Travelling is fun and exhilarating. There is no doubt about it. Being in a new place that you have never stepped your foot on, exploring with your senses, seeing and hearing things that are unfamiliar to you, e.g. the architecture, the colours, the language, the food or the people, are surely interesting! You enjoy your holiday until the last second before going back home again. But you sometimes ”travel” back and forth when you relook your old pictures again.
It is true though that every trip will mostly always be special. You are not at home anyway. Well, my trip to Japan is special to me in a way that it has taught me these three important lessons:
1. Take good care of your belongings
I mean not just your stuff, but what you have on a bigger scale. As I was in Japan, I was amazed by how clean the country is. I didn’t see people litter, not even something as little as cigarette butts that usually lie around the ground. Almost everything was in order and there was no sign of vandalism in public places. It was surely a nice feeling to be in a place that is well taken care of by its residents.
2. Respect time
This one came from an unexpected experience at a fast-food restaurant, where I bought an apple pie. I had to wait for a couple of minutes until my pie was ready, when I was suddenly being called by the worker on the counter. He was really polite, apologized and asked me whether it would be okay for me to wait for another three minutes max. because the pie apparently took a bit longer than expected. I was shocked and touched. My time was apparently that precious, even though it was only for three minutes tops.
3. Behave in public places
I always took public transportation because it’s a cheaper option, well-connected to the cities and fast! And never have I ever heard loud talking, music or calls. Everybody was silent and busy on their own. While I waited for the vehicles to come, I saw how people were calm and lined up organizely. Nobody pushed or got pushed. No one cut the line for not wanting to wait longer. Respect is no brainer here and something that I find quite lacking these days in other parts of the world.
Those things are some of the simplest things on how things should be. However, it is a shame that these can be such a luxury if we behave the way we do, e.g. taking less time to think about how our actions can impact others or how they feel. Therefore, I decided to take these three things back home with me. After all, treat others the way you want to be treated, right?
@globustrotterin 
Leave a comment