THE AMAZING JAPAN ~ AWESOME

Japan is wonderful country. It is never a myth that they are advanced in every aspect in life. To gain an opportunity to go to Japan is priceless. Japan-East Asia Network of Exchange for Students and Youths is a program which conducted up to many years now is about to encourage the learning Japanese cultures to the world. Japanese government is spending so much money to invite youths especially students to come to Japan and experiencing the life of a Japanese. JENESYS 2.0 Mass Media was a very meaningful and memorable experience in my life. This was one of the highlight of the year 2014 for me. I was so excited even from the beginning when I was first chosen to be part of the program. There are a lot to say about the program but I will try my best to simplify the unforgettable experiences I gained from the trip.

Before coming to Japan, I was so curious about their cultures and I did have some thoughts about the Japanese people. First, what did I usually heard from the people thought on Japanese people is they are very time-based people. I frequently had been told that they use their time wisely. Every person that we meet at the bus or train will have something to read in hands. I have been told also that the Japanese are very punctual. Other than that, a thought which I can say everyone in this world noticed that they are advanced in term of technology.

Asakusa Temple

After coming to Japan, I do realize that everything they said was true. The Japanese are very innovative. There are a lot of bizarre things that I found in Japan. One of them is the super toilet. The super toilet in Japan is very innovative, creative and so much convenient to use. The super toilet got a heater on its toilet seat which can keep the person using the toilet warm as comfortable to use the toilet. The super toilet also has several buttons that provide different kinds of small pipes for cleaning. Even we can choose the temperature of the water that we want to use for cleansing. I am impressed and having time to use it was so much fun!

When I was walking around Kitakata city in Fukushima, I saw a radio at a corner of a road there. Everyone who are using the road can listen to the radio. This is something new for me. It shows how developed Japan is. Kitakata isn’t a big city like Tokyo but the technology is still advanced.

The infrastructures are very well planned and organized. The buildings in Japan are all built in well safety and secured. This is because Japan usually facing natural disasters such as earthquakes and volcano explosions. So, the builders, contractors and the architectures need to consider the safety measures of the infrastructures in Japan.

My first snow moment

Other than that, their transportation is very developed and systematic. The bullet train or called as Shinkansen in Japan is one of the most highlighted technology that Japan has. The bullet train is a high speed train which acts as a medium of inter-city connections. I got a chance to experience the Shinkansen from Tokyo to Fukushima and from Fukushima back to Tokyo. All what I can say is, the system of the bullet train is very systematic and yes, it is very fast. We travelled for only 1 hour for 190km travel distance.

At Koriyama Station, before taking the Shinkansen (bullet train) to Fukushima.

Besides that, I do realize that Japanese people are very respectful. This is a fact that I can never deny. I was so overwhelmed by their positive vibes. People keep on bowing when greeting and meeting other people. They usually will greet you with such words “Arigato gozaimasu” (thank you), “Konichiwa” (good afternoon), “Konbanwa” (good evening) and “Ohayou Suminasai” (good night). In fact, they will keep on apologizing to us even the problem they did was not even an issue. They waved to us when we are leaving the place that we visited. They waved until we can never see them. This is for me a very heart-warming experience as they really show how respectful they are to us as their guests.

Tsuruga castle in Aizuwakamatsu, Fukushima.

Besides, people in Japan are very punctual. They are always earlier than the exact call-time. As we were there, our coordinators keep on reminding us of please be on time. One of the best examples that we can take is the people who need to use the bullet train. They need to be very punctual as if they didn’t, they could miss the train.

In fact, Japanese people are well organized people. They organized their lives daily. They will stick on the schedule that they have made. In every activities that we attended in Japan, we can see how well prepared they are to serve us with such meaningful knowledge.

One of the words that significantly to explain about Japanese people is considerate. They are very considerate people. They will try their best to serve the others. They always think about the other’s needs and try to makes sure they had served them enough. I can see that at so many people that I met in Japan. Ito-san for example did collected 60 cents which left in a hotel room and gave the coins back to the owner. Can you imagine how considerate they are? 60 cents which probably not worth much still has been sent back to the owner. Besides, my foster mother, Oba-san tried to grant all of our wishes which includes to see snow and to shop Yukata (tradisional Japanese wear). For the record, yes she did grant all of our wishes. I am so flattered with their efforts to makes sure that we are all well comfortable of being there in her house.

As an ambassador and as a proud Jenesyst, I would like to share my experience with others. When I came back here in Malaysia, I have a plan to make sure that I can absorb the positive cultures from Japan among my friends and family. At a bigger scope, I hope that my sharing will be shared to many more people and targeted the Malaysians as a whole. This program is indeed a very good program and need to be continued to many years to come. I do hope that I can go back to Japan. However, I love Malaysia more. That is why I wish that Malaysia could be better than that one day. Malaysian government needs to make such program like this to promote Malaysia to other countries as well. I will cherish the moments forever and thank you for this opportunity. I am blessed.