Sandra Urščić

I liked Kyoto best because it has the true Japanese ‘touch’, unlike Tokyo, whose size even frightened me a bit. I am not a fan of huge megacities, all those skyscrapers, neon lights and urban bustle. Nara is another beautiful traditional town with numerous lovely temples and parks where deer roam freely. The greatest cultural shock for us ‘Balkanites’ was the order and discipline that reign there: from the order when entering and exiting public transport (which runs with complete precision) through the kindness of people who, although they mostly do not speak English, do their best to help you find your way around, to the exceptional cleanliness and orderliness of all public spaces. One of the things that caught me off guard was tipping, which is considered a big insult. A lady working in a pastry shop where we stopped for some cakes ran after us across half the street to angrily return the tip we left. They believe that they earn their salaries honestly and see tips as charity. Yet another unusual thing is that bread and rolls are very hard to find in Japan. Their “sandwiches” are piles of rice wrapped in seaweed and filled with chicken or tuna. I liked everything: the people, the scenery, the food… The only thing I didn’t like was a dish called ‘natto’: soy beans mixed with a kind of fungus and left to ferment for several weeks. The Japanese are neck-deep in it for breakfast, lunch and dinner, but I couldn’t get myself to taste a bite. The ‘aroma’ of the dish is an indefinable combination of sulphur, gorgonzola, stale sneakers and Rijeka’s ‘Dead Channel’ in the summer.