Svetozar Nilović

To single out one place as special is difficult, but I would still single out the rabbit island of Oukonoshima (not far from Hiroshima), which is inhabited by rabbits that have thrived there without natural enemies for generations. And if there was one thing that shocked me, it was what I experienced in restaurants. I am no stranger to using chopsticks. Although it looks rather clumsy, I still manage to pick a grain of rice from time to time. I mostly ate in their taverns, if I can call them that. They are small restaurants that offer their typical food, very cramped, if you see a free chair you grab it. And so it was while I was "struggling" with the chopsticks and eating in silence that I suddenly heard the sound of almighty slurping coming from the person sitting next to me. The whole place echoed with slurping, which shocked me. Over time, I grew used to it. In addition, reports about how expensive Japan is do not hold water because a perfectly decent meal consisting of soup and a main course can be had for 5 euro. Japan left a deep mark on me. It changed me in some spiritual sense even though I had considered myself an utterly unspiritual person