One last post
This trip was absolutely amazing. I am so happy I went on it and know I will remember it for the rest of my life (or at least until I get Alzheimer’s disease haha). I think the big thing I took away from this trip, other than the academic stuff, was that I know now that I would never want to live in Japan long term. I would be very sad if I never made it back to Japan in my lifetime, as it is truly a wonderful place and there is so much I still need to see. But the culture is so different there that I don’t think I could live there for more than a few months. There are the obvious reasons, like I don’t know the language, but there are some other reasons that are not so obvious. I love Japanese food, but I missed American food so much while I was there (my first meal back in the States was buffalo chicken, mashed potatoes, and garlic bread), and I’m not sure how I would deal with having to pay an arm and a leg for everything. Plus Japan is a warmer climate, which I could deal with, but when you’re go-go-go all the time, you sweat all the time which is annoying.
Also, I’m not sure I could deal with working in Japan. The work atmosphere is so different over there that I would have to wholeheartedly love my job to even consider having that sort of work ethic. They expect your work to come before your family, which I don’t think I could do. And the hours they work are crazy!
So I shall leave Japan on my list of places I want to return to and keep it off my list of places I would be willing to live in. Thanks Dr. C for taking us on this amazing trip!
Meri's Japan Adventures 
mavichakp1 said,
June 8, 2010 at 4:45 pm
I agree I think Japanese is a cool place to visit but not so cool place to live in, due to the stress you could get from daily life there. And that probably the reason why so many people here are smokers which is the second reason why I don’t want to live there since I can’t really stand the cigarette smell.
It would probably be nice if we just have tie to chill around like the day we have in Yokohama too.
jaredinjapan said,
June 8, 2010 at 8:20 pm
I do miss America sometimes, but I think I’ll play devils’ advocate on this post. Since I’ve come to Japan I’ve managed to lose a good amount of weight, about ten pounds! So living here would be healthier for me. Being here for a long period of time would help me adapt to and learn the Japanese language so that rules out language as an issue. As for work ethic I can agree with you on that. I will never be able to put my career over my family. However I feel I could live in Japan, as long as I made enough money to take a break to the U.S. once in a while.
Radin said,
June 12, 2010 at 12:51 pm
First of all, the climate was not warm ! You should come to Dubai some time, when it reaches 120~130 F in Summer ! 😀
Also, when you leave there, you will not need to be always in go-go-go situations !
For me, the reason that I can’t live there is “FOOD” !! (I am a food and restaurant lover, and with my limitations it would be hard to survive for a long time.)
But still, i am thinking of having a semester in Tokyo, or maybe a job for a while after graduating.
fleuritta said,
June 12, 2010 at 3:54 pm
Compared to Dubai, Japan is a utopia in terms of the climate. Although it is challenging to adapt to the go-go-go lifestyle most Japanese lead, I think that once one becomes used to it, they no longer feel the pressure. On the contrary, it encourages them to be more proactive in the work field; and that, in my opinion, is why Japan is Economic Force. As in for the family, I agree with you. If one’s life is entirely dedicated to work, then there is no time left for family or any other activity. Japanese firms are globally competitive and therefore the employees sacrifice their personal life to keep up the business