Japan vs. America

So I've gotten the question many a time before. Which do you like better, Japan or America?

Haha, like many of you would imagine, there are many things to consider before answering this question seriously. I mean, I've grown up and become accustomed to America, but at the same time I am very familiar with Japan because of the obvious family ties and my annual visits to the country ever since I can remember. When answering this question in front of a classroom of students at my school, I say Japan because then they all get happy and cheer! They all say "Kuki ga yometta!" which literally translates to "He read the air!" In Japanese, this is a figure of speech to say that one is able to feel the surroundings and the aura, and base judgment and actions off of that. So depending on the situation, one should adjust their actions or behavior in order to react appropriately or to make a sound decision.

But also deep down inside, I really like America. If you were to ask me where I would be 10 years from now, I could not give you a straight answer and tell you that I will be living in a house in America with a family or the same situation but in Japan, instead. There are many pros and cons to consider of each country.

America
Pros:

• Lots of space and more privacy. Many houses are more spaced apart and you have more privacy to do your own thing
• Easier to get to far places in your car.
• Central AC and Heat
• Large selection at the grocery and you can buy lots of things or lots of the same thing! For cheap!
• Easy to sign up for services (Credit cards, internet and cable, etc.)
• American Football. Gotta love them Green Bay Packers!

Cons:

• Service is not as good. Many people will only give good service because it is commission based.
• People may not always be as honest. They may just want to make the sale and tell you something otherwise about a product or service in order to sucker you in.
• Food is very unhealthy and it always ends up being the same thing. Sandwiches, greasy food, or fries/pizza. (although tasty, not what I want to fill up on all the time)

Japan
Pros:

• People are very trustworthy and it's a safe country. People will go to great leaps and bounds to return even the smallest thing to you if you forget it or lose it by accident!
• Good public transportation system. Very efficient and easy for people to live without a car in the bigger cities.
• The food here is great!!! I love all the fresh variety and it's all healthy.
• Matcha Ice Cream!!!! Need I say more?

Cons:

• It's more difficult to make a road trip to further places. The roads are not as well structured and it may take a lot longer to go the same distance in the U.S. than in Japan.
• The overwork culture. Many people work too much overtime, in my opinion, and it's just not cool...

So as you can see, there are good and bad to Japan and America. Just like with everything else, there's always going to be a tradeoff. This list is not all iinclusive and there are probably things that I will add to it as I think of them.

What I'm just trying to do now is enjoy my time in a new and different place than I'm used to. So far, I'm loving it over here and am trying to take advantage of my time here by going to many places and experiencing different things. Although I have not made a sound decision on which country I'd rather live in, I know that I will be back and forth to America and Japan!