Konichiwa Japan!

For 17 hours, all I see were airplanes, duty-free shops, and people looking at signs or maps to locate their destination. For 17 hours, I have live in a world where people are either moving or waiting, and I, too, was waiting for the moment I step foot upon an unfamiliar land and began an unknown life.
But it didn’t occur to me that I was on the other side of the Pacific until the bus left Kansai International Airport, where I began to notice shops and houses are closely knit together, bicycles are everywhere, streets were not jammed with cars like in the U.S., and even the air was different. Everything spells out: “Welcome to Japan. Enjoy your stay in this friendly place.”
That was the first thing I catch on after living a week in Hirakata—everyone is ultra friendly and to boost the effect, they would throw in the peace sign when a camera is involved. I came from Portland, Oregon where we are known for kind people and slow drivers, but Japan is on a whole different level because Japanese people are not just kind but also very polite that makes me feel guilty if I did not separate trash correctly.

And since we are on the topic of trash, it is astounding to see how many different categories trash can be separated—pet bottles, cans, plastic, burnable, and sometimes the “other” category. Cleanliness is like a golden rule in Japan. So far, from where I’ve been and what I’ve seen, Japan (Hirakata specifically) is a very peaceful country with cultural values embedded in everyday task such as taking off your shoes before you step on the clean floors. Sadly, the one thing I will never get used to is the process of constantly pushing the button for more water to come out while taking a shower. Oh, and of course the constant fear of being attacked by a bicycle while walking to school…