The First Layer

Conveyor belt Sushi, マクドナルド, 自転車, Mascots, カラオケ, サラリーマン, Shinto, Recycling.

These are a few of the things that were going through my mind when I first arrived in Japanin 2008. My first trip was about a week long. I was excited to try sushi in Japan, visit temples, and practice my limited Japanese. Between my first and second trip, in 2009, I was able to learn about Japanese culture, but at the same time get even more confused by some of their actions and customs. I found it interesting how people taking the escalator stood to the right side and others in a hurry quickly walked up the left side. Even now I'm still curious as to how everyone knows to do that. The meticulous sorting and recycling of trash also intrigued especially when I saw it being done in McDonald's.

I had so many questions like: why is there a mascot for almost everything including the police departments, TV stations and even the JR Line? How does Japantechnologically advance but at the same time seems to keep many traditions, beliefs and family oriented? Why is McDonald's tastier than in America?


The way everything seemed to work amazed me, how polite people were, how you can order your dinner from a vending machine, the construction of buildings. The first time I went I stayed at the Prince Sunshine Hotel in Tokyo which was in the same building as a shopping mall, office building, and Toys R Us on the basement floor by a McDonald's. To the left of the building there was a park with a fountain and to the right was a highway with restaurants underneath it. All these various elements meshed perfectly together and make me think about how disorganized things are in other places.