Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on April 2013

I have been living in Tokyo for nearly a decade, most of my adolescence has been spent here, and I have been heavily influenced by the culture and experiences I have been lucky enough to have in this buzzing metropolis. When I first moved to Japan, I was only four. I had never been to Asia before and the experience was too much to comprehend. But I’m positive the time I spent in Tokyo then contributed in making me who I am today.

Respect for my elders is possibly the most important thing I’ve picked up. Standing up to allow an older lady to sit down on the bus is something to do in any country. But in Japan, the hordes of elderly citizens have made me especially careful. This also applies closer to home, though my mum hasn’t even hit forty and would be furious to hear me call her an elder. Living in a country where seniors are treated with so much respect has taught me to give my parents the respect they truly deserve.

Bowing to the man at the petrol station in England after picking up a Coke and a packet of crisps is certainly not usual, but in Japan it is the norm. The level of mutual respect felt when exchanging these gestures is heartwarming—and sometimes a little overwhelming. Over the years it’s really grown on me, and it’s a habit I’m going to find hard to shake.

Individuality has always been something I have taken pride in, especially where fashion is concerned. Even at the age of six, I admired the flair and confidence of the “Harajuku Girls.” Nowadays, I mirror this same confidence not only in the way I dress (though perhaps not quite as outlandish), but in other aspects too. It seems within the Japanese culture, people are free to coexist as they please. This allowed me to grow into the person I am today with little restraint. As long as the rules are adhered to, you can be anybody you want to be.

I can also thank Japan for my eating habits. Five-year-olds are fussy eaters, but for me, eating raw fish and seaweed became less fearful and more enjoyable. Fish for breakfast might be an alien concept back home. But the interest the Japanese take in eating healthily has rubbed off on me. Drinking green tea and eating a nutritious bento at lunchtime has become something to carry on throughout my lifetime—trading potato chips for edamame all the way.

We moved back to England when I was eight, and I didn’t mind the move. However, six years later I began to miss Tokyo terribly. When my dad told us we were moving to Japan again, I was overjoyed—despite my apprehension at leaving lots of family and an excellent school.

Any apprehension was lifted as we arrived in Tokyo in the midst of spring. Sakura fell like snow onto the grey tarmac streets of central Tokyo. A scene that may have been mundane a month before became something picturesque. Sakura in Tokyo is one of the things I will miss most.

I believe it was these brief periods of time each year that taught me to find the beauty in things that would otherwise be considered ugly.

When I leave this summer for university in the UK, I will miss Japan infinitely. But I will take the experiences I’ve had here with me throughout my life. Japan is a wonderful place for making memories. I hope any other kids and teenagers (and their parents) who read this will also realize the impact living here will have on them and appreciate this city for what it truly is—awesome.