30 Observations about Japan...Part 1!

Last weekend, I turned thirty! Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined - if you had asked me a few years ago - that I would be welcoming in a new decade of my life from Japan! I mean, maybe celebrating my birthday while vacationing somewhere abroad...but definitely not living abroad. And yet, here I am...writing this post from my apartment in Japan! I suppose this just goes to show you that you never really know what's coming down the pike for you in life! 

I celebrated my birthday by feeling the love of family and friends near and far - through emails, Facebooks posts, texts, cards, care packages, and even an amazing video collection of messages that Kaz surprised me with! You all are amazing - and have no idea how lucky and grateful I am that each and every one of you are in my life! I also enjoyed a beer tour at the Nagoya Kirin Beer Factory, some yummy meals cooked by my hubby, and an evening of bowling! Since it's rainy season - we weren't able to travel - however, I really enjoyed a more low-key and relaxed birthday weekend.

I have been thinking about what to write - related to turning thirty - and I realized that reflecting on my twenties and/or making some predictions about my thirties may require a bit more processing/reflecting. So I thought in celebration of turning thirty, it might be fun to list thirty realizations that I've made/things I've learned about Japan over the last six months.  

So, here are the first 15 (I'll break this up into two posts since I tend to be long-winded)...

In no particular order...

1. The word - sumimasen (すみません) - is probably the most commonly used word in Japan. And, it has numerous meanings - "excuse me," "I'm sorry," "thank you," etc. As a foreigner - I have learned that when in doubt - it's best to say "すみません" and bow/nod. It does get tricky though when you are trying to figure out what another person means when they are using it! 

2. There are more than 24 hours in a day in Japan! Sometimes you will see signs that indicate that a restaurant is open until 24:30 or even later!  :)

3. Google Translate really struggles to translate anything longer than a single word. You have to proceed with caution...or you may believe that you are only allowed into a restaurant if you are an "adult monkey high school student" and if you are willing to eat squirrel. 

4. English words (those written in katakana) are almost never pronounced the same as they are in English. So chances are - if you say "McDonalds" instead of "Ma-ku-do-na-ru-do" - people will have no idea what you are referring to. I can't even begin to tell you how hard it is to "unlearn" the way you have said an English word for the last thirty years. Learning Japanese words is often way easier - since you don't have any "unlearning" to do. 

5. Convenience stores ("combinis") in Japan are the best! They literally have everything...from home food for quick meals...to hot drinks in a can...to nylons or shirts just in case you ruin the one you are wearing. 

Yep - they have clothes...just in case! 

6. Life runs more effectively/there are less headaches when things are on time! In Japan - everything is on time...all the time! If the train says it will arrive at 8:01am - it will arrive at 8:01am. If the delivery person gives you a window of 9-11am, your doorbell will ring at 8:59am. Waiting around doesn't really happen.

When I looked up information about Japanese transit, I read that Japanese trains are the most punctual in the world - with an average delay of only 18 seconds.

7. Japanese people do not like the sunlight...at least on their skin. And, they will work hard to keep their skin as white as possible...whether wearing lots of clothes in the summer, carrying UV-blocking umbrellas, or using "whitening" or "bleaching" creams on their skins.

http://www.marufuku.ne.jp/yakenu/interview_athlete.html

http://store.shopping.yahoo.co.jp/k222/328109.html

8. Appliances may be more "advanced"...however, as a foreigner...this can mean they are much more difficult to use. At least a first! And, you may set off an alarm...or two...and burn some cookies! 

9. Most streets do not have names...unless they are main roads (and the road names are not always in English). So, this can make finding places (even using Google Maps) or giving someone your address/directions to you home quite challenging. Especially if you are already directionally-challenged like me! 

10. If it looks like it contains chocolate - it most likely contains red bean! You would think that you'd only make this mistake once...until you make it over and over and over! If you know you're eating something with red bean paste - then it's not a big deal. But, when you are expecting (and hoping for chocolate), it can be tragic!

11. The Japanese language has a sound that is a mix of both "r" and "l"...this often makes English signs quite entertaining...and Japanese words quite difficult to pronounce correctly. Interestingly, Ronald McDonald is actually called Donald McDonald in Japan due to difficulty with pronunciation of "r."

12. Even though you are fluent in English...you will begin to question your ability to interpret and understand Japanese signs (or shirts) which have been written in English. And sometimes the grammar will confuse you more than the spelling! We have fondly begun to call this language - "Janglish." Thanks to my friend Nicole for contributing some of her awesome pics too! 

13. Hand wipes are the best! You never have to think about washing your hands before you eat - because you are always given a wet wipe (or steamy towel, if you are lucky) called an "oshibori." Yay for less germs! 

14. You don't ask "why" - and if you do...chances are no one actually knows why. It's also highly possible - that there is no reason...it just is!! Here's an example...the word "blue" in Japanese is au (あう) and "green" is mitori (みとり). However, when referring to a green traffic light - you label it "au" (blue)...even though it's green. Why?! No one knows! 

www.financetwitter.com

15. Sleeping in public happens all the time! And, no one really does anything about it. On the trains, I would say that at least 70% of the people are snoozing...with at least one person unknowingly resting his head on another person's shoulder. 

You may also see people who've had a bit too much to drink - sleeping it off in public. Usually they are left alone until they wake up - which says a lot about how safe Japan really is!

And, culturally, falling asleep in public is viewed as exhaustion from working hard...so it is deemed socially acceptable.

Hope you learned a bit about Japan...stay turned for the next 15 coming later this week!


Sunny Moments: Sharing some of Japan with you!
Cloudy Moments: A little too much red bean! ;)