Narrative

I have been interested in Japan since I was 12 years old. It began with a fascination with the culture, and expanded into an interest in one day living there. In the summer of 2012, I was given the opportunity to visit Japan myself. I was not sure of what my expectations of the trip were, but once we arrived, I found that Japan was foreign in many ways. Although it was foreign, it was not in the ways one would expect in a country so unlike our own. I found myself constantly intrigued with the way of life here. I could not bring myself to understand the trust the people had in one another. Maybe this was because I do not even feel comfortable running to my car to grab something at night, but especially their ability to sleep on trains perplexed me. I believe sleeping in public leaves you vulnerable, and with so many people getting on and off of the train, I would not have been able to for fear of something being stolen. This did not seem to be a major fear here, the multiple bikes that lined the streets at any given time were rarely chained, and if they were, they were not chained very well. Another fascinating thing was the friendliness. Having just gotten off the plane, my mom and I stared at the train map with no idea how to purchase a ticket, and unfamiliar currency in our hands. We were not standing there for five minutes before a man came over, and although he did not speak English, he pointed to what ticket we should buy, and which bill to use. This was not the only occurrence though, many times people would come up to us and offer help, even if we had everything taken care of, and would not leave until they were sure we knew what we were doing. I was grateful for this kindness, and it quickly made me more comfortable in such a foreign environment.

My first view of Japan out of the train scared me a little. I had not expected it to be as crowded as it was. It was a foggy morning, and apartment buildings were placed together like puzzle pieces, laundry hung over balconies to dry and plants drooped over the metal railings. I was hoping the sea of building would end, but they never did in Tokyo. The city was suffocating, looking back on it now, I only see gray in my mind. The buildings in Tokyo acted as a gate, obstructing the view of anything scenic. Buildings were piled one on top of the other, making use of the restricted space and a faint smell of sewage rose from the vents in the sidewalk every so often. Besides the noise of traffic, construction and unusually loud crows could be heard in the distance. The rainy season had just ended, and the humidity seemed to cling to everything, giving off a smoky appearance. People rushed by following their daily schedules, mostly in a work or school uniform in various shades of gray, and sometimes blue. Everything was orderly despite the mass of people at any given place. Everyone obediently crossed the street at the crosswalk, only when it was green, and if they bumped into one another, they quickly responded with a quick sorry, a bow, and they were on their way.

After a while, I found myself feeling comfortable with the way of life in Japan, almost as if I had been accustomed to it my entire life. Every action I have observed here in Japan was made out of care, whether that would be showing directions, even if they risked being late to their train, or sharing seats on the train. I came to love this culture where people are respectful to their elders, where there is a strict code of conduct based on who you are talking to, and in what context. Some of the cultural rules such as being quiet on the train were just fine with me, as I tend to like to keep to myself and am rather quiet. My only difficulty I found was my mother, who I often I had to remind her to not talk so loud, as she was accustomed, because it was viewed as rude and distracting to the other passengers. It was small things like the kindness of the Japanese people that helped me feel better about staying in this concrete jungle. Despite the initial shock, I grew to like the city, and as I observed the culture and customs of Japan, I began to love it more. This trip helped me realize that I still wanted to move to Japan and teach, which gave me the confidence to continue my education and major in Japanese.