Neither of them with the intent to "take" anybody anywhere.
1. Modern Japan is radically different than post-isolation Imperial Japan.
2. Living in Japan allowed me a first-hand (or at least closer second-hand) view of Japanese society and history, which clarified my view and understanding of some things.
Those seem like fairly obvious and benign comments, so I'm still not sure why I'm being challenged on them. Do you disagree with one of those two things specifically?