We took the 9:00 AM bus to Kyoto. Along the way, Ru Xue and Li Mazi chatted and laughed in the back seats. They were so noisy that I couldn’t concentrate. I reminded them a few times to mind their images and not shame Chinese people. Since it was an early bus, many people were sleeping. 

Ru Xue pouted. “There isn’t a no-talking sign on this bus. Why can't I talk?” 

“Don’t you see that there are many office workers who are sleeping?” I asked. 

“Well, they can sleep, and I can talk. What’s the matter…” 

Xiao Gao chimed in, “It’s different here than in China. The public areas here are relatively quiet. It’s good to keep your voice low.”

Ru Xue finally calmed down. 

I realized that many things were different here. Japanese people respected social order a lot. They lined up when...