Every couple years, I went back to Taiwan to see my family. The summer before college, my parents wanted to take me somewhere new. I was ecstatic to find out it was Japan. The minute I stepped off the plane, I noticed a stark difference between Japan and anywhere else I'd been. Japanese people respect their land; their trees are green, waters clear, and most notably, ZERO TRASH ANYWHERE. Their public restrooms are arguably cleaner than my personal one! (I promise I'm not messy, the Japanese are just violently clean). Because we don't speak the language nor are we competent enough to navigate a new country on our own, my parents signed us up for a Chinese-speaking tour of the major and a few rural cities of Japan.
We started off in Tokyo, the largest metropolitan area of the country. I immediately mentally compared Tokyo with Taipei. Taipei, the capital of Taiwan, is densely populated, with people flooding the streets. Street vendors take up every corner, especially during the night markets, where every square inch of the streets are filled with people trying to make a living. Tokyo is a much "classier", organized, and wealthier area. Everything is planned with intention; every building, store, ad, pillar, and street sign has a distinct place on these streets. Not one thing is out of place.
Throughout the trip, we went to many more cities and saw many beautiful things. I was able to spend much-needed quality time with my parents, away from any distractions.
I met this little girl named Anae early in the trip. Her family is from France, but her parents spoke Chinese; therefore they were part of the Chinese tour with us. I adore kids, but I've never met any who attached to me immediately like Anae did. We couldn't communicate very well; she spoke French and knew very little English and Chinese. The only French I know is "croissant". She drew me pictures every day to show how she felt, and even learned how to say "big sister" in Chinese. She called me 姐姐 the whole trip after she learned the term. I still look back at pictures of us and miss spending time with such a pure soul. Although I loved exploring Japan, running around with her made the trip increasingly memorable. I hope to meet her again somewhere around the world one day.
We went to Mt. Fuji, temples, marketplaces, and so on. I even went into a nude hot spring with random old ladies and my mother, which I choose to block out of my memory. Besides that, Japan was a trip I will NEVER FORGET AND CHERISH FOREVER.
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