Changing impressions.

I can't believe I am down on my last post in this blog. In this last post I am suppose to talk about my experience in Japan and how my first impression has changed at all. For the last four months time has really flown by and I have grown accustomed to the daily life of Japan. So to answer the question: How is my impression about Japan today? To be honest, it has both changed and confirmed what I thought about Japan before I got here. In my first blogpost I talked about the funny English that Japan keep insist using in their ads and commercials. But sometimes they are using the English in a malfunctioning way.

I am still amazed how such a futuristic country like Japan can have such high barriers of bad spoken English. I always get surprised when I meet a Japanese person who speaks good English. It is very hard to find. With a alphabet only focusing on foreign words (especially English) you would think they are really good at talking English. They use English in so many situations, their language, ads, movies, TV-series and so on. But when it comes to conversational English this is where it bursts.

(Busiest street in Japan, the big crossing in Shibuya, Tokyo.)

Another assumption I had before I got to Japan is how busy the country is. Everybody are busy or stressed here. People have places to be and things to do at all times. The thing that surprised me the most is how even though the country is very stressed and career is an important thing in Japan, people still take time for themselves. Just about queuing for a line for the bus or subway, sleeping on the bus or train etc. I can see why Hanami is one of the Japanese peoples favourite time of the year. This time of the year people really take time of for a beautiful viewing and a big feast under the beautiful trees.

(Beautiful sakura in Kyoto)

For being a very busy country every moment for yourself is being spent carefully. They really go all the way to appreciate all the free time they get. In Tokyo I had the pleasure to attend a anime/manga convention with live dressed people of their favourite anime character. To my surprise (well not really) most of the visitors were men or boys. Here is a another thing that bothers me or kinda freaked me out how public display isn't a big problem in Japan. Especially when it comes to older perversion for younger or light dressed people. In this anime convention the young girl dressed in revealing clothes got photographed by older men, queueing in line to get their dream picture of their fantasy. It seems like girls and woman are still treated as objects in some length in Japan, especially in popular culture.

(Animeconvention in Tokyo. Girls dressed as characters of the show Sailor moon)

I guess at one point dressing up for an animeconvention is a away to escape from all the stress and be part of the world the grown to love. This might be another chance for one to take time off from the stressful country that is Japan. This is what my motto was when I have been here, I take every free time I can get to make every moment count. Even to experience my first baseball game in Japan, and experience the atmosphere there.

(Hanshin Tigers game in Koshien Stadium)

So when it comes to my conclusion about my impression about Japan this far in and almost at the end of the semester I do have changing impressions but also got some of my assumptions confirmed. My first impression is especially how crowded and stressed the country is. To see people run for the train to catch the train on time (even though the next train arrive in 2 min) has kind of affected me. It is about saving every minute you get.

So what can I say about my experience in Japan that will give you a fair picture of Japan? To be honest I haven't really experienced the full life in Japan. For first I live in a dormitory with all other international students, I am taking classes with pretty much only international students, and I am mostly spending my time with other exchange students.

The thing I will miss most about Japan is probably the attitude over here. Japanese people are very positive (at least on the outside) and friendly people. To be able to walk to a complete stranger asking for help or honest people running after you if you forget anything. But when it comes to fully appreciate Japan I can't see myself returning in the near future. Being over here really gave me time to appreciate my own home country.

The things I will miss the most in Japan are very many but the are a lot of thing I won't miss in Japan either. I will miss the food, the availability for everything, the easy transports (even though they stop running 'round midnight), the weather and the attitude. Of course I will miss all the people I have met and living a life that is so different from my own life.

The thing I will mostly miss the least from Japan is the crowd. It is always so many people everywhere and it is a very stressful country. To come from a small country as Sweden (9 million people which is about the size of Osaka and Kyoto together) to a country that has pretty much as much area but about 120 million more people here makes me feel relieved to come back to Sweden.

The impression I have from Japan is better than I had before I got here. Japan is such a multicultural country with so many different aspects. Don't get me wrong I enjoyed my time over here, but for now I feel ready to return to the my normal life. I say normal, because life in Japan is totally different from my own life. Japan can still appreciate the small things and take every free time they get to it's fullest.

This is what I have learned in Japan. Live every moment to it's fullest and make every free time count, because you won't know when you get another chance. Japan have made me appreciate my life in Sweden. Time to say Sayoonara and thank you for this 4 months in Japan. I will not forget this experience, it made me a better person I am today. Arigatoo Nihon!

(Another busy street in Tokyo, the Harajuku district)