As different and strange as my surroundings were, I felt more at home here in this beautiful Island Nation then in my own home country.

Maybe I was just oblivious. For all I know, there may have been many unpleasant aspects of Japanese society that were invisible to me as an outsider.

I wasn't expected to know the subtleties of social interaction in Japan, and as long as I tried my best to be respectful, speak basic Japanese and smile, I got along famously.

Oddly, not being able to read Japanese was a wonderful bonus. At home, when I see a english sign, I can't help but instantly read it. The message is transmitted to my brain and there's just no way to stop the barrage of messages from flooding my life with distracting thoughts and ideas.

But now signs were just art.