Japan recap

I am clearly past due for this blog. I mean, it's the end of August and this is only my second one?! Wait, it's...the end of August. Wow. As everyone reading this knows, I spent the first couple weeks in Japan, and it was pretty amazing. My impression is that they took practically everything we have here and made it better, and I dare say that I liked Japan better than America in many ways. Their culture has managed to remain relatively untouched by what I would consider the "bad parts" of western influence--things like our American sense of entitlement, disregard for nature and disregard for each other, and religious intolerance.

They seem to appreciate and understand the value of simplicity and elegance in Japan, as well, in stark contrast to the "bigger/busier is better" mentality that is rather prevalent in the U.S. I just loved the packaging and presentation of the food and drinks and the understated beauty of the interior design. Everything from the tiny business hotels to the ludicrous amount of beverage vending machines lining the streets added to their efficiency, too.

The level of respect that they had towards each other and their world impressed me the most, though. In general, Japanese people strike me as polite, modest, accommodating and calm. People in Japan seemed very willing to help in any way that they could, and they always did it with a big smile on their face. For example, I don't think I saw a Japanese person raise their voice in anger (or anything except drunkenness) once in two weeks; in contrast, I saw two workers yell at people in the first 20 minutes at the Chicago airport.

On top of that, littering was almost non-existent, despite the fact that trash cans were hard to find. Recycling bins for plastic, cans, and paper were lined up with the trash cans, too, so of course I was thrilled at this discovery. It turns out that if someone in Japan can't find a trash can, he simply holds on to his trash until he finds one--what a novel idea! Even the festival grounds were nearly immaculate.

I think that stems from their Buddhist and Shinto roots. Japan is not particularly religious, but they have still adapted those religious philosophies to their everyday life. Their beliefs are noncommittal and open, which is exactly how it should be, I think. I find that strict religious doctrine is often repressive and intolerant of differing opinions.

I really connected to those core principles of Japanese culture, but there were a few parts that I could do without. For starters, I still don't get the anime thing, especially the anime porn. Maybe I have been desensitized, but even the graphic naughty drawings seem almost childish or just plain ridiculous. It reminds me of a time in first grade when a boy showed me a hidden "dirty" drawing in Where's Waldo. I thought he was letting me in on some kind of dirty secret and we were getting away with something, but then again, I was 6. I thought people grew out of that kind of thing. At this age, no matter what the drawing happens to be, it just seems weird.

Also, I wish they had more variety in their food selection. I think I discovered the secret formula for all Japanese food: 1. Rice or noodles; 2. Seafood, pork, beef, rarely chicken; 3. Vegetables, egg, seaweed. Those things are good ocassionally, but it got old quickly for me. At least part of the time it felt like I was in an episode of Fear Factor, too. It feels sort of like someone decided to eat those things when they were starving and forgot that they had other options once more food came along. I at least tried most of them, but I will always draw the line at bugs or anything with eyeballs.

I not only ate some things I never thought I would eat, but I did some things I never thought I would do...like sing karaoke full volume and get naked with a group of people in an onsen! Who am I? I was supposed to be the girl that doesn't like to draw attention and thinks a bikini shows too much of my skin. Neither was as bad as I thought, but I have to admit that the onsen was much more intimidating than bungee jumping. I just don't like to be that exposed in public, which seems reasonable enough to me. (What's the fun in giving myself away all at once, anyway? ;)) I have a vague idea of things I want to improve within myself, though, and those activities happened to fit the criteria.

I think that who I am and how I define myself is ever-changing, but it is a conscious effort. Life would be boring if I stayed within my comfort zone, so I regularly try to push my limits and see how far I can go--in my own time. Sometimes a little nudge helps, but too much pressure or fanfare just pushes me further away. I try to grab opportunities as they come along and it always seems to be well worth the risk (or time, money, etc.). Japan is the perfect example.