it's not life that matters but the journey...

one of the biggest culture shocks for me when I first came to Japan was the toilets. lots of public restrooms don't even have western style toilets, instead it's more like a whole in the ground. those are hard to deal with. thankfully, you usually only find the "squat" style toilets in train stations and old restaurants and buildings.

ever since I lived in Japan, I can't wear shoes in any home, even in the U.S. it's just not natural for me. and it does keep carpets so much cleaner if people don't wear shoes, especially in winter:)