Erik Sietsema: Gentleman? Scholar? Daredevil!

I asked 50 Japanese people, ages 9 to 91, one question. "What do you admire most about Americans?" Here are the top answers. 10. "They clap when the plane lands." (Office worker, 34) 9. "They say 'I love you' every time they hang up the phone. Even men. Even to other men." (Taxi driver, 61) 8. "A stranger told me she liked my shoes. Then she just walked away. She didn't want anything." (High school girl, 16) 7. "They thank the bus driver when they get off." (Bus driver, 55. He got emotional saying this.) 6. "They tell you their whole life story in the grocery line. I know about one man's divorce, his boat, and his knee surgery. We knew each other for four minutes." (My mother, 64) 5. "They stand for the anthem at a children's baseball game." (Little League coach, 47) 4. "When they lose, they shake hands and say 'good game.' And they mean it." (Sota, 12) 3. "They fly the flag on a regular Tuesday. No holiday. Just because." (Nurse, 28) 2. "They help a stranger push a car out of the snow, then leave without saying their name." (My cousin's husband, 52, who got stuck in Colorado once) And the number one answer came from the oldest person I asked. My grandfather. He's 91. He thought about it for a long time. Then he said: "They still believe tomorrow will be better than today." I asked him what he meant. "In 1946, we had nothing," he said. "The American soldiers I met were young and far from home. But they acted like the future was coming, and it was going to be good. After a while, we started to believe them." I asked him if he thought Americans still believe that. He nodded slowly. "Tell them," he said, "not to stop."