How you initially felt about the country and the people during (or before) your first visit, vs. now 2+ years later of living here full time… how have your feelings changed?
For me, coming from a "what's you see is what you get" culture that is starkly opposite to Japaneses', the realization that the "politeness" is a "cultural obligation" draconianly imposed on people and my initial interpretation of it being from an individualistic point of reference, was a real eye opener. Dealing with people in situations were that "mask" isn't required (e.g. landlords, police…) made me realize that "genuine" Japan might actually be quite opposite to what I initially assumed it to be.
How about you?
by IntellectuallyDriven