Many people never get the opportunity to leave their country, due to many different obstacles that arise. However, I was one of the lucky few that was able to travel outside of my home country, the United States, and into Japan. I was able to experience an entirely new culture and place, and I am going to talk about my experiences, and state if it is really worth it to travel outside of the country. There are many factors that cause people to avoid leaving their country. This includes things such as time, money, planning, etc. Because of the numerous problems, and logistical (or practical) issues, many people don’t travel, especially if they are uncertain about whether or not it is worth it to travel. This article will hopefully help people that may be confronted with the decision to go to a new place by talking about my own experiences in a new country. It truly is amazing being able to see and experience new cultures and a new place. Traveling to a place that is completely different from Los Angeles is like being on a whole different planet. A once in a lifetime experience.
When I was in Japan, I stayed in Tokyo for a couple of nights and then went to Kyoto for a couple nights as well. Tokyo is truly a city like no other, as its culture is rich. It has many different temples, many different neighborhoods, amazing food, and some of the best technology ever. I would say that Tokyo is a little better than Kyoto, but both cities are amazing. Kyoto is also right next to Osaka. Kyoto is home to some of the coolest temples and shrines, as well as its graceful presence. If you are looking for more of an “Asian city” experience, I would definitely recommend going to Tokyo. The amount of things to do in Tokyo is absurd. There are many different areas to explore and many different things to do. I personally loved Shinjuku, an area in Tokyo, as it had abundant nightlife and so many different restaurants. Shibuya, another area, is also an amazing place with the famous “Shibuya crossing”. Public transportation is also very easy to navigate and surprisingly incredibly clean. All of Japan was very clean, even though there weren’t any public trash cans. There are also a lot of places to shop, including thrift stores and department stores full of Japanese and other items. Overall, I think Tokyo is an amazing city to travel to and one of the best cities to visit in the whole world. It offers some of the most cunning edge technology and some of the nicest people.
Kyoto was also a very nice city, however it wasn’t quite as enjoyable as Tokyo. Kyoto was still a good city though, as it has many temples and shrines that can be visited and has beautiful scenery. It is also very close to Osaka. Osaka is another major city in Japan known for its amazing food. It is known for its abundance in street food, especially in Dotonbori (A neighborhood in Osaka). It is a very amazing city and is also home to the Osaka castle. In Kyoto, you could also explore Gion in Kyoto which is a very nice place to visit as well as the very nice Kyoto tower. The scenery in Kyoto is also top-notch, as it has amazing plants and vibes especially near its temples and shrines. In my opinion, Tokyo is a much better place to visit than Kyoto but both are very fun cities to visit. I think this is because there are just more things to see and do in Tokyo, and there are many more activities to do. However, Tokyo is definitely overcrowded and filled with people on every street. Kyoto is different from this because it has less people and is just more peaceful and quiet.
Recently, Japan has been a very popular destination for many people, and I can see why this is the case. The food that I tried there was truly incredible, and it is surprisingly affordable. I tried all sorts of food, but my favorite was definitely the ramen. There were a lot of different ramen places and each place I went to always had selections. The service there is also amazing, and the restaurants were always super clean and accommodating. However, most restaurants tend to stick to one type of food. For example, if a restaurant is a sushi place, then there will only be sushi on the menu. If a restaurant is a katsu(breaded and deep fried, usually pork or chicken) restaurant, then the only food on the menu will be types of katsu. However, restaurants make up for their lack of variety with cheaper food. I was shocked to see how low food prices were in Japan compared to Los Angeles. The food is all high quality and tastes amazing. I don’t think I ever ate something and was disappointed but how much it was or how it tasted. I even tried duck for the first time, which was very good. There are also more than just Japanese restaurants, as some restaurants offer things such as Spanish or Italian cuisine. I even saw a lot of familiar restaurant chains there, like McDonalds and Kentucky Fried Chicken. I would say the time I spent there I had some of the best tasting food I have ever had.
However, the biggest challenge while traveling overseas was definitely the language barrier. Most people could speak decent English, however it was still difficult to do certain things. For example, it was hard looking at restaurants just based on pictures because most menus were only in Japanese. This made it hard to know if a restaurant actually had good food or not. Another issue was shopping, as things such as asking for another size for clothes was difficult. Luckily, there are tools to help with these language barriers, for example, Google translate is very convenient and helpful with language barriers. You can do many things with Google translate, it can even translate text from a picture on your camera. It truly is essential if you are traveling to a country that doesn’t speak English. Another thing is most signs and maps have English on them, which is very convenient. This also includes menus, as some Japanese restaurants had menus in English to read. While there was a small language barrier, it really isn’t that big of an issue as there are many ways to counter it.
In conclusion, if you have the resources and opportunity you should definitely consider traveling to Japan. Traveling to Japan and experiencing their culture was one of the most amazing things that has happened to me. Even if you don’t want to go to Japan, you should at least travel outside of the country one time. It is truly magnificent to see a new place across the world and experience new types of food, people, and cultures. It can really change your life and change how you see the world and I could not recommend it more.