Thoughts and Impressions

Gadgets, gizmos, etc....

I’ve got to hand it to the Japanese…I’m pretty sure that they’ve created a machine or hand-held device or electronic push-button control panel to do pretty much everything. It’s not surprising in the least that the first robot teacher was invented here. In fact, I’m not entirely convinced that the Japanese are not actually robots who have invented human-like forms to inhabit. Just kidding. But I am pretty sure that the vending machines come alive at night and eat small misbehaved children. Well, that’s the new urban legend I’m starting. You read it here first.

Speaking of vending machines…

They’re ubiquitous, and sell just about everything. Okay, I’m exaggerating, I haven’t actually seen ones that sell much besides drinks (hot & cold), snacks, and cigarettes. And beer, actually, though for alcohol and cigarettes you need a special card that proves you’re of age. But I KNOW the others exist. If nothing else, it would be possible to eat, drink, and smoke for weeks on end in Japan without ever entering a building.

Toilets

Going to the bathroom in Japan is an experience in itself. First, some have what looks like a urinal in the floor, and you’re supposed to squat over it and do your business. I generally avoid them, except when I have no choice, like the port-o-potties at Oktoberfest in Yokohama. I survived it by gripping the bars so as not to topple over, as I hadn’t perfected the power squat quite yet. The fact that my knees were more or less jammed against the door also helped me win the fight against gravity – occasionally it’s of benefit that I’m not Japanese-sized.

On the other hand, there are FANCY toilets that have a push button panel to do all kinds of things. There’s a button to make a flushing sound (not actually flush, just to cover up whatever sounds you might be making), and a button for a bidet, and one to deodorize, and I forget what the others do. I have not actually dared to use most of them, except the flushing sound, that one is just plain entertaining. Oh, the best part – the seats are heated! I am 10 kinds of disappointed that I didn’t get one of these in my apartment.

Recycling

Having grown up in the green (in all senses of the word) Pacific Northwest, I am a fan of recycling and I try to do it whenever possible. Japan is also pro-recycling; however they have created, in my opinion, the most confusing system of doing so I have ever encountered. They categorize the different types of materials to be recycled – logical enough. However, the categories themselves bewilder me – you’ve got “burnables” and “non-burnables,” I still couldn’t tell you entirely what these mean, and also there is a different category for plastic bottles, and plastic food wrappings, and plastic containers. These must all be separated and placed at a mysterious location (can’t read the Japanese sign explaining where & thus have a months’ worth of recycling at my apartment) – and, the best part! – picked up on DIFFERENT days of the week. So beware, ignorant foreigner, do not put your plastic bottles out on Wednesday, that is the other plastics, plastic bottles go with glass bottles and that is a Thursday pick up, and then you’ve got your burnables, Monday and Wednesday, and let’s not forget cans, maybe on Tuesday…or something like that. I guess either I’ll figure it out or have a mountain of rinsed out containers piled around and upon my futon come December.

Happy Pachinko

Of all the Japanese curiousities I’ve come across, this one may baffle me the most. Happy Pachinkos are something like casinos, I guess, and are generally found very near train stations. My friend Eilidh and I popped our heads in one night just to see what all the fuss is about, and found a place that comes close to what I would consider hell. It’s all blindingly bright neon lights and buzzing noises and row upon row of slot machines or video games or I couldn’t tell you what, the din is amazing, all beeps and bleeps and dings and electronic machines that talk to you, and people staring entranced at the screens as they chain smoke and try to get matching cherries or make the bunny hop over the mushroom or shoot the bird out of the tree. I have no idea, actually, I just ran out of there as fast as I could.

Random

Just stuff that has captured my attention:

1. People drive on the left here. Quite frankly I can’t get used to it, I’m always looking the wrong way and I think it’s only a matter of time before I get hit by a car. That said, I do find Japanese drivers to be generally respectful of pedestrians.

2. Eggs are sold in cartons of 10, not 12. This is completely arbitrary of course, and it probably makes more sense (it’s easier to multiply by ten, right?), but it just doesn’t seem right. I miss saying “a dozen eggs.” Also, I always feel cheated out of those extra two.

3. It’s legal to drink in public here – on trains, sidewalks, while walking on the street, etc. I confess to taking full advantage of this law. The Japanese, however, do not, at least not in large numbers. Thus, it’s usually us obnoxious foreigners. Ah, well.

4. People are REALLY into their pets in Japan. Particularly dogs. It’s common to pay several thousand dollars for a purebred dog, and treat him like your child, and walk him in a stroller (okay I didn’t actually see this but my friend did), and dress him in little outfits (matching, if you’ve got more than one), and otherwise dote on little Spot.

5. Japan has quite a remarkable train system, it quite literally connects most of the country and is pretty impressive. However, getting around can be confusing for a couple reasons. First, even within Tokyo there are many different private lines (as opposed to the single MTA in New York, for example), and you have to transfer between the different lines and swipe your card at each one of them. It’s not so bad once you get the hang of it, but it can be complicated. Second, many streets are not named here! So when trying to locate a club, like we did on Saturday night in Tokyo, you have to get directions like “turn left at the 7-11” and “go two blocks until you see some trees” and things like that. Not so easy in a MASSIVE, crowded city. For as efficient and organized a country as Japan is in certain ways, it follows a bewildering logic that maybe only a Japanese person really understands…

The First 2 Weeks

I have to admit that I plagiarized the title of my blog; I took it from the label of the hand towel I got at the 100 yen store on campus (one of my new favorite places). I had to buy a hand towel because many bathrooms here have neither hand dryers nor paper towels. You're required to bring a hand towel along, or walk along wringing your hands, or wipe them on your pants or the nearest dry surface (not the most attractive options). The 100 yen store has an assortment, most with rainbows or butterflies or little bunnies. Mine is actually quite plain, white with a small green clover in the corner; I think I mostly bought it for the label. Like many things in Japan, it strikes me as cute, a little random, and part of a custom I don't really get but I go along with as an attempt to assimilate into the culture.

As a whole, I've adjusted pretty quickly to my life here. It helps that I work for a super-organized company, that my housing was arranged and furnished (well, by Japanese standards!), that I was escorted to city hall and the post office to take care of all the necessary 'living abroad' paperwork, that I have a very short commute by train, and both live and work very near the train station. Nonetheless, the language barrier has proved more isolating than I was expecting; having lived abroad only in countries where I spoke the language (i.e. Spanish), it still came as a bit of a shock. I was expecting it, but expecting and experiencing are two different things! Of course, there's always a way to get by, but a feeling of helplessness comes from not really being able to communicate anything. For example, sitting and looking at a menu and having not a clue of either what foods or prices are listed, and the waiter doesn't speak any English, or being at the market and having the cashier ask a question and I've got no idea what she said or how to answer. So I nod and smile and stare blankly and bumble through the best I can. My Japanese is VERY limited, so basically I say 'good morning' and 'thank you' a lot...even when it may not be appropriate (like saying good morning at 7 p.m.) but I don't know anything else! I'll tell you, also, I see the value of menus with pictures now -- they're not just for Denny's! Try pointing to some kanji and not knowing if you're getting a drink or some pork skewers or fried octopus or something you've never heard of and would rather not try! Luckily I have co-workers who speak some Japanese, so generally I let them do the speaking when we go out. I feel like I don't get the same perspective on the culture, though, as I might if I could speak more to people...I'm limited to those who can speak English to me.

As far as my job goes, it's been a pleasure teaching Japanese students. They're polite to a fault, curious about other cultures and eager to share their own, and very motivated to learn. The biggest difficulty is that they tend to be a little shy, not speak until spoken to and that sort of thing, so sometimes it takes a little work to get them out of their shell. Which isn't to say I don't have outgoing students, but as a general rule they're much less likely to speak out than, say, American students. This isn't a criticism of either, just a cultural difference. Also my Japanese students seem younger than Americans the same age (19-22 or so); the girls are often very giggly, and think everything's 'cute', and get very shy if you ask them about their boyfriends! I've been impressed by how well-traveled they are. I think the majority have been to other countries, and quite a few study another language besides English. I actually have one student who lived in Mexico for a year on an exchange, so we can trade Mexico stories.

Basically, I'm enjoying my life in Japan thus far...after a couple weeks I feel like I'm getting to know people and see some more places, and hope to have the opportunity to meet & see many more while I'm here.