As a non-native English speaker, this is my first blog post in English. I want to share my experience of hiking in Japan and compare it with my hiking experiences in China.

When it comes to the variety of nature, there is no doubt that China has more beautiful mountains and rivers. But what made me fall in love with hiking was by chance when my Japanese home stay family took me on a camping trip.

My parents started to take me hiking when I was six, and I climbed many mountains until I went to university. But I had never a strong urge to go hiking, and my love of nature couldn't beat my love of computer games.

In 2006, I climbed Mount Xiang in Beijing with my classmate, and in 2020, I visited the same place with my best friend, Haoyu Li. Although the trip was nice, the route itself was boring, and I didn't enjoy it.

And then 3 months later, my trip to Japan has come. After I arrived in Tokyo for a month, I move to a Japanese homestay. We’d made great memories.

It's hard to believe that the day after I moved into their house, they invited me to go hiking with them. I was excited and worried at the same time. I was grateful that they wanted to share their weekend with a foreigner who couldn't even speak a sentence correctly. But who cares if I get into trouble because I don't speak Japanese? Opportunities wait for no one.

The trip was wonderful, including the hiking route. But what made me feel great after hiking? (Let's ignore my curiosity about this unfamiliar land for now.)

It's the people. Japanese hikers enjoy the treasure of nature with the thought of self-control to not influence others, something that was missing in my country.

Picture yourself feeling burnt out by the hustle and bustle of city life and yearning for a break from your daily grind. You decide to escape to nature, shutting off your phone and immersing yourself in the quiet of the woods. As you follow the winding path, the sweet melody of birdsong fills the air, and the soothing murmur of a nearby stream melts away your stress.

You're strolling along, basking in the tranquility of nature, when suddenly you step on a discarded bag of chips. Looking up, you see a trash bin overflowing with Coke bottles, junk food wrappers, and a swarm of flies that drowns out the cheerful chirping of birds. But in Japan, you probably won't encounter this unpleasant sight - even on city streets(except Shinjuku City and Shibuya City) or mountain trails, there are no bins to be found. Instead, locals take their rubbish with them, leaving the environment pristine for all to enjoy.

When you cross paths with a Japanese hiker, they'll likely greet you warmly and express gratitude for letting them pass. It's clear that every traveler is eager to spread the joy of hiking and share the beauty of nature with those around them. It's like a cycle of kindness - you brighten their day, and in turn, they brighten yours. But in China, the experience is quite different - busy locals often avoid greeting strangers, even in the great outdoors. It's a curious contrast to the warm hospitality of the Japanese, who may be reserved on the street but open-hearted on the trail.

Of course, these are generalizations and there are exceptions in both countries. However, the differences in attitude towards hiking can greatly impact the overall hiking experience for individuals.