Gaijin Smash!

Hello all, and welcome to the latest installment of my blog. I am now in Bangkok having arrived in Thailand a couple of days ago following just over a week in Japan.

I thoroughly enjoyed the time I spent in Japan, which I would say is probably the country with the most unique culture that I have ever visited. As a people they exceptionally reserved (almost frustratingly so) and even in the hustle and bustle of Tokyo nobody seems to rush anywhere. The other thing is that they have a huge number of cultural norms which you are supposed to follow, and everybody does this without question. For example you could be at a set of traffic lights at 4 in the morning where there wasn't a car on the road, and people would not cross unless the pedestrian light was showing. This is just one thing of hundreds, and from speaking to traveller's i discovered that many merely did not abide by any as it was easier to do none and just be dismissed as a foreigner that didn't know any better. the term used in Japan is gaijin, and led to the phrase being coined by backpackers in the country 'gaijijn smash' which is effectively where you just do what you want and get away with it because the Japanese generally find it more funny these days apparently as your a foreigner that doesn't know any better (although I did make sure I followed all the religious rites).

Anyway aside from culturally offending an entire nation I spent my week in Japan in Tokyo and Kyoto. Tokyo was a crazy city with everything going on at all times, however I far preferred Kyoto. The city is far prettier with beautiful shrines everywhere and geishas walking the streets. The town also has great nightlife, and every night i was there i was out until at least 7 in the morning including hitting up many karaoke bars (worryingly it turns out that my best karaoke number is the Backstreet Boys' 'I Want it That Way).

Anyway that is all for now as I have to head to Bangkok train station to catch a train to Chiang Mai in the North.

I will update you all on my progress soon.

Phil