During the week, we were asked by the professors running the trip to think about 2 things about Japan we wished were in the U.S., and 2 things about the U.S. we wished were in Japan. I actually thought about this a lot during the time I was in the country.
Things from Japan I wish were in the United States:
- Abundance of Useful Vending Machines: I think I bought more out of vending machines than I did out of regular convenience stores throughout the trip. There were vending machines on almost every street corner, so if you were ever thirsty (and man, was I ever, especially when it was really hot in Tokyo) you were never far from a water or, even better, a Aquarious. I ended up with a ton of yen coins, and the vending machines were a quick, easy, and useful way to get rid of them. In the U.S., I feel like change doesn't really have a purpose anymore. People just throw it into jars if they even bother to pay that much attention. And I can't forget to mention the fact that you can actually get beer and sake in vending machines in Japan, though I don't see this coming over to the U.S. any time soon. Haha.
- Arcade Gaming Culture: One of my favorite things about Japan is their fascination with arcade gaming. I checked out several arcades throughout Tokyo, and it really made me wish that we had that kind of love for arcade gaming in the U.S. When you visit arcades in the U.S., they tend to be a bit run down with outdated games and not many customers. In Japan, arcades are packed all day long with the latest and greatest games, and kids are more than willing to spend their entire evening playing friends and racking up high scores. I have a particularly high interest in video games, and this more social form of gaming is something I am already missing here in the U.S.
Things from the U.S. I wish were in Japan:
- Good Old Fashioned Pizza: Now, don't get me wrong. Anyone that read my blog knows that I loved a vast majority of the food in Japan. I tried A LOT of things I had never had before, and for the most part, I was very happy for it. Even so, near the end of trip I started to get burnt out on Japanese food. I wasn't so much burnt out on the food itself, just the idea of going to a restaurant and picking out something that I had no idea if I was going to like it or not, or what it even remotely tasted like. By Friday, I just wanted a good old fashioned pepperoni pizza. There were a few places we saw where you could get pizza, but it usually had a lot of weird toppings, and it tasted almost nothing like pizza back home. I think this stemmed more from a desire to experience something familiar in a place where everything was foreign to me. I've been home for a few days and I haven't gotten one yet, but I will soon!
- Sports on TV: In the mornings and right before bed every night I watched A LOT of Japanese television. Basically I would just flip through the channels until I found a game show because they tended to be really wacky and easy to follow despite the language barrier. Though after the first few days in Japan, the novelty of the games shows started to wear off, and all I wanted to do was watch some basketball or baseball or some kind of (American) sport on TV. We did see some sumo wrestling being televised, and some of the news programs did show some MLB highlights at night, but that was it. There were a few mornings where I would have died for some Sportscenter while I was getting ready, and it was especially hard since the NBA playoffs were going on the whole time we were away. It was tough to have to wait until I could get to the internet to check scores, but somehow I survived. Haha.
There were a few other topics I could have written about, but these were the 4 that definitely popped out for me. Thoughts? Leave a comment!
