We started our adventure in Tokyo, then Hakone, and ended in Osaka. To recap, my dad got to catch up with his Japanese friends during this trip, Mom finally visited DisneySea & USJ, and ate at Tsukiji & Ichiran, Shinrei got to see the shopping districts and ride the Shinkansen, while I got to experience all the key attractions. Everyone’s "bucket list" was checked.
In summary, I will describe Japan in 3 words: Clean, Efficient, and Organised.
I hardly saw any litter on the streets throughout the trip. Every toilet was clean and the floor was always dry.
The trains were always on time, accurate up to the minute. Model for efficiency.
Everything is well thought out and organized. Things are always kept in the right places and products are designed from a very user-centric perspective. (E.g. The disposable plastic water bottles were designed with an indent to allow a better grip, the toilets are a separate compartment from bathrooms to allow different users to use them concurrently, etc.)
Japanese are friendly people. For those we interacted with, I sensed their warmth and sincerity. Seeing my parents interact with their overseas friends, I wondered when it would be my turn to build such close friendships.
I shared a few travel tips over the last few posts. My final tip is to use an AI chatbot as your 24-7 virtual travel guide/ buddy. Throughout this trip, my family used Google’s Gemini whenever we needed advice. Gemini was able to resolve all our queries and more. Questions from ticket prices for attractions, opening and closing hours, background information about places of interest (e.g. tell me about the Nara Park deers), etc. Gemini was able to answer everything within seconds. It can calculate which travel route is fastest / cheapest, and even share details of which platform the train will be arriving on! I strongly recommend you use it to plan your next trip’s itinerary.
Howie Chia
17 Mar 2023
TLDR
Japan is clean, efficient, and organized. Completed bucket list. Parents reunited with their Japanese friends. AI chatbot as a travel buddy.
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