Sharing my thoughts on Japan's cultural contradictions and what I wore in Kyoto!
Aside from a splash in the pan visit on The Amazing Race, I'd never been to Japan before and was curious to experience a country, a culture marked by contradiction. It's immaculately clean, a devotion followed and reinforced by the entire nation. There are no public trash bins as people are expected to just handle it. It's orderly, it's polite, and on packed subway trains, you're greeted with silence. Law triggers order and the nation pursues perfection in every pursuit. But then there's the deviant deviations. Bars, strip clubs, peep shows, love hotels, and all kinds of kinky fantasies flash brightly on neon lights sprinkled throughout the districts. Cosplay, Harajuku, and an obsession with anime-like Lolitas pepper the fashion landscape. Oh and lets not forget this is the country that brought us two girls one cup. People hunger for self-expression, outlets to channel individuality and personality, yet they are keenly aware of and adhere to the communal pact of social responsibility.
One week was definitely not long enough to uncover and peel away the layers of Japan's complexity. I can't wait to go back!
