Introduction - Japanese Culture

It's easy to be critical and disgusted by other cultures, if we only look at them on the surface. If we think about and understand other cultures deeply, we can appreciate them more. We can also learn about ourselves and become more cultured people. A kiwi friend, who also lives in Tokyo, once said to me “Being in Japan makes me a better person”. Learning about Japan and Japanese people is not only interesting and educational but also spiritually uplifting.

If you are in Japan, plan to visit Japan in the future, or know one or more Japanese people, I recommend that you stay open and positive to learning about Japan to make the most of your travel experiences and friendships. The short stories in this blog can be read in numerical order or read randomly choosing by title. The storiess progress from relatively obvious cultural differences to more difficult to understand and intriguing differences. If you have lived in Japan, you’ll probably enjoy reading the latter stories more.

Like most things in life, we learn mostly by experience. We can’t learn everything from reading but reading can help us think and speed up the learning process and give us new perspectives. Each short story shares an experience and touches on unique features of Japanese culture, often specific to Tokyo. I hope your reading stimulates thought and speeds up the learning from your real-life experiences, so that you can understand and appreciate Japan more and more.