Edgar and I keep catching ourselves talking about the things we will miss about Japan as our time here comes to an end. It is a bittersweet move for us! We are so excited to be close to family again, but so sad to leave this special place. This post has what I consider to be the best things about living in Japan. AKA, the top things I will miss here. I guess that’s a glass half-full versus half empty debate, lol. If you ask Ed, he says he will miss the “tubs and toilets,” as he has fallen in love with onsens and the heated toilet seats with bidet.
1. The sense of safety
Let’s start the list of the best things about living in Japan with a big one. You will never feel safer than you do in Japan. I am serious. Most of us will have to readjust to watching our bags and locking our cars when we go back stateside. I have never heard of anyone we know being robbed here, aside from on-base experiences being robbed by another american (cringe-worthy, I know). In fact, the people that DO lock their cars generally only feel obligated to do so while on-base.
I know people who have lost their bags on the train or left them somewhere, and found it sitting at the police station with nothing missing from it. Or better yet, often it is left untouched. Can you imagine either of those scenarios in America? LOL. I have never been cat-called here. Never been gropped or inappropriately bumped into. Never felt the need to clutch my purse on a packed train, or worried someone might snatch my daughter out from under me. It is incredible and very freeing. I will miss that feeling of safety the most.
2. The respectful culture
Part of the reason it feels so safe in Japan is because the Japanese culture has a current of respect that runs through it. People respect one another, they respect where they live, and they respect their customs and courtesies. For example, it is often hard to find trash cans here. You are expected to carry your trash with you and take care of it at home. Your dog peed or pooped outside? Make sure you rinse the area with water after! It’s wild. I do not know how it’s possible but I love it.
My friends and I here often remark “ope, couldn’t do/have that in America!” because so much of what “works” in Japan is based on the culture of respect. I promise I am not trying to dog on America but you guys, one time a school girl was crossing the street and she bowed to my car before she crossed, while she was crossing, and after she crossed. Can you imagine an American kid doing that? 😂 How about asking an american kid to clean their school? It is common practice in many Japanese schools for the children to take care of their school. Sometimes they have days just reserved for the children come in to help clean. I MEAN COME ON.
Another part of the respectfulness is a reverence for the natural world. They have beautiful parks here, often preserved right in the middle of bustling neighborhoods and cities. They make you feel like you’re stepping into another world.
3. Convenience
Oh, 7/11. I will mourn the loss of your pancakes and coffee. Emme and I LOVE the 7/11 pancakes! They come in a little package for less than $2. It is two sets of two pancakes sandwiched together. The butter and maple syrup is inside the pancake sandwiches so you don’t make a mess. I am getting sad just writing about them knowing I may never get them again. I have never walked into a 7/11 with Emme and not split a package with her. 😠Japanese 7/11 is like everything completely opposite of what you are picturing in a typical 7/11 in the US. They are clean, have GREAT food, other gadgets you need, and good ATMs. I prefer pulling money out there because you can get 10 x 1000 yen bills (basically 10 x $10 bills but yen, lol). Plus, super cheap, super amazing coffee.
We joke all the time that the Japanese think of everything. They even have beautiful nursing and changing rooms at just about every public place you go. I have only seen one disgusting bathroom, and it was at the very busy Harajuku train station when I accidentally went into a stall with a hole in the ground instead of toilet. lol. The baby rooms and clean bathrooms are something I will miss dearly. I’ll also miss the convenience of the vending machines that are everywhere. I honestly don’t know how they keep them all stocked OR where all the plastic bottles go, but they sure are handy.
4. Living small and quietly
Okay this one sounds weird, but we live in a simple apartment and we love it. (Other than going up and down the stairs for the dog and groceries all the time, the rest is great.) It was awesome to have our first child in an apartment, because I was terrified of drowning in stuff. That fear kept my spending down and also the baby gear and “stuff” down tremendously. Our families knew not to send us anything superfluous. It also helped me stay more organized and assess what we did have every now and then.
Not only do we love our small apartment, I have loved the last half of our tour here being a quiet one. We weren’t allowed any visitors for about a year. We tried to make the best of that disappointing news, and I really feel that we did. Our little family unit became so closely bonded in isolation. I am grateful for that. It meant instead of traveling home to visit family, we explored what we could of Japan together. Speaking of living small, we also love being able to walk and take public transportation here. I will miss that when we are back in suburbia. The trains here are so convenient and clean.
5. The people
Well. not “the” people as in any people, but my people! I have pretty much lived on a military installation my entire life, besides college and about two other years when my parents owned a home. You cannot beat the sense of community you can find when living overseas. You build lifelong friendships that are irreplaceable. People whose doorsteps you know you can randomly show up on to hang out. Parks every few blocks where you can meet to play. A group of women who know exactly what you are experiencing because they are in the same or similar circumstance, too. There are friends here I will think about everyday when we move.
Best things about living in Japan continued
What’s your favorite thing about living where you are? If you’re interested in our Japan travels, check this section of the blog!