Culture Shock (or lack thereof) in Japan

I spent most of my life in the city that never sleeps, New York City. Having spent most of my life there, Tokyo seemed awfully similar. The hordes of people on the street, the subways and buses that can get you everywhere, and the mile high skyscrapers were nothing new to me. The biggest cultural difference were the people. The biggest surprise I have had here in Tokyo is the fact that people are so nice. There is no honking on the streets and everyone obeys the traffic laws. People here follow the rules, whether it is throwing out the trash or recycling things. The streets are so much cleaner and come to think of it, EVERYTHING is cleaner. It some ways I fit in better here than I did in New York. People always apologize and the clerks at all the stores always greet and thank you.

The only culture shock that I have experienced here in Tokyo is how much more efficient and nicer everything is. The trains come on time and the service at most restaurants is very quick. There hasn’t been much else that has shocked me. I feel like Japan has raised my quality of life and my expectation. I realized how much of a difference sanitation and upheld rules can have on a city. All in all, I am fearing a reverse culture shock when I return to the US.