Japanese charm school

The Japanese are lovely people. Probably the loveliest I've met in all my time spent gallivanting around the world. I'm convinced they've all secretly attended charm school, and graduated with honors.
Their flawless etiquette earns them a lot of points with me.
They adhere strictly to rules, even if there is no punishment in breaking the rule. For example, in the subway, there are signs discouraging passengers from talking on their cell phones. In America, if we had such a "rule", I could just imagine, there would be some loud mouth redneck that would be babbling obnoxiously loud on his phone. Not in Japan! EVERYONE follows this rule. The subway is dead silent as they sit as quiet as a church mouse.

snuck this one with my iPhone

I watch the demure Japanese get on the subway, sit down and are quickly hunched over with their eyes closed and their head bobbing to each bump and bolt. Just as I'm trying to figure out if they've actually managed to fall asleep in a millisecond, the next stop is announced, the door pops open, they jump out of their seat and off they go. Guess not. 
Waiting for the subway, I follow suit and get in line in orderly fashion like the other Japanese. Can you believe they actually form a line to get on the subway?! This is monumental!
Jay-walking is also highly frowned upon. Even if there are no cars to be seen for miles, if the red pedestrian light is on, you will never see a Japanese cross the road. 
I imagine it's a breeze to be a teacher in Japan. Even the children are well behaved. 

Tokyo's streets are filled with men in business suits and women in dressy attire. A lot of girls wear very, very skimpy skirts. It's popular in Japan to wear a school girl uniform, even when you haven't been a student for over 15 years. Borderline disturbing. Ironically, their chests are almost always covered. I guess they flaunt their assets. Makes sense. 

one of the many temples in Kyoto

Even though hardly any of them speak English, they will do their very best to help me when I ask for directions. They patiently study my map for a while before I relieve them of their suffering and say, "it's ok, arrigoto". I realize they don't speak English, but they're too polite to say no when I ask for help. They press their hands together and give me a bow as we part ways. Seriously, do you think anyone in L.A. would do that? 
This surge of manners I'm exposed to is like a breath of fresh air to me after traveling through such abrasive countries such as Vietnam. The Japanese are a class of their own. The most sophisticated of all Asians, in my opinion. 
Eating on the run is also shunned. Even if I'm starving, I always wait until I'm back at the hostel to eat. Or, I stop at a noodle shop owned by a cute husband and wife team, show them my piece of paper that says "vegetarian" in Japanese, and enjoy a big bowl of yumminess. Like this....

They cracked a raw egg in it, which cooked from the hot broth

In case you haven't heard, Japan is ridiculously expensive. So save your pennies if you plan to visit. Don't say I didn't warn you.
On the bright side, you will be spoiled rotten with the heated toilet seats. I have yet to sit my bum on a cold toilet seat in Japan. These hybrid johns are even equipped with a button that produces a loud water noise to drown out those embarrassing bathroom sounds. I've even seen buttons for raising and lowering the seat and buttons for a bidet. Using the baño feels like a 5-star luxury.
If you come to Japan for just one reason, come for the heated toilet seats. Just kidding. 

Beyond the hello kitty, sumo, sushi and geisha's, the Japanese are really interesting people when you get to know them. Speaking with the English speaking Japanese I've encountered, I witness their gentle spirits shining brightly. It's like zen traveling in Japan, everyone is so calm and polite. I show them the respect that they give to me and find myself behaving like them. I think back to my time in Morocco and remember how frazzled I was there. The abrasiveness, the rude manners and lack of respect were a deadly combination. Treat others as you wish to be treated. Japan is the complete opposite of Morocco. I bet the Japanese are horrified when they travel to Morocco. Maybe the Moroccans should take a few pointers from the Japanese. Maybe they should attend their charm school. 
In conclusion, Japan is a country like no other, and I'm totally diggin' it here.