Why do some Westerners go to Japan? What attracts them? Why do they
stay? What are they searching for? After an American expat in Osaka
gave a campus speech last fall titled “Why Japan?”, he webposted it on his Japan blog and here it is.

“Which brings us back to the big question: Why Japan? It’s not pop
culture or language or any of things I thought it would be. The truth
is coming to Japan has given me the opportunities I needed to learn
about myself. In New York, I spent so much time being me that I never
stopped to wonder who I really was. The time I spend here in Japan is
a crucial examination of that. That’s what’s important; not the “why?”
but the “who”.I hope everyone here has a chance to reflect on their
lives like I have here in Japan. Thank you.”

Posted by Danny Bloom