The Culture in Japan

I'm back in Canada again, and there are a few things I wished I had done or kept on doing. In Japan many things are easily accessible to you. The things you thought were cool, the reason you initially went to the country. I loved the language, but I did not study it enough. I studied a little bit, but not nearly enough. I joined an Aikido club but only went for one month. It was great fun, but I had to wake up so much earlier in the morning and could not be bothered. A friend of mine took up Taiko (Japanese drums) and that also looked like a lot of fun.

Now that I am in Canada I miss all these things, even though I was totally surrounded by them in Japan. Yet in Japan I was just wasting my days away drinking, partying and messing around. I did get a lot of sight seeing done, but I had oodles of spare time on my hands which I could have easily filled with other endeavours.

When you are in Japan, be sure to learn the language, there are many places to study and practice conversation. It just takes time to get there by train. I wanted to have cheap rent, so I lived out of the city - all these things are most easily accessible in the city - so having to go into the city to do them was too much of a bother.

When in Japan, if you want to save money, it is best to be in the country side - but if you want to have an experience of a lifetime (which is priceless in my opinion), find a place in the city. You will be able to take in so many sights and sounds, and learn a multitude of different things. Origami, Flower Arrangement, Tea Ceremony, and Kimono Dressing are a few of the many different hobbies women in Japan enjoy. Almost all of the other things I've mentioned up to here are also women-friendly. The women in Japan may be lost in the 60s in many ways, but in hobbies they've got the men beat.

Check out YouTube and watch some "Shiota Gozo" videos. He is the most famous Aikido master in Japan. Unfortunately he died in 1994. This is the stuff you want to get into when in Japan - forget about the drinking and partying for a bit, and check those videos out.