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How Japanese Culture Taught Me to Be Still
Photo by Nina Fiedler from Pexels. When I came to Japan, I found myself thinking deeply about how Japanese culture taught me to be still. I come from a culture where expressiveness and warmth are a kind of social currency. Then I landed in Japan—where composure, emotional attunement to atmosphere, and silence often say more than words. Ironically, Japanese people tend to expect foreigners to be more expressive or even loud by their standards. When stillness became confrontation At first, the silence here felt refreshing—a kind of haven. But slowly, it began pressing inward. The quiet began to mirror my inner chaos, insecurities, and unresolved emotions. It felt like I…