Raúl: I'm going to tell you about my trip to Japan.

I went to Japan in 2005, four years ago. I stayed there for fifteen days, in a small back-packers hotel in Tokyo. My room was tiny, without a bed. It had a futón instead (a Japanese bed on the floor). The hotel had also a jacuzzi with really burning hot water.

Japan is exciting. You can take a walk in Tokyo and see a lot of people, giant buildings, neon signs… It seems you are in the future!! But maybe, after the next corner, you will see the imperial gardens, or an ancient shrine in the middle of the city.

I love Japanese food. You can eat very cheap sushi, and it's delicious. It costs about a third of what it costs in Spain, and the quality has nothing to do with the sushi you can eat here.

Tokyo has different districts.You can see thousand of neon signs in Shinjuku, expensive and exclusive shops in Ginza, teenagers wearing strange and modern clothes in Shibuya, or buy any electronic device in Akihabara.

The subway in Tokyo works great. There are many people at 6:00 am, when they go to work, and at 19:00 pm, when they get to their homes. I have to say that I never saw the famous "empujadores" (pushers?). They are sleeping while they get to work, and when they come back. People in Japan work a lot.
But they are very respectful people. You feel really safe, and they help you in every way. They always try to help you, but not many Japanese people speak English so, if you don't speak Japanese, better try with mime!!

I had a lot of fun with an old woman that I met in the viewpoint of Roponggi Hills (a skycraper in Roponggi district). She had visited Spain one year before, and she told me about the things that she liked, and then I drew it. Hahaha... I drew a bottle of Tío Pepe, the Osborne's bull… It was really funny.

In Spain, I bought a special ticket, the "Japan rail pass". You can't buy this ticket in Japan, because it is a ticket for tourists. With this ticket you can travel by train whenever you want. You can use the metropolitan train, or the Shinkashen. Shinkansen is the High Speed Train in Japan. You can get to Kyoto from Tokyo in 2 hours, more or less. It's really fast.

I went to Kyoto, too. Kyoto is beautiful. It has many temples, in a very good condition. Kyoto is more traditional than Tokyo, it's a very quiet place.

Nara is a city in the south of Kyoto. It was the first capital of Japan. Nara has the biggest building made of wood in the world, the Todai-ji. Inside there is a huge statue of Buda.

Probably my best experiece was in Kyoto. I wanted to buy a Gakuran (a jacket similar to a school uniform) I knew that it would be difficult. I asked for a clothes shop to a woman that waited in a bus stop. She knew where the shop was, but she didn't speak English (or Spanish, of course). She wanted to help me, but I couldn't understand her so, what did she do? Yes, she walked me to the clothes shop. But the shop was very far!! After an hour (yes, 1 hour) we got to a modern cloth shop. I asked for a Gakuran, but they didn't have it. So, the shop assistant tried to tell me the way to another shop. But he didn't speak English so, surprise, what did he do? He phoned a friend that speaks English. In ten minutes a young boy came and told me the way to another shop. Finally, I found the clothes shop and I bought my long time desired Gakuran.

I had a really good time in Japan, it's a wonderful place to visit.
If you have more questions, don't hesitate, I'll try to answer.

See you in class!!

Pilar Palomo: I have never been to Japan, but I love this country. I would like to go there! Raúl, would you like to tell us about your trip, and your experiences there, please?

– How long did you stay there?
- When did you go to Japan?
- Where did you stay there?
- How long did you stay ?
- How were the Japanese people with the foreign people -- were they polite?
- Did Japanese people speak English well or badly?
- How much time do they usually work?
- Would you like to tell us about a typical day in the life of someone you met..?
- Which is their favourite hobby?
- How do young people usually wear?
-Which are the best and the worst moments you experienced there?
- Did you enjoy their meals?
- How many types of sushi are there?
- Do they usually drive fast or slowly?
- What was your favourite place that you visited?
- What about their communications? What was the high speed train like?
- What do you need to do to get a travel card?
- What was your best experience?

Boys wearing a Gakuran