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Japan

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I have been to both Japan and China, and I must say that while it really differs from person to person, Japan would be a better place for westerners to vacation in.

Why? The reason's simple. In the west, people are not privy to coming in contact with Asian culture; when we compare the degree of exposure of Westerners to Chinese and Japanese culture, more often than not, the view of Chinese culture is grossly distorted through the Westerner's eye and Japanese culture is slightly more understood in the sense that for years, people have been more interested in Japan. Most are familiar with Japanese signature foods like sushi, sashimi, ramen etc. and Chop suey [fried noodles] or other bastardized dishes like sweet and sour pork from Chinese takeaways seriously do no justice to Chinese food. While whole bluefin tuna, preserved cod roe and the likes may startle a newcomer or two, there's nothing more horrifying than seeing kittens mewling on their way to restaurants, or the odd man on the street plucking fine hairs from killed dogs that have been gutted and cleaned. Therefore, if you are not looking for a culture shock and yet look to experience a different way of life, Japan is definitely the way to go!

Japan is undeniably more expensive than China, but do not let that be reason enough to deter you from visiting this country. In this age of budget travel, it is easy to get cheap tickets and as with all major cities, driving around in Japan [especially big cities like Tokyo, Fukuoka, Sapporo and Osaka] is discouraged because of heavy traffic all day long. Depending on your trusty feet is a surefire way to stretch your dollar! As with your tickets, do more research on the internet and find out when the sales seasons are, so that you can tailor your trip to fit your shopping needs and from experience, the sales in Japan are downright crazy because you get quality items at a really low fraction of their original prices.

Finally, Japanese culture and history is no less complex than its Chinese counterpart, and history buffs will be more than satisfied with the numerous temples, shrines, palaces and the like. Kyoto, the country's ancient capital, is one of the history buff's "must visit places" to get a feel of old world Japan and to see elegant women totter by in their gorgeous kimonos.

After becoming more accustomed to the quirky but nevertheless interesting nature of Asian culture, one can then move on to visiting China, which is infinitely hard to describe in a few words but if I must choose, "a land of startling contrasts".

Learn more about this author, Sheena Lee.
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