International Political Will

After just a couple of months, our little area in southern Japan has come to feel like home – despite the language difference. It’s a beautiful country with a culture very different from the western world, but for all the differences there are some similarities.

In the short time here, we’ve come to know some locals; we know which stores we need to visit for what, and we’ve even become accustomed to the little things that are different.

Having said that, there are some aspects of life in Japan that I still find slightly ironic, comedic or confusing:

Nobody wears sunglasses.

Japan is not wheelchair accessible. There are stairs and escalators everywhere and very, very few elevators or ramps.

The streets have no names…only a few intersections are named. How you can have cities of millions of people and no street names is beyond me.

It’s rude to walk and eat at the same time…and for that matter; most people don’t eat in public. You rarely see anyone eating their lunch in the park, etc.

There are no trash cans in this country. None. Perhaps diners know that it’s easier to eat at the restaurant than take the food to the park and be left with a bag of trash to carry around the rest of the day. Even public restrooms don’t have trash cans.

But yet there is not much litter. If there is any it seems to end up in the waterways. So yes, the water is not particularly inviting. It was dead hot and humid in August – but we didn’t see a single person swimming in any rivers or creeks. I don’t blame them.

If you can wrap it in plastic – they do. Usually more than once. Prepackaging is king in Japan. We bought a small package of cookies – and every single cookie was individually wrapped inside.

As for trash at home – probably due to the massive amounts of packaging, you have to sort your garbage. And I mean sort. There is one bag for “burnables,” one for “non-burnables,” one for plastic bottles, one for aluminum cans and one for glass bottles & jars.

As for “non-burnables,” I question that term. Out here in the country I often pass someone’s property and see a trash pile that smells like they are burning “non-burnables.”

In Japan, the customer is always right – and treated with the utmost respect and courtesy. Even in a 7-11 the cashier seems genuinely glad you came in the store and thanks you profusely for purchasing that 80 cent package of gum.

But as a customer, Japanese do not acknowledge such service. I’ve been laughed at in stores for thanking the cashier.

The food situation is out of control. Good luck finding anything that doesn’t have fish, seaweed or salt.

As for grocery shopping…since the Japanese love their packaging so much, it’s very hard to figure out what anything is without being able to read Japanese. It’s a crap shoot. Once you get it home, there is the preliminary taste test – this first bite is to determine whether or not you should cook it.

Everything can be bought at vending machines. Even in the countryside, you’ll find vending machines with iced tea, iced coffee, soda, water and cigarettes between the rice paddies. And, occasionally, you’ll see a small booth with a curtain marked “DVDs.” You can guess what they sell in those vending machines.

Alcohol seems to be a favorite Japanese activity, and there isn’t any stigma attached to being “drunk.” In fact, it’s a point of pride…go drinking with Japanese of any age and they’ll ask you enthusiastically – “Are you drunk?”

You’d better say yes, otherwise they’re gonna order another one.

Japan culture food living

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