Cultural Experiences in Japan

When you compare American and Japanese cultures, there is noticeably a huge difference. First and foremost, Japan is one of a few countries to carry out such a long history in writing. In our first class, we learned a few things about the way Japanese people think. Japanese people, unlike Americans are indirect almost everything. The culture is based on assumptions, even though someone will say something, they do not always mean it.

I had a few firsthand experiences with indirectness I notice that people are always saying they are okay, even though I know there is something troubling them. In America people are usually more direct and open about their feelings, there are many word choices to use to express yourself. When we explored the Edo Museum, I noticed that Japan has this huge history that explained the culture from back then to present Japan.

I admire Japanese student's hard work during childhood, lots of memorization and study time. Japanese people are excellent at duplicating inventions, making them better, and expanding on past ideas. But they are not creative, I remember in the United States, my professors would always tell the students that university level work locks a student's ability to be creative. You are taught that this is why things are the way they are instead of opening your mind to reach new levels. I believe that all this memorization during Japanese childhood would cause a student to lock their minds into only believing everything they are taught, instead of skepticism and questioning why things are the way they are.

Since I came to Japan I've been people watching everyday. It is very interesting to notice the differences in culture. People here generally are in a hurry, running in the subway station to catch their trains, extreme niceness to help others even though it seems like they can't, and mannerism. I believe that many Japanese people are raised up very well, and seem to be very nice. I remember when I first came to Japan, I was lost in Nishi-Kokubunji and I asked for help, a lady went out of her way and walked me to the dorm. It is rare to find someone in the United States that would do the same thing.

Japanese people have a great sense of pride in themselves. They try their best to not lose face as a person and especially their family name. Most Americans do not have the same level of pride which is such a lost.

Although Japan is a great place to live, they have many problems of their own. One problem is the low birthrate; many couples do not want to have babies because of the living cost and hectic lifestyles. I noticed that almost everything here is extremely expensive, especially in the Tokyo area with 12 million people. Also, many people here lack responsibility because they live with their parents due to high living costs.

With a huge history, there are many culture events that celebrate the past. This is a great time to see people and have fun. There seems to be many things to do in Japan because all the good places are in reach. I would definitely come back to Japan in the future.