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Allow me to start with a few numbers to describe my trip to Japan: 200 kilometres walked, 3 cities, 1 sumo wrestling match, and too many bowls of ramen to count. It was the trip of a lifetime for me. Having never been to Asia before, I didn’t expect to find a world so different to my own. Travelling 5,845 miles to spend two weeks in Japan really threw me into the deep end. It was the small things at first. Obviously the language was different but soon you notice the orderly fashion in which people queue for trains or how they don’t feel the need to lock up their bicycle. I’d spent so long dreaming about visiting Japan and learning about the place, and now I was finally here. Everyday there was something new to be amazed at; how the Japanese don’t typically serve breakfast, meaning stuffing our faces with onigiri from the konbini was perfectly acceptable. We could make our way from quiet, business-like Akasaka to Akihabara (known famously as Electric Town), and twenty minutes later be in a whole new world. Loud and bright, it was a geeky heaven, with its shops full of cheap tech, retro gaming and manga. Also, you’ll find a young girl dressed as a maid on every corner. A surprising fact about Japanese culture is that it is quite normal to fetishize young women. It is common to find young men alone in these cafes, paying for the pleasure of having girls roleplay as servants. There were so many things that I loved about Japan, but the backwards way of thinking when it comes to women made everything a little less shiny. Our Tokyo itinerary included a seeing sumo, Shibuya crossing, and teamLab Borderless in Odaiba (check out their Instagram and thank me later). Tokyo was efficient and modern, from the on-time trains (something I’m not used to in the UK) to the self-service ordering machines you’ll find in most ramen shops. Our next stop was only 2 hours away on the Shinkansen (bullet train); bento boxes in hand and we were on our way! Two tired English people find themselves in a city as quiet and quaint, as Tokyo is loud and vibrant. The only tall building in sight was Kyoto Tower. We discovered a gem at the base of the tower - a food hall, bursting with delicious-smelling food. Our table saw a rotation of traditional (sake and tempura) to contemporary (fried chicken and cold beer) Japanese food. The incredible cuisine was definitely a big highlight of our trip and we were seeking out all the best food in each place we visited. Arriving at a restaurant, you would be greeted with “Irasshaimase!”, which means welcome, and you would be seated with a small wipe, wrapped in plastic. As each day passed, I became more aware of how wasteful Japan could be, especially with single-use plastic. Each hotel would provide guests with a new toothbrush, every convenience store gives you a plastic bag for every purchase. Amazingly, considering all of this potential waste, the streets are litter free. This is no small feat considering there are very few public trash cans. Our last day in Kyoto was for dressing up in kimonos, learning about samurais, and wandering the historical streets of Gion - spotting geiko (geishas) as they hurry to their next appointment. Exploring the alleys and hidden corners of Japanese towns is a treat. Neatly kept houses and a vending machine on every corner, leading to small parks and you’re never too far away from a shrine. We included some in our itinerary but we stumbled on more than we planned. These places of worship are a thing of beauty, a serene safe haven of tradition in modern Japan. At the end of my trip, it felt so natural being there. Things that were distracting in the beginning were becoming second nature: bowing to everyone, chopsticks etiquette, the coins that were so unfamiliar. I don’t necessarily agree with everything about Japanese culture but I learned so much more being there, than I ever could from books and TV. I will return to Japan and see what else it can offer me.