What is your favorite memory of Japan?

For those of you that have travelled to Japan for a few days, weeks, months or even years, what was your favorite memory, impression or experience in Japan?

Mine is (at the moment) pretty simple. A night like last night. Coming home late from work with my husband into a cold apartment. So cold we can see each other's breath. Together we prepare Nabe. Various vegetables, chicken, fish... all sorts of seafood. Sitting around the table , warming up, lots of drinking, laughing, discussing deep topics or just watching crazy Japanese comedies. Sometimes eating slowly for hours, taking a break then making zousui!
It's such a cosy night and always leaves me feeling contented! (and full!)
Nabe means to me a relaxing evening with my husband (and/or friends) enjoying the natural flavours of food.

What is your favorite memory?

DO YOU REMEMBER THE LITTLE BOX......

that let out a big long funny laugh when you pressed a button on it's side. It ran on batteries and was small enough to go in a coat pocket.
I would get on a bus, subway, in an elevator, or just in a croud of Japanese people and set it off. Soon everyone would be laughing till tears rolled down their cheeks. Maybe it's because it was thirty years ago that it worked; now days someone would probably stick it down my throut.
Frank

I was in tokyo, and i walked up to a door that was glass. I could see a guy on the other side, so i held the door open for him and said "Dozo."

He turns to me and says, in perfect english, "Actually, i'm from america, but thanks for trying!"

This happened recently to me, and is definately something I won't forget.

At the local shopping center I always run into this guy.
He's got a lazy eye (glass eye, maybe?), the worst taste in fashion, expensive jewelery, and a finger nail long enough to cut coke with. I've also seen him driving several different expensive cars. I honestly think he's yakuza.
So, the first time I met him, he said something like this:

Me, Eddie Murphy. My mother, Marilyn Monroe. My father, James Dean. You, handsome boy. Tom Cruise! I am Eddie Murphy!

Then last week, I was having coffee at Mr. Dounuts and I see him. He started saying something I couldn't understand, but I guess he was saying "patriot missle.......:

"Me Japanese, very small. You, American. Very Big!!!!!"

Can you guess what he was talking about?

Snow

I was born and raised in the north of USA, so I have my fair share of snow experience. But I'll never forget the first Japanese snowfall I ever saw.

The weather was actually pretty warm, it was partly sunny and these massive cottonball snowflake-conglomerations were lazily plopping onto my head and shoulders -- you could actually hear them landing. The kids had on rain boots and were squealing and running around sloshing through big piles of the stuff. The dog was leaping cartwheels trying to eat the snow-globs out of the air. And something about it all just made everyone giddy; we just stood there laughing, marvelling at the how simply beautiful the world can be.