Post Japan and Taiwan Thoughts

Traveling alone to a country I’ve never been before in a place whose language I don’t speak was certainly kind of scary. I live for that though. I have learned so much on this trip even though it was so short – I would agree with all the people who say that traveling is a more valuable learning experience than other forms of learning. Being in a new city and figuring out the public transit system always makes you feel like you are starting to get a pulse on the city. Being in a place where everything is new [to me] yet older [historically] than anything in the US was a trip. Being treated so kindly by strangers who don’t see me as any less of a person for not speaking their language spoke volumes about the Japanese culture and it was sad to see the complete opposite as soon as I stepped back into the customs gate at LAX.

Traveling alone and figuring everything out on my own, to me, is much more fulfilling than going on a trip where everything is figured out for you. I feel like I learn a lot more that way as I am much more exposed to the rhythms of a place I visit. Without having a guide, I had to do a fair amount of research beforehand to make the most of my time in Japan but I also left a lot of room for myself to wander and improvise and get lost. When I was looking for the Meiji Shrine, I got lost in the massive Yoyogi park looking for it but that was definitely not a bad thing as it was a beautiful park and I wandered through an “Outdoor Day” festival. I also got lost in the Shinjuku train station- that thing was a massive beast of a station but it was cool to people watch in there.

On the other hand, on the second half of my trip I was traveling with my parents in Taiwan. This was also a learning experience. I learned so much more about where I come from with them – saw where they used to live and learned stories from relatives I hadn’t seen since I was a baby.

I’ve come back from this trip wishing I had more time in both places. I’ll for sure be returning to those places but I am also itching to collect more experiences in new places.