or “Random Japanese Observations 1″
I have been in Japan for 2 months now, and I thought I would share some random things I have observed from being here.
“Oh, so that’s the American Style”
I’ve always heard Westerners are all about the individual while Asians are about the group, but I don’t think I’ve really understood that concept until now. A day rarely goes by where I’m not asked a question like “What is this like in America?”, “What do you do during such an such a time in America?” I feel like I have to answer carefully because after being raised all my life to not make generalizations, I suddenly am representing a country of 300 million very different people.
A teacher at my school asked me to draw a baseball on the board, so I drew one with curvy lines on the board. She was completely fascinated since apparently the only way a Japanese person would draw a baseball is with two perfect arcs inside a circle. “Is that the way Americans draw it?” she asks. “Um, it’s the way I draw it,” I reply. That was enough for her to have me draw a baseball in all the classes to illustrate the different between a “Japanese” baseball and an “American” baseball. I don’t feel comfortable representing American baseballs, but by virtue of being an American in Japan, I just do.
You won’t need this paper until the day you forget it at home
You know Murphy’s law, the whole “If something is gonna go wrong it will” thing? In Japan, nothing fits Murphy’s law better than the 65 thousand random pieces of paper you will get. If you think that piece of paper is absolutely insignificant, then leave it at home, I dare you. Because that likely will be the day you were suppose to bring it to wherever you were going.
Don’t think you’ll get sympathy for not being able to produce any particular piece of paper at any given time either. The day I got my cellphone I got chewed out for not having my electricity bill. I brought an official document to get my ID card, but it wasn’t the official document I was suppose to have. My supervisor came to my school to ask if I had some insurance form, and was utterly befuddled when I tried to explain that I hadn’t ever seen the form, but it was probably with the two dozen other forms I got at orientation. “So you don’t have it now?” he said. The lesson? Take that piece of paper with both hand and bow, then make sure it never leaves your person for the duration of your stay in Japan.
Don’t forget to bring a towel
I was warned about this before I came here, but it hasn’t prevented me from forgetting on several occasions. Public bathrooms don’t have towels. There’s sinks, and soap, maybe a trashcan if you’re lucky, but no towels to be found. The only towel you’re going to find is in your bag in the form of a washcloth that you need to have with you at all times, also with those 65 thousand forms. Bring a towel or risk walking through the station with damp hands.
And now a Japanese lesson
Just some words that I barely remember from my school days, but hear all the time now that I’m here:
Narasu 慣らす: become accustom, get used to. I am asked all the time if I am used to the Japanese lifestyle. I think the fact I’m asked this a lot means that they don’t really think I am use to it yet.
Mada まだ: yet, still, more, besides. The Japanese don’t really like to say “no” which is where phrases like “chotto” and “mada” come in handy. When I haven’t done something, I give them a “mada” and they seem to accept it. Totemo benri desu (very useful).
Sate さて: well, then. I hear the female teachers at my school say this all the time, generally when they are trying to think of the next thing they need to do.
Chanto ちゃんと: neatly, tidily, in good order. Another word I hear all the time at school.
That is all for this weeks Japan observations. Stay tuned, maybe I’ll do this regularly?