This is an absolutely beautifully written piece (July 14) by Amy Chavez. Too often I read articles about people bashing the country they have adopted as their own. For what purpose? I ask myself. It is a refreshing change to read about someone who embraces Japan as a country for what it is and the people who make it so, rather than constantly whingeing about what an annoying place one has chosen for his or her home. Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful.

The opinions expressed in this letter to the editor are the writer's own and do not necessarily reflect the policies of The Japan Times.

philip gudgeon