Time in Syria

I've been on holiday in Japan with the family for the last ten days, an extraordinarily rich experience in almost every respect. Japan is a vibrant mix of the ancient and totally modern, and has a way of life that is stressed and material (in cities at least) but also spiritual, confident and fun-loving. The Japanese appear to take some things very seriously, but not too seriously - in fact to my eyes they sometimes appear self-mocking. Whatever the elements, the feeling was of a people as comfortable in their skin as one could expect to find in this age, and with a sense of security in the established order of things. They also have some of the most beautiful young women in the world, wearing some of the shortest skirts. We were there during a Japanese public holiday, so everywhere was crowded, but everything worked, everyone was having a good time, Shinto, Buddha and Mammon working in perfect harmony. The food was just delicious. It was wonderful.

Labels: Travel