So, what are my thoughts so far after one month of living here? In general, it really isn't that much different than living in Canada. Well, of course there are some large differences but overall there are tons of similarities and when it boils down to working and making a living, it isn't all that different.
However, Japan is far from the stereotypical Japan that you hear from and see from some tourists and strange news flashes! It is actually pretty funny since you kinda see the stereotypical america quite often here on TV and in ads. Things are different but it definitely isn't another world :P. Plus, you can find bizarre people and things in any country or region of the globe. Granted, I might have a skewed view due to only 1 month living here and only seeing one city but I don't think this is far from the truth in general.
Some things I really like so far:
*safety (don't have to worry about going places)
*food (it's definitely not the Japanese food I tried in Canada but there is a large emphasis on health when it comes to most of the dishes I come across plus the portions are just right!)
*friendliness (people do seem quite friendly and are quite helpful; I haven't felt bad feelings toward me because I am a gaijin - sure some people do look at me when they have the chance but doesn't everybody like to do that in general? I haven't seen anybody stare at me yet :P)
Some things I am not too fond of:
*communication (can't read anything, can't talk to most people, etc)
*friends (or the lack of... not saying people are not friendly, but making friendships is a long term process and coupled with the communication problem much more difficult here)
*the heat in the summer (although it's gotten much better and is quite nice nowadays but the first few weeks were just crazy!)
So, here's to 1 month gone and hopefully much better days to come!
I think most of the Japanese beers I've had here in Calgary were actually brewed in Canada. I think the only actual import was Asahi-- and I think it was brewed in Thailand.
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