japanese culture

[jim demoss]

i spent three years in japan and was impressed by the hospitality. being
a young blonde headed boy at the time, i was doted over by the japanese i met. i was there in the early seventies and i am sure that much has changed. i would love to return one day for a visit. the comedy shows on tv were a hoot. one of my favorites was the drifters, or ichidao
the kamen rider ws my hero and i would ride my bicyle and imitate the
superhero with a towel tied around my neck...lol kudos to japan and all the fun had while there!

[new in town]

I too spent three years there while in the NAVY stationed at Naval Air Facility Atsugi. I was blown away by the friendliness of my local neighbors.

We Americans can learn a great deal about respect for others and living life in general from them.

I left in 1993 and too would like to go back for awhile. It would be nice to experience allot of the Country and culture that I could not see while I was there.

And if you do go there make sure it is during the time Mt Fuji is able to be climbed. The Saying goes :

The man that goes to Japan and does not climb Mt Fuji is a Fool. The man who goes to Japan and climbs Mt Fuji more than once is Twice the Fool.

[jim demoss]

yes i had the oportunity to climb mt. fuji and will never forget it. the cherry blossom festival was also a wonderful experience. i spent time at grant heights which does not exist any more, also at camp drake/momote village, tachikawa and yakota afb

[new in town]

My "Walking Stick" from my Mt Fuji climb. One of my Prize possessions.

[Banzaitrooper]

I went to japan through an exchange program, sadly it was only two weeks however i do plan on going back, and like he said our culture can learn a lot from them. I went to a bowling alley one night and i saw a cell phone, a wallet, and a pack of cigarettes sitting at a lupin the third pachislo for over an hour, and no one had taken it! that blew me away. And the temples and shrines I all visited were so clean, a place like that in America would be bound to get littered with trash. and not to mention that every japanese person would walk up to me and say! "You're so tall!" and wave their hand from their head to mine, multiple times. (i love the attention!) another thing is their children are so untainted by everything, i visited three elementary schools and all the kids loved me, i read them a book and we sang songs and danced and what not. I just imagine in America how our children are so scared of everything. It's just a different world over there, imho a better one in some regards. Oh japan, and your silly antics, i can't wait to return!

Side note: i envy you guys for getting to climb Mt. Fuji! I think i might have to now! and visit all 88 of kobodaishi's temples