universal values

For over a decade, I had thought American culture was something special, uniquely innovational in the large world. But the trip to Germany sort of opened my eyes to realize that there are some universal values beyond cultures in the world and that America is not special, either. Wherever you go, people value families, friends and traditions. These universal values will never be different in America, too. For example, if you go into the middle of America, you will definitely find very conservative Christian people, who appear far more conservative than Japanese people (animism, Shintoism people who basically never mind about your religion). It is a very closed society there. It is so hard to breathe there that people who cannot fit in the small community have no choice but to go out of the town. I had thought that Japanese culture was way too conservative and American more radical. And, ummm...maybe I was wrong.

As you know, it is not easy to stand out in Japanese conformism society, that is why I have been so eager to live in the States (Specifically, it should be Oregon or the Bay Area, California) for such a long time...But now I see eccentric people only find their places for their expressions of their free spirit in certain big cities like Amsterdam, Berlin, L.A., San Francisco, NYC or Tokyo, for instance. The people I saw in Germany and rural part of Netherlands seemed very quiet, conservative, traditional people, just like Japanese people are. At least, they wore very traditional fashion. I never saw any crazy people having crazy attitudes like yelling at someone or....... I only saw two punkish women in and near the stations! Honestly, I had expected something spectacular, vivid, crazy sort of things would be happening during the trip. And there was nothing like that as long as where I visited this time. Maybe I should visit Berlin or Amsterdam next time.
(It’s funny my favorite parts of USA are the great nature in Arizona, Utah and Oregon, but in travel I’m expecting something crazy as in San Francisco? L.A.? or at least in Harajuku and Shinjuku, Tokyo!)

For a year, I have had several opportunities to talk with a friend of mine who spent her four-year college life in Canada. She believes that there are urban people and rural people in the world and that is it and that there are no difference in people among any cultures.
Now I come to think of the peoples in the world like this: In the world, there must be many different people with diversity in their personalities wherever you go, apart from which country they live in. Geography (city, town, village, or desert, mountain, seaside, you name it) must be more an important environmental factor rather than nationality. Probably national stereotypes are mere models or representation of what people SHOULD behave like in the societies and not who they really ARE. There must be the same number of shy people in America as in Japan. Now I am coming to believe that the same variety of characters and personalities exist in every culture...

For a long time, I have been so eager to live in a city like San Francisco where being gay is ok and allowed, a politically very active city, open for diversity. Hey, that's why I like Shinjuku here in Tokyo, Japan--they have Kabuki-cho with these hip underground scenes and those very clean, new buildings and streets besides them with its highly sophisticated, elegant fashion style!