Will Miss #379 - living in a small country

One of my students recently went on a package tour to the U.S. As part of the deal, she visited Las Vegas and took a bus to the Grand Canyon. I told her that I was surprised at this pairing because those two places aren't exactly easy to hit during one short vacation. She responded essentially with 'they're pretty close to each other.' That was before she went on her trip. After she came back, she expressed shock that she needed a 6-hour bus ride from one place to the other. Because Japan is relatively small, it is difficult at times for Japanese people to conceptualize how huge America is. Since I'm from the U.S., I'm aware of the time it takes to get from place to place and I know when I go back that "travel" will mean quite a different experience back home. "Seeing America" is a lot harder than seeing Japan. Aside from the most urban of areas, you often have to cross a whole lot of nowhere  before you can get somewhere.

While it is hardly trivial to cover the whole country, visiting areas of interest is generally a lot faster and easier in Japan because of its relatively compact size and I'll miss that.

Will Miss #286 - well-traveled people

One of the things you often hear in the never ending comparisons between the U.S. and Japan is that Americans go abroad too little compared to people in Japan. This is true, but it's important to understand that the U.S. is a huge country with a diverse cultural base and Japan is a small island with a fairly homogeneous culture. Japanese people can't experience much cultural diversity at home, so, they travel. This is obviously a good thing as people who travel gain first-hand experience with other cultures. Of course, often that experience is gained on package tours where they are carefully looked after and directed, but it still gives them a sense of the food, the people, and the atmosphere of life abroad in a valuable way. When discussing foreign cultures with those who have traveled, I find they often have interesting and unique insights based on their perspective as Japanese people. These are thoughts I would not have had because I have a different cultural background than they do.

I will miss talking to people about their experiences abroad, and the information they have to share about their (often copious) travels.