My first touch with Japanese culture

It is my first time in Japan. I have always dreamed of visiting this country. I have been in touch with many different sides of Japanese culture before:

Karate

As I was a kid, I went to Karate training for more than 12 years. My level in karate was the 2nd Kyu (second brown belt). That was the first time I learned basic japanese words, such as counting and the names of the movements (geri / tsuki etc.) My father told me that if I pass the exam for the black belt, he will organize a trip to Japan. Unfortunately, back then, I wasn’t impressed by the sport that much and I didn’t like practicing it. I felt forced to do it and therefore I didn’t continue to get the black belt. 

Family

My aunt is living in Japan with my two cousins. I remember when they moved to Japan, I was still very young. I always thought it is so difficult to move to a country where you don’t know the language and writing. However, my cousin was still a teenager and she could learn the language very fast. 

Neighbor

Our neighbor family from my parent’s house is half Japanese, half german. I remember when they moved in, how strongly our neighbor practices Japanese culture. He was meditating a lot, I saw him doing Takiken. They had two Japanese cats that they imported from Japan. One day, one of the two cats was run over. It was very tragic. But what impressed me more, was the ritual after an animal passes away. Masaki (our neighbor) did some prayers on the spot where the cat died for a very long time (I remember he was kneeling on the floor for nearly one whole day). 

Once a year, they hang 3 large Koinobori on the window. He explained to me that the black carp (Magoi) at the top represents the father, the red carp (Higoi) represents the mother, and the last carp represents the child. 

Cuisine

I also remember getting in touch with Japanese cuisine, especially when I got to know my friend Yukie who migrated to Switzerland a few years ago. She invited me a couple of times for dinner and I got to try many dishes made by her. I must say, many of them I wasn’t sure if I liked them at first, but now, I love nearly every dish. There are a few ramen restaurants in Zurich, Switzerland. Luckily with Yukie, I was able to try the best ones and let me know if you ever visit Zurich and want to try some good Ramen. 

Language

As the pandemic started, we came up with the idea to do a language tandem. I teached German and Yukie teached me Japanese. She couldn’t speak any German or Swiss German, so we communicated in English. I am impressed by how eager she was to learn german. It makes me happy how much she respects the country she’s living in by learning the language we speak. Her dedication to her presentations was so big, I felt the pressure to prepare my lessons very well too. I have learned so much about Japan through the presentations of my friend. She gave me the basics I need to know before traveling to Japan. I even printed and brought all of the presentations with me. Luckily, Yukie also teached me a bit of Japanese, so that I can get around a bit more easily when in Japan. Unfortunately, it is not as easy as expected and when it comes to reading, I only use Google translate.