APRIL:

A big difference between Japan and home is transportation. Coming here, other people had made it seem like I wouldn't see many cars, but that's not true. There are many cars, many people driving, though the process to get a license is way harder than America, as well as expensive. That being said, the public transportation is still way more prominent than cars. People use trains, bikes, and buses way more than cars. I never see any trains, aside from freight trains, back home. The only time I hear about passenger trains is a special line to Chicago or another location that is really expensive. The trains here are many. They are also more cost efficient. I know to and from the station to Hakuoh University there is a free bus for anyone. There is also a free bus to an arcade called Round 1 from the station. I have yet to need to ride any buses that are paid for. The train stations are usually large depending on the size of the city, easy to get a little lost in, but there are plenty of signs with English. The trains are always on time and they take pride in that. It's amazing the ease of travel with their transportation without having to worry about the expensive prices of gas. I feel like it'll be a little strange when I return home to only cars; I haven't even driven since before coming here! I guess I'll see how I feel when that time comes.

MAY:

At this point in time, I had been noticing my suroundings more. Something I noticed was how well the Japanese people take care of their environment. The streets and sidewalks are kept clean and free of debris. I've seen workers washing the small streets and walkways, getting rid of the dirt, any leaves, any sticks, making sure every stone is in its place. It's not something I see back in America. They aren't spotless, but they care more, I think. Parks are kept nice, as well. The stations are definitely kept tidy considering the importance of public transportation here. Trains are kept clean and people are extremely respectful when riding on them so as not to distrub others. That's another way they keep their environment nice; just by being respectful.

Also, something that I found quite beautiful is the way in which the Japanese people care for their yards. Unfortunately, with so many people in smaller spaces, they may not have much of a yard. However, they do wonders with what they have. Beautiful plants and trees are added, whether in the ground or in pots, to add some nature to their homes. They take such good care of it and really pay attention to landscaping. There are so many varieties of flowers, bushes, and trees they put out. I've actually started my own collection of photos of various plants I come across. I don't see such care as often as this in America. I also don't see as wide a variety of foliage. I find beauty all around me with the love they put into the environment.

JUNE:

Through this experience and some previous research, there is quite a difference between Japanese and American education styles. First of all, I've noticed that in America, high school is important, but still has a lot of leisure whereas college is the time when everything gets serious. You have classes twice a week, sometimes for hours on end. The homework piles up, studying must be kept up with, essays play a huge role. It seems that Japan is kind of opposite that. High school is the busiest time for students. That is when homework is high, studying is important, and everything is very serious. College has a lot more freedom. After the stress of high school, many students use this time for more social moments. Classes only meet once a week. There is a period system in place, so you don't get as much freedom in choosing the time for classes. There really isn't that much homework. It's almost nonexistent. Most of the work is done in the classroom. The professors give more breathing room and less homework. It was a big surprise coming into this from the busy times at IUPUI. I haven't had any essays in any of my classes so far. I am taking 8 courses right now, but because they only meet once a week, there isn't much homework, and they are worth 1 or 2 credit hours, I'm not as busy as I was at IUPUI. This isn't a bad thing to me, though. I'm still learning a lot from my classes, I just am able to have more social time to connect and practice speaking. It's an observation I've made that is really interesting to compare to America.

I'd also like to add that there are a lot more majors available in American universities than Japanese. At IUPUI I know there are at least 100 majors, some way more specific than others. However, Tokyo University might only have around 20-30 majors. There is one in Ibaraki prefecture that has around 50. Hakuoh University is much smaller so they only have 5 majors available. The size of the school matters here. They also have single subject private colleges available, but they're more expensive. Also, when you choose your degree, you don't have the freedom to take other courses from other majors to experiment. You must take only courses pertaining to that major. 

JULY:

Recently, I heard about what goes on during job-hunting for students about to graduate from college in Japan. There is a big difference between here and America. Here, it's a lot more strict and intense. I learned that most people will apply for over a hundred companies. Over 100. I was pretty surprised because it's all at once, not throughout a long time. It's because of how competitive it is; one of my Japanese friends applied for only 20 companies and got 2 interviews. On the other hand, her friend applied for 100 and got 1 interview. 

Now, depending on the companies and type of job, you may be required to take a personality test before the interview and send them the results. Then you must also send more documents about yourself, like an extension of your resume. If they like all of that, then comes the interview. 

The dresscode is pretty universal, too, in companies. The women should all wear the same style of a black skirt suit. The men should also wear the same style of black suit. Men should have their hair like buzz cuts; there is a certain length that may be considered starting to get too long, like if you can't see the nape of the neck. Women with long hair must keep it tied up to show the nape of the neck. If that's not possible, that's okay. However, ears must also be showing. Accessories are usually not allowed. No earrings, no necklaces, bracelets, even your wedding ring might need to be removed. 

It's a very stressful time for the college students. Once they get a job, though, they are relieved from that pressure and move to begin working.

AUGUST:

I found out that getting a driver's license here, compared to America, is a lot more rigorous. The tests are very strict; basically like, any false move made, you fail. My apartment is even situated near a driving school and testing facility. When I first saw it, it reminded me of a racetrack. Students are expected to study hard and practice with the teachers frequently, then they can try testing for a license. Many Japanese students I have befriended, those with and without licenses, have all told me it's extremely difficult. I don't know if it's because the roads here are smaller or some other reason. Not only that, but it could cost the student hundreds of dollars. I know when I tested for my license, the driving test was free, I just had to pay the $10-12 for the actual license. The driving test is also fairly strict, but as long as they aren't detrimental mistakes, they usually allow a passing grade. Unless, of course, too many small mistakes are made. When I told students that, they wished it was that simple here. Very interesting thought about license processes being different around the world.

September:

The convenience in everything is astounding! I've seen the smallest things that make some products or tasks more convenient or comfortable that America doesn't have at all. For example, I found a fly swatter that has little tweezers that come out of the handle so you can pick up the bug carcass and dispose of it. Wrappers are made easy to open. In many public restrooms, there is a sensor by the toliet that will play waterfall sounds or rushing water to drown out the sound of you taking care of business. There are sushi restaurants called Kaitenzushi with a track that brings the plate of sushi to your table after you order it on a tablet. I bought some posters here and instead of easily torn paper, they are plastic, so even tape is easy to use for them. 

October:

I feel that, when it comes to losing things in public, Japan is more trustworthy. Now, I'm not trying to say America is awful because everything you forget/lose will definitely get stolen, but I can see it happens way less here in Japan. Two times, I left something in a store and both times when I returned, they had it in their lost & found, ready to be picked up. I left my phone in a shop on part of the counter, where an employee may not see it, but a customer would. I described it to the cashier and they brought it out, nothing wrong with it. I'm guessing a customer handed it to them. I also forgot my little Totoro coin purse at a grovery store where customers bag their groceries. I walked the whole 25 minute walk back home before I realized what I'd done, so I had to make the walk again back & forth. But when I got there, one of the employees had recognized the coin purse and then recognized me, the one who held it. So he took me back to the lost & found where I received it, money and everything a-okay. I also heard a story from a friend about a teacher who lost her wallet in a mall here, called them to inform them, but had to return to America that same week. When they found the wallet, they actually looked inside to find her American address and mailed it to her. Everything was still intact!

November:

I feel like the last few months, I unfortunately didn't focus on looking for differences and such, so I don't have much else to say. There are a lot of small differences, but I wouldn't and couldn't list them because they're things people should experience for themselves! It's fun discovering all the small things!

December:

January: