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Published: October 23rd 2008
Kotohira Madness
Sometimes I walk home for work and there's a huge festival going on...someone could have at least told me!It’s been 2.5 months and I have to admit that I’m already stuck in a routine. I’m disappointed to report that my life hasn’t taken on the kind of exploits that you would expect from a typical world traveler making a stop in the Great Orient. I work a freakin’ 9-to-5, get my jollies out on the weekends, and get out of town every few weeks. Sound a bit like your life back home? Me too, except I’m doing this in JAPAN!
Therefore, I will be doing this blog in list form—broken down into 3 categories: things I have become accustomed to, things I’ve yet to do so, and things I really miss from the U.S.
Without Further ado…
Things I have become accustomed to:
Taking my shoes off before entering a room or building.
Bowing at the beginning and ending of everything.
Staying out all night and catching the first train home in the morning (last train is 10:34pm)
Eating seafood at least once a day.
Using chopsticks.
Doing and getting anything possible at a 24 hr. convenience store (booze, concert tickets, pay bills).
Vending machines every 20 feet.
Using the train and my bike as
Inclusion!
At least the people were kind enough to invite me to join! my only modes of transportation.
No tipping or sales tax (for bill-splitting purposes and otherwise).
Never spending a full weekend at home.
Two-hour all-you-can-drink karaoke.
No crime whatsoever.
Constant sight and smell of scorched earth (for some reason, the farmers like to set fire to their rice fields).
Rice fields everywhere, and really old people working in them.
Using coins to buy things.
Never using my credit/debit card (total cash-based society)
Carrying hundreds of Dollars worth of Yen in my wallet.
Things I am not accustomed to:
Getting laughed at by students for entering a room, smiling, being white, being “tall”, wearing sunglasses on sunny days, saying “hello”, politely clearing my throat, saying “wow”, and anything else imaginable.
The Japanese language.
ATM’s closing at 7pm and staying closed on weekends.
Japanese method of asking for forgiveness rather than asking permission to do something.
My town basically closing at 5pm.
People being seriously afraid of me
Grocery shopping.
Teachers (not me) working until 10pm far too often
Teachers (again not me) coming to school on weekends to lead club activities
Guessing ages of Japanese people (especially women).
Archaic gender roles
Doing laundry in small increments throughout the week rather than
Music Festival
Everyone loves a student conductor! Every class had a song, with a student conductor. Really cool if the music didn't all sound the same! Laundry Day.
The outrageously large number of clothing stores
Japanese belief that the Cannibus leaf is really a Maple leaf.
Squatter toilets.
Things I really miss from back home:
The gym
Yoga
Good coffee
Half-way decent coffee
Good beer
Good wine
American style breakfast/weekend brunch
Playing music everyday
Sunday football
Being able to spit game at bars
T9Word texting
New England fall foliage
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Will Jaffee
non-member comment
Hilarious
Dave- Keep up the wonderful blogging. I love reading this thing. I can totally understand your perspective on the whole culture, and imagining you doing many of the things/behaviours you've now become accustomed to is really fun. And funny. Much love!