Things I like about Japan

• The train seats are heated, so your backside is nice and toasty in winter, if you can get a seat on the train.
• People queue up to get on the train, but they step aside and let passengers off first before getting on themselves. AMAZING! This could never happen in Sydney.
• People generally respect the rule of not speaking on your mobile phone on the train.
• I like seeing Indians and Middle-Eastern people speak Japanese. Turns my brain upside-down.
• I like receiving little freebies or gifts with my purchases. Doesn't happen all the time, but I like it when it does!
• I like Japanese drugstore cosmetics and skin care products. So accessible, affordable and such good quality.
• Transport is clean, efficient and on time.
• They have an excellent transport card system: put money in the card, use it at the ticket gates and at the shops.
• They have awesome convenience stores everywhere. I like them much better than the Sydney ones.
• Japan embraces cute. Hence, lots of cute mascots around. You will see men with cute soft toys dangling off their bag (okay, I only saw one, but you would NEVER see that in Sydney!).

 Other thoughts about Japan:

• It's interesting being in a monocultural society. It's so much easier to pick out the foreigner. It's so different to being in a multicultural society, where you're used to everyone being different.
• There's a lot of Chinese tourists in Japan. Saw what I thought were Japanese women in kimonos in Kyoto - WRONG. Just Chinese tourists dressing up. Don't be fooled!
• I really love the culture of cute in Japan, but it's not something I can bring back to Sydney. By cute, I mean Sanrio characters printed on everything, the fashion, the makeup, everything!) I can't do cute during business hours - that's not the image I want to convey at work. And I can't do cute in personal hours - just doesn't work in a Sydney context. I'm too old for cute. I love cute nonetheless!

Service in Japan

I'm currently in Japan, enjoying a holiday with my sister who lives here.

I've done a bit of shopping here and the customer service is so much better over here. I love walking into a store and hearing all the sales assistants chime out, "Welcome!"

I love how friendly they are, how they wrap your purchase up really nicely, and how carefully they handle your money. If you visit a skin care store or the beauty counter at a department store, they throw in a free sample or two, even if you only spend $20.

I know Japanese customer service is tied to their culture, but Australians sure could step it up when it comes to customer service. Though, to be fair, I don't usually purchase skin care/cosmetics products from department stores in Australia because it's much cheaper to buy them online, so maybe Australian customer service is not as bad as I remember?

Rolling with it.

I read some articles yesterday at lunchtime about how Gen Y Americans aren't interested in buying cars. There is a significant percentage drop in the last 10 years and a dramatic change between generations. The article is uncannily true, it was like reading my own rants coming out of the mouths of marketing experts. There are pressures and there are choices. I want to live in a walkable, public-transport-serviced area and I don't particularly want to worry about parking, petrol prices, repairs, insurance. (“They think of a car as a giant bummer,” said Mr. Martin. “Think about your dashboard. It’s filled with nothing but bad news.”) It's funny because generational generalisations annoy me to death: Gen Y are usually called fickle, casual, tech savvy, etc, whereas I am frugal, go to bed early instead of staying up chatting on Facebook, eat "soup soup" instead of sushi, don't have a smart phone. But here we are, jelssie, fitting exactly into demographic after all.

ABC adventures.

This is not the ABCafe, sorry if you were getting excited. Elsie and I and Wendy and her friend Ingrid were in the audience of TGIF on 702 radio on Friday arvo. My radio hero James Valentine played with his jazz quartet, which I had mixed feelings about because my adoration of James Valentine is matched only by my loathing of saxophone. Fortunately I had a good view of the drums.

The other fun part was WATCHING a radio newsreader in real life, seeing the voice. And the ABC TV news weather man Graham Creed was even more wonderful. He didn't read from anything, he just told us the weather in conversation style. Elsie and I are a little bit smitten.

Cheap travel.

Girls of slender means alert! Did you know long distance train travel was so cheap? I can not get over it. You can ride for hundreds of miles for no more than $7.80. Obviously you have to limit your luggage to what you can carry, and it takes a little longer than car, and you have a bit of stress following timetables; but on the up side it's cheaper than petrol, and you can read or knit or peel a banana or any of the other things you can't do with your hands on a steering wheel. Also, country train stations are rather romantic. This is my long weekend then! To Goulburn and back for $15.60.
 

Roll up for travelling.

Here is a very useful method for space-saving in suitcases, or drawers and closets or storage bags, etc.

Instead of folding towels, and stacking them in my shelf, I fold them in half lengthwise and then roll them up. Laziness? Yes, but also more efficient when you need to pull one out, you don't have to lift the whole pile.

When I pack my backpack for a weekend, I also sometimes roll my clothes - to prevent fold lines, mostly, and it is very quick.

Well, here is a tutorial on how to pack a carry-on bag for 10 days away. Aside from the fact that nobody needs that many swim-suits, her technique is amazing. She fits an extra 30% in with rolling compared to folding. I've seen this article linked in a few places and I think we all need to give it a burl for our next holidays!

Interesting things about flying and tourism. And KESC Hobart!

• Air travel is AMAZING. Even when it's bad, it's still AMAZING compared with the alternatives. It took me 4 hours door to door, Hobart to Randwick, including check-in waiting, and catching a bus home. AMAZING! I crossed 3 states!
• Virgin Blue had a more fun crew, and more overhead bag stowage, than Jetstar.
• You can get cheap plane food on the last flight of the day!
• Clouds are so much prettier from plane windows.
• I saw actual bumble bees at Port Arthur!
• Weather maketh the holiday. You need either perfect weather so that you can enjoy it, or excitingly bad weather so that you have stories to tell. Overcast weather is the worst.
• I am an eating tourist. I like to eat something local and interesting at places on the way. This is quite different from my grandparents, who pack their lunches. They, however, are more likely to buy a souvenir, like a teaspoon or a teatowel or a hat. I think eating is better because it is anti-clutter, takes up no room in your luggage, and you have to eat anyway.
• Speaking of eating, my friend Anita has started a sister challenge on Hobart's main restaurant drag, Elizabeth Street! Elizabeth Eat Street Challenge.