My trip to Japan

by Daniyar Serikkanov (Kazakhstan)

A leap into the unknown Japan

In January 2020, I had the amazing opportunity to see Japan with my own eyes. This was my first trip in my life that aroused my love of travel. Since childhood, I dreamed of being in such an amazing country. Before the trip, I was familiar with Japan only from books, television, the Internet and stories. Any traveler should visit Japan at least once in a lifetime. You cannot find anything similar on our planet - even South Korea, which is close in terms of geography and development level, does not produce the same amazing impression as Japan. Japan is a peculiar country with own traditions, a rich history and modern technology. Also, Japan has its own unique Japanese mentality and organization. There is no country that can compare with such perfect purity nationwide as in Japan. When you fly out of Kazakhstan, you see endless fields, open spaces, and when you land in Japan, the density of buildings is striking: every piece of Japanese land is distributed. In Japan, there are no abandoned wastelands: on every plot of land suitable for agriculture, planted with rice plantations. My trip to Japan lasted 7 days. During these days I visited 3 major cities: Tokyo, Kyoto and Hiroshima. They are located in different parts of Japan, which allowed me to see all of Japan while I was traveling from one city to another. I traveled by high-speed train Shinkansen. The Japanese call the Shinkansen train "bullet train or rocket" because of speed and appearance. The main principle of the train is the safety and comfort of passengers, not speed. But despite this, the train is able to overcome 600 kilometers in 2.5 hours. There are also all the conditions that are necessary for a few hours trip to another city, and the carriage is cozy and comfortable. Another feature of the Japanese is that they are silent in any public transport, or they talk very quietly at most. No matter how many people are in the transport, it will be quiet. My first visit was the city of Tokyo, where I stayed most of the time. Tokyo is an amazing city with modern high-rise buildings and unique architecture. In addition to modern buildings, Tokyo is also famous for ancient monuments of oriental architecture and modern attractions. Tokyo is also the country's largest transportation hub - several high-speed freeways and three high-speed rail lines converge here, there is a metro and ground electric trains network, as well as two international airports and a seaport. The next visit was the ancient capital of Japan, the city of Kyoto. Kyoto is not famous for modern buildings, but rather contains a unique collection of palaces, temples and shrines built for emperors, and today, Kyoto is considered one of the most beautiful cities in the country, which is the keeper of many ancient monuments of architecture and art. The first thing you see when you get to Kyoto is the ultramodern city railway station made of glass and steel. The last point in a trip to Japan was the city of Hiroshima. Despite the event that occurred during the Second World War, as a result of which Hiroshima was practically wiped off the earth, today Hiroshima is a very beautiful city. It is surprising that the Japanese managed to rebuild an amazing city in such a short time. There are many small islands around Hiroshima, and I visited one of them. Itsukushima Island, which the Japanese call Miyajima, is famous for its stunning scenery. Here I felt alone with nature. My trip to Japan showed a desire to cultivate a “Japanese” attitude towards life with respect to every minute. Staying in Japan changed me, of course, I expanded my worldview. Japan forever remains in my heart, and this affects my inner state even now. It is difficult to explain the feeling when you realize that somewhere far, far away from you there is land that has become your homeland. Like my city - Tokyo, which is forever with me.