Things I Like About Japan (2015, April?)

This is a list of things I like about Japan to look back on when I'm going through culture shock.

1. Bamboo: Not a plant we have in Ohio. (Apparently, you can eat bamboo. I had some in a cooked vegetable side dish for lunch today.)
2. Blueberry Bushes: we have some outside of the kindergarten
3. Cherry Blossoms: They're gorgeous. I can't wait until they start blooming in Tamura.
4. Gardens: There are lots of little gardens around, even in the middle of the city. From what I've seen so far, their style is a little different from the typical American garden.
5. Manhole Covers: Instead of the plain covers we use in the U.S., in Tamura they have fancy metalwork on them, flowers mostly.
6. Mountains: There are plenty of them, including one in Tamura which I'm told takes about an hour to climb starting at the apartment complex. In Koriyama, there is a building with an observation floor which has a great view of the surrounding mountains.
7. Shoe Lockers: I have my own locker with my name on it in which to keep my shoes at school (one has to use inside shoes at school) 
8. Toilets: This is a weird one, I know, but the seats are heated and have lots of different buttons. Japan is way ahead of the U.S.A. when it comes to this.