It was our first time stepping feet in Japan. The temperature at the time was cooler than in Indonesia but not too cold for us. Our first impression of Japan was clean and organized. Japaneses manage trash seriously. There could be more than five types of trash bin in one spot. No wonder if we rarely saw trash lying around public areas. People seem to follow the norm religiously.

On the first evening, we went to the nearest supermarket with Mr. Muiz, a postdoc at Mie University. We were so excited, even though we were already tired after a long flight. After walking 1 km, we could finally see Donki, the supermarket we wanted to go in to, across the road. The road at the time was very quiet. But instead of crossing the road, Mr. Muiz pointed that the zebra cross is 500 meters away. We’re glad that we learned that early. That was so much different than what we used to in Indonesia: follow the fastest route. read more