My first time flying to Japan was last summer when my father took a job for the Navy there and it was an experience I will never forget. I was increasingly nervous as the day of my flight approached and I became decreasingly confident in my untested Japanese language ability. Though I had studied it for about a year, I had virtually no experience using Japanese and my arrival only made my heart sink further. Immediately I was overwhelmed by the new surroundings, inundated with a language that was only occasionally legible when I tried to read it and almost always incomprehensible when spoken. For nearly a month it remained like this for both my father and me, but as we settled in and learned how to communicate and get around, more opportunities opened to us.
Over several breaks from school, I have spent more than four months in Japan. Throughout this time I visited cities large and small, each with their own cultural importance, character, and unique blend of tradition and popular culture. Some of the most exciting places I saw include the metropolitans of Kyoto, Nagoya, Tokyo, and Osaka while the lesser known towns of Hakone, Tottori, Kinosaki, and countless others outshone them in my mind. Cities like Tokyo and Osaka are large and urban scapes that seem to be set in the future, with bright screens and neon lights all around. I almost lost my father in the sea of people at Shibuya crossing in Tokyo, the busiest pedestrian crossing in the world, but the experience was remarkable. On the other hand, surrounded by the sounds of the beautiful forests, sights of the monumental pagodas, and the taste of incredible street food, Kyoto never fails to impress.
As we moved toward a constant place of residence, however, I learned to enjoy the smaller, more personal towns of Japan. The coastal town of Maizuru in which my father lives and works is a rural and dilapidated locale with a beautiful bay, abandoned shops, and a bizarre combination of traditional architecture and buildings which seem to be stuck in the ‘80s. Despite this, the town is exceedingly charming and welcoming and I cherished every day there. The people of Japan are typically just as warm, but not all people would react to an American with enthusiasm.
In my experience visiting the country, I learned that Americans are usually held in particularly high esteem, disproportionate to the popular opinion of other foreigners in the Japanese perception. Individuals of all backgrounds would often engage in conversation with me for several reasons, whether to practice their English skills, express their admiration, or to understand more about me. The moment I realized this bias was when groups of kids would yell out “Hello!” and “You are cool!” in effortful but sincere English as I would pass. However, there was another contrasting group who would isolate themselves or unabashedly show their disdain. Some of the older population was distrusting of an American in their presence, refusing to provide services, covering their mouths with a cloth as if we carried some disease, or making disgruntled noises when I neared them. In Tokyo, I felt the least welcome out of all my time in the country when an older man scowled and made a noise of disgust as I stood by a convenience store. This discomfort would soon fade, however, and I would return to enjoying my travels before long.
While not as commonly held now, the older, more nationalist generations of Japan are often the ones who stuck to sentiments opposing the presence of Americans, often turning tourists away from establishments or wearing their contempt on their face when passing, while the more progressive youth idealize the diversity and expression of American culture. Each person I met while in the country was a valuable chance to experience new and fulfilling bonds which I truly appreciate. In my travels, negative interactions made up a footnote in the time I spent there, while the warmth and connection I experienced from the majority of the nation will be with me for a lifetime.
