What a Wonderful World: Closets

My first night staying in Japan I was welcomed with my first cultural shock. I was already well aware that you had to take off your shoes when entering homes, and that you sleep on mats on the floor. My shock came when I entered the room I would be sleeping in and saw...the closet. In Japan, the closets are traditionally two sided sliding doors that are usually white. The inside is very roomy, so it's easy to store a lot, a very convenient closet! So what's my problem? Well when I think about Japanese styled sliding closets, I don't see a closet, I see a death trap!

Since this was my first time visiting Japan, I had certain things associated with what I've seen them from. Unfortunately, I've watched way too many Japanese horror movies! I happen to be a fan of the Ju-on: The Grudge series and when I saw that sliding closet all I could think of was a dead body crawling out of it. It was hard to get this creepy imagery out of my head, and suddenly it felt like I was a kid again afraid of the unknown evils in my room. As embarrassing as it was, I even rearranged the furniture in the room so it could block off the closet...you know, just in case anything wanted to crawl out.

Needless to say, my first night sleeping in this room was very challenging. Even though I was very tired from traveling, I found it very hard to sleep knowing that this closet was next to me. It took me a couple of days to get use to it.

What a Wonderful World Intro

There once was a girl from Jersey who dreamed of nothing more than going to Japan...

That would be how my story would start off if this was a fairy tale. Since as young as I can remember, the Japanese culture has fascinated and amazed me. From the Power Rangers, to Sailor Moon, to Pokemon, the most enjoyable shows that I got into obsessively were Japanese.

As I got older, I added Japanese rock to my list of things about Japan I love. It didn't matter if I couldn't understand what they were saying, the music was enjoyable, new, and comforting. When you're a teenager you either try to desperately fit in with everyone else, or desperately try to be different. So since music has a huge impact on a teen's life, it was nice to listen to something that no one else was.

Later on I got into Japanese horror, because they had a unique gift for making a horror movie grotesque and beautiful at the same time. With so much that I loved about Japan, when I got to college I was excited that I could take Japanese as a language. It was such an exhilarating experience learning a new language I was really looking forward to learn. The more I learned the language, the more I learned the culture, and the more I fell in love.

When I finally got the chance to go, I was excited and scared at what I was getting myself into. Then when I was there, it was the greatest feeling of my life. Even though I was only there for ten days, I had the best 10 days ever experiencing Japan as they do. I love Japan because I love that it's a place filled with vibrant colors and cuteness. From the smallest things that go overlooked, they make it unique and new. They also think of ways to make every day happenings more convenient for everyone. This is why I love Japan, even in the littlest ways.