Western Japan, home to the cities of Osaka, Kyoto and Kobe, is considered to be quite different from the stringent and uptight ways of Eastern Japan, most notably the home of Tokyo and Sapporo. That’s why adjusting to life in Osaka was quite natural for me despite the difficulties that I will surely encounter at banks, hospitals and post offices here. The Japanese language training is necessary to find great food, nice people and shops.

The dirty, condensed streets of Osaka are literally a maze of shops, apartments, local diners, 24-hour convenience stores and everything else one could find in the United States. The basic setup doesn`t sound much different from my hometown of Miami, but it is the little differences that make Japan such an adventure.

As I step onto any given sidewalk, I always remember to watch my back. Not to look out for thieves or thugs, but to look out for bikes. Yes, bicycles. Bicycles are not only everywhere, but they come out of nowhere at all times of day and night.

The Japanese drive cars on the left side of the street with their steering wheels on the right side of the car, as is done in the United Kingdom. It seems simple enough to remember this in theory, although once on the street, it can be pretty tricky to fight the American instinct and sense of direction.

I’m only scratching the northern-most tip of the surface here, of course. I’m going through a bit of reprogramming, if you will.

I am stared at everywhere I go. The Japanese share an amusement of seeing foreigners. The experience cannot be compared to anything I experienced in America. But most Japanese only stare in good humor.

I’m sure somewhere along the line, students have heard about Japanese sexual obsessions. Well most of what you may have heard is probably true. Porn in Japan is as common as cold in autumn. I was shopping in an everyday supplies and dried foods store and what did I see? Porn. Porn is sold next to the alarm clocks. Wow.

When I got my apartment, I was going to my mailbox for the first time, and what did I see? Not a gas bill but ads for prostitutes. In fact, one Saturday night I was walking through a famous club district in South Osaka, which makes Ybor City look like the post office on Sunday, and again, what did I see? The first floor of a huge strip club building in which there are headshots of every stripper in every club in that building.

After seeing what they deem acceptable, I’m the one who should be gawking. We are so completely different, yet so uniquely similar. We share the same emotions, the same passions, the same zest for life, and the same porn in the grocery store.

Well, not that last one, but you get the picture.

Daniel Shimek is a former Oracle Graphic Arts Manager.