Price

What surprised me the most in Japan? I came in expecting a great culture. Everyone tells you that. But actually living it, absorbing it, seeing it play out in real life… it slaps you into reality. I was constantly excited to live it, but also constantly sad that we can’t have nice things in America. I see and live amazing things in Greece all the time, but that’s tiny, it’s not a massive city like Tokyo! If they can do it, anybody can. You know that from Dubai. What surprised me most is how much people genuinely care about others. Everything runs in order, not in a forced or robotic way, but in a thoughtful, respectful way. There’s no chaos, no unnecessary friction. People move with awareness. It’s subtle, but it’s everywhere. I had to stop myself a couple of times from getting NYC agitated for no reason. Why am I rushing? The culture is refined to a level that’s hard to explain until you experience it. They take things from all over the world and elevate them. A French pastry, an American hamburger, simple fruit… somehow it all becomes the best version of itself. I had the best ______ I had the best strawberries, the best melon, the best burger. Over and over again I kept thinking, how is this the best I’ve ever had? Japan isn’t just a trip one takes it leaves with you and changes you. Makes you a better person as well. If more people experienced it and brought even a piece of it back home, we’d all be better for it. I’ll go deeper on this soon, write a Substack, because there’s a lot more to say.