Here I was able to visit the Tokyo Tower, Harajuku Street, eat amazing street food, visit an interactive light museum and hang out with my uncle Haruo. Tokyo is very similar to other major cities around the world, such as New York, with tall buildings, fluorescent lights and tons of people. What makes Tokyo (and Japan in general) different is that it is very clean with absolutely no trash on the streets. In Japan, there aren’t even trash cans on the sidewalks. Everyone simply holds on to their trash until they can dispose of it at home. Can you imagine people in America doing that?
The culture of Japan is centered around respect. People line up to the left side of escalators so that those who are in a hurry can pass by. People don’t talk on trains and buses in order to keep it peaceful. Also, school janitors are rare because children clean up their classrooms and bathrooms after every day of school!
What made this experience even better was that this time I could understand what people were saying! Every year I’ve visited Japan in the past, I’ve only known English and was unable to communicate well with my family. Over the last year and a half, however, I’ve been studying Japanese daily. Being able to communicate with family has allowed me to share my experiences in ways that they understand, connect with their friends in social spaces, and learn more about them. While I’m still very elementary in my knowledge of the language, just knowing a little bit has opened so many doors to conversation and has encouraged me to continue my studies.
Every time I visit Japan I feel even closer to my heritage, learning more about my history from my family, and seeing places where my family and ancestors grew up.
