Greetings from the north

Greetings from the north
Living in Sweden I was not sure what to find when I went to Japan two years back (stories vary greatly) but what I found was a nation so different yet so similar to my own in a strange way.
Japan is to me not just a great country to spend a vacation on (safe, simple and clear tap water) it is a nation that has been a great friend to my country through the ages.
Going back to Japan within the year I wish to learn as much as possible so that I do not arrive yet again as a clueless barbarian

You might be interested (if you haven't yet) to visit Nagasaki Prefecture (e.g. Dejima, Hirado) to get to know more about the Europeans who used to live in Japan and influenced the country greatly. Most of them were Dutch, but there were also a few other nationalities such like Swedish, German etc.