Japan is a fascinating place! You can be on a train platform with advertisements written in English at one moment and in front of a hundreds of years old shrine the next. The contrast between these ancient and modern elements of the culture are part of experiencing Japan you could never understand without being here. This contrast is really a perfect analogy for my own experience while I have been here: one part is what I expected before coming and the other is the reality of my experience separate from my expectations.

For example, I never could have anticipated what something as simple as buying groceries would be like. It’s such a simple task at home, I had no idea just how many words that I did not know! Struggling for an understanding of how in between what I knew and what I could not expect has been a key part of the experience here. Even so, it has been incredible how much I have learned and experienced so far.

I had the opportunity to participate in a local festival a few days ago at the time of this writing and it was incredible the sense of community that I felt there! I never truly appreciated what it was like to be able to share in a common culture as an American because I must have taken my identity as a given. It was an honor to be part of a different community and culture at the time of the festival. I look forward to the perspective that I will be able to gain through the continued interaction that I have with the people and culture of Japan while I am here.

---

Learn more about this blogger’s study abroad program: Sophia University