Japan

My three weeks in Thailand went down like a spring break. After a series of going out, socializing, enjoying the home comfort, I found myself organizing documents, tidying up my room, packing my suitcase and calling my friends for a farewell party. At first, I thought that it would be traumatizing as my September departure, but the anticipation of visiting Japan subconsciously cleansed my wistful feelings.
I believe that most of the Thai people are familiar with the Japanese culture in some ways. I was heavily influenced since my childhood, whether it would be the weekend morning anime TV programmes, little hand-held games, hundreds of Manga comic books, delicious Japanese cuisine or even my five years of studying of Japanese language. All that I mentioned evoked my excitement for this trip to the islands of extreme culture and technology.
As we all know, modern Japanese technology enables us to live such a convenient lifestyle, I was so thrilled to experiment with unfamiliar systems and machinery. I was comforted with the genius toilet system that provided all-in-one service, perplexed by the spider web metro lines, indecisive with the selection in vending machines and impressed with the coupon vending machine in a small Soba restaurant. Everything was made easy…
I went to the Akihabara area where there are many electronic stores. Electronic appliances are very cheap compared to Thailand, I walked up and down every floor of a department store just to be amazed by a section on one floor. It was the costume section.
It was not the presence but the convenience of the fictional costumes that astonished me. I knew that some of the Japanese like to dress up but I did not expect it to be this readily available. Looking around, I saw many people shopping for these items, a man choosing an outfit for his girlfriend, groups of young girls shopping for their wardrobe, even a woman in her 30’s trying on a pirate dress. Everything was natural.
Looking at the corner, I saw many people queuing for something. It was the costume café where the waitresses all dressed up as French maids, amusing. Ryoko explained that it was a “special service” commonly found in Akihabara area. Some of the place has a “homely service” where the customers were treated like a family member, and the newest trend in theme café was the “rough café”. Rough café intentionally provides bad service, slamming the plates on the table, shouting at the customers and the waitresses pull off mean faces when taking orders. It was educating to know how people enjoy themselves.
Materialistic developments are always accompanied by emotional exits because in the end we are all human. We constantly explore every angle of enjoying ourselves. The fine line separating the norms and the unusual becomes the vague grey area. In a country where people seek for physical and spiritual excellence, the answer is so obvious in everyday living...


Tokyo has the population of 12 million people, slightly more than Bangkok. But open-mindedness, freedom and opportunities give its nightlife more flavours and alternatives for every interest.
Internet research revealed many interesting parties. There are plenty of Japanese gigs and international line ups. The clubs, pubs and bars in Tokyo plug themselves into every grid of the city, resulted in neon signs pointing in all directions. There were many stages for any music expressions.
Starting from going out on the first night we arrived in Tokyo which was the famous Japanese original night out, the karaoke. Then more parties followed just like a march, a minimal techno party by the French duo Swayzak, a drum and bass party by the local collectives, the 8th year anniversary party in the one of longest running clubs called Womb, extraordinary outdoor gathering with thousands of Japanese party people in Nagisa Music Festival or even a tiny theme bar where all the bartenders and waitress dressed up as cats. Tokyo nights out offered everything I could imagine.
Going out in Tokyo requires a good planning. Apart from the non-returnable entry in many notorious clubs, which keep you inside till the end of the night, the transportation also restricted your choice of moving around. The subway system stops between 1am to 5am. Taxi fares cost about ten times more than train. There is no turning back once you are out. 24 hour fast food place become a sanctuary for those who fall out from the world of flashing lights and thumping music. A common sight at night is seeing people of all age and sex sleeping in the dining area, sharing warmth, quietness and peace before returning to their home when the train runs again.
The more I spent my time in Tokyo, the more I went out, the more people I came across, the more I realized how much Japanese loves Thailand. I saw many travel programmes about Thailand. When people found out that I came from Thailand, they started saying things in Thai. The Thai food stall in the music festival seemed to be the most popular proven by the longest queue. Thailand is one of their favourite destinations I had learnt. With such a mutual craving, how could I not love Japan?