Looking back

I already miss the cheery greetings when we walked into stores. The slight head nod or even a little bow. If we needed help, they were there to give it. Overall, my trip to Japan bordered on the edge of a love/hate relationship. Yet hate seems too strong of a word. Maybe it's more of a love/dislike relationship. I will never regret going. I have not yet set foot in a country or place that has not stolen my heart in some way. I feel I should explain my dislikes. Don't misunderstand me, there was nothing I couldn't overlook in the long run. There was a certain feel to the country-something that didn't allow me to get comfortable, at least not in my own skin. A week was entirely too short to feel as if I could belong to a place so exclusive, a place that doesn't let foreigners begin their lives there very easily. People would stare at times, but not obviously. Some would avoid at all costs. I don't know if they were afraid or really didn't care. The aspects I fell in love with outweigh everything else by far. The little things i didn't know I'd miss haunt me now. The old men and women greeting you as you enter their establishment. The smiles, the most genuine smiles I've seen in a long time. Well meaning gestures, even though the language barrier was always an issue. The care that went into everything from food to flower arranging, to the uniforms of the most common workers. Customer service in Japan will leave you to want it so badly for America. People clearly have a dislike for their jobs for the most part here. In Japan a girl can smile and it's as if she's working for a fortune 500 company. I loved it there and I miss it a lot. You would think I'd lived there all my life.