Walking

One of the first things that I noticed after moving to Japan is that everyone walks. Everywhere. People in New Jersey have made "not walking" into an art form, we will drive around and around a parking lot just to get a spot that is five feet closer to the store.

Just to give you an idea - we had a pizza place at the end of the block where I lived, yet I would drive there if I ordered a pizza. A grown adult walking down the street carrying a pizza? Not going to happen; yet in Japan that is totally normal.

People in Japan walk to the grocery store or the convenience store all the time; in New Jersey, you'd feel like a loser walking anywhere because you would be the only person on the sidewalk...if there even was one.

Now don't get me wrong, almost everyone has a car in Japan, they just mostly drive them on the weekends because they prefer to take the bus or train to work during the week. Public transportation is so awesome in Japan that I can understand why. The buses and trains always leave on schedule; you could set your watch by it. And if by some chance the train is late, you will get a notice to bring to your boss as proof that it wasn't your fault! Now imagine asking a cop at the scene of an accident for a note because you got stuck in traffic, hope this ticket will be proof enough.

So yeah, walking - it's not just for exercise anymore.
(at least for me)