I’m a primitive girl. It’s not just that I prefer primitive art, I prefer primitive travel. I would much rather find myself on a riverboat in the Amazon or in a tent in Botswana than anywhere else on earth.
But recently I have become interested in Japanese ceramics. So (as is the Archeo way) I booked flights for Japan. My husband, known to some as 5-star Jeff, agreed to join me. But only after I promised 6 times no tents, nice restaurants, good hotels. (There is no point mentioning the traditional Ryokans to him. A girls gotta have some adventure.)
In Tokyo we notice that the streets are remarkably clean even though there are no trash bins. Where does the trash go? Into your pocket or your purse to take home to your own trash bin “because the government is kind enough to provide a service to remove trash from your curb”.
Just weeks ago I was in India where my own translator urged me to throw my banana peel out the window of the van!
When they say the train will arrive in Kyoto at 4:17, they mean precisely 4:17! The Japanese are helfpful, clean and orderly. On top of all this, they make sublime pottery. It is almost enough to restore my faith in civilization.
W