It’s a little strange, for me, to be writing about why I came to Japan, when I’m already here on my futon in Koshigaya-shi. Koshigaya-shi is about an hour north of Tokyo, and a half a world away from home. My leaving the states just a week ago has already fallen under the haze of memories not easily re-conjured.

Why did I come here, of all places, when I could have spent the spring in Rome or Paris, getting tan and meeting attractive Europeans? And by that I don’t mean that there aren’t a number of tan, attractive Japanese men currently accessible to me.

I’ve always wanted to come here, honestly. My elementary school was sister schools with a Japanese one; I knew the meaning of konnichiwa (hello) in the first grade. I’ve had this intense fascination with exotic places and cultures since I was a kid, which I never really grew out of, and Japan was the pièce de resistance. Samurai and castles, kimono, legends, Shinto shrines—all of these captured my heart and ran away with it. Oh, how I’ve wanted to come here. Japan, in my mind, was this great adventure to be had.

And it is! It’s the most advanced country in the world, and yet they’ll build a massive skyscraper around a tiny shrine with the greatest care. All the romance of the past ages of Japan is preserved in these tiny bubbles interspersed randomly throughout this place. Exploring the urban jungle, you will stumble across temples and shrines you didn’t even know were there. This is why I fell in love with this country. Not just for the glittery cities, but the ancient stones as well. There really is no equivalent feeling for pure unbroken history in America, as you might find here, and yet Japan continues to move forward. It still knows where it’s coming from, and you can still find adventure here. I know, because I already have.

But it isn’t just adventure anymore. It’s also a need that I have, you see, to find out how the rest of the world sees America, and sees me, as an American. I want to understand exactly what image we as Americans have put out, so I can figure out why so many people hate us and work toward fixing that. I’m not just an adventurer. I want to change the world. What better place to start from than the other side of it?

So, welcome to my adventure. I promise you won’t find the rest of the story quite so dramatic - I just thought I ought to catch your attention first.