I have gained more from this study abroad program than I ever could have anticipated. Japan is a country I have dreamed of visiting for years, and to actually spend nearly three weeks in the country has been an incredible experience. I have come to realize that many of the concepts and expectations I had for the country were not quite aligned to reality, and my global horizons have been broadened. I can now see a number of flaws in my own country and culture as a United States citizen, and can compare various aspects of my own country to those of Japan. By no means is Japan a utopia, but it certainly does some things better than the United States. Along with spotting perceived flaws in my own country, I have also noticed things about the United States that I prefer to Japan.
One of the most striking differences that we first noticed during the program was the very low amount of trash littering the streets, and the lack of trash bins on top of that. Trash bins are somewhat rare outside of train stations, and when you do find them they are in sets meant for organizing the trash between combustibles, non-combustibles, bottles, and cans. When a trash bin is not available people simply hold on to their trash until they come across one. Even though the idea of trash cleanup and depositing is a simple topic it truly reflects a cultural difference between the United States and Japan. In the United States very few people even go through the effort of recycling, and large amounts of litter can be found within larger cities despite trash bins being much more commonplace. It would be great if the United States could adopt a similar system, but I am unsure how well it would catch on for most of the country.
An additional benefit that can be found throughout Japan’s urban and rural areas is the convenience of cheap food and beverages from convenience stores and vending machines. Vending machines of various types can be found all around public spaces and even within neighborhoods. Within convenience stores one can get cheap food that the employees can microwave for you on the spot, and the food is of much greater quality than convenience store food in the United States.
The fact that most all convenience stores have microwaves does indicate a slight issue with Japan in that no hotels, no matter how expensive, feature microwaves in the room. Leftovers from restaurants seems to be a strange concept in Japan. The first night in the country we attempted to take our leftover chicken and fries back to the hotel and we were given a thin plastic bag to put them all in. Once we returned to our hotel we realized that we also had no means of reheating our leftovers and so the food went to waste. One more petty complaint people seemed to share about Japan is the fact that the smallest paper currency is ¥1000, which is roughly $10. ¥500, ¥100, and smaller increments are all in coin form, which can make for a harder time keeping currency organized for small purchases.
In terms of less petty issues we felt with Japan we saw a few societal norms that stand out. In Japan gender roles are more heavily enforced, and people acting outside the standard gender roles may find it harder to work professionally and may be silently judged by parts of society. This also includes small scale role differences such as clothing and mannerisms, not just the idea of being transgender. In the United States people seem much more accepting of people acting outside their gender role, especially on the small scale with things such as clothing, hobbies, and behavior. In Japan many working people dress the same way, with black vests and white button up shirts. As one student of Azabu University put it, entering the workforce is when personality and individuality dies. In the United States, even wi5in professional work environments there seems to be a lot more room to express oneself individually in terms of dress and conduct. One other issue we seemed to notice was the level of stress and work ethic that the Japanese people have, especially in larger cities like Tokyo. Many people work very long hours and I frequently spotted fully suited businessmen taking power naps outside the stations, and cab drivers sleeping in their vehicles parked to the side of the road. Some people seem to lack enough free time to explore hobbies and other personal interests, especially if supporting a family.
Outside of these noticeable problems we felt as Americans, I consider Japan to be a wonderful country with very kind people (and great food!). As someone who intends to teach in Japan after graduation this program has certainly assured me in my path. I look forward to one day returning to this country, and getting to experience more than I could in this short time. I also intend to take the lessons I learned in Japan and apply them back in the United States both in my personal and educational interests.