I Love Japan

Okay, as I've said before, this is Jill's blog, so I rarely post here. But I need to follow up on this one. You'd probably agree that when we think about the past, we generally forget the bad things that have happened (or at least begin to see them through rose colored glasses as time passes) and generally remember only the good things.

Isn't it interesting then (and I'll speak only for myself here) that when thinking about Japan, as much as I love many things about Japan, that I often dwell on the negative. I have a thought here. I think that it is because it involves cultural differences. Our culture is engrained in us from the time we are very little, which explains why we have such a hard time with "culture shock". And to the extent that we focus on differences (rather than similarities) I think it will always be the tendency to have negative thoughts. When people ask me what the differences are between the US and Japan, I so frequently think of the negative differences. That's too bad, because as Jill pointed out in her comments, there are some really good things about Japan.

First of all, if Jill wanted to go running outside at 9pm, I would have no problem letting her go. Japan is just THAT different from California. Sure, crime does happen here, but it is not that common.

Road rage is RARE!

Then there is the concept of, "if it's not mine, I don't take it". As Jill mentioned, she left the stroller at a park full of homeless people on Saturday. Nevermind all the homeless people, Ueno park is one of the busiest parks in all of Tokyo -- especially on a Saturday. This is because there is a Zoo connected to the park, as well as several different cultural centers and museums. As I approached the park, I had this feeling of "of course it's still there". Japanese people don't touch what isn't theirs...almost to a fault.

So yeah, it's true. I can't get Taco Bell here in Japan, and haven't come across a great Mexican restaurant yet. Driving is a pain on the one-way streets that they call two-way. The lack of schoolyards with big gigantic play areas for the kids, within walking distance of our apartment sucks.

But this place is pretty cool, in so many other ways...and quite frankly I'm dreading the weight gain I will have to fight so hard when we move back...