Mosquitos love me. I hate them.
The hottest place in the world in August is a Japanese public toilet (but they always have toilet tissue)
Japanese have beautiful children – all of them.
My sense of direction is not as good as I thought it was – according to my feet.
My hotel laundry bill for my first two weeks cost more than my Bullet Train journey last Saturday (£49 v £33!)
Hotel wifi is invariably shite.
I can drink loads of Americanos, despite the heat – but I’ll still be awake at 04:45.
Japanese phone booths have intact phone books – I have seen them.
Losing three stone before coming here in the August heat would have been smart. See next point.
I can sweat for Ireland.
You *always* have the wrong lens on your camera when the best shot of the day comes up.
I miss my family more than I expected to.
I am much more relaxed here, 5869 miles from home, from a personal security point of view.
There are no security tags on alcohol in the shops here. Even on quarter bottles of spirits. Not needed.
It can be difficult to find XXL t-shirts here.
I should have made an effort to learn some (any) Japanese before coming here. It was arrogant and presumptuous not to.
Lastly, some Japanese men in their thirties and forties act very oddly when it comes to Japanese girl pop groups. I watched a group perform on stage at a shopping mall here. 90% of fans were individual men in their 40s who knew when to cheer in time with the song and all the actions to make from their seats. Mesmerising. And really strange.
Forever Chasing Light 