Falling in Love with Japan: Respect, Culture and Food

Carles Carrera
4 min readJul 18, 2024

I still can’t comprehend why I never visited Japan before.

The Impeccable Respect and Education in Japan

From the moment I stepped off the plane in Japan, I was blown away by the level of respect and politeness that seemed to be a way of life. Everyone says “Arigatou gozaimasu” (Thank you very much), not just a simple “thank you.”

It’s not just words; it’s in their actions too. Their attention to detail, which they show by the way they hand over your purchase tickets with both hands, the orderly queues in the metro, or how they always give priority to the elderly — it’s a kind of respect that’s deeply ingrained in their culture. These small gestures left a big impression on me.

Photo by Carles Carrera

And made me feel very comfortable and act also with the maximum respect and education.

Temple Tranquility: My Favorite Sanctuaries

Japan’s temples are more than just places of worship; they’re peaceful retreats where you can really feel the country’s spiritual and medieval, Edo era, side. Three temples stood out to me:

1. Tsurugaoka Hachimangu in Kamakura: This place was incredibly serene. Walking through its spacious grounds, I felt a calmness that’s hard to describe…

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Carles Carrera

www.carlescarrera.com | Writing mostly about what I learn from books about investing, business, marketing and life in general.