Japan: Land of Small Space and Quietude

I recently had the wonderful opportunity to visit Japan and Thailand with my nephew, Brandon, to see my son, Joshua, who is currently living in Thailand.

The first morning, we were up super early and had breakfast at sunrise with the tradesmen, a bowl of soba noodles in a delicious broth served in a porcelain bowl for about $1.50. We ate with chopsticks, sitting on small stools along the sidewalk outside a corner shop. Choose one, the vendor indicated various fried toppings with a wave of her hand. There was no telling what was what. I ended up with fried onions and Brandon got shrimp.

During our time in Tokyo, I was struck by the peaceful atmosphere, even in the midst of a bustling city, and by the small well-designed spaces. For instance my hotel room was tiny by Western standards, maybe 9 x 10, but the double bed was comfortable and the shower had hot water and good pressure. One day I saw an SUV parked in such an impossibly small garage space—the driver should get a parking award. See picture below!

On the street that first morning, despite cars passing and people walking to work, the loudest sound to be heard was the caw of two crows circling a nest on top of a five story building. There were no revving motors, no loud motorcycles, no noisy pedestrians. Even the pavement seemed to respectfully absorb the sound of traffic. On the crowded subway, the main sound was the squeaking of the rubber handles we held to keep our balance. Like a modern roller coaster, the movement of the subway cars on the rails was smooth and sibilant. The doors hissed open, and the pitter patter of changing passengers was negligible. Even babies were silent, gazing around with large brown eyes.