{"id":1021,"date":"2018-07-25T15:08:48","date_gmt":"2018-07-25T22:08:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pages.palomar.edu\/mcastillo\/?page_id=1021"},"modified":"2025-08-14T01:08:35","modified_gmt":"2025-08-14T08:08:35","slug":"japan-my-reflections","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/pages.palomar.edu\/mcastillo\/japan-my-reflections\/","title":{"rendered":"I – Japan – my reflections"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Japan \u2013 my reflections<\/strong><\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

(Lesson – present perfect – I level)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For AI assistance – click on Artificial Intelligence (AI)<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

My relatives on my mother\u2019s side and my two brothers don\u2019t travel nor do they have the opportunity to travel as much as I do. Last Christmas my two brothers and cousins and I had the opportunity to get together for a family gathering. They used that time to ask me about all my many travels overseas.  They had so many questions.  So I will start from the beginning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo Marcel, what has been<\/span> the most interesting place you have traveled<\/span>?\u201d asked my cousin Henry.  \u201cWell, there have been<\/span> so many places,\u201d I answered.  \u201cBut the country that has impressed<\/span> me the most is Japan.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOh really?\u201d replied Henry.  \u201cCan you tell us why?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWell, there are so many reasons why,\u201d I remarked. \u201cLet me explain.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Japan is a country that uses all its resources and technology to solve its problems.  Because Japan is such a small country they have relied<\/span> on themselves using their technology, ingenuity, common sense, and available resources of the country to solve their countries problems.  Since the end of World War II, Japan has learned<\/span> that the only way to rebuild their country and progress forward is to produce quality goods that are unique, useful, economical, and long lasting for the consumer.  But that can only come through hard work.  For many years Japan has produced<\/span> many products starting in the 1980s that have benefited<\/span> consumers and have strengthened<\/span> the economy of Japan. Since Japan must import many of its raw materials from steel, rubber, to gas and oil, the country and its people who are hard-working have produced<\/span> excellent quality cars like Honda, Toyota, Nissan, Mazda, Mitsubishi, and Subaru. Cars designed in Japan have won<\/span> the European Car of the Year, InternationalCar of the Year, and World Car of the Year awards many times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Their pursuit to perfection, the production of high quality products, fine details, and using innovative technology is not only in cars but also in cameras, watches, and cuisine chef knives.  Cameras made in Japan like the Nikon, Canon, and Fujifilm are the top brand and the most popular, and they have been<\/span> used and preferred by professional and amateur photographers because of their ability to take pictures in extreme situations from hot to cold and dry to capture fantastic and vibrant photos in manual mode or automatic.  Watches like Seiko, Citizen and Casio have gained<\/span> world class status and have been<\/span> highly competitive to top brand Swiss watches like Omega, Tag Heuer, Rolex, and Patek Philippe. Finally, great chefs like Masaharu Marimoto, Bobby Flay, Michel Symon, Mario Batali, and Gordon Ramsay have used<\/span> and preferred<\/span> Japanese brand knives like Masahiro, tojiro and Nsamoto that are very sharp, have great geometry and balance, and are made with great steel and strength.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, in essence, although the Japanese must import many raw materials to compete with the world economy, they have created<\/span> products that are well-known, highly dependable, built with the latest technology, and highly valued by their owners.  These things have made<\/span> Japan highly competitive in the global economy and have sustained<\/span> the high economy of the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo Marcel, are you saying that Japan has impressed<\/span> you because of the products the country has created, marketed <\/span>and produced<\/span>?\u201d asked my cousin, Henry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWell that is just a part of what makes the country impressive,\u201d I replied, \u201cI haven\u2019t<\/span> yet<\/span> talked<\/span> about the people, the culture, and the infrastructure of the country.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo now you\u2019re saying that the most impressive part of Japan is the people, the culture and the infrastructure,\u201d remarked Henry. \u201cWell, go on explain this.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Japanese people have<\/span> always been<\/span> respectable people from the ancient times to now.  Their culture contributes to the way people behave and act.  In the Japanese culture, the way you respect people comes through your action and behavior. Young Japanese kids have been<\/span> taught respect and mannerism in school starting at the age of six and continues till the end of high school.  In school young kids have been<\/span> taught to respect everyone especially their elders be it their teacher, parents, relatives and any stranger.  They have been<\/span> told by their parents and their teachers to bow to all people when greeting them, welcoming them, thanking them, or just showing them respect and making the other person feel comfortable and welcomed to a house, school, business or any establishment.  Bowing is the Japanese way of showing respect and mannerism. In Japan selfish behavior is very much frowned on.  That\u2019s why respect, responsibility, and mannerism are taught to children at a very young age in Japan so that their behavior become automatic through their actions of respect, mannerism, duty, and responsibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo Marcel, what you\u2019re saying is that Japanese bow to everyone because they learned this behavior as children?\u201d  asked Evelyn, my other cousin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes,\u201d I replied, \u201cSo that when they become adults their behavior becomes automatic when it comes to showing respect and bowing to people.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAre there other ways Japanese people show respect and politeness besides bowing?\u201d asked Evelyn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOh yes,\u201d I answered. \u201cIf you go to the store or any business establishment, the Japanese demonstrate this respect and politeness through their actions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When we went to a store in Kyoto to buy souvenirs and several Japanese umbrellas, the cashier bowed when we approached the store.  She counted all the items we bought and told us exactly what the cost was. Then she counted the items again and the cost to make sure.  My wife gave her the money and she counted the change several times to make sure her change was correct and that she did not make any mistake.  Then she handed her a bag taped together.  But what was quite interesting was how she handed my wife the bag. You see, the store clerk grabbed the ends so that my wife can grab the handle in the middle of the bag and them bow to her as she was leaving. This is what the Japanese people do whether you are in the store or in their house.  They always think of the other person to make their life easier for them.  This is one of many examples of how the Japanese people show respect, politeness, and mannerism because they learned it at an early age.  Now we have traveled<\/span> to many places in the world, and to us Japan is the only country that goes to the extreme in terms of politeness, respect and mannerism.  That is why we felt so comfortable, so welcomed, and so honored to be in Japan. The Japanese people always put visitors or strangers first before themselves.  This to me shows how unselfish the Japanese people are.  This behavior along with their respect, politeness, and mannerism makes me want to come back to Japan again and again because as a visitor the Japanese people always think of you first, and they want you to feel welcomed, be comfortable and be honored in their country.  Also, I have read in many travel magazines and blogs that Japan is the safest, cleanest, and most polite country in the world.  For this reason I have<\/span> always enjoyed<\/span> visiting Japan for all these reasons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou know cousin,\u201d said Evelyn, \u201cI think we are going to Japan on our next vacation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Present Perfect<\/h2>\n\n\n
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