I came to Japan nine months ago and must say I’ve gotten pretty accustomed to life here. So much so that I can hardly remember what I found curious when I first came here, it all seems to normal now. Maybe the best way to distinguish between my first and now changed impressions would be to consider what I will miss when I go back home. The perfect lines waiting at bustops calmly, compared to the rush for seats at home. Why rush, the person before you has been standing there longer and deserves the seat. Its polite and makes so much sense. Then saying “Ohayoo gozaimasu” to every person you see in the morning while cycling to university. Its common curtesy and just plain friendly. My home, London, is known for being perfectly anonymous and while Japan also has its anonymous ways, bowing slightly to acknowlege someone with a smile and greeting them has become second nature to me. Another thing thats going to stay in my mind is how everyone owns an umbrella and you never see someone walking in the rain without one.
Chopsticks which I once found to be little tools of torture, I now find to be way too undervalued in the West. I’ve even eaten ice cream with them!
Then there is Japan’s consumerism. You’ve heard about it, but only when you come to Japan and go to Shinsaibashi (the shopping district) can you truly picture what they are talking about. All those gadgets in different colours and all those clothing stores with their individual brands really are a shopper’s paradise.
Purikura is something I will also sorely miss. Although I wish we had purikura machines in England, I know they wouldn’t stand a chance, but be vandalized and broken within days.
The fact that photo machines in Japan are not vandalized while in my country that would be a certainty, is quite the hint to Japan’s sense of propriety. You could leave something lying in the park or on a bench and while in London it would have been stolen in seconds, in Japan it will stay exactly where you left it until you come back to pick it up.
Lastly, onsens are a fantastic idea and although I cannot imagine them implementing anything like it in London for close to the price they do it here, there’s an investment opportunity right there!
Waheey to vending machines and takoyaki, Sayonara.
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