Today marks 2 years since I set foot in Japan, not as a tourist or student, but a member of the workforce. Looking back, I realize that many things which I once thought was strange or impossible had become everyday life. I've mostly adapted to Japan's way of things.
The topic of getting used to things in Japan is nothing new; you can probably find dozens like it on the blogosphere. However, I'd like to believe that each person's experiences abroad are unique, including mine.
From the list of things I've gotten used to in Japan, here are my top 5:
- More veggies
- Less alcohol
- Suit everyday
- Trash sorting
- Black coffee
1. Eating more veggies (and a bigger variety)
I had never been a big fan of vegetables. Maybe I had some bad experiences with them when I was little. Until adulthood, the only veggies that I could tolerate were the frozen mixed variety and whatever were mixed into a Panda Express dinner. OK, I like edamame, but that's hardly an improvement.
Then came school lunches in Japan. A hefty portion of every school lunch is... veggies! Main dish, side dish, soup... all have veggies - carrots, radishes, eggplants, tomatoes, etc. Children here learn about veggies at a young age, and even have field trips to plant and harvest them. My students often ask me what some random veggies are called in English, and I would struggle for answers because I had never seen or heard of them before. My work isn't safe from the veggie loving curriculum either; every year, few of my English lessons focus on veggies. Because I live near farm country, some schools occasionally hand me free veggies.
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| Typical school lunch in Japan - veggies in everything, plus rice and milk; although it's my first time seeing an egg roll here (courtesy of perpetualexplorer.com) |
In other words, veggies in Japan are almost unavoidable, but I have come to like them.
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| Yep... I eat all these veggies now. |
*Same thing happened with fish, except I still can't figure out what fish is what.
2. Drinking much less
In Japan, it's (almost) zero tolerance for drinking and driving. Japanese law states BAC under 0.03 is acceptable, but the police has a lot of discretionary power on this issue, and the judge will almost always side with the police. Nowadays, DUI can land you up to 3 years in jail or $4,400 (not ¥) in fines. Best to ditch your car keys if you plan on drinking.
Now, this isn't a concern if you live in a big city, where public transportation supports hefty drinking habits. However, it's a bit different in Miyako. I live about a 40-min walk from city center, where most of the bars and pubs are. Although other ALTs and local friends don't mind being DD, I don't want to play that card too often.
Back in America, I would grab a beer after work. But now, if I drink, I'm confined to my apartment for the night. If I need to pick up supplies for a lesson next day, as I often did because I'm a procrastinator, then I'm screwed.
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| Too much fun on a night out? In a big city, you can count on public transportation. Elsewhere, it may be a long walk home or an expensive taxi. (courtesy of tofugu.com) |
Back in America, I would grab a beer after work. But now, if I drink, I'm confined to my apartment for the night. If I need to pick up supplies for a lesson next day, as I often did because I'm a procrastinator, then I'm screwed.
Nowadays, I don't drink often, because it's a hassle.
3. Wearing a suit to work, every work day
3. Wearing a suit to work, every work day
Before Japan, the only times I wore a suit were during job interviews and my friends' weddings. At work, I wore jeans and a polo shirt. I owned only one suit, and kept it in pristine condition for 6 years. Suddenly, I'm wearing it for work every day.
This was probably one of the most difficult adjustments for me, not just because I had never worn a suit to work before. I teach children, and I'm supposed to be fun and active in the classroom. A suit is sort of counter-intuitive for such a job, but I dealt with my misgivings over time.
Within 2 years, I had to get another suit. Luckily (and surprisingly), they are one of the things which aren't expensive in Japan. Guess I should thank all those drunken salarymen for feeding the suit economy and keeping prices down.
4. Sorting out trash
One of the daily life things that confuse every new arrival to Japan (that I know of) is the sorting of trash. When I first moved in, I was given a big colorful poster about trash sorting and the collection schedule for the year. The pictures on the poster, which show different types of trash, were helpful, but each type comes with various rules and exceptions, in Japanese. It was overwhelming to look at and time-consuming to translate.
Three usual problems associated with trash sorting are:
Which day to throw out what... One day is burnables, another is plastic only, etc. Not everything is collected weekly. The trash schedule depends on neighborhoods within a city. If you miss a day, then you have to wait until next time or go to the dump yourself.
What belongs to which category... On many products, the label has symbols which tell you what part of the product belongs to which group. However, many things are ambiguous. For example, not all papers are considered recyclable. Some are only burnable, newspapers are bounded and thrown out separately, etc.
How trash is disposed of... In Miyako, newspapers are separate from other papers and bounded with paper rope. Not nylon, not wire, but paper rope! Also, you have to buy city-specific, color-coded trash bags; it's not like in America where you can just reuse Wal-Mart bags.
There were a few times when I took recyclables to the dump, only to be told that they are burnables! The time to sort the crap, the money to buy the bags, literally thrown away (into a furnace). What f***in' geniuses thought of this system? For all I know, a giant boat takes the bottles and recyclables and dumps them into the ocean.
After 2 years, I may not be used to the rules, but I'm used to the hassle.
5. Black coffee, please! No cream and sugar.
If you think Japan changed that, you're only partly correct. At most of my schools, I would be served either green tea or coffee with cream and sugar. So it wasn't my schools that changed my cream-and-sugar habit; it was my girlfriend (in Japan).
Through some female wisdom, I became convinced that black coffee is healthier. It made sense: cream and sugar add (unnecessary) calories, and if I drink that style of coffee daily by the liter, the extra calories add up. Since my girlfriend converted me, I also noticed that most Japanese teachers drink their coffee black only.
Because other teachers at my schools mostly drink black coffee, I had found single-serving creamers which went unused for so long that they spoiled, which might explain some of my mysterious stomach ailments at work. Since that discovery, no more cream in my coffee.
Conclusion:
There you have it - the 5 most notable things I've gotten used to in Japan. No life-changing, soul-shattering revelations; just mundane stuff that are different from my past. The keyword is "my" - my journey to Japan, my new life, my unique experiences. Maybe on the next living-in-Japan anniversary, I'll have something better to write about.
This was probably one of the most difficult adjustments for me, not just because I had never worn a suit to work before. I teach children, and I'm supposed to be fun and active in the classroom. A suit is sort of counter-intuitive for such a job, but I dealt with my misgivings over time.
Within 2 years, I had to get another suit. Luckily (and surprisingly), they are one of the things which aren't expensive in Japan. Guess I should thank all those drunken salarymen for feeding the suit economy and keeping prices down.
You worked hard for the past 2 years, my 3-button buddy (Left). Now say hello to your new 2-button brother (Right).
* To be clear, even though this is Japan, I don't work on weekends. Also, unlike many Japanese salarymen, I change out of my suit as soon as I'm off work.
One of the daily life things that confuse every new arrival to Japan (that I know of) is the sorting of trash. When I first moved in, I was given a big colorful poster about trash sorting and the collection schedule for the year. The pictures on the poster, which show different types of trash, were helpful, but each type comes with various rules and exceptions, in Japanese. It was overwhelming to look at and time-consuming to translate.
Paper, plastics, bottles, cardboard, and any category imaginable - you can find them in Japan.
Three usual problems associated with trash sorting are:
- Which day to throw out what
- What belongs to which category of trash
- How trash is disposed of
Which day to throw out what... One day is burnables, another is plastic only, etc. Not everything is collected weekly. The trash schedule depends on neighborhoods within a city. If you miss a day, then you have to wait until next time or go to the dump yourself.
What belongs to which category... On many products, the label has symbols which tell you what part of the product belongs to which group. However, many things are ambiguous. For example, not all papers are considered recyclable. Some are only burnable, newspapers are bounded and thrown out separately, etc.
How trash is disposed of... In Miyako, newspapers are separate from other papers and bounded with paper rope. Not nylon, not wire, but paper rope! Also, you have to buy city-specific, color-coded trash bags; it's not like in America where you can just reuse Wal-Mart bags.
There were a few times when I took recyclables to the dump, only to be told that they are burnables! The time to sort the crap, the money to buy the bags, literally thrown away (into a furnace). What f***in' geniuses thought of this system? For all I know, a giant boat takes the bottles and recyclables and dumps them into the ocean.
After 2 years, I may not be used to the rules, but I'm used to the hassle.
5. Black coffee, please! No cream and sugar.
Coffee is the life blood of a working professional. I used to down cups of it a day in school and in my previous job. Both involved hours of mentally exhausting computer work, so I needed the caffeine. But it always came with cream and sugar.
If you think Japan changed that, you're only partly correct. At most of my schools, I would be served either green tea or coffee with cream and sugar. So it wasn't my schools that changed my cream-and-sugar habit; it was my girlfriend (in Japan).
Through some female wisdom, I became convinced that black coffee is healthier. It made sense: cream and sugar add (unnecessary) calories, and if I drink that style of coffee daily by the liter, the extra calories add up. Since my girlfriend converted me, I also noticed that most Japanese teachers drink their coffee black only.
 |
| Mismatched couple's coffee mugs |
Because other teachers at my schools mostly drink black coffee, I had found single-serving creamers which went unused for so long that they spoiled, which might explain some of my mysterious stomach ailments at work. Since that discovery, no more cream in my coffee.
Conclusion:
There you have it - the 5 most notable things I've gotten used to in Japan. No life-changing, soul-shattering revelations; just mundane stuff that are different from my past. The keyword is "my" - my journey to Japan, my new life, my unique experiences. Maybe on the next living-in-Japan anniversary, I'll have something better to write about.
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