Myself, I realize that I travel to explore, discover, be amazed and most importantly find new friends and meet interesting people.
You probably all know me as a shy and introvert person ;) (Clearly a lie. I'm sorry, I won't lie again) - Being open to new people is incredibly rewarding, especially when you're in a culture so different from your own, and in a country FAR, FAR away from home.
I've mentioned before that Japan i amazing. The food, the sights, the society as we encounter it, the complete lack of garbage cans - and the ability to still keep it clean and the architecture. The most amazing thing about Japan, however, is its people.
Japan USED to be a bit xenophobic. The country was more or less closed off until mid 1800s. Then international trade happened, and the country gradually opened up. One does, however, still hear stories about traveling in Japan as a foreigner, a gaijin, and encountering unfriendly people.
Although a hand full of people shy away from us, most are friendly, happy, polite and helpful. They are also excited about Norway, and most have never met Norwegians before.
Language is a challenge, but we have yet to encounter anyone who doesn't want to communicate or help.
We met a lot of great people, and forged some interesting friendships. Connections are made, and we will see what will become of them! :D
Remember: Always, ALWAYS bring chocolate!
Under are a few of our new friends:
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| We met Jun in Grandmasters Dojo. He accompanied us back to Ikebukuro, and we went for dinner with him. He taught us to look up for food in Japan, or to look for dirty, cheap places with lots of Japanese. We have taken his advice to heart! |
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| We met K1 and Naop in a small Tonkatsu resturant in Sunshine city. They were perhaps hesitant to sit with us Gaijin at the big table, and we didn't want to intrude. After explaining Tonkatsu dining and hearing about me eating Natto, things turned very frienddly! They were super nice people, and I think they appreciated my chocolate! I hope to keep in touch! Skål! :D |
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| Imagine a big Budo-kan with 600 people. 14 of which big, Gaijin men, 1 a Gaijin woman. Imagine three of said Gaijin guys sitting in a corner, taking photos in Seiza. The kids apparently found us hilarious every time we spoke, and they were trying to be social with us, as kids usually will. One of the boys in the gang found some courage, and approached us with some frozen candy. This led to a deluge of kids wanting to give us candy. Luckily, mini-sensei Neko-San brought some Milk chocolate as he always does, and when the girl on the left came with grape candy, she got a 250g bar. The kids almost went crazy, and ran up to their parents to figure out the golden bar. |
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| Excitement, trying to discover whats inside! Boy on the right started the party off with his treats! |
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| She ran around, sharing the chocolate with everyone in her group. When she was done, she carefully folded up the three squares that were left, and put them in her bag. I got her and her mother on their own a bit later, and gave them a whole bar, and told them to take it home. I also gave them a KitKat, explaining it was a Norwegian KitKat. My little friend hugged me, and asked her mother WHAT Norway was, and later where it was. She looked amazed, and mother was bowing and thanking me a lot. What Can I say? My tiny friend won silver the day after. Imagine if she only ate more chocolate... :p |
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| Picture this: You're in Tokyo, walking along the street. You turn a corner, and a VERY drunk Japanese man bumps into you, on his way to collect his sandal from atop a traffic light. Welcome to a Japanese bachelor party...! They were all boxers apparently, very friendly. They apologized for being drunk, but we went into the 711 on the corner and bought more drinks, and shared with them. Some friendly sparring was done, Norwegian stomachs and muscles admired, and yours truly got his new name, after one of the Japanese guys stroked my beard, said "Nyan" and "Neko". Well, MEOW to you too, my drunk friend. They insisted on pictures, we agreed, and spent a good half hour with them. The groom got his hat and sandal back too. The drunkest man I've EVER seen standing, and he managed the climb. Got to love the Japanese! :D |
/Kristian
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