First impressions of a new place can impact an entire adventure. My first impressions of Japan only helped my week-long adventure be more spectacular.
Japan is a clean, friendly, and orderly place, which is a vast contrast to my current home. You can be in a crowded public place and everyone seems to be courteous and have concern for those around them. When you go to a shop or restaurant they want to make sure you are happy when you leave, so they treat you with much kindness and respect. People don’t seem to litter and actually clean up after others if they see something that should be cleaned up.
Japan’s Rail Network
After arriving in Tokyo, I figured out my path to Inuyama where I would be staying the night for my first planned adventure in the country. It was very easy to figure out with many people willing to help me.
Japan is covered with rail lines crisscrossing the country like a spider’s web. They connect everything. This extremely impressive network of trains provides easy connection to any place you may want to go. I will admit though that the Tokyo subway system, unlike Beijing’s, takes a little getting used to and figuring out before feeling completely confident on it.
My bullet train got me to Nagoya where I transferred to another line for Inuyama, a small city north of Nagoya. After checking in to my hotel, I wandered this quiet little town. It was so peaceful. I was the only one who seemed to be out and about. Very few cars passed and practically no other pedestrians.
Inuyama Castle and Shrine
My pleasant stroll took me down by the river to see Inuyama Castle. Built in the 1400s, it is one of only a dozen castles remaining from the Edo Period in Japan. Sitting atop a hill overlooking the river and valley around, this castle is a magnificent structure. At night this glowing beacon can be seen around the city.
Of course, it wasn’t open when I got there at night, but the neighboring shrine was. I wandered through this special sacred space admiring the architecture and art. I saw only one other person who had just finished washing at the spectacular dragon fountain.
This evening stroll made the best impression possible of Japan for me and set up the rest of my time very well.
