India, April 4 -- 'Let's go to Japan,' I casually asked the missus a few months ago, with some guilt that husbands typically carry - some residual shame for performing poorly in one of the roles assigned to you. Hence, you make up for it by popping such proposals.

Mine was received well. The next step was to produce 37 kgs of documentation to prove my intentions of visiting Japan are purely touristic, and there are no plans to establish a new caliphate on the outskirts of Kyoto. After a few anxious business days, we were granted a multiple entry visa, valid for five years - a baton to beat fellow Japan-visa applicants in my peer group.

For Indians, Japan is a unique country to visit. Almost unknowingly, we have prepared all our lives fo...