Coming to Japan was a new experience for me. Yes, I have traveled overseas, done the backpacking thing, and been lost in a foreign land. This time I was more nervous and it was harder due to the language barrier. When you are lost and you can't just ask the person next to you where you are and where the train is going makes it more of a challenge. Being in Japan was the first time I had gone overseas and not spoken the language. It was amazing how well I could get around with not knowing very many words. The only words I learned were konnichiwa which means hello and Arigatou which means Thank you. Whenever we went out we would just point to our menu and then they would bring it to us. There were a few times when we were lost, or could not find yen, or boarded the wrong train I had moments of panic since I like knowing where I am and what is going on, I just had to sit back and think about the experience I was having and knowing that God had my back.
It was interesting how private Japanese people are. They keep to themselves on a bus or train unless they brought a friend. They always have a phone or some sort of technology since they could not be bothered to be bored. When you use the toilets in Japan there is a button to make a flushing sound so that people can not hear what you are doing. I did not see any emotion on people's faces except for a few smiles here and there, but no tears of joy or pain. I did see a woman who seemed to be having a mental issue and people would just stare then look away as if to say you are not normal. This being all said, I do find it interesting though of the community of bathing together. That is an experience where you are completely vulnerable with your body and there is no way to hide. When i was at the spa most of the women had friends with them and bathing together was a very social time. Which is why I did not enjoy myself, being i am a social person and i did not have a friend with me.
The food was somewhat of a challenge for me, due to the fact that I am one of the world's pickest eaters. I did make myself try Japanese food since I knew i would be missing out if I didn't. I realized in the end sadly, that I do not like the taste of Japanese food and it would take awhile for me to truly get used to it. I did enjoy however the Japanese pasta I found, the fried potatoes, and rice is always yummy. i did enjoy snacking on japanese carmel corn and really liked the Fanta grape pop there since I love grape pop and it is not so popular in the US.
I love the beauty of Japan. The streets are clean even in the city. The mountains are gorgeous. The city scence of Osaka was amazing to see in the day and at night. I loved to see the temples in Kyoto and to be in that city that had mountains surrounding it. I love the way the trees look, the beautiful temples on the water, and the flowers that were surprisingly still in bloom.
My favorite day was the Osaka Aquarium and the Ferris Wheel ride to the fact that the Aquarium was so big and very unique with all the different types of fish, sharks, and the Huge Japanese spider crabs. I love the ocean and it was neat to feel inside of one. The Ferris wheel was amazing due to us being in a glass car and being able to see out over the city. i also love heights so that was super great!
I loved Kyoto as a city more, since it had a lot more earthly beauty and it was a smaller size. There were also so many cute shops and I did not have to worry about being shoved as often. It was a little bit of a slower pace which is not saying much about Japan. I loved knowing that it was set up for tourists and being able to just hop a bus to see a beautiful site was very nice.
It was interesting to learn more about Buddhism since I had learned about it in school but had never been able to see people practice. I came away deeply saddened because they are believing in a false religion and knowing that they are so dedicated to their faith. I understand now why it would be a challenge to be a missionary in that type of setting but how rewarding it would be.
In the end Japan is very fast.... Everyone knows where they are going and they are always in a rush. You better know where you are going or you are going to be left in the dust. you never have to wait more than 5 min for a train. People are always working and things seem to always be open.
I do not think I would ever be able to understand everything about Japanese culture due to being raised in America, but I loved being an outsider and being able to watch and observe how they do life!
Japan was a great experience and i was so glad I was able to share in this experience with Grant. We had a lot of fun together, saw a lot of Japan, and really enjoyed just seeing what we could see with the week we had.
It was wonderful!!!!!
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