My view of the USA was mostly shaped by what I saw in movies growing up, and I know a lot of people can say the same. I'm aware that not everything you see in movies is real, so I wasn't exactly sure what to expect!
I was extra observant on this trip because, somewhere in the back of my mind, I was curious to uncover some of the myths and misconceptions I'd picked up over the years.
So, let's start with the culture shocks.
Lack of Public Transport
Coming from Japan, which has one of the best public transport systems in the world, I was definitely not prepared for how car-dependent parts of America would feel. Even my home country, Kenya, has a decent public transport system, so experiencing places where you practically need a car to get anywhere was strange.
Of course, this isn't the case everywhere. If you live in a major city, you have more options, but outside those areas, everything can feel incredibly spread out. I barely saw anyone walking or cycling along the roads, and after a while I started joking that if you see someone walking by the roadside, they are either homeless or their car broke down.
Buses do exist, but outside the major urban areas, public transportation can be pretty limited and infrequent. Without a car, getting around would have been difficult.
In Kenya, owning a car is more of a luxury, so seeing so many cars can create the illusion that Americans are wealthy simply because everyone seems to have one. After spending time there, I realized that in many parts of the country, a car isn't really a luxury at all. It's a necessity.
Flags Everywhere
I have never seen this many American flags in my entire life.
In Kenya, the national flag is subject to fairly strict rules around where and how it can be displayed, so casually seeing flags outside homes and businesses isn't something I'm used to. Japan is also not a country where you commonly see people putting national flags outside their homes.
In the USA, it is completely different. The flag is a very visible symbol of patriotism, and I saw it everywhere: outside houses, businesses, public buildings and even on restaurant tables.
Every now and then, I would come across a flag so enormous that I'd stop and stare. Americans really said, "If we're putting up a flag, let's make sure the entire neighborhood knows about it."
Fast Food
I have never seen this many fast-food chains in one place. There were so many options that choosing where to eat became an activity in itself!
I tried my best to sample as many as I could, but even with my best efforts, I couldn't squeeze them all into the trip. I managed to try Taco Bell, Dairy Queen, McDonald's and Chick-fil-A.
Dairy Queen was probably my favorite. I'd give it a solid 9/10.
Customer Service
Customer service in America was superb. It honestly blew me away.
Everywhere I went, the staff were engaging and polite, and their faces were always lit up like Christmas trees. They were cheerful, chatty and seemed genuinely interested in interacting with customers.
Of course, some people interpret this kind of friendliness as fake, but I actually liked it. If I'm spending my money somewhere, I don't mind being greeted with a smile and treated well. Give me the enthusiastic cashier!
To each their own.
Overall, I thought Washington State was amazing. The landscape alone is enough to make you understand why it is called the Evergreen State. There are trees everywhere, dramatic mountains, lakes and so much greenery that I sometimes felt like I was inside a nature documentary.
Hiking
The highlight of my trip was definitely the hiking.
I hiked the Skyline Loop at Mt. Rainier, and it has already made its way onto my list of favorite hikes. The wildflower meadows were beautiful and well preserved, and I saw chipmunks, a marmot and, unexpectedly, a bear.
My first time seeing a bear in the wild!
And hopefully my last.
I also wasn't leaving Washington without seeing an alpine lake, and Snow Lake did not disappoint. It was about an hour and a half from Seattle, making it considerably easier to fit into my trip than Mt. Rainier, which can take a couple of hours or more depending on where you're coming from and traffic.
The lake was huge and surrounded by dramatic, jagged peaks. It looked like one of those perfectly composed travel postcards where you wonder if someone has edited the photo. Except I was actually standing there.
Summer is apparently one of the best times to visit Washington if you want to enjoy the outdoors. The sun was out almost every day during my trip, and daytime temperatures were around 21°C to 25°C, which made me lament about Japan's summer temperatures of up to 37°C.
Quaint Seaport Towns
Another part of the trip that surprised me was how much I enjoyed Washington's small waterfront towns. I hadn't expected this to become one of my favorite parts of the trip, but apparently I have a thing for seaports now.
I went kayaking in Poulsbo, a waterfront town known for its strong Norwegian heritage and its nickname, "Little Norway."
The kayaking itself was already a fun experience, but what made it memorable was the wildlife. Harbor seals were resting all over the piers, completely unbothered by the kayakers passing by. They looked at us with the same level of interest I would give a stranger walking past me on the street: basically none.
The harbor was calm, and paddling past the boats, houses and thick green vegetation made the whole thing feel like a postcard. After kayaking, I wandered around the town and found myself enjoying the little details just as much as the water. There were Norwegian touches throughout the downtown area, cute shops and, of course, plenty of Sasquatch merchandise. Washington really seems to have embraced Bigfoot as one of its unofficial mascots.
Then there was Port Townsend.
If Poulsbo gave me Little Norway, Port Townsend gave me a completely different kind of atmosphere. Rather than being "English-themed," as I initially thought, the town is known for its beautifully preserved Victorian architecture and long maritime history. It is a historic seaport, and walking through the town really does feel like stepping into another era.
The waterfront was especially charming, with historic buildings, little shops and views across the water. I also made my way out toward the lighthouse, where the scenery became even more beautiful. The combination of the old architecture, the water, the greenery and the evening light made the whole place feel almost storybook-like.
And then the sun started setting.
That was the cherry on top.
There was something about standing near the lighthouse as the sky changed color that made the whole town feel strangely whimsical. I had gone there expecting to see another cute Washington town and left realizing something very specific about myself:
Apparently, I love seaport towns.
Seattle
I also explored a little bit of Seattle, although I definitely didn't see everything the city has to offer.
The waterfront was my favorite part. In fact, it reminded me so much of Minato Mirai in Yokohama that I kept making comparisons in my head. Seattle has its Great Wheel, waterfront, shops and city buildings, while Minato Mirai has its own waterfront, Ferris wheel and skyline, usually with Mt. Fuji making an appearance when the conditions cooperate.
Seattle's version has one major advantage, though: the possibility of Mt. Rainier appearing dramatically in the background.
I also visited Pike Place Market, one of Seattle's most famous landmarks. I had expected a typical tourist market, but it is much bigger and more varied than that. The historic market district is filled with farmers, small independent businesses, restaurants, craftspeople, shops and, of course, plenty of things designed to tempt tourists into spending money.
I wandered around, looked at all the little shops and eventually found a secondhand bookstore, where I bought a book set in Seattle, Where'd You Go, Bernadette.
I have a little tradition when I travel: I like to read a book set in the place I'm visiting because it gives me another way of understanding the culture, history and atmosphere of the destination. I recently added another tradition to that one: buying a book from a secondhand bookstore whenever I can.
There is just something about a used book that feels special. Someone else owned it, read it, carried it around and eventually let it go. Now I'm carrying it around in a completely different country. I like that.
From Pike Place, I walked toward the Space Needle. It took me roughly 30 minutes, depending on the route. The Space Needle itself didn't particularly blow me away, but I suppose that's the problem with famous landmarks: sometimes the excitement is more about being able to say you've seen them in person.
What I found more interesting was a 7-Eleven nearby.
Yes, a 7-Eleven.
As someone coming from Japan, I had to investigate whether American 7-Eleven really is as disappointing as Americans often claim. It wasn't nearly as bad as I expected, but I'm sorry, America. Japan still wins this one.
Naturally, I had to take a picture of the 7-Eleven for evidence.
While I was standing outside taking my very serious investigative photograph, a man in a car pulled up next to me, rolled down his window and asked whether that particular 7-Eleven was viral on the internet.
Nope.
Just a girl from Japan taking pictures of an American convenience store because she was curious.
That interaction actually summarized one of my biggest observations about America. People seemed much more willing to talk to complete strangers and simply ask whatever was on their mind. In Japan, that kind of interaction with a stranger is much less common.
Interestingly, it didn't feel completely foreign to me either. It reminded me of Kenya, where strangers are also much more likely to strike up random conversations.
Drive-In Movie Theater
I wanted at least one experience that felt like I had walked straight into an American movie, and the drive-in theater delivered exactly that.
I'd seen drive-in movie theaters countless times in movies, so sitting outside in the evening, parked in a car and watching a giant screen in front of me felt almost surreal. Instead of sitting inside a dark cinema surrounded by rows of seats, you simply stay in your car, tune into the movie through the designated radio frequency and watch the film under the open sky.
And the setting made it even better. The theater was surrounded by trees, so there was something oddly whimsical about sitting in the darkness with a giant movie screen glowing in the distance.
It was also cheaper than a traditional movie theater, which made me wonder why this isn't a bigger thing everywhere.
Then I remembered something important.
Japan doesn't exactly have a car-dependent culture.
So perhaps a drive-in movie theater wouldn't work quite as well there. Still, I wish we had more of them.
Sports
Another movie-like experience was playing softball.
I'm familiar with baseball, so softball felt somewhat familiar, although there are definitely differences between the two that I won't pretend I can explain properly. I got to try batting, which was much harder than it looked, and then I attempted to catch balls in the field.
Attempted is the important word here.
The balls were flying toward me like cannonballs, and my main strategy quickly became: duck.
I think I'll just stick to tennis.
And since we're talking about sports, how could I leave out baseball?
Baseball is deeply associated with American culture, and attending a game was one of the experiences I was most curious about because I've attended several baseball games in Japan. I wanted to see how different the experience would be.
The game itself wasn't the biggest surprise. The crowd was.
American fans were much more vocal and weren't afraid to express their disappointment, including booing when they weren't happy with what was happening on the field. I'd never really experienced that at a Japanese baseball game.
It was interesting to watch Americans interact with a sport that they clearly feel very strongly about. You could see the excitement, frustration and loyalty playing out in the stands.
And then, as if the whole experience couldn't get any more perfect for me, we were treated to an alumni Home Run Derby featuring several former Mariners players, including Ichiro Suzuki.
Ichiro is a huge household name in Japan, just like Shohei Ohtani, so you can imagine the stories I had to tell my colleagues when I got back.
I came to America for a baseball experience and somehow ended up watching Ichiro participate in a Home Run Derby in Seattle.
Not bad.
Food
The four pillars of any trip I take are food, culture, history and experiencing the day-to-day lives of the locals. Basically, I want full immersion.
So, of course, I indulged in the food.
I tried Chipotle, Cajun seafood boil, biscuits and gravy, pork ribs, brisket, cornbread and ranch. I also got the classic American diner experience at Denny's.
There were obviously many more foods I wanted to try, but there was only so much I could fit into one trip. I ate what I could and will simply have to reserve the rest for next time.
My favorite was the Cajun food. The flavors really worked with my palate, and I could have happily eaten more.
Chain Stores
This might sound strange to an American, but I couldn't wait to visit major American chain stores like Walmart, Target and Trader Joe's.
Yes, I was a tourist taking pictures and buying things in Walmart.
I liked Walmart because you can find practically everything under one roof and the prices were reasonable. Trader Joe's was another favorite, especially because of the variety of products and the quirky branding.
And then there is the Trader Joe's tote bag.
That bag has become something of a fashion item in Japan, so naturally, I had to get one for myself. If I'm going to travel all the way to America, I might as well come back with the souvenirs that people in Japan actually want.
I have to say, my first experience in America was amazing. I came with a head full of movie stereotypes and left with a much more complicated picture of the country.
I got to hike mountains, kayak with seals, eat my way through American chains, wander through historic seaports, watch baseball, experience a drive-in movie and investigate an American 7-Eleven like it was an archaeological site.
And this was only Washington.
So, buckle up. I have a feeling there is a lot more of America left for me to explore.
