Just got back from a 3-week tour (aka, cruise) of Japan and South Korea.

People and the countries are lovely, modern, ultra-clean, law-abiding (you get ticketed for “jay walking.”

Learned some thing: Since COVID and Ricin attacks, they no longer have public trash cans, so you have to carry out all trash (to home or hotel) to dispose of it). This becomes difficult for us U.S.ers who are used to trash cans, but we easily adapt.

People freely wear masks or not (at their own discretion).

The myth of the “magical Japanese toilet” is too true. The only problem is figuring out how to flush without an “accidental bidet” experience. I might be talked into having one at home, (a Japanese toilet, not an accidental bidet) with fewer buttons, bells and whistles. Something about a warm seat and warm bidet water maybe?

On the opposite end of the spectrum, some bathrooms have “original Japanese” toilets, which feature a hole in the ground and places to put you feet to crouch and go. This is difficult if you do not have extremely strong thigh muscles. Thankfully we only came across 2 such bathrooms. Evidently they were so common not long ago that there are signs in the bathrooms reminding people not to “stand on the toilet.”

I learned the 3 types of bows: the “hello head nod,” the “I respect you quarter bow,” and the “90-degree apology bow,” the latter which we did not need to use.

Missed Cherry blossom season, but heard much about the trees, which are revered in Japan. However, to my surprise, they do not produce cherries (I guess they are all male trees.) Cleaning up cherry pits must be the “pits.’

We heard all about the Shogun Dynasty, which intrigues my husband especially; he has read the books a few times and we watched the series. We toured the original Shogun gardens and looked at the still-standing Shogun house from afar. All beautiful; water lilys an lovely birds and flowers and stone walls.

Found out that the Dutch settled part of Japan during the Shogun period of time and toured a charming renovated Dutch village in Japan.

Took two somber trips: Hiroshima and Nagasaki, saw some startling and horrific photos and films, but the Japanese are eager to show how well they have recovered. They take pride in their resilience, and I give a big “respect bow” to the Japanese people. I must say that I left feeling a little guilty and a lot afraid of what was unleashed to end WWII. I understand that the bombing saved lives, and that the original cause for the attacks was Pearl Harbor, but there is also a “Ying and Yang,” thing going on. Can’t we have peace?

South Korea surprised me with its beauty, modernity and marvel bridges, roads and tunnels. Buildings are many floors high (as in over 100 floors), and sway to allow for earthquake avoidance. No thanks, but interesting.

It seemed to me the message that Japanese and South Koreans have taken (in part) from our “troubles” in the States, is that we don’t have chickens or eggs any more. One buffet we ate at displayed big baskets of eggs and encouraged us to pick as many as we needed to make an omelette. Four or five? Ten? No problem. I had trouble accepting only one egg. I almost needed the “apology bow” to refuse more eggs. I read one cartoon that show an Asian mother warning her child to clean his plate because “children in America don’t even have eggs to eat.” Hmmm.

Anyway, in spite of bringing back colds of some type, we had a wonderful time, and I’m grateful for the experience. I have pictures to prove it, and once I get my “Travel Photo” page fixed, I’ll have them up.