✨ Dear Japan, We Have An Anniversary! ✨ 4 years ago, in the beginning of November 2012, I was on the plane to Hokkaido! On this special occasion I decided to look back and open the nostalgic pandora's box (eh, I mean, that file on my old computer) and share with you guys my experience! How could I have not published these pictures yet? Even more so that it was a main reason for my blog name and my fashion choices at the beginning of The Kawaii Planet journey! I've always wanted to visit Asia and some how I happened to be travelling to Japan to see my friend who teaches English there! Not only have I seen Sapporo, but also little Japanese villages in the middle of nowhere, huge mountain views, lakes, gorgeous parks, breathtaking fashion and much more! I feel like the following pictures will probably talk for themselves... So let's go right into it!

All the photos were taken on my Samsung NX200 and are not post edited!

 In The Air

Do you all know that wonderful feeling when you're travelling and you have butterflies in your stomach? You're all packed, waiting to board at the airport, headed towards new adventure, and maybe meeting someone special in the final destination?! Aaahh, that makes me wanna take off again like tomorrow! ... I think flying to Japan offered me the most stunning plane views in my life so far! I was landing at Hokkaido during sunset, watching all the colorful trees as we approached the island!

Food

I have to admit I'm not really good at trying new dishes. I don't do it very often and I'm a little scared of different tastes that I'm not used to. I know it's pretty bad and it doesn't rhyme with my love for travelling that much! (Wish I could pack my czech dumplings and my mom's goulash everywhere!) I do miss Czech food even now, living in America LOL. Asian food is very, very different from food we're eating in Europe! I'm not saying it's worse, but definitely more basic, healthy & clean. Takes time to adjust if you eat lots of junk like me! :-D Get ready to be using chopsticks in Japan (and you better learn to use them because they don't really offer other utensils in most places!)! You will love Asian cuisine if you fancy noodles, sea food, veggies, rice or eggs! I did LOVE their clear soup, and on the other hand, I wanted to throw up after trying an octopus! Bleugh!

JR Tower in Sapporo
This skyscraper view was priceless! You have to stop, look and chill for a little while to fully enjoy what you're seeing! I loved the vibe this tower had at the very top. People sitting in their chairs, drinking coffee, watching sunset and just relaxing... It almost felt like time has stopped and I also wished for that.

Shops & Stores

If you like everything cute, you have to put Japan on your bucket list! Hello Kitty is everywhere as well as other popular characters like Rilakkuma or Totoro! I probably visited my most favorite shops in a lifetime while in Japan. So much cute clothes! Pastel colors are everything and fashion is a big thing! You can see young people as well as old ladies caring about how they look in the streets! You literally don't know where to look first when you're in the main shopping area! Susukino Station mall was super overwhelming for me and I felt like I simply don't have enough time in my whole life, to be able to check out everything I wanted to! Little gadgets, cute snacks, even cuter stationery... At one point I remember I thought to myself: Can I please own all the plush toys in this store? Japanese people love gambling too! - The winning machines are around every corner! Just try not to make fun of their shop names... sometimes they make no sense, but they're most importantly in English (or at least were supposed to be)! :-D I have to also mention that I bought a beautiful second-hand coat (a classic pastel pink kawaii piece with a bow on the back) in one of the Sapporo thrift stores and that was a purchase of the year!

People

I was so surprised how quiet and decent people behave in the public areas such as a train! Or maybe I was just lucky? But even kids returning from school seemed to be cool and nice, they were not screaming at each other or acting inappropriate. I felt really safe around Japanese people. Don't let me fool you though. They can be cold noses too. Some people just stared strange, some never even looked at me. In America, everyone greets you and smiles right away! Japanese people are more settled and quiet which doesn't mean unfriendly! Just know and accept that you will most likely always be "gaijin" (foreigner) for most of them. They are very protective of their culture and especially older people seem not to accept any cultural changes. Luckily, the young generations prove that their arms are more and more open to everything new!

Architecture
One word - Bizzare! Gorgeous and so different! You can be driving and then, all of a sudden, there is a hot pink house in the middle of nowhere (this one was captured on the way from Numata to Asahikawa)! Welcome to Japan! The home of a truly weird and random stuff! Your eyeballs will be out and about LOL! There are some beautiful traditional and modern buildings out there, statues, impressive skyscrapers and cute houses! Again, so different from everything I knew, but I so welcome that!

Japanese Parks
Gardens of peace and tranquility. All the parks I've visited during my stay, were the most peaceful places I've ever been to! There are benches and quiet corners everywhere, you can sit and watch the birds, as well as read a book or hang out with friends while no one bothers you! Amazing vibe! I especially enjoyed the Odori Park in the centre of Sapporo! Way more fall beauty that I could've handled!

Nature & Environment

Other than seeing bigger cities, I got to explore small villages too! The time of the year really contributed to my wonderful experience! So romantic, just driving around the little village I was staying at (Numata) was out of this world! And even though I couldn't read anything that all the signs said, I managed to make the best of it! Still can't get over the cutest Japanese cars that all literally look identically, like square boxes! Oh, and don't forget the Totoro bus! Wow!

Lifestyle
In general, I can't imagine living in Japan. If I knew the language though, I would not mind staying there longer than just two weeks. Heads up: It's really difficult to learn Kanji (and I can tell you I've tried a couple classes and self-learning already! - It probably takes years and years to be able to fully read and understand Japanese language!) Lifestyle is significantly different from how I grew up, but not necessarily something I couldn't adjust to! I truly love Japanese people's attitude towards environment (they use bikes a lot and they don't have to lock them - ppl don't steal there as much), Oh and the night Sapporo is SO much fun! I had a chance to try the real Japanese Karaoke with a couple of friends and I could do this every day! My overall experience is: I freakin' miss Japan and I want to visit again soon! Next time it's probably going to be Tokyo with its popular Harajuku district! ♥

 I hope you enjoyed this article! See you next time with my regular outfit post! XO ♥