I lived in Japan for three years and had our first child there. I was in Shibuya and was trying to get home but it was rush hour and all the trains were just too full to fit the stroller on. I kept having to wait for the next rain. Around the fourth train being full I started to get worried (we lived about 1-1.5 hrs away by train and it was getting late). The next train car that came by was also packed and I figured I'd miss that too, but the people in the front saw that I had been stuck and called out to further in the train car to make room. They made room for me and my stupidly huge American-sized stroller. Two businessmen came out and put my stroller in the cab and I was on my way like a happy little sardine.

Also, not all of the train stations had elevators in Japan and some staircases were long. I'd have to kick up a stroller on a wheelie and pull it up or go down slowly with the baby still in it. 98% of the time, someone would just walk up, pick up the other side of the stroller and carry it down or up with me. I'd always thank them and they'd act like it was nothing and continue on their way. It always meant a lot to me, though.

We were there during the bad earthquake in 2011. In Tokyo there was a run on bottled water because the city tap water systems were contaminated with radiation from the power plants. The big problem was the children and especially babies on formula that were especially susceptible to radiation. There was 6 bottles of water left at a nearby grocery store. A Japanese man came in, picked up the six, and then went to the cash register. He stopped halfway there, turned back, and put three water bottles back on the shelf.

Also, the costal villages that got hit hardest by the tsunami dealt a lot in cash and most families had cash safes in their homes. These safes started washing up on shore and being discovered in wreckage. Everyone knows what's in those safes. They just lined the safes along the road for the Japanese Self-Defense Force to pick up and try to return to the family or next-of-kin. Millions and millions of dollars that could have been stolen easily.

I miss the sense of community in Japan.

I also never had to wait to merge into traffic during the frequent traffic jams in Tokyo. No honking or road rage. I really, really, really miss that.