Things that Surprised Me about Japan

arrived in Japan at the end of April. Although spring was almost over, I was fortunate enough to see Japan's beautiful cherry blossoms. This was my first time overseas, so I found a great many things to be new and interesting. Even back in Vietnam, I had often heard about items only available in Japan such as Japanese mobile phones and smart cards. So, while actually getting such items didn't really surprise me, it certainly did make me happy. Gradually, I started to get used to life in Japan, and soon summer arrived, and that's when there were many big surprises awaiting me.

First, there was the summer heat. I simply couldn't believe how hot it was. I felt the heat itself was just like the Vietnamese summer. But Vietnam is a tropical country, so you expect it to be hot, and the temperature and humidity climb higher than in Japan. I began to wonder why Japan, which is not strictly tropical, felt so hot. I then realized that it was because of the trees. You see, while trees and flowers are not exactly few and far between in Japan, they are often planted simply to beautify the streets. The result is that they are small with straight trunks and provide little shade.

I often went to the park to beat the excruciating heat, and it was there that I found another surprise. While Japan's parks might be quite ordinary for people from other countries, we Vietnamese are truly envious of them. I am talking about the parks in Japan with their beautiful, wide-open spaces, and playground equipment. Given that Japan's land area is not that much larger than Vietnam's, I am still stumped as to why Japan's public parks are so spacious and numerous. My friends and I regularly had fun playing on the park's slides and swings just as children would.

Summer is the season of festivals. I of course went to see the fireworks; I also went to see the Suginami Ward Festival. That day, the usually tidy street was looking even more beautiful, and there were a lot of good sales. When I went to the Ichigaya Tanabata (Star) Festival, I saw a store selling clothes for 210 yen and another store selling bags for 500 yen. I was astonished! At festivals in Vietnam, clothes and various other goods are not marked down—they are sold at a much higher price than usual. Going into July and August in Japan, there were a lot of sales that were huge bargains, and some clothes were 70% off. So, let us say that summer in Japan is not just the season of festivals, but also of discount sales.

Summer is also the season for traveling. I went to the Kansai area's greatest tourist attraction: Osaka, Nagoya, and Kyoto. I also managed to head to Tokyo's Odaiba district twice. I really love the Tokyo Water Science Museum in Odaiba. The museum offers a number of experiences to partake in and experiments to try out for children and adults alike. I was able to experience both fun and educational exhibits. However, what really surprised me was that entrance to the museum was free. Vietnam does not have anything like that museum, and even if it did, it would not be free. This kind of thing is what's so great about Japan. I think that children in Japan are living the kind of life that children overseas yearn for.