During Trip (week 2)

I have now been in Japan for about a week and half. I honestly think that each day gets better and better. Everyday I am here, I am making connections and becoming so close to my classmates. My perception of Japanese culture has changed every day when it comes to language, religion, history, etc. In class, we discussed value orientations, specifically Kluckhohn and Strodtbeck’s assumptions about values. People in all cultures face common human problems for which they must find solutions. A big problem that most cultures experience is trash around the area/cities. In America, we have trash cans everywhere in public and still have a polluted environment. In Japan, I can not find a trashcan anywhere. I have carried around my coffee cups for long periods of time because they are sparse. Even though this is very frustrating, their environment is so clean. There is no trash just thrown around, this was especially clear to me in Kyoto. Even in Tokyo the trash is minimal and the city is still very clean. I think this also shows the difference between collectivistic and individualistic societies. People in Japan don’t litter because they are aware that other people live in that space as well. People in the U.S. may not think about how littering would impact other people’s everyday life. In class, we also discussed the social relationship of humans to each other. In Japan, their society is collectivistic. For example, we use public transportation everyday. Whenever we are on a bus or train, no matter what the public allow as many people as possible on the train. They make sure that everyone can get on even though we are typically packed on there like sardines. Japanese people know that everyone has somewhere to go and need to be on time. They try to make sure that everyone can get on the train and that nobody is left behind. Americans on the other hand are the opposite. We are an individualistic society, which means we tend to only think about how our actions impact ourselves. For example, when using public transportation in America, we want our personal space and only care if we make it to work on time. In the same situation, we would not let people on because we do not want to be that close to other people. We typically don’t think about where others are trying to go and if they will be late or not. Even though being that close on the trains/buses is uncomfortable for me, I think it is amazing how much they care for other people. My ability to adapt to Japanese norms for verbal and non-verbal interaction is still pretty limited. I still have to point to what I want for food. In Tokyo, I also have to point to what I want in stores when I am shopping. I still only know a few words and am trying to learn more. An example would be when I was talking to a Japanese woman on the bus. She was really nice and spoke some English but was still hard to understand. She just wanted to know where I was from, and I could barely communicate with her. I really want to interact and communicate with the people here, but it is so hard to do so verbally. Ever since we arrived in Tokyo, I have been really overwhelmed with the amount of people here. The streets during the day are flooded with people, and I get very stressed out. I have become more comfortable recently when we use the public transportation. By doing so much traveling, I really think it has helped me to become a better people person. I am starting to get sad about the trip ending, but I am continuing to experience and learn so many amazing things about Japanese culture.