 I recently had the opportunity to visit Japan and experience the wonderful sights, tastes, customs and culture of this magnificent and fascinating country. Now that I'm back home for two weeks, I'm able to digest my thoughts and share some of my observations.
I saw Japan not as a typical tourist, but as a houseguest, having traveled there with a Japanese friend. How grateful I am to have seen Japan in such an up-close and personal way! We stayed at the home of my friend's very gracious family, eating home-cooked meals and sleeping on  futons on the floor. I was surprised that a country so vastly modernized is also steeped in tradition and ceremony, which is often interwoven into daily life. I learned to slurp my soup (GOOD manners!); I learned that Japanese toilets are high-tech feats of engineering, complete with motion sensors and sound effects, and I learned that the best night's sleep I ever got was on a futon on the floor. This brings me to LIFE LESSON #1: We're more adaptable than we think. When taken completely out of our robot-like comfort-zone and put in a place where everything is new and different, the challenge is to keep an open mind and to put aside preconceived notions. You may surprise yourself (as I did) to learn that some of the very things you thought impossible are not only possible, but superior to your way of doing things. Best part: You need not travel all the way to Japan to learn this; you can start by pushing past your comfort zone and trying something new right here.
Space is a precious commodity in Japan. (The country is about the size of California, and their population is half the population of the entire U.S). I sensed a true commitment to efficiency, utility and conservation. Nothing is wasted - not time, space, electricity or water. LIFE LESSON #2: Living large has nothing to do with the size of one's home and everything to do with utility, functionality, comfort and beauty. Since nothing is wasted, especially space, what remains is that which is important........... well-ordered spaces and time for beautifully prepared meals.
One of the things that really struck me about Japanese people is their incredible hospitality and thoughtfulness, which I felt from the moment I arrived. Sidewalks in Japan have a raised, braile line down the center to help blind peope navigate more easily (even in subway and train stations), and people wear surgical masks out of consideration to others if they have a cold or flu, so they don't spread their germs. (Here it's the opposite; people wear masks so they don't become sick!). People don't talk on their cell phones while on a bus, and if you lose something (i.e. a wallet, an umbrella), it is always returned to the owner. I witnessed this with a new umbrella, which was lost and then returned.....Incredible! LIFE LESSON #3: The consideration people put forth comes back ten-fold.
 Shopping in Japan is a much-favored pastime (8 of the 10 largest shopping malls are in Asia!). Stores are meticulously organized, and I thought I'd show you one of my favorites. I loved it because everything was so colorful and neatly displayed. I had to remind myself (LIFE LESSON #4) that if I bought too many things, my apartment could go from colorful to "clutter-ful". I resisted the temptation to buy lots of stuff, and returned to NYC with a small Buddha, four tea-cups, several gifts, wonderful memories, and plenty of pictures of one of the most interesting and wonderful trips I've ever taken - truly the trip of a lifetime!
AND NOW.....MY FAVORITE JAPANESE PRODUCT, noteworthy because it saves time and makes life just a little bit easier.........
the Panasonic cordless steam iron. It even comes with a cute little carrying case. I  ordered one the minute I returned to the U.S. My husband pointed out that I never iron - but now that I'm no longer tethered to an outlet, I find myself ironing frequently. Who'd-a-thought an iron would become my new favorite gadget?
'Til next time, be well, be safe, be organized..........xxx's,
Nancy P.S. The best way to eat octopus so it doesn't wriggle off the plate???????
....SOY SAUCE and SESAME OIL. It'll put the octopus to rest so that it stops moving.
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