First-time travellers to Japan are usually overwhelmed by the apparent difference in culture. You can probably find no other people on Earth who are more polite than the Japanese. However, although you may feel that it’s somewhat refreshing when you first arrive, you may eventually come to realise that there’s a certain coldness and efficiency that comes with these seemingly pleasant greetings. Still, it certainly beats New York, or even Singapore for that matter.

I’ve been to Japan three times in the past three years. My first trip was a sponsored one – my dad had just retired, and good ol’ SPH was kind enough to offer him a paid trip for two to any destination he wanted. So, off to Hokkaido we went. Looking back, I realised that my photos weren’t exactly top-notch. Then again, it isn’t exactly top-notch now either, but I do see an immense improvement in how I look at the world and how I shoot my photos. The little nitty gritty details just come popping out, and you appreciate the world more as you start opening your eyes to the the stuff that no one hardly pays any attention to.

So, on my other two trips back to Japan, I embarked on a voyage of experiencing what I failed to do otherwise. And the photos started getting better. Here are some shots from my 2nd and 3rd trips to Japan (in no particular order). Will upload some more once I manage to dig them out from storage.

Edit: You can find the slideshow here.