One thing about living in Japan: it will really teach you how to apologize well, since the Japanese language is extremely well suited for showing contrition and humility to others. There are casual ways to express regret, from sumimasen (excuse me, I beg your pardon) to gomen nasai (I’m very sorry), as well as complex formal language for expressing sorrow over a politician’s scandal or invading your country 70 years ago. Apologizing for something (a wrong you did someone, an error you made at work) is considered a virtue here, a person taking responsibility for something he did wrong rather than pushing the blame onto others. The core purpose of Japan’s justice system is to encourage those who have done something wrong to reflect on their actions — called hansei in Japanese — as the first step to their rehabilitation. This is why police often seem obsessed with trying to get suspects to confess their crimes (often to a fault).
Living in Japan will teach you the art of apologizing.
