It has been nearly 15 years since I last visited Japan. The last time, I was in my early 20s – the iPhone wasn’t invented yet, everyone was using a Nokia phone, and the only Asian pop in Singapore, was ‘J-Pop’.
After 15 years it was interesting to revisit the land of the rising sun.
Technology Makes Things Easier, Having a Baby Makes Things Harder
Thanks to technology it has never been easier and cheaper to visit Japan.
We flew to Osaka on Singapore Airlines tickets that were discounted, we stayed at an AirBNB in Kyoto and we got a discounted Swissôtel room in Osaka.
Google Maps has made it so much easier to navigate and find attractions. The last time, I actually had to ask locals for directions, like some kind of caveman. Imagine that!
But in typical Japanese fashion, they have done things their way, and they have not fully embraced the technology “as-is”.
Unlike my experience using Google Maps in Singapore, Canada or the USA, turn-by-turn does not happen automatically in Kyoto, and had to be manually triggered.
Business information and ratings are sparse, making it challenging to discover smaller shops and attractions.
At least, Google Translate works as expected. I passed the Japanese Language Proficiency Test Level 4 (the lowest level) about 10 years ago. This is the first time I have visited Japan since passing the test. With some rudimentary understanding of the language, I can read and converse enough to get around, with Google Translate augmenting my ability to have more technical conversations.
While technology has made Japan cheaper and easier to visit, it could afford to be more stroller-friendly.
To put things in perspective, the last time I came here, I was serving the second year of my National Service.
I MR’ed a few year ago (completed ten years of reservist cycles)!
The train stations and subways we visited have elevators, but they tend to be quite far away.
Some attractions like Osaka Castle are not stroller friendly at all. While I am glad, we visited the exterior, I regret paying the museum ticket fees to enter the converted castle. We had to park out stroller and carry our two year old up and down 7 flight of stairs.
Third Trip, But Still So Much to See
While this was my third trip, there were still plenty of firsts for me – it was my first visit to all the cultural sights my wife wanted to see, and my first time to Dontoburi and Den Den Town in Osaka.
I also called for my first DiDi in Japan (after Grab failed miserably at trying to find me a ride), and the first time I ever used DiDi.
It was also my first time using their I.C cards, which is similar to Singapore’s EZ Link card.
But what I love most about visiting Japan are the small, pleasant surprises that we happen upon by accident.
For example, on our way back from Nishiki Market, we passed by Kyoto’s shopping district and where looking for a bathroom. I randomly brought us to a building and we immediately landed on a floor with a music school and retail outlet! I bought a few classical guitar books and accessories there. What a lovely coincidence.
The temple across the road from our AirBNB. 
Ko Hi Kan – our Kyoto breakfast haunt. The coffee and hotcakes are excellent. 
We found this quaint store on our way to the bamboo forrest. 
It had the best beef we had the entire trip! It was quite affordable too! 
My wife’s chicken set. It was delicious too! 
A shot from Kyoto tower. Our AirBNB and the temple across the road. 
As AccorPlus members, we got free drinks. My wife took the house white wine, and I ordered their signature cocktail. 
Our only romantic dinner at the Swissotel Nankai. 
The buffet at Swissotel Nankai. 
The hamburger steak at the maid cafe was also really good! 
Our surprisingly goof tea at the maid cafe. 
At MelCafe, a maid cafe at Osaka. 
We bought some sake and sake glasses as a souvenir.
What’s Changed After 15 Years?
When I compare all three of my trips to Japan, I attribute my varying experiences to changes in three categories; the world, Japan, and myself.
I’m not the young kid who visited Japan 15 years ago. I am married man with a wife and have a toddler. I now have a rudimentary understanding of Japanese.
While I once visited as a journeyman classical guitar student, I am now a full time classical guitar teacher. Last time, I was a poor NSF (full-time National Serviceman), now I actually have a disposable income. Back then I did not even own a digital camera, now I am an experienced photographer and videographer.
Things are also cheaper. Our AirBNB in Kyoto was very affordable, and our AccorPlus membership gave us discounts on our room and dining at the Swissôtel in Osaka. The Yen has also depreciated against the Singapore dollar compared to when I last visited (it is about 30% cheaper now). As mentioned, technology like AirBNB/DiDi Kuang/Google Maps/Google Translate has made some things cheaper/easier.
But perhaps the worst change is how many Chinese Nationals (except my wife of course) have seemingly invaded Japan.
They were almost everywhere we went, in huge throngs.
Most were alright, but we encountered the occasional, rude Chinese National who would cut us off as we were queuing for the elevator at the hotel, or would complain about my son’s crying as we took the stairs down Osaka Castle, or who speak at painfully loud volumes with no consideration for those around them.
Perhaps the rudest display I witnessed from the Chinese Nationals was their lack of respect for their Japanese hosts. Most made no attempt to communicate in Japanese whatsoever and spoke in mandarin or their native dialect, expecting to be understood.
During my first two trips, (before I studied Japanese) I made it an effort to learn some simple phrases.
To paraphrase Nelson Mandela, when you speak a language someone understands, you speak to his head, but when you speak his language, you speak to his heart.
To be fair, not all Chinese Nationals were poorly behaved, and poorly behaved tourists can hail from all anywhere, including Singapore. In fact, when we took a train departing from from the Inari Shrine, we got cut off by a pair of American tourists who did nite queue up – but the amount of Chinese Nationals on vacation was truly overwhelming.
Interestingly, one of the biggest changes I observed was from the Japanese people itself. During my first two trips, the Japanese people I encountered seem reticent, and reluctant to interact with foreigners, especially if said foreigner could not speak Japanese.
That attitude has changed completely, and they seem comfortable dealing with foreigners.
Sadly, they also no longer seem as reserved and genteel as they once were, perhaps slowly ebbed away by the abrasive tourists who need to handled in a direct and assertive manner.
There And Back Again
It was my wife’s first time visiting Japan, and she loved it. She told me it was the first country she visited that she wishes to return to – high praise from her!
While it was challenging to go on vacation with a toddler, I’m glad we did it, while he’s still our tiny little hostage who’s willing to be photographed with us.
But travelling with a toddler fundamentally changes what we can do. We stayed in most nights and didn’t visit any Izakayas. We would have preferred to stay longer at some locations to take it in, but our son would start to fuss when he got bored.
This was also the first time I did not try or play a single guitar while visiting Japan! In my opinion, Japan has one of the most mature markets in Asia for the Classical Guitar, and I love seeing what their local luthiers are up to.
While I didn’t exercise any musical muscles during this trip, at least I exercise my photography muscles! This trip marked the first time I edited and processed my photos and videos using only my iPhone with the Photos and iMovie apps; I usually use my Macbook with Lightroom and Premiere.
It was a surprisingly good experiment and I was happy with the results. I will probably stop using Adobe’s Creative suite when my subscription lapses.
It looks like I will be visiting Japan a 4th time. I wonder how much things will change then.
