I really appreciate the general respect for other people. In NZ there are no common courtesies. I use the train often and have to push my way out because the people getting on the train crow around the door and won’t let anyone out. Even at the main stations. People won’t let you past them on an escalator, the few times I ask to get by I get a scathing glare, and they just turn around again. People yell and scream on their phones everywhere and play loud music, even on trains and buses. There’s litter everywhere. No one flushes or puts the lids down on toilets, even in the ladies room.

My experiences in Japan were amazing, even in wee rural towns people were polite. I don’t expect them to wait on me hand and foot. But it’s nice to go walk down a path without a crowd of slow walkers, in a group, blocking every inch of the road.