Japan through the eyes of visitors

I've been living in Japan almost 9 years now. Fair to say, I've gotten used to a lot of things here - the good, the bad, and the ugly. This year though, we've seen a lot of "revenge" traveling, and I've gotten my share of visitors - a few returning, the first-timers, and even a friend who was moving here.

I lived in 3 different prefectures and did my share of domestic travel throughout my time here. I still have several places I'd love to visit (eyes on you Oita, Aomori, Kochi...), but having visitors around, it gave me fresh eyes again. I recognize the sparkle in their eyes when seeing fascinating things, their overwhelm in busy train stations, and the amazement in their faces when they first witnessed me speaking Japanese here.

When a group of friends visited wanting to experience nature in Japan, I finally got the chance to do a temple stay in Wakayama. When my fiance wanted to see the moving Gundam in Yokohama, I finally got the chance to have a couple of romantic nights in the port city. And when a good friend who's been here several times, I was able to explore some of the quieter neighborhoods in Tokyo that I would never have gone if he hadn't had friends living there. When a colleague moved to Japan, I finally reached bustling Sendai, a city stamped by everything Masamune Date.

This is just a short reflection, a reminder of how fresh eyes can take away the jaded in us.