Early this month I traveled to Japan to undertake an eight-day visit program at the invitation of the Government of Japan with most of my time spent in Tokyo and two days in the scenic mountainous town of Hakone outside Tokyo.

My brief visit and stay in one of the world's largest economies gave me a broader understanding of global issues as a journalist, and how Japan as a modern city-state has strived to maintain its traditional culture amid a fast-evolving 21st Century.  

It was my first visit to an Asian country and I returned to Samoa following my eight-day from 4 March 2023 to 12 March 2023 with important takeaways from the Japanese cultural perspective of punctuality, cleanliness, and respect. 

I was blown away by the level of service everywhere and the Japanese attention to detail. While I didn't understand Japanese, I made sure I knew a few words just to make small things happen, and despite my linguistic shortcomings, everyone went out of their way to assist. 

One day I went for a walk around the Asakusa area in Tokyo within the vicinity of the Hotel Excel, which was my second home for the duration of my trip, and got lost amid the city's hustle and bustle. I couldn't find my way back to my hotel and also forgot to bring a map, which made it tougher for me on my first night in Tokyo. 

I then searched for a policeman to seek his assistance and sure enough found one, who despite his lack of English knowledge, immediately understood my dilemma when I mentioned Hotel Excel.

All he needed to know was the name of the hotel I was staying at and my look of despair – which compelled him to escort me all the way back to my hotel. I later found out that in Japan police officers rarely exit their duty stations so it was rare for one to take me all the way back to my hotel.

Monday my first day

Aside from the fact that I was over the moon being in Japan, I had a job to do and that was to do interviews with various officials and to learn more about Japan.

On Monday I was escorted by my Ministry of Foreign Affairs (M.O.F.A.) interpreter Rie Goto (interpreter) to their office in early morning for a briefing on my trip as well as the protocols for any interviews I did. The briefing was done by Mr. Kageyama Naoaki of JTB who was assisted by Makuta Chikako of M.O.F.A.

In the afternoon I attended another orientation and did an interview with Mr. Jimbo Satoshi, who is the Director of the Oceania Division at M.O.F.A. Soon it was time for lunch and we found a nearby restaurant so we could make it back in time for the next interview. A Japanese restaurant in Ginza was the perfect venue, not only did it have an excellent menu of Japanese food but the chef was also very welcoming.

The last activity of the day was an interview with the vice store manager of the Senchado Tokyo store, Chizuru Furukawa who explained how Japanese green tea is produced. Senchado Tokyo is a specialty green tea shop in Ginza, Tokyo which sells only single-origin, high-grade Sencha from throughout Japan.

Japanese green tea, according to Ms. Furukawa originates from Chinese green tea. Any form of green tea including Chinese green tea has health benefits, such as healthy bioactive compounds, improved brain function, and helps prevent Type 2 diabetes. But people find it hard to consume due to its thickness and the combination of both water and green tea.

Therefore, Japanese tea producers made a lighter version of Chinese green tea so it can be consumed by anyone. At the Senchado Tokyo store, they can also add flavours like strawberry, cherry, and more to make Japanese tea more drinkable.

Ms. Furukawa emphasised that green tea is well known for relieving stress, especially during a busy and depressing day and that's why in Japan, green tea is always served during any meal either at home or in a Japanese restaurant.

Tuesday my second day

After breakfast at Hotel Excel in Asakusa, I went for a scheduled interview with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (J.I.C.A) where I met with four of their staff from the Environmental Management Division, namely Maeshima Koji, Deputy Director, Amano Shiro, Senior Advisor, Hamana Issei, and Yoko Onuma.

They discussed one of JICA's biggest projects in Samoa and the Pacific, the J-PRISM II Project which focuses on preventing environmental pollution to create a clean environment for the healthy livelihoods of the people.

I was later invited to lunch hosted by Satoshi-san and Okano Kyoto from M.O.F.A. which also included fruitful discussions about contaminated wastewater that Japan intends to pump into the Pacific water and has led to concerns raised by Pacific Island nations through the Pacific Islands Forum.

My next interview was with the Samoan Ambassador in Japan, Faalavaau Perina Sila- Tualaulelei who shared about life in Japan and the diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Currently the Ambassador of Samoa resident in Japan, Faalavaau spoke of the Embassy's efforts for close to a decade to improve market access in Japan for Samoan products, despite the host nation's tough trade criteria.

The last interview on Tuesday was done online with Junior Mauiliu Magele, the President of the Nippon Samoa Community in Japan, who is married to a local and lives in Japan with their seven children.

Parting with advice for fellow Samoans back home keen on achieving their dreams, Mr. Magele said "go for gold and never give up on your dreams".

Wednesday my third day

My first event on Wednesday was a mind-blowing experience at teamLab Planets Tokyo in Toyosu Tokyo. It is a museum that comprises four large-scale artwork spaces and two gardens created by the art collective teamLab, where you walk through colourful water, and a garden where you become one with flowers.

People walked barefoot and immerse their entire bodies in the vast artworks together with others with the artworks changing with the presence of people, blurring the perception of boundaries between the self and the works.

Other people also created change in the artworks, blurring the boundaries between themselves and the works, and creating continuity between the self, the art, and others where families, couples, and friends go to enjoy and make memories. It was an amazing first-hand experience I won't forget. 

Ms. Goto-san later took me to the Sky Tree tower in Asakusa, which unfortunately did not go as planned as there was a long queue of people and tourists taking turns to get a sky view of Tokyo.

However, I still enjoyed seeing the sky tree and tasting several Japanese delicacies from the small shops on the sky tree's bottom floor.

I later interviewed Samoan student, Theresa Palale who is in Japan through the Samoan Government scholarship and works with the Office of the Regulator and has been in Japan for 15 months.

She shared about her experience in Japan and the vast array of Japanese food was her first impression of Japan, which made the two of us.

In the evening, I was invited to dinner hosted by the International Press Division at M.O.F.A. at a French restaurant, Bois de Boulogne where we enjoyed a French dish with a subtle Japanese twist. We were later joined by Chikako-san and Tsukamoto Yahusiro, the Director of the Press Division at M.O.F.A.

We discussed similarities between Samoa and Japan as well as my experience so far in Japan three days after my arrival.

Thursday my fourth day

We moved from Asakusa Tokyo to Hakone where we spent two nights and three days but before arriving at our hotel. I experienced making steamed Kamaboko (fish cake) and grilled Chikuwa at the Suzuhiro Kamaboko museum in Odawara, which was a traditional dish that Japanese people normally serve to mark special occasions, such as New Year.

I was surprised and amazed when the chef and trainer spoke in Japanese and told the translator that I was the best in the room which was full of Japanese and I was the only foreigner when we finished with both our Kamaboko and Chikuwa so that's another one for the books for me.

After lunch at Kamaboko village and a tour around Hakone open-air museum (Hakone Venetian Grall museum), I had the chance to interview Fujiwara Yoshiki, Supervisor of the Hakone Sengokuhara Prince Hotel in Hakone who shared about challenges brought on by the pandemic including losing its' employees and tourists.

Despite the challenges and having to close down for months, tourists have started flowing in again and operations are slowly recovering for Prince Hotel.

Mr. Yoshiki-san is hopeful more visitors from Samoa experience the deluxe service they offer at the hotel as well as share similarities between Japan and Samoa.

The Prince Hotel in Hakone's construction was based on a European style and mind-blowing view of mountains and nature as well as Mt. Fuji from the side. It is also famous for its natural hot spring which is believed to cure body aches and injuries which Fujiwara believes is also a well-known fact to tourists.

After that, I got to see in person the making of the famous art of Japanese marquetry in Hamamatsuya, I could see that it was crafted with different colors of wood arranged in intricate patterns.

It is a traditional Japanese art that is practiced in Hakone, a town near Mount Fuji where no wood staining is used to create the mosaics and the area around Hakone is well-known for its wide variety of trees.

I told the craftsman that the marquetry outcome is similar to that of a Siapo which we make in Samoa, a traditional Samoan art but Japanese marquetry takes a lot of effort and has numerous designs.

Friday my fifth day

It was on Friday when I met with Suzuki Yahusiro, the Director of the Hakone Town History Museum who outlined the history of Hakone. The most interesting part for me was the fact that the roads in Hakone going up the mountains were built by their ancestors back in the day with their own hands and without machines.

According to Yahusiro, Hakone is famous for its hot springs, natural beauty, and view across Lake Ashinoko of nearby Mount Fuji. It is one of the most popular destinations among Japanese and international tourists.

I also met with the Executive Director of the Hakone Museum of history and folklore, Mamoru Sato who knew basic English but was more effective in explaining through his actions which were fun.

He gave me a rundown on Hakone village and its sites which he recommended that I see before I left Hakone. At the Hakone Shrine's Lake Ashi I took a boat and made a tour of the lake.

Saturday my sixth day

On our last day in Hakone, we visited the Fuji shrine called the Shinkura Fuji Sengen-jinja shrine which was beautiful and somewhat challenging all at the same time. Walking up the shrine's many steps and having to see elderly Japanese going up with ease unlike me and my quickly fading energy levels. 

Getting to the top was not just the fun part, as I also got to get a much clearer sight of the famous Mt Fuji, which I heard about since my primary school days. The fact that I've now seen it with my own eyes immediately brought back memories of my primary school days.

Sunday my seventh day

However, all good things do come to an end and that happened on my seventh day in the country. When I returned to Hotel Excel in Tokyo after traveling from Hakone, it dawned on me that my travel adventure in Japan was up and I would soon be heading home. 

Early Sunday morning I attended a sushi cooking class which was tutored by Murashima Tomoko and her friend who taught me how to make sushi and Japanese soup.

Besides the cooking Tomoko gave me the "best student" thumbs-up, sealing a Samoan-Japanese friendship that I was now leaving behind. I left her two pairs of Samoan earrings as a mark of our friendship. 

On the day of my travel out of Japan, Goto took me on the train to Narita airport where she bid me farewell. Coincidentally, as I departed Japan, it was the start of Japan's famous cherry blossom season.

In Odawara, where I had my first cooking class, some trees have already blossomed which is normally called "early cherry blossom season" in Japan. Despite returning home to Samoa before the actual start of the season, I still got to see some cherry blossoms in Odawara, their beauty reminding me of Japan.

While I am now back in Samoa, my eight-day journey in Japan was made richer, thanks to my interaction with the taxi driver from Hakone who treated his customers in a respectful way to make a big impression on me and my view of the Japanese people. 

To my friend Rie Goto, you have been amazing since day one and helped me in any way possible, you were not only a translator but also a friend and a tour guide so thank you.