Observations on Japan

I'm on a bullet train leaving Tokyo for Kyoto. It feels serene. Beside me, she sits editing the many, many pictures that we took earlier in the day. I'm listening to my "get some rest" Lofi hip-hop playlist on Spotify. I'm happy.

The ride is a little over 2 hours so I decided to take the roughly 1.25 hours to write. Japan is beautiful. The Tokyo machine — the engine that runs 13.9M to 38M people (depends on the count but still the most populous city in the world) — is a large yet highly efficient one. It is meek, yet powerful. Voluminous, yet quiet.

It's funny to compare the culture of Japan with that of the US. From my observations it seems as though the unifying nature of the country coupled with strong agreed-upon values fuels the engine. Before I left, many people urged me to 1) buy clothing in Japan 2) eat the food — especially the fruit and the meat 3) take the trains. I have done many of those things already. It is true all of them are better experiences. And, in the midst of these experiences "why" would stumble out of my mind and into my bowl of rice, shopping bag, or handrail. Why wasn't it like this in America? We could afford it. There is clearly a demand for it. Yet, the gap of experience is painfully apparent.

— Jay