How does it feel to find yourself in front of a North Korean spy ship?
What does the creepiest fish dish ever eaten (and considered a delight) taste like?
What effect does it have to see whales free at sea?
Or take a bath in the spa in the snow, next to the macaques?
And is it scared to look at Mount Aso, huge and fearsome volcano from below, perhaps re-reading the story of Princess Konohanasakuyahime, daughter of the God of the mountain?
There is only one place in the world where you can do all this, almost with "normality".
It is the country of the Rising Sun, of kindness, of Emperor Naruhito - direct descendant of the Sun Goddess Amaterasu no Omikami - and together with hyper-technological cities where the future is already present.
And where in spring you take time for a bit of Hanami, the traditional custom of fully enjoying the explosion of cherry blossoms.
To tell the story today is Antonio Moscatello, journalist and correspondent in theaters of conflict in the Middle East and correspondent from Tokyo and Budapest, who after "Maybe not everyone knows that in Japan", returns to the bookshop for Newton Compton with "101 things to do in Tokyo and Japan at least once in a lifetime "(pp. 416 - € 10.00).
Everyone knows the Kyoto Golden Pavilion, the Studio Ghibli museum for cartoon fans, the futuristic Akihabara district for electronics enthusiasts.
"This book will not talk about it - the author immediately warns - The idea is to build an emotional map of Japan, where you can find everything you need to perceive" Japaneseness ", without falling back into too many stereotypes and clichés" .
That is, taking a step beyond simply "seeing" and launching into "trying", experiencing "places and experiences that are the essence of the way of living and seeing the world of the Japanese, knowing aspects that are often not too well known in the West, but very important for those who live there ".
So, one after the other, here are the 101 adventures in which to launch yourself, from a selfie in front of the statue of Gundam (because if you were a child between the 70s and 80s you can't help but) to kiss at night in Odaiba, in front of the Rainbow Bridge and with wide eyes because the one in front of you, yes, it looks like a miniature Statue of Liberty like the one in New York.
And then in Japan you can, of course, eat the best sushi in the world, but also the most "disturbing" dishes (for us Westerners).
And again, sail in an icebreaker in the far north, in the frozen sea of Okinawa, or instead aim for the white beaches of Okinawa, swimming in the crystal clear sea while the skies are furrowed by American war fighters;
pray in the Temple of Hailing Cats or visit the giant ice statues of the Sapporo Snow Festival.
And why not, drink the oldest sake in the world and then wait for the fairies on the turquoise lake of Shirogane.
Yes, (also) all of this is Japan.
(HANDLE).