Italy is every Japanese tourist's paradise
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
It's true how they say that every time you go back to the same place for a visit, it changes.
No, I'm not talking about the surroundings itself (although there might have been a few changes no doubt). I'm talking about the feeling and atmosphere created for the visitor each time he/she sees the Colosseum in Rome, for example, albeit for the umpteenth time.
Yes, I know the Colosseum is such a cliché touristic site - even those who have not seen it in person have at least seen it in pictures once. I guess what struck me was that there was the Arc of Constantine next to it and a whole plain of ruined buildings (no doubt the remnants of the ancient Roman city) all this while and I hadn't even realised it until this time around. Maybe I did see it briefly but couldn't value it for what it's worth.
But I digress.
This time around, the entire trip to Italy was spent marvelling at how many Japanese tourists I've seen travelling through it, definitely much more than the tourists from other countries. In fact, Italy is completely catered for the Japanese: signs are handwritten in Italian, English and Japanese, instead of just Italian or English, the Italian vendors know how to greet in Japanese, even restaurant menus have Japanese in them!
In fact, one restaurant I went to in Pompei had their menus written in solely Italian and Japanese but no English!
Surely that is shocking, but perhaps if you look at it from another perspective, perhaps we have taken things for granted. Why is it mandatory for a menu in Italy to be written in English automatically after the main language of Italian? Unlike us here, Italy is not a country which has been anglicised, and its unannounced anti-American slogan resembles that of the French.
To prove the point, throughout the entire trip, I've only seen three MacDonald's at most, and even so only in the big cities or famously touristic sites like Venice and Milan. The rest of the restaurants are occupied by Italian cuisine a la pizza or pasta. Also, the prices of the various food and drinks vary greatly. At a local pizzeria, you could get a quarter of a pizza for under 2 euros, and for 1 euro and a bit, you could get a shot of espresso or a cup of cappuccino, in comparison to a can of coke for 2 euros minimum. Maybe it's the whole imported bit being more expensive, but I guess it does reflect the demand bit as well. A standard meal in MacDonald's is easily more than 6 euros but it's much cheaper for us here because of its popularity and of course, the exchange rate.
But I digress yet again.
Like us living in a cosmopolitan city, the Japanese too crave the old and unique structures of Italy. Of course, Italy being a Catholic country, its cathedrals make up most of the tourist attractions. In fact, it actually felt somewhat like a pilgrimage going to so many churches in just 9 days, but of course to the Italians we remain tourists, and that's okay as well, although I like to think of myself as something more.
For the artist or historian, Italy is really a dream come true. Merely breathing the air inspires one deeply. The scenery is breathtaking at every corner you turn to, and the old structures are amazing to see and touch because you also marvel at how they managed to build all that in the days where there were hardly any machinery. I could really understand why the Renaissance paintings flourished in Florence or why Shakespeare based so many of his works in Italy e.g.
Julius Caesar in Rome,
Othello/The Merchant of Venice in Venice and
Romeo & Juliet in Verona or why the revolutionary fathers of Science emerged from there e.g. Leonardo da Vinci & Galileo Galilei.
The latter is deeply intriguing, especially if you consider that Italy was a strictly Catholic society. But then, I think it is precisely because it was so strict that Galileo emerged as a need to constantly develop the Catholic faith, although this was seen as necessary contradictory and heretic by those who wielded power over the people at that time for obvious personal reasons.
Perhaps this really is the main attraction of Italy: to understand the rise and fall of its religion through its history and architecture, but also through its artworks and literature.
Hmm. Every time I think about this, some of my thoughts will change as well.
I suddenly have the urge to develop this theory a bit more, but I need to study the photos a bit more and then I'll come back to this with them.
10:58 am
クロサギ
Before I leave
Thursday, December 06, 2007
I've been really busy prior to this trip, well not just the packing (although that can be a little stressful) but also studying for the JLPT exam was quite frustrating, mainly because I haven't studied that much in depth yet and was overestimating myself when I registered for it.
Oh well, now that it's over and done with, I feel a huge burden lifted off my shoulders plus a promise to pass next year. For those who don't know, if I pass this current level, it qualifies me to be a full-fledged translator and more career options will open to me.
Obviously I'm treading on very dangerous ground here, living on the edge, but I really don't want to sign up for a boring job that will probably earn me a relatively stable income of 2.8k a month writing financial reports (I know someone in my hons class who just landed this cushy job) or sign myself to NIE and be bonded for three years (I know the pay's good as well), but still...
Not that teaching isn't good, I just want to venture into pathways different from the mainstream and if I fail, well, I know that I've tried. At least I won't regret having done my best.
I guess the exam was a good experience for me. I understood the overwhelming frustration of not being able to do all the questions and I realised that this could either make one hate studying or propel one into studying harder.
Well, I was initially quite pissed with myself for studying (although little) and watch it come to naught. And then as I took the later two papers (there were three), I realised that this exam made me want to study harder because I couldn't accept defeat and because failing meant that I was wasting my time venturing into something new.
The only analogy I can think of is that I had died and was revived by heart shockers, so now I want to lead a changed life. Having said that, I'm definitely bringing my text and Japanese dramas to Italy with me. Ipod video version of course.
It'll be a good break to leave the comfort zone once in a while.
On another note, it is mandatory for all Japanese action (and I mean detective/law kind of action) flick fans to watch
Hero. You
must catch it!
5:52 pm
クロサギ
