Experience note

I have been in Sendai since April 2004 and my internship is finishing in few weeks. It is very difficult to summarize my stay here; in three months it is possible to have so many experiences, especially for a foreigner coming from Europe. In Italy we have a lot of "urban legends" on Japan, for example we believe that everybody likes manga and karate and there is a stereotype for this Country. While staying here, those preconcepts have been destroyed and I have had the possibility to live the real life. I'm lucky because I've come to Sendai when spring was starting and as soon as possible I enjoyed the "hanami party" in Tsutsujigaoka Park. In Italy we have a similar tradition, but here I liked more since the party is under the Cherry Blossom, that create a unique atmosphere. At first I was surprised that people went very early in the morning to have the best place to stay under the most beautiful tree: I understood while enjoying the party! During these three months I have been around the city and I have felt as I was born here: Sendai is beautiful city and lets you feel "at home" even if you come from another Continent. I went also twice in Tokyo for business trip and I could visit the capital city in June and July. My first impressions were: "it's hot", and "it's busy"! It is very big city and people are very stressed, in Shinjuku Station everybody runs and it is not possible to stop if you don't want be carried from the crowd. My best experience in Japan is the human relation I could create with my colleagues, we have exchanged and merged our cultures; I found real friends.

Many times I have received the question "How about Japan?" My answer is always the same "Japan is a continuous surprise, perhaps I will never understand its culture even after so many centuries!"

Luca Bartolomeo