Following my earlier post about small differences in Japan, here’s a few observations about New Zealand from the point of view of someone who’s lived in Japan for a while:

People are soooo talkative.

Everyone appears to move in slow motion. They sure drive fast though.

Lots of middle-aged women are working, especially in retail.

Everything is so big, and there’s so much empty space, it actually feels a little lonely.

Shop hours are ridiculous. No one is shopping at 9AM, so why bother to open? And closing at 5 or 6? That’s so inconvenient.

So many sounds of birds, and no crows.

I have to care about timetables. The train only comes once per 30 minutes …

There are not so many choices (varieties). Not sure if this is a good or bad thing though.