By riakkim
I've been fortunate enough to have spent the last three and a half days in Tokyo, where I flew into before I head to Seoul tomorrow morning. Given that I had such a large winter break (Korea's semester begins March 1), learning to adapt while traveling and maintaining an open mind has been crucial for my learning experience.
Tokyo is a huge city. I've found that it can be easy to lose yourself in the business and bustle, or feel just as overwhelmed by the sheer amount of things to do. Although I may be a tourist now, if I'm not learning from my travels, I think they're honestly pointless, because I believe the purpose of travel is to learn more about the human experience, both yours and of the people of that place.
Subtle things, like different cultural mannerisms, ways of speaking, and habits are important to notice and learn from- for example, something I constantly forgot was that the Japanese drive on the left side of the road (the opposite of the US), and those habits translate to walking on streets, waiting on escalators, and moving to the side for incoming people. The Japanese also have mannerisms that are generally quite respectful- always greeting a customer while entering and exiting, the whole staff in an area thanking a customer when they leave or enter a restaurant, handing things with two hands, and bowing heads during an exchange- they're all quite familiar to me, who grew up a Korean-American with many similar habits, but could be strange and perhaps annoying to someone who doesn't understand a social hierarchy held up by motions of respect.
Even in my awareness, there are still things to improve on- some being a better understanding of language basics, certainly I could have improved on learning basic Japanese phrases before arriving, or even traditions when going to shrines- how to pay respect, and to properly follow traditions if partaking (in such things as prayer, incense burning, etc.). But I've found so long as I stay observant, I'm constantly learning and finding ways to better understand the place I've visited.
Some quick travel tips I learned: 1) make a list of things you want to visit by area, and have them roughly prioritized- it saves a lot of time in the rush to finish other things and see different sights, and 2) don't be afraid to be spontaneous. I think structure is very important with large groups and have their place, but as a young person exploring, spontaneity can be super rewarding and take you places never imagined, and if it doesn't work out, there's still a backup plan.
If spontaneity is scary, even try just going to a random cafe on the street or wandering a bit around the streets- you never know what you'll find, and I think it's important to even build in a little time for wandering, if you're the type of person that loves structure and planning. Because in the end, traveling is about enjoying yourself and learning, and not playing a scavenger hunt with the city. Feeling the charm in a city beyond the postcards is perhaps one of the best ways to connect with the culture and learn, and being stuck around other tourists all day isn't the most fun thing either.
I'll be back next week with more about actually studying abroad next week, but in the meantime, I hope you manage to even plan a mini-adventure around where you currently are- nothing wrong with being a tourist in your own city.
xoxo,
