It is the surprises that you that give you most joy and food for thought. I wanted to list some of these:

1. Car shapes are so different here and they remind me of Postman Pat ( but without the black and white cat)

2. The eastern plain of the country is dead flat and I mean dead flat, geographically how did this happen, or has it been levelled?

3. I had expected houses to have ornamental gardens but not the case, with most houses filling the plot.

4. Temples are not prominent as they are in other parts of the Far East, maybe a different approach to faith?

5. On our travels we saw nothing more than two lane highways, no motorways, and still many train crossings. Public Transport is king.

6. You pay as you exit a bus not as you get on. I like this, you receive the service first and then pay. I also wonder if this is more efficient?

7. No one talks on their mobile phones. They only read and text.

8. No one eats or drinks in the streets

9. There is no litter . Even 300,000 people at the Grand Prix took their rubbish to an organised refuse area at the race course which was already being sorted by attendants. In cafes you return all your dishes to the washing area.

10. There is nowhere to smoke 🙂 outside or inside. Just the occasional smoking booth.

11. There are so few benches to sit on in public places outside. No wonder the Japanese are so fit and healthy.

12. Last, but not least. The toilets are amazing! As you enter a cubicle the light comes on in the room and inside the loo basin, the seat heats up and like cars the toilet remembers you and adjusts to your height and angle. Water then comes at you from every possible angle and their are 3 different flush strengths. Taking technology to new heights or new lows, whichever way you look at it 🙂