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A New Englander in Japan

kevin-rutherford

A New Englander in Japan

Coming from New England, I often take for granted the many opportunities that are afforded to us when compared to the rest of the United States. However, it often takes traveling abroad to get a whole new perspective on what you previously took for granted in your life. In order to do this, I decided to become a part of the Hong Kong trip in order to see how other cities manage their population when dealing with explosive growth or stresses upon their aging urban infrastructure. However, before I arrived in Hong Kong, I spent a week in Japan. Immediately, I was struck by the cleanliness of everything. This is not to say there is no litter, but everything is swept clean in order to ensure that public spaces are presentable.

Another thing that I noticed was that there are many quirks that Americans would find peculiar. One such instance is that it is perfectly acceptable to take a nap in a public space. While this might get concerned looks and a visit from the police in America, it is considered natural because people create a culture of wanting to work all the time, and taking a nap, or faking it, is considered a sign of strength and being a hard worker. On my second day in Japan, I witnessed someone take a nap on a counter in a Starbucks. Other times, you will see people napping on the train, in order to ensure that they are able to remain alert at other crucial aspects of the day.

img_0651Coming from America, we are often told that we lead unhealthy lifestyles, due to poor diet choices, lack of exercise and other factors in our lives. In Japan, I rarely have seen anyone who could be considered overweight, never mind obese, and there appear to be many factors to this. Large sugary drinks are not a thing in the country, even in vending machines. Additionally, in the suburbs, many people bike and walk to where they need to go, as things are much more accessible. While Costco is just starting to come to Japan, small stores are the norm. This even held true in malls, where the biggest stores were often half the size of those that you would find in an upscale shopping center.

One of the biggest shocks that might come to an American in Japan is that nothing is ever late. While we are used to tardiness in America, Japanese citizens pride themselves on keeping things on time. You will often find yourself being apologized to because it is not what you expected, while you are perfectly content with the fact that what you want is still somewhat operational. In Japan, the trains always run on time, and this can be tied into a culture of order and trust.

Something that I found interesting is that people do not jaywalk in Japan, and they also work on the honor system a lot more than most Americans do. While most Americans are not used to this, it gives you an incentive to honor their request, lest you ruin their view of Americans as being kind people. One other thing which I noticed was that people also line up for things, whether it be the train, escalator, or other things which involve waiting, thus bringing order to the situation.

img_0700 Oddly enough, I was unable to encounter many people who spoke fluent English in Japan. While my experiences in Germany, another country occupied by Americans after World War II was quite different, I expected there to be more people who could speak conversational English. Thus, whenever Americans or Europeans find one another, it often becomes a fun bonding experience over your experiences with a significant language barrier. At one point in the Shinagawa Station, I was asked by a woman from France if I could read Japanese. While I told her I could not, I was able to direct her to Haneda Airport. This avoided a need to talk to the information desk, which can often lead to mixed results.

The differences between cities is also something that I found to be interesting. In Kyoto and Osaka, people walked on the right, whereas in Nagoya and Tokyo, they walked on the left. The former even had people who might walk on the left, while you could walk a few more feet and see people on the right. At some points, it just became easier to walk, and hope no one ran into you, even when there were directions clearly marked on the ground.