Yasuhiro Nakatsuka, 38 years old, hometown — Iwakuni, teacher of history and geography
After graduating in 2001, I went to a University in Beijing to study Chinese.
Then I decided to go for my first trip around the world in 2006. I travelled the world for about two years, and it was unforgettable.
I decided to explore my homeland better, and in 2011 I went on a trip to Japan. The next year I went on another trip around the world and visited Antarctica. During my trips, I visited 103 countries.
I paved the route from Central Asia to the CIS and Europe, and Kazakhstan was the last Eastern country. I was expecting to deal with a different mentality, therefore, the Kazakhs seemed to be more advanced: a large city, Western-oriented youth and active life 24/7. I think I got this impression because I was only in big cities and didn't really have time to visit villages like it was in Kyrgyzstan or Tajikistan.
In Kazakhstan, men are in charge of the family, and they work hard and have weight in society. This is good because a woman can be engaged in everyday life, family and fully guided. In Japan, the same situation. For centuries, the man was the main in the family: he made decisions about all family members.
I noticed that in Kazakhstan people take care about the monuments of culture, there are many UNESCO heritage sites. That's cool. Kazakhs with great pleasure talking about history, nomads, heroes. As a geographer and historian, I was happy to fill the knowledge and learn who are Kerey and Zhanibek.
After I had tried the cuisine of different Nations, Kazakh cuisine did not seem peculiar to me. Only Mare's milk surprised me with its taste. It is worth taste it to at least find out what it is.
In the next round-the-world trip I am ready to organize a route through Kazakhstan again. Now I want to look at nature: mountains, steppes. In Kazakhstan, there is a small Grand canyon — Charyn canyon, which I will definitely visit.
Miyu Ushiro, 25 years old, hometown — Saitama, Japan, freelancer
I was in Kazakhstan this year. The Japanese travel company organizes tours to various natural places. I was attracted to the Mangyshlak tour. The tour consisted of a trip to the West of the country, as well as to Almaty, its surroundings, and Shymkent.
I liked everything — nature, people, food, cleanliness. Kazakhs and Japanese have common features that hard to miss. The Kazakhs also treat the history of the people and traditions with trepidation and attention. Nowadays such respect for elders is rare.
The Kazakhs seemed lazier than the Japanese. You have a different working culture, daily schedule and perception of tasks. Especially chaotic life in Shymkent. The station is noisy and active.
I was glad to learn more about the traditions and meeting guests when I visited Altyn-Emel. There we were told what is «tore», and why guests sit there. Kazakhs appreciate any traveller in their home and treat him with warmth.
I expected the cities would be similar to other Soviet cities, and almost everything turned out that way. But there are some areas with new high-rise buildings: offices and houses. As I heard, Astana is more modern.
I liked the texture: Eastern culture, Soviet architecture, Western views and incredible nature.
In the coming years, I plan to come to Kazakhstan for the next trip, but in places where I did not get this year.
Noritorion Kawanoshima, 36 years old, hometown — Tokyo, Japan, traveller
I lived in Tokyo, Japan, until I was 29 years old. Then I decided it was time to travel the world. I started my adventure in New York — it was the first point where I flew. I spent two years in the USA and flew to Europe from there. A year and a half I got to Turkey and flew from Istanbul to South America.
I was twice more in Europe, sailing on the ferry. I visited Asia, spent six months in Australia. I wanted to finish the journey where I started, in New York, but I couldn't. The US changed policies and after visiting Iran I was unable to enter the country. I returned to Southeast Asia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand.
Now I am in the capital of Zambia — Lusaka. During this time I travelled to 73 countries and visited 465 cities and villages. I haven't been to Tokyo in 88 months.
I travel on a budget: I use Couchsurfing, looking for ways to save money and of course do not eat in restaurants. For me, Kazakhstan was a balanced country. It is not as expensive as in Europe, there is everything for a comfortable life, part of the population knows English and everyone is friendly. I got to Almaty because it is one of the cities that receive major international flights.
I liked the warm climate, different landscapes. When you leave the city, you feel how big Kazakhstan is. Kazakhs approached me in spirit with their mood.
I really liked I met people of different nationalities here, and they all are living in a friendly way together. For Asia multiculturalism is rare.
Relatively soon I will have to go back to Japan and want to spend some time in Tokyo.
