The Japanese Have Mastered Enlightenment and They May Have Helped Me Find It

In my last post I talked about what I learned during my trip to Hong Kong. I was going to make it all one post but decided to make them into separate ones so I could be more detailed. Even though there were similarities, they were also differences in both countries, and I can say I learned different things in Japan. Japan to me is where I have found enlightenment. My trip to Japan has been an eye opener and has given me the path of stillness and peace I have been searching for. Hence the title of this post. So first and fore most I want to talk about the stillness in which the Japanese went about their day.

While planning my trip I made sure to find a hotel that was close to a train station, so I was able to do all the things I wanted to and navigate from different parts. I was able to find a hotel with a 10-minute walk train station by and that was perfect. I would leave the hotel around 8am at the latest and while walking to the train station I could see everyone walking to that same destination. A tourist like me of course didn't know where I was going and had to use maps but eventually when getting close, I turned off the navigation and started following the others. This led me to noticed a lot in the mornings about them.

From the kids going to school, from the adults going to their jobs and the elderly also heading to work. It was always a mixture, but those people walked with their heads held high and a smile to their face if needed. On the train no one talked but I was watching the people and there was a sense of stillness in them. Most of the teenagers/adults probably in their 20s would be playing games on their phones or just going through social media while the elderly sat there in peace. It was just a different look in their eyes which is hard to explain if you weren't there physically. It was like the Japanese have uncovered something the rest of the world doesn't know or can't uncover. They work long hours and sacrifice a lot but no matter what the look is still there. The look of peace and not being bothered by things they shouldn't be stressing about.

Another thing is how friendly and nice they were. Japan is a huge tourist spot especially Tokyo and most business do what they can to attract tourists, but this was everywhere. I didn't just stay in Tokyo but also explored Osaka and Kyoto. From the uber drivers I had to the servers I had at restaurants it was just a friendliness and niceness to them that couldn't be taught. A friendliness that is more needed around the world, especially the United States. One of my friends told me about how we were taxed as foreigners if we ordered from the English menu and I told him about how I didn't care and wanted to be taxed. Tipping is rude in Japan and for me I wanted to be taxed and give them as much as I could for the service I was getting.

Something else that stood out to me was how they dressed and carried themselves. The fashion sense over there was amazing from the kids to the adults. There was not a lot of skin shown, and they made sure they carried themselves right in public. I would come across random woman and they would smile at me, and I would back. In most parts of the United States this isn't the case, and they were willing to help a foreigner like me when I was lost and didn't know where I was going. I could write a full page on my experiences, but I think I gave a good idea of it. The Japanese have mastered enlightenment, and the rest of the world needs it too. Here are some pictures from my trip and I definitely plan to go back more than once.