The End

Sadly, this is going to be my last post on this blog. I had a lot of fun writing in Japan but now that I'm back in Canada, I don't really have much to update. And I'm pretty busy studying Japanese and taking care of things like: buying a cellphone, registering for classes, and putting away stuff.

I said that I wanted to discuss the differences between Canadians and Japanese, and here are a few of them:

- Directness: Canadians are in general more direct than Japanese. Especially if it's a more sensitive subject, Japanese will take quite some time to approach the subject. And rather than saying no or contradicting your ideas (which is considered rude), Japanese will use expressions like: "Oh really?" or "I see" and nod in agreement even though they don't agree with what you're saying. On the other hand, some Canadians I know will flat out tell you that you're wrong and argue with you if your opinions differ.

- Reactions to foreigners: Japan is very homogeneous. When I first arrived there, I had quite some difficulty telling people apart because they all have 1) black straight hair 2) slanted dark-colored eyes and fairly small body frames. 6 feet foreigners with blond hair and blue eyes will find it impossible to go anywhere in Japan without being stared at by the Japanese because they are so different, like beings of another planet or galaxy. Here in Canada, which is described as a "vertical mosaic" (a mosaic of different ethnic, language, and religious groups), "foreigners" are the norm rather than the exception.

- Manners: Japanese don't hold the door open for you unlike a lot of Canadians do. In Canada, it's common courtesy to hold the door open for the next person behind you but in Japan, there are so many people that I feel it would almost be counter-productive, slowing down people rather then helping them.

As you see, there are some minor differences, but overall, it doesn't matter where on the globe you are, people are the same. They laugh, they smile, they cry, they're curious, they give you directions when you're lost, they arrive late at meetings, and they are sometimes so tired they can sleep standing up. And sometimes it's seeing those similarities (rather than the differences) which makes traveling so fun. : D

So goodbye everyone! Thank you for reading and commenting. Thank you for nagging me when I didn't update fast enough. : p  And don't forget, you can always go back and read old posts whenever you like because the blog will remain online. Sayonara!