And I Think Everyone Should Experience Japan at Least Once

When the subject of Japan comes up, I’ve found people tend to have one of two reactions.

I’m either met with immediate enthusiasm — “I’ve always wanted to go!” or “I LOVE Japan!” — or I hear some variation of: “I have absolutely no interest in ever going there.”

And as someone who has now spent over two months traveling through Japan over the last year, is slowly learning the language, and has developed a mild emotional dependency on noodles and raw fish (though not necessarily together), I am very much in the former camp.

The people in the latter camp genuinely baffle me.

What do you mean you have no interest in Japan? Utter nonsense.

As I’ve only just returned from my most recent foray into the land of neon skyscrapers, ancient shrines, impossibly quiet trains, and convenience stores that somehow function as emotional support systems, this conversation has been coming up a lot lately. And the more I think about it, the more I’ve realized that the disconnect usually seems to come down to one thing:

People simply don’t understand what Japan actually feels like.

Maybe they imagine it as too modern and sterile. Maybe it feels too far away — culturally or geographically — to feel approachable. Maybe they assume it would be overwhelming, difficult, expensive, or just “not for them.”

But after spending so much time there, I’ve come to believe that Japan is one of the best travel destinations on the planet for almost anyone.

And at this point, while I’m definitely not an expert, I’m also not exactly an amateur anymore.

I’ve wandered aimlessly through Tokyo neighborhoods with no agenda. I’ve gotten gloriously lost in train stations. I’ve eaten life-changing meals in tiny alleyway restaurants with six seats and no English menu. I’ve traveled through the country solo, and I’ve also spent part of this latest trip guiding my older parents around Japan for the first time.

Which means I’ve now experienced Japan from several angles:
the overwhelmed first-timer, the solo traveler, the anxious planner, the food-obsessed wanderer, and the person trying to explain to their parents why a department store basement is one of the greatest culinary experiences on earth.

And after all of that, I think what makes Japan extraordinary isn’t any one landmark, attraction, or even meal.

It’s the way thoughtful, beautiful, fascinating little details are woven into everyday life.

It’s a whole culture that somehow runs with near-magical precision. The tiny neighborhood restaurants that only serve one dish, but have perfected that dish over generations. The seasonal obsession with literally any flower that happens to be blooming. The realization that globally recognizable symbols — like the “see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil” monkeys — originated centuries ago as intricate carvings on a shrine in a small mountain town.

It’s the quietness. The craftsmanship. The sense that even ordinary moments deserve care and attention.

Japan doesn’t just give you big “wow” moments.

It changes the way you move through the world.

And that’s why I think everyone should experience it at least once.

Stay curious, and don’t forget the snacks.

— Ginny Dee, The Sober Globetrotter