One of my first encounters with something Japanese was watching the Pokemon anime when I was young. I associated themes from the show with what the country of Japan had to be like and may have believed for just a second that fantastic monsters existed in Japan. Of course there are no monsters here, and my ideas about this country have had to change. Japan is smaller than California, a fact which surprising enough many people must want as Google predicted that after I simply typed "Japan size", but unlike just being able to think about California in terms of north and south Japan requires to be broken down even more. As I have traveled I have noticed that each area has required a different mindset then the previous one and evolves the way I view the country as a whole. The language, landscape, food, and for lack of a better word spirit of the people change from region to region, forcing a change in perspective for those witnessing this country. Something is always open, this country never seems to stop moving, changing itself and the people that happen to be on it at the time. I am glad to have been changed by this country, while still being able to see and feel a connection to things from my childhood.
