Thinking Allowed: Paper society

Our time in Japan has come to an end-much to all of our disappointments. We like the calm and order of Japan and the beauty in small things that it offers. One thing that as I leave strikes me as unique about Japan is that, though it is technologically one of the more advanced countries, it is also entirely a paper based society. In a literal sense Japan takes paper very seriously and produces paper of high quality. There are many paper based arts. Paper is used as a form of decoration and worship. It is no surprise then that everything is still largely cash based in Japan and the transition to plastic money is less widespread. Paper receipts still seem to be of utmost importance. Even when purchasing a small item at a convenience store you are handed a receipt at the end with such ceremony that you receive it with equal grace and delicacy. At the end of the day in Japan I would unearth various receipts and wonder what I am supposed to actually be doing with them. Ticketing is all also entirely done in paper. For a Japan rail pass you are sent a certificate in the mail, which then has to be converted to a paper ticket in person, which then allows you to claim small paper seat reservations in person. There is no digital trail and if you lose your small paper ticket there is no way you can redeem it. I think what Japan is trying to remind us in our daily lives is that life is but paper - beautiful but fragile and impermanent.

Our final week in Japan was spent with a different kind of fleeting beauty in the form of other people. Travelling can be a solitary affair. Our kids are lucky they have each other and don't seem to mind their lack of social lives too much but it is always so nice when they can enjoy the company of other children. We joined a pre-arranged group of worldschool travelers for a week of exploration of Osaka. We met so many other amazing families and the kids played so many games of tag. When we meet with other travelling families we are always so impressed by how kind and inclusive the other children are. It is so nice to see a big group of children ranging in ages from 4 to 15 all happily playing together to a backdrop of cherry blossoms in full bloom.