* Cocktails and beer are the SAME price. No discrimination against girly beverages.
* Punctual trains and buses. Never be late again!
* Tacky shoes. I love tacky shoes and I can get away with it here!
* Chicken kara-age. Kind of like a chicken nugget, but made of UNprocessed meat.
* Safety. I carried $1500 in cash around with me yesterday so that I could pay my travel agent after work. Never once did I feel unsafe.
* Snow. Awesome snow and wicked powder during the winter. As a Southern Californian, I couldn't ask for better boarding conditions.
* Okinawa. Like Hawaii, but much less crowded, and cheaper to get to.
* Fesitvals. Fireworks, food, music, yukatas, and basically the only time where you just MIGHT see Japanese people acting uncharacteristically rambunctious!
* Location location location. Ideally situated so that the entire Asian continent is practically at my doorstep. Added bonus: Nagoya International Airport is less than an hour away.
* Keitai (aka cell phone). Automatically raises your "social leper" status.
* Fresh produce. Despite costing an arm and a leg (two days ago, I bought three peaches for about $7), fruits and veggies here taste good and are hardly ever bruised or moldy or squishy.
* Japanese "western-style" bakeries.
* Convenient stores. They are truly convenient. You can pay your bills at them, buy food/snacks/groceries, buy event tickets, purchase DVDs...
* Ladies' night at the movies. Half price for women every Wednesday. Sometimes gender inequality works in the women's favor.
* Shopping. Stuff is usually expensive, but the sales make everything worthwhile.
* My local video store. Kept me sane all these months.
* Beautiful rivers and beaches. Often deserted and usually clean and highly swimmable.
* Onsens. Where it is perfectly acceptable to get naked with strangers and sit in nice hot water together. A nice way to escape (albeit only temporarily) the winter freeze.
* The "good" student. One out of every 600 students will actually be interested in you and your country. They actually pay attention in class. They will actually participate in discussions. They will NOT hate learning English. It makes me feel like the 50 minutes I just spent talking at a bunch of sleeping students was worth it.
* The "JET collectors" (aka Japanese people who love to hang out with Westerners). They're the Japanese people who take you on fun road trips, who bring you to cool bars/restaurants/clubs, help you move furniture, dress you up in antique kimonos, and generally make your stay in Japan highly worthwhile and easier to deal with.
* Other JETs and foreigners. I've met some really amazing people. Good thing they're all staying here with me for the long haul!
Moshi moshi? Me and Jenny G.
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