Sean needs to stop blogging.

Alright,

It's six in the morning, the jet lag is screwing with me, and I can't sleep. On the plus side, everything is in English. I'm back in the US, after a nice long 12 hour plane flight with pretty good movies (Gone Baby Gone = really good movie), and my room is still a mess, but now there's a whole lot of laundry to do.

Anyways, to the subject at hand. This whole trip has been an adventure, an exploration, and a huge life event (obviously, you say). The first thing that really strikes me is how similar worldwide cultures are while being unique at the same time. The Japanese have a very formal society, where bowing takes the place of handshakes, men have dominance over women, the old are more important than the young, and many other idiosyncrasies (finally, spell check) that makes their culture totally different from the United States'. However, from talking with (and observing) many people of different ages throughout the trip, I have learned that among the younger generation, and even sometimes in the older generation, many aspects of their unique culture are becoming westernized. This creates huge juxtapositions.

-Many young/middle aged females will wear short skirts (in winter!) and revealing clothing in a sort of rebellion against the more traditional modesty, but the distance remains as people will text their friends 50 times a minute (which I guess is western too, but I think it started there), and it is more common to meet through a wired connection than a human one.

-Shrines, Temples, and other historic sites are being maintained as cultural landmarks, and historical treasures labeled by the government, with the older generations having very Buddhist worldviews. However, more and more Japanese people are less religious, visiting these places as tourist attractions just like the westerners, and buying cute religious trinkets hoping these will bring them the same good luck as good old fashioned praying used to do.

-I don't know how to balance this one. The males in Japan are very distant, formal, and business-like, always having a high priority on saving face and not showing emotion. However, everyone needs an outlet, so they read pornographic manga on the public subway/trains, go to 'snack' bars where you can buy women's time (these are advertised publicly in magazines and signs), and ultra-private/secretive 'love hotels,' where there is no person at the front desk to see (and judge!) what you are doing.

There were tons of other juxtapositions in the culture, but they were on a much smaller scale. The new, younger culture is trying to break through the older, more uptight culture, but it manifests itself in very odd ways. It seems like a baby chick trying to peck his way out of the egg, but using a hammer and chisel made out of plastic on an egg of steel. They should try going about it a different way. I don't claim to know how, and maybe that's the way it needs to be, but it was interesting to observe.

The Japanese were ridiculously hospitable. Even if it pained them to do it, they would stop at nothing to extend every courtesy. I have had people offer me the meals that they were eating, and I've heard stories that if you express interest in a possession that someone else has, they will offer it to you, no matter how much it means to them. Gift giving is huge in the culture, with 20 shops in each train station selling boxes of candy/sweets/regional hello kitty trinkets for people on a trip to bring back to their sister/friend/father/boss/neighbor/trashman.

The same hospitality extends to you as a traveler. I have gotten weird looks for being in restaurants/places I should not have been, people have chosen not to sit next to me on the train/bus, and I'm sure I have been made fun of for being American. However, everywhere I went, people welcomed me when I came into their store/restaurant (some would even drag me in forcibly), people always tried to understand what I wanted on a menu or at a store, everyone would give me recommendations of places to eat/see, and random old ladies would smile at me on the street. It was such a warm place to visit, they really love having other people to share their culture/country with, and it is probably one of the easiest places to travel on the planet.

That being said about the Japanese, I had more warmth coming from them than other travelers I met (with exceptions. Everyone that is reading this blog I met on the trip was awesome, and you are all welcome at my place of residence, wherever that may be). All over, I got "You are from America, you must be stupid." And these people were only half joking.

I'm not going to get into a huge political tirade, but it's not a good time to be an American traveler in most of the world. We have a very low approval rating from just about everyone, and there are reasons why which should change. All I'm saying is that from a global viewpoint, we need to stop thinking we are the best, because we can't back it up and it's creating a schism between us and the rest of the world.

There. No names, although anyone who has half a brain knows what I'm talking about. I'm sorry if it's harsh and you don't agree with me, but I just spent over 3 weeks with a majority of non-American people, and the ones I did see/meet weren't the best representatives (I mean, c'mon, how can you be American and not know that a second bomb was dropped on Nagasaki!).

But I had a great time exploring another country and culture, I do feel that I have a different viewpoint on life/hospitality/politeness/service/food/etc. The most important thing I've learned, and what I've been tossing and turning for the past few hours thinking over, is the importance of exploration in life.

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that humans were made to explore. That is why we have the big brains, complex emotions/thoughts, and resilient bodies/minds. Ever since the dawn of time, we have been exploring the unknown, which was significantly larger back then than it is now. We have been exploring as a worldwide human culture for a long time, and even though the amount of exploration to be done on a grand scale is not as large as it used to be, each and every one of us has a huge capacity to explore on a personal scale.

And that is what keeps life interesting/exciting/full of meaning. Children have so much of the world around them to explore, and its done through reading, playing in the mud, figuring out the basics (and basic fun) of life. Parents that tether their children to a television or are overprotective to the point of reigning in this sense of exploration harm the child by not allowing the child to learn new things by exploring for themselves.

As you get older, the novelty wears off, and you start exploring what interests you, which leads to your job. The most fulfilling profession is that which allows you to explore what you are interested in. Artists explore the depth of human soul and how it can be captured. Farmers explore nature and ways to harness it's power. Politicians explore human rational thought and influencing large groups of people (not necessarily a negative). Journalists explore the modern world around them and convey what they learn to others. And it goes on. These are by no means strict definitions, and there is more to say on the subject, but my point is you find a job that you enjoy based on what you like to explore. And when the exploration ceases to be interesting, a job gets boring and monotonous.

And the same thing goes with relationships. The fun of meeting another person is exploring their personality, quirks, and habits; this is why the beginning stages of a relationship are exciting. However, after a long time together, you have nothing left to really explore, and that which was new and exciting becomes old and stale. To keep it going, the exploration needs to continue. This can be done by exploring new things together, and comparing the experiences between the couple (or group, I'm sure this goes for old friends too). As long as a person (or people) can keep exploring and having new experiences, no matter how minute or inconsequential, the reflection on these explorations is what keeps the human spirit alive.

Haruki Murakami put it aptly: "chance encounters are what keeps us going." In context, he meant people, but I think it can be extended to all exploration.