My Trip To Jap Personal Narrative Analysis

Approximately a year and a half ago, I was given the extraordinary opportunity of taking a two-week trip to Japan. I traveled through the Waupaca International Exchange Committee to Waupaca’s sister city, Mitoyo, in Japan. I was able to share this experience with two of my friends, Lylli and Rachael, who traveled to Japan with me. The language barriers I encountered during my stay, being able to experience a different culture than my own, and the people I met in Japan helped to shape me into who I am today. During the first day or so that I was in Japan, overcoming the language barrier proved to be extremely difficult, but as time went by I developed new skills and grew more comfortable; this made communication much easier. When I first

The minute entered my host family's home, I knew their culture was not similar to mine in any way. I walked through the door into an entry area, here I was told to take off my shoes. As I continued through the house I noticed how much smaller and compact their house was compared to houses I’m used to. The rooms were strategically planned out in an effort to make up for the lack of space. The walls separating the tiny rooms were only about 3 inches thick which allowed every sound to be heard throughout the whole house. During the first day or so of my stay these features of the home seemed inconvenient, but as I grew more accustomed to how the house was set up I was able to accept and learn to like the different layout. My host family was kind enough to take me to many restaurants which were quite different from the ones we have in America. Although the differences that I noticed in the restaurants were small they seemed to outline many of the differences between the culture in America and the culture in Japan. For example, we had to take of our shoes as soon as we walked in, the menu was predominantly seafood, we sat on the floor when we were eating, and there were only chopsticks available. The contrasts I experienced between the restaurants made me more open to differences in culture throughout my stay and after I returned to America. As my stay came to an end, I was lucky enough to take part in a celebration that is a huge part of the Japanese culture: the Dragon Festival. As the other travelers and I carried the dragon, along with many others, the people watching the parade threw huge amounts of water on us as they celebrated. There was a sheer feeling of joy and excitement throughout the streets that night that reflected the liveliness of their culture. The festival was unlike anything I had experienced here in America. Being able