For me, Japan has proved to be at times different than, at times exactly like I expected it to be. Of course technology is very developed here, but one can still feel the sensation of old times lingering. The narrow streets, these small wooden houses.. The way Japanese people can respect tradition in every aspect of their lives and in the same time be so fashionable and technological, is mesmerizing. I think Japan is a land of contrasts.

I like the vibe of Tokyo and how it never slows down, but sometimes it seems so big, it intimidates, this sea of concrete all the way to the horizon. When this mood comes by, I am prone to visiting parks. So parks are maybe the nicest thing about Japan. Nature is respected, even though restrained to small places in this huge metropolis. Strolling through Japanese parks is always a pleasure for me. Most of all, I like the way flowers bloom in every season. When I first came, it was autumn and there was a tree whose little orange blossoms smell very nice and very strong and sweet. But in the beginning I didn't know it was the blossoms, so I thought in Japan even the air is somehow aromatized!

You can see that Japan was very strange in the beginning. Sometimes it was shocking strange. There are barely any known vegetables, the the prices are so high, the noises are so loud ("いらっしゃいませ!!!") and the flashes so shiny. There are no trash bins on the street (?!!)... but still everything is so clean. All those people in the train, clicking their gadgets and mobile phones - but always smiling. The writings all over the city, which are impossible to even try to understand.. For me it was really strange. And I'm not even mentioning the dog panda suit that you can see on the picture!

But I have come to know better now, in many aspects. Cycling along the thousands of bycicles, humming to the music you can hear anywhere on the streets, on the way to some okonomiyaki place... I have found my home, at least for a while. And I would of course pretty much like to explore it to the best. All those beautiful and interesting places like Hokkaido, Okinawa, Himeji, Myajima, etc are waiting for me! I can't quite wait to see the sakura :)