My Japan Vacation

by Susan
(Florida, USA)

I loved visiting Japan. Vacations come and go but Tokyo is very different!
In early spring of 2010 I vacationed in Japan for three weeks.
This was one of the most eye opening experiences I've had. My son in law is stationed in Okinawa so that was my destination.
My first culture shock was how employees at shops make you forget you've paid. They are so appreciative for their job and make it a point to let you know it's their pleasure to have you as a customer.
In Japan, money means using cash. For some reason many shops and restaurants don't accept credit cards.
Also you don't tip because that's considered an insult.

My next "I think that's strange" was noticing that even grownups in Japan love Mickey and Minnie and other cute characters like Puca and Hello Kitty. Women wear them attached to their bags!

As I watched the mothers with their children I thought "I wish USA parents at home could learn from this" Japanese parents don't scream, yell and run to their child screaming "no you can't have that!" These people are calm and it seems that calmness flows to the children. Therefore they aren't screaming for toys or this and that.

It was very pleasant to go shopping in Japan.
The Japanese never litter, Tokyo is extremely clean.
I never felt threatened as I walked on the streets alone. Tokyo is one of the safest cities for women traveling alone.

Coming to Narita international Airport was another great experience for me. Even though neither of us spoke each others language, the kindness and well trained Japanese staff made me feel so comfortable that I could figure out what they were trying to say. They all bend over backwards to make us feel welcome. USA could use some people training from these great people.

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Jun 08, 2010
Rating: Nice Blog
by: Hekishusai

Hello,
I've read your blog. It's wonderful. And I should say ｔhank you for loving Japan. We think that we should value the tradition and the custom of Japan more.

20 years ago, I went to Florida. It was very nice place. Unfortunately, I didn't have chance to visit to USA after that.

Best Regards,