture is an unusual mix of old animist beliefs, Spanish Catholic religion and American modernity. Anyway, it is even a mistake to talk about a single Filipino culture as the country is a colourful blend of hundreds of tribes. 

Filipino gardening

These tribes have different roots - in the North – they are related to the Chinese, whereas in the South to the Polynesian people; speak different languages (more than 160 is still in use!), have different ways of life – from ingenious farmers, who managed to build stunning rice terraces, to gruesome head-hunters, who were walking around with their macabre trophies, still in the first half of the twentieth century. Some of them, up to this day, bury their dead in 'hanging coffins' set at the edge of the cliffs or inside caves (such a location ensures a surprisingly long-lasting, bio/organic preservation of the corpse); at the burial ceremony tens of hens and cocks need to be sacrificed to persuade the local gods to look after the soul of the deceased one. 

 

There are many other revolting social and eating habits going on here. The national 'sport' are cock fights. Indeed, the Filipinos must have kind of special relationship with their domestic fowl, as we've never seen so many hens at so many stages of their miserable life - running around while chickens, slowly dying in cages while mature, hanging head down when slaughtered. We've never heard so many cocks crowing in the early morning (don't forget ear-plugs). 

In the Philippines, presents go far. If you really want to be popular bring a hen, or better the whole bunch of them :)  

The pinnacle of our disgust was reached, however, while we were offered the local delicacy – balut – a boiled egg, with a duck embryo, developed up to a point that the feathers were clearly visible (if you really wanna see this thing use google).

Most of the tribes, until now, speak their own language and are keen to cherish their distinct traditions. The Spaniards attempted to colonise the archipelago since the 16^th century. The country has been named after the Spanish king – Philip II – Las Islas Filipinas. The Spanish colonisers did not get very far, however, and left the mission of civilising the land to Dominican monks. At the end of 19^th century, the Americans took over, until the state finally got independent in 1946. The Filipinos jokingly say that they had 300 years of convent and 50 years of Hollywood. 

Please do not get anything inside. Do not open the coffins!

Some other coffins are totally inaccessible, perched high in the cliffs

The Filipino language reflects well this tumultuous history – it has borrowed a lot of Spanish words and actually sounds like Spanish, has tendency to throw in some English words, but is firmly based on the indigenous Tagalog tongue. Don't get scared though, fortunately, the most practical legacy of an American imperialism, is that you can easily communicate in English. Anyway, Filipinos are one of the nicest nations we have visited so far (and definitely the sweetest), so you'll always get through. The more distasteful legacy of the American presence is wide-spread prostitution; they say that in the city of Angeles, next to which a huge American military base was located, there were up to 100 thousand GROs (as they are euphemistically dubbed 'Guest Relations Officers') at its peak. Sex workers are clearly visible everywhere, and we have never seen so many 'couples' – old Western big 'gentleman' and very young, tiny Filipino lady. Some 'specialised' travel agencies most probably advertise: 'Come to the Philippines, your second youth is here'!

Visiting this country is for sure an unforgettable experience, though it may also be very tiring. First of all, the Philippines is a poor country. In the streets of Manila we have been constantly annoyed by extremely harassing beggars. While you are in the car they bang on the windows, try to open the car door; while you walk along the streets the groups of youngsters buzz around you and if you are unwilling to give them something, they are eager to serve themselves. It is not uncommon that a small hand goes deep into your pocket, grabbing your wallet or phone. Outside of the capital city the beggars bother you much less, but a poor infrastructure highly contributes to your discomfort. If you want to see the remarkable rice terraces and the hanging coffins in the North, you have little choice than to embark on a long and painful bus journey, as the plane connections in that area are rudimentary. 

'Jeepney' is the most common means of transport - aesthetically interesting, in terms of comfort disastrous. Next to it is a tricycle - filipino taxi

The night bus will deliver you in less than ten hours – though it may be one of the toughest nights you've ever experienced. The legroom is smaller than in the RyanAir aircraft, the seat is always in an upright position, forget stretching your legs in the aisle as next to you there will always be a fifth person in a row sitting on a folding seat; forget the toilet on board (anyway it would be inaccessible anyway), but do not forget a warm duvet, an adhesive tape and ear-plugs. As the air-con is set to a fridge temperature, without the right equipment you'll get very cold. Apart from having all your warmest clothes on, we also recommend plastering the cold air outlet with an adhesive tape as the draft coming from these small holes is strong. If you are really unlucky a karaoke contest may be taking place on board for most of the night. As expressing any negative opinions about the quality or the volume of singing often ends in fist fights, reliable ear-plugs will save you from the danger of losing your front teeth and will spare you a headache. 

We were wondering if this 'passenger' cable car is EU security standards complainent

If you opt for a day ride, instead, it'll take you at least a full long day and will give lots of hair-rising moments as the road weaves along several hundred meters deep precipices reaching the pass at 2255 meters above sea-level. It's one of the most scenic routes we've ever taken, comparable only to the ones I've seen in Bolivian altiplano.

Filipino Northern highlands is a land of vistas - you've got sinks with a view ...

... toilets with a view :)

If you decide, however, to go to the islands in the South, famous for their coral reefs and marine bio-diversity, the plane connections are excellent. Unfortunately, the ease of travel is a double-edged sword, as the once beautiful and pristine beaches, such as Boracay or Alona are now crammed with tourists up to the point of suffocation. Boracay is so crowded that it is just tiring – it is the epitome of Asian mass tourism. 

Boracay - Filipino most famous beach is love and heat - if you mange to escape the crowds, it's phenomenal, unfortunately the crowds are unescapable.  

Kitesurfing in Boracay feels good - thanks God it was already a low season, so we had some decent space on the water

The saddest thing is that the phenomenal and endemic bio-diversity of the archipelago is being destroyed at a frightening pace to accommodate ever-rising number of Korean, Chinese and Western holiday-makers. Large areas of the Philippines are still beautiful and their fauna and flora is truly exceptional. The archipelago is as extraordinary as other famous wildlife sanctuaries such as Galapagos Islands and Madagascar.

Tarsier - one of the smallest primates on Earth being the most advertised example of Filipino endemic species. How long will all this natural beauty last?

Here we touch on the trait of the Filipinos that is great and disastrous at the same time – they are super relaxed people. They have a great sense of humour and fiesta is as important as religion. All in all, the Philippines is so unbelievably reminiscent of Latin America. The people here are super kind and welcoming. The epitome of the Filipino hospitality was Michaele, the owner of the 'Cove House'. We had two days of paradise-like treatment, being pampered in his (unexpectedly) calm and secluded guesthouse, only 10 kilometers away from the congested Alona beach. On the other hand, you shall expect all usual symptoms of too much laid-backness - rubbish on the beach; traffic chaos; messages coming in the middle of the night informing you that your flight has been cancelled (only to find out later that only the flight number was changed); buses that refuse to go until full, even if they are full, and you are running late for your flight. If you are scared by the lack of cleanliness or the sight of big (by big we mean really big) spiders and cockroaches in your hotel room you should also think twice if you are really going to enjoy it here.

In the Philippines even the fish on the market looks more exotic than anywhere else

In short, while in the Philippines, get your senses ready for a roller-coaster ride as you will be continually amazed and disgusted. It's like admiring the vistas of your lifetime in Batad or Banaue and snacking balut, all at the same time.

The Philippines - full of suprises

While we sit, relax and enjoy the view from our balcony in an idyllic guesthouse 'The Cove House' on the Panglao island, it is hard not to get too overenthusiastic over the Philippines.

Before, we came to this insular country we had quite a vague idea about what to expect here. Now, we know that you can expect quite a lot, mainly good things, though sometimes the things can also get rough in here. To start with, the Philippines is the archipelago of more than 7000 Islands, beautifully set in the tropical waters. All the islands lie within the so-called 'Pacific Ring of Fire', which means that it's all volcanic, and the volcanoes do erupt with, sometimes, very deadly consequences. You add to it earthquakes, landslides, flooding, typhoons, tsunamis, you name all possible natural disasters - this country has seen it all, except for snow blizzards. Whereas in our part of the world, the old planet Earth seems to be sleeping like a baby, here it's well awake, -new mountains grow, old volcanoes collapse, some islands sink, other islands emerge, new lakes form - it makes you realise that our planet is a living and quite a dynamic organism. 

All the forms of life are very vibrant in the Philippines, including humans. Almost one hundred million people live in this country, whose total land area is slightly smaller than Poland. This density of population, combined with very fertile volcanic soils and a mountainous terrain, resulted in the emergence of one of the most spectacular sites we have seen during our trip - the Ifugao Rice Terraces. 

Hard to believe that some of those terraces are more than 2000 years old

They must be all water-tight as rice likes it wet

They stretch several hundred meters up and down and sometimes whole villages are squeezed in between them. Needless to say that these villages are only accessible by foot.

The villagers still work them by hand ...

 ... or with the help of an ox (the question comes to mind - how did they manage to bring such a beast up there?) 

All in all, a great day of trekking guaranteed :) ...

... even if you get tired you can always relax at the waterfall ...

... or just sprinkle yourself at the nearest hydrant :).