Back from Japan!!!!!!

I have been so busy, I haven't been able to post anything about my trip until now.... It is 5 weeks after I left the US for Japan, and now I am finally back in the states again! Yay! I had so much fun in Japan, but it really is great to be home once more. Japan is soooo different from here. I'll list some things I noticed:

USA: Most all workers look bored, hardly any look happy, and a good number look very grumpy.
Japan:Every time you enter a store they say "Irasshaimasen!" which is like "Welcome" and when they take your money or card when you pay they take it carefully with both hands and give you your change in the same careful manner. They either look happy to be working or very bored.
USA: We have a little bit of rain in the winter and it is very hot and dry in the summer. We use umbrellas a little in the rain but many just wear a big rain jacket. In the summer we wear a hat or sunscreen to protect from the sun.
Japan: Japanese rainy season is during the summer. It's hot one day and rainy the next. It's both hot and rainy at once a lot of the time and its very humid in the early summer. Japanese people always use umbrellas in the rain, and to protect from the sun they often carry parasols.
USA: It is common for girls to wear sleeveless shirts or flip flops in the summer.
Japan: I hardly saw anyone with a sleeveless shirt or flip flops in Japan. If their shirt was sleeveless, they always had a mini jacket over it or something.
USA: You see vending machines inside buildings or schools and they pretty much only have drink or small snack vending machines.
Japan: Vending machines are EVERYWHERE. They have vending machines for normal drinks, for iced coffee, for cigarettes, even for french fries and squid balls sometimes. They line the streets.
USA: There are a few convenience stores and they have very little real food. 7-11, ampm.
Japan: There are tons of convenience stores and they have plates of pretty decent food. Family mart, Lawson, 7-11, and ampm.
USA: Some people use buses, few use trains, most people drive. Some take bikes. Buses cost 90 cents no matter how many stops you go. Streets are wide for big cars.
Japan: Most everyone takes busses, trains, subways, bikes and walks to get where they need to go. Sidewalks are crowded because of this. There are bikes parked all over, with many abandoned ones. There was a 2 level bike parking structure at the university. Because of gas prices, motorcycles are popular. Streets are very small and Japanese people only take cars occasionally.
USA: Smoking is tolerated, but smoking inside restaurants and bars is not. Many non-smokers avoid secondhand smoke when possible.
Japan: Almost everyone smokes. There are smoking sections in most restaurants and ashtrays everywhere. They have special rooms for smokers in many buildings but most people in Japan are used to secondhand smoke and don't mind enough to say anything.
USA: TV has a large variety of programs. The news shows the news for the day and thats mostly it.
Japan: There is a lot of comedy on TV. A lot of the news and TV shows are filled with people eating things and exclaiming over how delicious they are.
USA: Foods from all countries.
Japan: I saw, Korean, and American food. There were a LOT of places serving soft serve ice cream cones. Every tourist trap had them They love ice cream in Japan.

Thats all for now! More later! Go look at these pictures I took.... There are lots!: http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v47/xmysticalmelodyx/Japan/