In 2012, I visited Japan for the very first time. What I thought would be a typical two-week tourist trip turned into something much bigger — the beginning of a shift in how I see the world.

Back then, I knew very little about the country. I couldn’t imagine how much it would influence me in the years to come.

Japan in 2012 felt very different from today:

• Almost no one spoke English.
• Subway stations and restaurants rarely had duplicate signs.
• Foreign tourists were still uncommon.

To find my way from point A to point B, I relied on paper maps. There were no YouTube travel guides, no step-by-step instructions. Every day felt like a quest.

Yet, I didn’t experience culture shock. Instead, I felt something unexpected — familiarity. As if I’d been there before and only forgotten. The two weeks flew by, and while many details blurred, what stayed with me was a deep, quiet joy.

Leaving my small Crimean hometown and landing in Japan was like opening a door into a wider, more colorful world. I realized life wasn’t just the five streets and familiar faces I had grown up with. The world is vast, diverse, and within it there is Japan — Tokyo, Kyoto — places that filled me with awe.

Of course, back then my perspective was still narrow and provincial. I only began to understand Japan’s depth much later. But that first trip was the spark.

Have you eveк been in Japan? Did you enjoy it?