Travel Tuesday - Japan

I’ve been fascinated with Japan and its culture since I was 14. I’m not sure why, but I really wanted to learn the language and remember going to the library to borrow a cassette and bought a book too. I didn’t get very far. I’m reading a book at the moment called ‘Japan, Through the Looking Glass’ by Alan MacFarlane (actually, I’ve been reading it for a couple of years but don’t seem to have time to read more than a page at a time nowadays!). I’ve discovered that Japanese is a wonderfully complex language.

Later, at university, I took a unit called The Japanese Business Environment. It was one of my favourite modules. Every lecture I sat engrossed listening to how Japan’s history has shaped the country and its people today. The Japanese have a unique way of dealing with people in business. I’m sure you’ve heard they never like to say ‘no’.

Since then, I’ve come to love everything Japanese – from fine art to Kawaii. I love their politeness and their not wanting to offend. I sometimes wonder if I was Japanese in a past life! I feel I can really relate to their culture and always feel a kind of empathy when I meet someone from Japan. Although, having said that, there was one thing in the book that surprised me and that was that blood relations don’t necessarily have a closer relationship than a friend. Anyone can become an important part of the family. I can’t quite imagine that myself.

Anyway, hopefully one day I’ll get to visit Japan. For now, I can just read and dream... So... that’s a bit about where I’d like to go, but I'm going to try and blog about a place I have actually been to on a Tuesday. I would say every week, but I very much doubt that will happen! It will definitely be on a Tuesday though, just so I can call it Travel Tuesday!

P.S. If you’re wondering what on earth these notepads have to do with Japan, then I’ll tell you that I handbound them using a traditional Japanese stab-stitch method! Click on the bumble bee notepad to buy in my Dear Duck shop. To purchase the other notepads, please drop me an e-mail.