Considering I lived in Japan for the 1996-1996 school year and then returned in 2001, I still had a 23 year gap between last trip and this trip. I was constantly comparing Japan then and now. The first obvious difference was the advancement of technology. Last time I was here in 2001, I was checking into internet cafes and paying by the minute. In 1995 I bought a fax machine! Yes, a fax machine…There were no smartphones, no google translate or google lens and of course, no GPS maps program of any kind. Travelling has definitely gotten easier in that regard.
Anime, and Pokemon were a thing, now that industry has really exploded. Akihabara ( Electric Town in Tokyo) was unrecognizable compared to 1995.
When I lived there in 1995, I was stared at almost everywhere I went. Sometimes strangers would ask to take photos with me on the train or in the street, and then ask me for my address and then mail me a copy of the photo they took. It was a bit weird, but it was a common occurrence. Now, no one even blinks when I am walking around; maybe it is because I am a middle-aged woman, rather than a 24 year-old with long crazy curly hair. I have definitely noticed more foreigners, especially foreigners wearing the hijab. I think as a society, it seems a bit more open now.
Another observation is about the toilets. In 1995 there were still many squat toilets still in public washrooms, this trip I only came across two or three. Now there are not only mostly sit-down toilets, but most are also very fancy with light up control panels controlling many options for bidets, including temperature, angle and intensity of spray. Many automatically start with sounds to cover up your sounds, or to help you start peeing, and many automatically flush when you stand up. These were not only standard in the hotel rooms, but also in regular public bathrooms.
Another surprising observation is that it is less expensive than I remember – especially accomodation. I think it is cheaper now than when we were here in 2001 – at least the hotels and airbnbs. I heard that this was by design as Japan is trying to attract tourists again, post COVID after being closed for so long.
Overall, I am so grateful to have had this opportunity to go back and have this incredible adventure. For those of you who managed to stick with me and my blog for the whole time…Mazal Tov on making it through my 33 posts even though I was only away from home for 19 days. This was not a typical first-timer trip to Japan obviously. Our trip in December if we end up going with the whole family will look very different. If anyone does want to plan a trip to Japan, I would be happy to help.
Sayo-nara
Love,
Koren