My childhood dream was to visit Japan. I became interested thanks to YouTube videos and J-pop. When I received my scholarship from working and studying hard, I was thrilled that Japan was announced as an official destination during my program! Even more, I was surprised to learn we would be with a host family. This meant I could experience cultural immersion and learn about Japan and its culture first-hand. As part of this, I navigated the transit system and, with my host family's help on my first day, I began experiencing life as a local for four weeks, including transferring and riding the subways.
Tokyo, Japan, is home to more than 37 million people, a population that requires a vast and efficient transit network. According to my host family, daily life is fundamentally structured around this system, with property values often tied to a station's proximity. While cars and bikes are present, the trains are remarkably dependable; even during my hour-long commute involving two transfers, I only experienced one delay in my 4 weeks using it.
