SOME THINGS ABOUT JAPAN

some things i've learned in japan

p o s i t i v e s:

- people are so nice--they are always helping us with everything.

- we have to ride our bikes everywhere & we love it.

- we don't have japanese phones, so we are rarely on our phones [no wifi or reception].

- everyone wears surgical masks when they're sick, even when they aren't sick.

- no tipping in this country! whoop whoop!

- we are celebrities here! most of the time its super annoying, because people stare & stare & stare.

- the toilets are hilarious--they play music & shoot out water to clean yourself.

- this falls under both categories. chopsticks are used for everything, but sometimes restaurants are nice and will only bring me a fork. but i kind of like using chopsticks, i think we'll be using them a lot more when we get home. 

- there are so many different styles women and men wear, so it makes for great people watching.

- public transportation. we love it. trains & buses are our best friends. 

- there are tiny shrines everywhere and they are all different. 

- there are vending machines everywhere, not exaggerating, with the yummiest drinks. (we always get excited when we find a dr. pepper)

- most people know at least a little bit of english and they try so hard to have a conversation in english, i love it! 

- the japanese are amazing at parking cars--they can fit cars into any spot & they always back into parking spaces. 

n e g a t i v e s:

- everything is smaller: food, cars, streets, people...everything.

- everyone is constantly on their phones.

- this country is so clean...but there are no garbage cans anywhere, it is so frustrating.

- you have to separate your garbage--cans, bottles, and burnables. 

- everyone is so quiet...and i am so not. i get a lot of stares. 

- there aren't any foreigners. utah is probably the least diverse state but so diverse compared to where

we live. (except tokyo, i <3 tokyo because there are so many foreigners!)

- the yen is so annoying sometimes--it's all change. the equivalence of $1 and $5 is in coins, so you have to carry around coins constantly + they don't use cards so you have to carry cash everywhere.

- i forget i'm in another country a lot and will straight up speak english all of the time. i miss english.

- i hate being barefoot. more than anything. i constantly wear either slippers or socks, and sometimes i forget those things when we have to take off our shoes in peoples homes or restaurants--it's the worst.

- i am getting so sick of rice or noodles. 

- they drive on the opposite side of the road. i can never get this one down. i'm always turning my bike into oncoming traffic! [they also walk on the opposite side]

- i can't wait to get home and eat sushi from happy sumo....yeah, i don't like japanese sushi. 

- they work so hard. they want to show up before the boss shows up and leave after the boss leaves. so bri goes into work 30 mins before and leaves 30 mins after. 

- the price of animals (dogs & cats) are so expensive. there are more pets in japan than children. 

- it's so hot

despite all of the differences between america and japan, japan is an amazing country. i feel so blessed to be surrounded by these people and learn about their culture!