What’s it all about?
Many of us are itching to get on a plane and fly off to a favourite location, but this is an itch we cannot scratch right now, so let’s take a virtual exploration of a fascinating country instead!
If it is Japan you are keen to go to, or if you are just interested in learning about this increasingly popular tourist destination, with its festivals, cherry blossoms, temples, gardens, shopping, bullet trains, food, powder snow and much more, you have come to the right place.
Travel brochures and websites abound featuring all the usual images of modern-day Japan, a mix of old and new, and to some extent this is an accurate portrayal.
But there is far more to the real Japan than travellers will ever see in these glossy pictures, and likely will come across during a short stay there.
What will we cover?
Let us introduce you to numerous aspects of everyday life in Japan, and show you a few things about this fascinating country that many tourists will not see or learn about.
How many tourists:
- Stay in a love hotel
- Purchase underwear from a vending machine
- Buy a freshly-cooked sweet potato from a street vendor
- Know the procedure for taking a bath in a onsen (hot spring) or private residence
- Play pachinko
- Get to understand the meaning of the koi no bori (long fish-shaped flags) flying on flag poles from late April into early May
- Travel on the Yamanote line in peak hour
Join us as we learn of the wonderful and intriguing aspects of daily life in Japan – the country to our north that went from almost nothing to world superpower twice, in the space of little more than a century. It is still the world’s third-largest economy, and its society is the most homogeneous of all the advanced economies on Earth.
What you learn at this session might just add a further dimension to your next trip to Japan, or help you decide that you are ready to pack your bags and explore.
Who will be teaching?
Stephen Peterson has spent nine years of his life in Japan. While there, he got married, raised a family, set up two small businesses, made numerous friends, travelled around, and had a thoroughly enjoyable time.
Drawing on this experience, he wants others to learn more about Japan beyond the glossy travel brochures. This will be through a powerpoint presentation of photos, supported by Stephen’s commentary.