Walking around the main city (Osaka) in the night, with all its beautiful lights was a lovely experience. They have really nice boulevards. I love the culture of the place — everybody there is so disciplined. I loved how polite and helpful everyone was. The way they preserve their environment is something we can learn from.
Visiting the temples where they sell a specialty called ‘melon bread’ is another must-do. The bread had this strange, but amazing taste. It was unlike anything I’ve tried before. Also, they have a lot of Buddhist temples here which are very serene.
Watching the shows put up by the Geishas was a fascinating experience. Not everybody gets to watch it, we were privileged to witness that. It was really intriguing to see their lifestyle — they are taught from the age of six to live and be different. It was amazing to see how different their lives are from ours.
I got to try varieties of Japanese cuisine, and one among them was mochi —it’s a weird sweet made out of gluten and rice. I’d really recommend this to those who visit the country.
Another must-do is visiting the Emperor’s Palace and learning about Japan’s culture and history. This particular place is known for its sakura (cherry blossom) trees and when we visited the place, it was cherry blossom season and the entire place was filled with pink blossoms. It was really gorgeous. Also, the emperor’s palace is now converted into a museum, so it was a learning experience too. We even took pictures wearing the traditional warrior outfit. The view from the top is breathtaking — you can see the entire valley and city from there.
— as told to Ikyatha Yerasala
