Culture shock is not fun but probably not something  most people need  worry about as they go about their lives within the comfort and sanctity of their own culture. For me culture shock is a very real and very challenging experience right now.

“ It opens a window into your soul, enabling you to see if you have the metal required to live happily in a culture as opposite to your own as Japan is.”

Wikipedia defines culture shock as having some distinct phases of which the time frame for each is dependent upon each individual personality. I am currently firmly in the grip of the second phase and, doing my best to negotiate with the new requirements in Japan.

• Honeymoon Phase – During this period the differences between the old and new culture are seen in a romantic light, wonderful and new. For example, in moving to a new country, an individual might love the new foods, the pace of the life, the people’s habits, the buildings and so on. During the first few weeks most people are fascinated by the new culture. They associate with the nationals that speak their language and are polite to the foreigners. This period is full of observations and new discoveries. Like many honeymoons this stage eventually ends. “When an individual sets out to study, live or work in a new country, he or she will invariably experience difficulties with language, housing, friends, school, work…” 

 

• Negotiation Phase – After some time (usually weeks), differences between the old and new culture become apparent and may create anxiety. That sense of excitement will eventually give way to new and unpleasant feelings of frustration and anger as you continue to have unfavorable encounters that strike you as strange, offensive, and unacceptable. These reactions[...]are typically centered around the formidable language barrier as well as stark differences in: public hygiene; traffic safety; the type and quality of the food[...]. One may long for food the way it is prepared in one’s native country, may find the pace of life too fast or slow, may find the people’s habits annoying, disgusting, and irritating etc. This phase is often marked by mood swings caused by minor issues or without apparent reason. This is where excitement turns to disappointment and more and more differences start to occur. Depression is not uncommon.

 

• Adjustment Phase – Again, after some time (usually 6 – 12 months), one grows accustomed to the new culture and develops routines. One knows what to expect in most situations and the host country no longer feels all that new. One becomes concerned with basic living again, and things become more “normal”. One starts to develop problem-solving skills for dealing with the culture, and begins to accept the culture ways with a positive attitude. The culture begins to make sense, and negative reactions and responses to the culture are reduced. Reaching this stage requires a constructive response to culture shock with effective means of adaption.

A good way to describe what the second stage of culture shock feels like would be to say that ‘it feels like the walls are closing in and there is no escape.’  Not a nice feeling but amidst the negativity of culture shock is still a fascination of a new and exciting world which is a strange parody of emotions.

I’ve come to the conclusion that in my view the best way to deal with adjusting to life in Japan is to forget about everything you have ever learnt about life in your western world, because in your eastern one, none of it applies. I would know. I spent the last 3 months trying to live my life just how I would in New Zealand or Australia. Big mistake,  in Japan it doesn’t work like that. The more you resist the changes required the longer the second stage of culture shock lasts.

 Stop for a moment and imagine the simplest thing you can imagine, like buying a train or bus ticket, suddenly becoming a challenge. That’s how it is here. All the things I have never put a second thought to, suddenly join the list of ever-growing challenges. Which means that my brain is suddenly required a lot more to think about things I wouldn’t normally be required to put much thought to.  As a by-product of any raised emotional stimulation, stress levels are raised accordingly. What do people do to combat stress? Look for something familiar right? Like a drinking session at the pub with your mates, sport, gardening, cooking, anything that enables you to enjoy some down time. In this part of Japan all of these things are available (except maybe gardening because there is no grass!) and are very common choices amongst Japanese for stress relief, but if you can’t communicate, they also become part of that ever-growing list of challenges. So you catch my drift. It is very difficult here especially if you can’t communicate.

So! Time to get pro-active! I’m taking Japanese lessons twice a week and I turn my drinking sessions into drinking / slash Japanese lessons, by taking notes of phrases and practising them in conversation. I’m also about to start playing Ultimate Frisbee with a mix of Japanese and Western team members. 

My first month here was a different story.  The honeymoon phase feels like every day is a holiday. Everywhere you look your senses are captured to excite, intrigue and fascinate you. You lap your new surroundings up and heap praise on the intricacies of eastern life.  But like every honeymoon, it must eventually end. Unlike in marriage when domestic bliss is supposed to follow, The Negotiation Phase of culture shock is not so blissful.

It creeps up and before you know it the smile from your face has disappeared, replaced by frustration, irritation and an almost constant urge to fight the way of life here. Any western avenues previously taken to relieve stress or simply go about your life, don’t lead to the same destination in Japan. New roads must be found or in some cases forged, in order to live life happily. Rigid approaches will not facilitate the required changes. You must become malleable, mouldable and most importantly open to the adjustments required to function civilly in Japan.  

I have spoken to a lot of people about culture shock in Japan.  It’s a different experience for everybody and it is very dependent on personality and life experience. For some people the ‘Honeymoon phase’ lasts a lot longer, only for the ‘Negotiation phase’ to follow a bit later than average.

The best pieces of advice I have received so far from westerners living in Japan and having effectively dealt with culture shock, have been along the lines of; ‘Just go with the flow’, ‘don’t resist the changes, just accept them’.  ‘Look at yourself as a blank slate again and re-learn all the basic things’

‘Tabula Rasa,’ an interesting theory by  Empirical English philosopher  John Locke, who proposed that all knowledge is acquired as a result of sensory experience. At the moment my western experience is slowly being put aside from my ‘slate of knowledge’ to make way for the eastern version.

Coming from Christchurch, and having lived 8 years in Melbourne, I have always lived in pretty familiar surroundings. Communication has never been an issue.  The culture I am accustomed to is anything but conservative, generally speaking it has been a very easy-going and relaxed lifestyle for me.  In Japan things are very different. Communication is a BIG issue, especially where I am living. Here if you can’t speak Japanese or read Hiragana or Katakana, the simple things in life become part of the most challenging, effectively deeming nothing simple.

On the whole Japan is a pretty conservative country, with many morals, customs and beliefs firmly rooted in the realms of history. As I have discovered the south of Japan is generally regarded as the more conservative island in Japan.  For someone like me, in my culture there really are no ‘rules’ or ‘customs’ which are overly important to everyday life. On the whole as long as you don’t hurt anyone you can generally go about your life any way you see fit.  In Japan it’s not quite like this.

 Here are some examples of some of the differences I would not normally give a second thought to in New Zealand or Australia..

• When having an official photo, for example at work, you must stand with your left hand crossing your right, everyone the same.
• If you dare to go barefoot outside, you will attract looks of horror from passersby.
• When mounting your bicycle you should do so from the left, never from the right or God forbid….from behind!!
• Japanese do not blow their noses, instead they repetitively sniff loudly – this is considered less rude than blowing your nose, especially while eating.
• Chopsticks should never be left pointing in to your bowl of noodles – this is only done at funerals and signifies death.
• Mostly Japanese prefer not to say ‘Yes’ or ‘No’  to questions, instead ‘No’ is replaced by a couple of fast inhales or exhales of breath followed by head tilting and an inquisitive look, ‘Yes’ is replaced by ‘maybe’ . 
• When drinking, especially with a female companion, you are expected to keep your drinking partners glass full and return the favour. When drinking sake, women especially, are expected to keep their male drinking companions glass full, until you indicate otherwise. The glass should be held delicately in both hands while the drink is poured for you and vice versa.
• Any official documentation of any kind; certificates, cards, awards and even receipts are passed using both thumb and forefinger from both hands with the item facing the correct way towards the receiver, any other way is considered rude.

I am still learning and I discover more every day.  Slowly I am becoming more open to the rules and customs of Japanese life. I guess for the first 3 months I have resisted the changes required and instead tried to use my western ways to live here. But I have quickly discovered that this will not work, especially in this part of Japan. Most Japanese are very polite and forgiving people, hostility is not something you will see much of here. Westerners are understood to come from a very different culture and so Japanese do not expect them to know all their customs and practices. Although this may seem to bring a sigh of relief in the Negotiation and Adjustment phases it is also the main reason  westerners or ‘Gaigin’ will always be viewed as ‘outsiders’ here. From my conversations with various ‘lifers’ or western people who now live in Japan permanently, it is very hard if not impossible to ever be fully accepted as a normal member of Japanese society, because you will always ‘look’ western and have western philosophies at the root of your being.

So moving into the fourth month of my Japanese experience, I am battling culture shock but I am starting to see a light at the end of the tunnel. Through all the frustration, anxiety and depression of being totally surrounded by unfamiliarity, Japan is still an amazingly beautiful and intriguing place to me. An interesting clash of emotions none the less.

So, do me a favour everybody. Next time you are frustrated or think something less than friendly towards an Asian person or anyone who is obviously not from your culture, don’t give them a hard time, because they are more than likely having a hard enough time as it is.

Matt

A Concrete Jungle, thats what greets you every time you step out from the confines of your matchbox living quarters in Japan. Everywhere you look…concrete.

Coming from New Zealand the sight of grass and surrounding open landscape is a pretty standard feature of everyday life and possibly one that is taken for granted by most of those that enjoy the life style it provides. Appreciate it people, because I can tell you when it is gone you start to miss it.  Even the times I have travelled outside the ‘more built up areas,’ for example when travelling from Fukuoka to Oita, there is no real abundance of open grass lands, no paddocks of sheep or cows grazing. Mostly the land is rugged, and any area that is remotely suitable for cultivation is used for rice paddies or the like. When 145 million people live in country with a similar landmass to New Zealand, space is at a premium. So tomorrow when you walk out your front door past that park in your street and your unappreciated backyard, think again. Space is good.

This in mind, now think of the first thing that comes to mind when picturing your stereo typical Japanese tourist – heads craned towards that seemingly innocuous rolling hillside or paddock of sheep, exasperated gasps of “Ooooooohhh!”  ”Aaaaahhhhh!”  – state of the art digital cameras furiously snapping away. Probably the first time many of them have seen sights like this.  So to all you Kiwis reading this – appreciate the things you take for granted, because for Japanese people these things are only enjoyed as part of an expensive trip to New Zealand, and remembered on those digital cameras.

Appreciation. Probably a word that many of us dont use or think about enough. For the first time in my life I am confronted by a world where all of the facets of my western life have been left on hold while a new world is introduced and I am put to task trying to find some normality and comfort in a world completely unfamiliar to me. This brings to the surface a set of emotional characteristics possibly left dormant by the mindless existence of everyday life in a western world. Suddenly I find myself constructing a mental list a mile long of all the things previously unappreciated in my western existence.  To the surface comes appreciation, but also fascination. Appreciation of what I have not appreciated enough and fascination with my new world.

Live in a world as opposite to the west as possible and you are living in the east. For more reasons than the literary sense.  Cram 145 million people into a small space and there are some requirements which are not written by law but are expected from the moment of your inclusion into this world. The biggest of these that I have added to my list of eastern appreciation is ‘Sense of Community.’ Once again something which I had previously given as much appreciation as most ethnocentric westerners would have. Two months here have shed some light on the importance of maintaining your ’sense of community.’  Put it this way, underpinning a country with arguably one of the lowest serious crime rates in the world is a ’sense of community’  Everyone seems to ‘do their bit.’ You can walk down the street here at any time and feel completely safe. Admittedly it should be mentioned that I have only been here 2 months and am using my observations from life in Southern Japan which is probably slightly more sedate than areas such as Tokyo or Osaka. But my observations at this stage of my experience, I feel replicate the things which stand out as most obvious in comparison to western life. For example, an American teacher was telling me the other day that he left his digital camera outside a ‘combini’ (7-11)  recently and did not realise he had done so untill a few hours after leaving it there. Upon returning to where he left it he found his camera still there sitting on the bench where he left it. Name me the western country where you would see this.  

Japanese people respect the fact that they are living in each others pockets and behave accordingly. We may have a little more space in the west and a different set of cultural values and ideologies but lets take a leaf out of this book  huh people? If only we could take a little bit from every culture in the world. Maybe we could all live in harmony?

This brings me to my next point. Let me ask you this. On any given day, how much energy do you expend preserving your own well-being in your western world? Given your lifestyle and surroundings this may change a fair bit but a safe guess would be that most western people would definitely expend a percentage everyday preserving your own wellbeing. What is ‘preserving your own wellbeing?’ – who you choose to make eye contact with,  the words you choose and the tone you choose to speak them, the body language you consciously or subconsciously use, your choice of reaction to a potentally volatile situation - all of these things are part of normal life in most of the western world and all require a percentage of energy with the end result hopefully being the preservation of your personal well-being and the enjoyment of your life. 

Of course, in all cultures people have to mind their ‘p’s and q’s’ but having lived in Japan for 2 months now it is plain to see that the energy which is largely subconsciously expended in the western world is not required in anywhere near the same percentile in Japan. Which creates an interesting situation. ‘What to do with this unexpended energy?’ Well, my friends. If we all had a choice, I’m sure we would all choose to divert all of our spare energy into areas of positivity rather than negative so this is what happens. So far on my journey this is the biggest source of appreciation for me. I have far more time and energy for personal reflection and appreciation for the things that ‘really’ matter now that I’m not required to expend wasted energy on negative areas.

So, two months in and I continue to be fascinated by the wonders of the east.

To those that take the time to read my blog. Thank you. 

To those that are disillusioned with life in the west, come to the east. It will offer you a brand new perspective!

Arigato gozaimos.

Matt

Japan and new technology are 2 things which are usually mentioned in the same sentence. I have seen first hand the many advancements in technology which Australia and NZ are light years behind.  Toilets which are a  joy to visit, crazy modern cars, motorcycles and bicycles, mobile phones which do everything (I guess this is the reason that when you walk down the street here, every kid has their face buried in their mobile.) Apparently one of the features is a ‘virtual friend’ which needs your constant attention or else they will no longer be your friend. Tragic, in all senses of the word.

Another example of technology here are showers which have a special feature built into them which I thought was especially brilliant. See, you turn the water on as usual and then adjust the temperature before stepping under the water as per normal. Then around 1 minute after stepping under the water, the water turns stone cold for a minute or so before returning to normal temperature! Brilliant! Hydrotherapy built in! I wonder when the rest of the world will catch up to the marvels of modern technology and new age thinking that Japan has to offer.

Anyway I could dribble on forever about my cool shower but I have some other things to mention. Today is Monday 2nd November and I am approaching the 2 week mark since I stepped of the bus from Fukuoka after my 1o days of training.

An accurate comparison summarising my first week in Oita would be I felt like a sponge who had soaked up all possible water but was still required to soak up more but the water now just spills out rather than soaks up. Adjusting to life in Japan is pretty intense, everything and I mean everything is different  here. It is challenging enough getting through day-to-day activities like navigating your way through the city, public transport, food etc, let alone beginning a new job as an English teacher.

For those that know me well you will know that I am a man who has dipped his finger in many pies when it comes to lines of work. You name it I have done it. My last job in Melbourne and Christchurch, just before I left, was as a removalist. Removalist to English teacher is probably not what you would put next to each other on the continuum of natural career progression! So as you can imagine it took a week or so for my head to adjust to exactly where I’m at and what is required to do this job properly. Towards the end of this week my sponge started working again and I was able to take on a bit more, without too much overflow. The penny dropped you might say. Around 3 weeks of soaking up information and finally my ex removalist / waiter / account manager / restaurant manager / barman / salesperson, brain started working again.

There are several varieties of JET’s (Japanese English Language Teachers) in Japan. Aeon (the company I work for) is focused on developing English conversation skills, JET (American company) is focused on Natural Language Skill not necessarily conversation based, and then are dozens of smaller private schools teaching English in whatever way they want. Now that I have settled a little more, I am really enjoying the job. An English language instructor in Japan is automatically afforded the status of  ‘Sensei’ which in Japanese social hierarchy is fairly high up the list. So in other words the students love you. The students are an absolute open book for your information and most of them are very keen to learn English. Of course there are a few who are not as committed as others but thats par for the course in any educational institution. My goal is firstly to teach English in the most professional manner possible and secondly to have fun whilst doing so. The most challenging aspect at this stage is trying to remember the names of all of my 60 odd students. Western names are hard enough to remember. Try teaching a class to Kanako, Nanako, Sayoko, Hiroyuki, Tomoyuki and Miyuki. You get the drift. My trick at the moment is on my class list each day I write a descriptive word next to each persons name such as ‘frizzy’, ‘chubby’, ‘teeth’, ‘giggly’, etc. Eventually I hope to be able to do away with the descriptions!

Last weekend was the Aeon Kids Reading Recital day. 10am last Sunday morning my fellow teachers and I met at the Oita city hall to set up 200 odd chairs for proud parents of the Aeon kids to watch the kids recite from their English story books displaying their newly acquired English skills. For a child in Japan to be bi-lingual with English and Japanese is a huge thing for Japanese parents so this was a big occasion. Soon after things got under way I was immediately cursing myself for not bringing my camera. Japanese kids (little ones – 5 years old etc) are the cutest things you have ever seen. With around 220 proud parents looking on each child read a segment of his or her reading book. At the end of the recital each group of children in each age category was presented a certificate for their achievements. I was required to present some of these certificates. Now at this stage you would be thinking no big deal right? As I was at the time of being asked to present the awards. Now for those that are familiar with Japanese customs, presenting anything, like a business card or any type of award for that matter is not done in the same fashion as in the west. Did anyone tell me this? No. So onto the stage I went. Stood next to the microphone after being introduced as the new teacher and commenced calling each student out with as I have been told, rather questionable Japanese pronunciation. I handed each certificate with one hand and took no notice of the way the certificate was facing, as you do in the west. Big mistake. After the first round of awards I was quickly informed that my method of certificate presentation was not acceptable in terms of Japanese custom. In Japan when presenting anything (menu, business card, change at the shop, receipts, and definitely certificates) it must be done with the fingertips of both hands at the top of the item with it facing the recipient accompanied by a slight bow. So I guess I didn’t notice the horrified faces of my managers, not to mention the 100 odd parents, whilst passing the certificates in such a nonchalant western fashion! You live and you learn as they say.

So back to teaching. The best way to describe this job is that you are basically an expert charades player. Learning to communicate 80% body and maybe 20% oration is what is roughly required. As soon as you start to head into anything more than around 20 % speaking you get what I call the ‘tumble weed effect’ This is not a nice feeling when you see it as a teacher. Imagine feeling like you have explained something as clearly and accurately as humanly possible to be met by 5 to 10 completely blank faces. Then you see the tumble weed roll by…and your back is instantly covered in a slick of sweat as you wonder how the fuck are you going to explain this any more basically, when you have just done it in the most simple way you thought possible? Then you suddenly realise that you have an amazing set of charades skills you never knew you possessed! Amazing..Suddenly the tumble weed disappears and the faces spring back into life and your heart rate adjusts, as the message gets through. So I guess I am learning how to teach these guys and I’m starting to have fun doing it.

People stare at you here, it’s wierd. It’s wierd but also kind of amusing. There are people who look shit scared of you and then there the ones who are dying to try and talk to you to test their English skills. This most commonly happens when you visit an Izakawa  (Japanese pub). I have a local place I go to a couple of nights a week which is not far from my apartment. It is owned by 2 young Japanese guys both named Tepe. Each time I visit I learn a little more Japanese and the people I talk to learn a little more English. It is a healthy relationship you might say. Each time I have been there for a beer or dinner or usually both, it is a given that I will have had a laugh with every group of Japanese people in there. Even if only a few words are understood its amazing how much a few beers promotes a non verbal form of communication! It is a lot of fun!

Well thats about all have in this action packed instalment of Matt’s adventures in Japan. For those that fancy a chat on Skype or good ol Stalkbook, my days off are Sunday and Monday so I will usually be online these nights.

Till next time,

Arigato gozaimos, sayonara.

“Kipling’s statement has been cited as a discouragement and as a warning to those who might venture too close to the ‘inscrutable Orient’ without advance self fortification, and it is this attitude that can actually create a predisposition to culture shock.”

Hmmm after being here just over a week my attention was grabbed by the above excerpt from my ‘Japanese customs’ handbook. I would have to whole heartedly agree that you probably can’t get more west from the east when it comes to our western way of life and the way of life over here. It is almost a shame that the western way of thinking cannot open itself up to some of the ways of the east. I mean I’ve only been here for just over a week and I have all ready seen so many positive things that you just don’t see back home. 

For example the streets over here are crowded, and I mean crowded. Japan is a country very similar in size to NZ in terms of landmass but with 75% of the terrain uninhabitable and a population of around 145 million, you get my drift when I say the streets are crowded! Imagine the mood of that amount of people if it were NZ or Australia or any western country for that matter. As it is at the moment back home,  people every day kill each other or hurt each other or just generally display an adverse amount of aggression or hostility just because thats the way it is in the western world. Perhaps it is the predominance of this atmosphere in the western world that makes the atmosphere over here stand out so much. I noticed it almost immediately upon setting foot on Japanese soil. There are people bustling around, bikes zipping between people on the footpath, people operating sidewalk stalls, giving away promotional material or just standing around talking. People everywhere! Not once have I seen a sign of aggression or displeasure or hostility from anyone amongst the chaos of the city, and I’m just in Fukuoka which has a population of around 1 million! Imagine Tokyo which has a population of around 35 million!

Now I am still learning a lot about everyday life in Japan but had to mention this in my blog because it really does astound me every day. Everybody is polite. I dont know much Japanese but I know pleases and thank you’s and apologies,  goodbyes and greetings etc and you hear these things a million times a day hear when you are out and about. For instance when you walk into a shokudo (eating place) every person who walks through the door is welcomed audibly by several people who work inside. You are then quickly ushered to a seat and menus and drinks are promptly placed in front of you. The amount of times I have been out for breakfast or lunch in NZ or Australia and encountered a hung over person with ‘I’d rather be anywhere than here written all over their face’, is to many to mention.

Hey dont get me wrong I love my country but I just think, thumbs up to you Japan! We could learn a thing or two from you back home!

So, I’ve almost  finished my training in Fukuoka and am gearing up for the move to Oita City on Wednesday to begin teaching. It has been a fairly challenging week. Settling into a place like Japan is proving to be as exciting as it is scary. Which is an interesting paradox of emotions. You find yourself walking around with every nerve ending attached to every emotion constantly on high alert! Every where you look there is something new. As exciting as this sounds it is also tiring. So for my first week when I was required to learn how to teach English to all levels of ability and adjust to these surroundings, I found myself pretty exhausted by the end of it.

There are many customs and facets of everyday business life that also take a while to adjust to. For instance, every morning I am required to walk into the main office at Aeon training headquarters and address all the head office staff. Not at the door but actually walk right in and say something like ‘Good morning everybody today I will be doing……yesterday I did…..I hope to accomplish….hope you all have a great day…” same goes at the end of the day when you say the opposite – ‘I’ll see you tomorrow, today I did….tmrw I’m doing… This is customary procedure for the environment I’m in.  It is much more formal in a business sense than back home.

On to other things. I got into trouble the other day. My training for a couple of days went from 12-9 in the evening. So a couple of times when I took 10 minute breaks I took the lift down to the foyer and found the place all shut up. I wanted some fresh air (well as fresh as outside in the city here can get) So being the typical Kiwi, I grabbed the fire extinguisher and propped the door open and stood outside. A couple of Japanese guys finishing work late gave me strange glances as they walked past me on their way out but I thought nothing of it. When I went back inside I noticed a strange faint high pitched shrill coming from the door area and realised ‘ahh woops that must be because I kept the door open for too long, ahh well’ Next morning comes about and the director of Aeon for the region I’m in calls me over and asks for a word. Ahh ohh in any country I know what that means…I’m in trouble. So then she tells me that it is very bad to keep that door open and the building is actually a massive bank. After some apologies for the misunderstanding I met with my trainer Alfred who explains further and pulls out some surprisingly clear close up photos of me standing outside the building stuffing my face with a Japanese snack bar! Flippin heck these guys are good! Mental note – “definitely wear balaclava if planning bank robbery in Japan’

Some challenges this week. I thought I had sorted my plug situation out on the second day I got here but it turns out that this was not to be. There are a couple of types of plug , the 3 pin variety and the 2 pin variety. Both of which have different amounts of wattage, volts and amps and all that crap. I’m no electronics whizz but and fuck me is it annoying when you cant plug your electric toothbrush or your laptop in! So I trekked to the local electronics outfit in Fukuoka, a massive place with every conceivable latest piece of Japanese electronics wizardry. I found what I thought would do the trick trekked back to my hotel plugged in my toothbrush and….no light flashing. Ahh well must be the wrong one so I trekked back, swapped for what I was sure would be the right one, trekked back to my hotel (about a 15 minute walk each way) plugged in my toothbrush and…..no light flashing. Faaaark!! So I trekked back now my mood deteriorating and try the ol wave the hands around and use your  charades skills to describe what I needed. I also took with me my entire electric toothbrush set up – charging dock with cord and toothbrush so I could test it. (Yeah I know.. ’why didn’t you do that at the start Einstein?’) and the helpful girl understands my charade and grabs a box transformer thing which is needed to convert everything to make my stuff safely work. Fuck me, the thing weighs about 5 kilo and cost me 6000yen (about $75) Well you gotta do what you gotta do and I cant do with out my electric toothbrush. By the way if you are still using the plain old brush, make the upgrade its well worth the investment. Cleaning my teeth is now fun! What a clean you get aswell!!! I really could go on for hours about my electric toothbrush and dont even get me started on my new Phillishave triple head electric swivel head shaver…

So next challenge – the laundromat. Now you’re probably thinking.. ‘Launrdromat? How can that be so hard?’ Well yes ok maybe so when you’re looking for your average western laundromat but let me tell you the Japanese laundromat is maybe a tenth the size of the western one. Literally a whole in the wall arrangement. If you check out my latest facebook photos you will see what I mean. So long story short I left my hotel room this morning at 10.00am and set off on my mission to do my laundry. I manged to find some detergent from the 100 yen shop, I even purchased some stain remover, for that stubborn collar grime. 3 and a half hours later I found my hole in the wall laundromat. The problem was, on the map I had there were 2 laundromats marked and I was informed by my trainer Alfred which was the better of the two because it had newer machines. Of course I found the old one with no probs but could I find the newer one? Oh no! So after realising my charade descriptions were not working I went back to my hotel and spoke to the desk girl whose English was just good enough to understand me. I found my hole in the wall laundromat and got my laundry done. Photos of my epic journey on facebook.

So thats about it for now folks. I’m really not sure who is reading this dribble of my Oriental adventures, but I hope it is mildly entertaining. After my brain refills with my next series of experiences I will write another!

Sayonara friends

Matt

Well I’m here. A lone kiwi in a big crazy Japanese world.

Kinda like the Americans do things big, the Japanese do things small! Small cars, small hotel rooms, small people, small meals and so on..I had two dinners tonight because the first one didn’t fill me up, it was tiny, but yummy. I had fun obtaining this food actually. The first meal was at a small eat in type place (not sure of the Japanese word for it yet) and I stuffed up the way you’re supposed to order the food. There is a ticketing machine that you are supposed to put your order though on which I didn’t do, just rocked up and pointed to something that looked ok, luckily the girl serving could speak ok English so she let me away with it. Then I was still hungry after that so I decided to go to the supermarket and get a lucky dip of Japanese stuff. No idea what I was buying, except for the sushi. I thought I had chosen apple juice but it was this disgusting cold green tea which nearly made me puke. But other than that the food here is just as amazing as what I was told it would be, but it will help when I actually know what I’m ordering!

To be honest it is a little daunting being in a place where you cant communicate freely with people. I was told to expect a bit of staring but I havn’t really noticed any staring, except maybe from the old people. Its wierd,  I find myself scanning for other westerners when I ever I go out, but when I do spot the odd random one they don’t offer any acknowledgement at all. I dunno maybe they’ve been living here for ages and its no big deal for them, or maybe I just dont look friendly! All good I’m enjoying being on the other end of the scale in terms of the minority here. It kinda changes your perspective on things. I guess I’ve never really stopped to think about what it must be like for refugees living in NZ or Aus with not much English ability, it would be pretty hard.

Annnyway …I arrived here this morning at 8.30am Thursday 8th October after a marathon 24 hours of travelling, with pretty much no sleep. Cant sleep on planes, plus had screaming kids on most of the legs also. One plus was Singapore airport which I should mention. I’ll give you the hot tip which was given to me by my parents. Do yourself a favour if you’re ever passing though Singapore airport on a stopover, get on the airport train which you catch from inside the airport and is free, and go down to terminal 1, go to the hotel down there (cant remember the name but its the only one in T1, pay $13 and treat yourself to a swim in the outdoor pool, a dip in the bubbling spa, and then a shower before you catch your next flight. It was magic and not many people seem to know about it (well I guess they will now!)

Alfred Cuba the Aeon trainer met me at the airport, I sorted my bag to be sent to Oita and the one I have with me in Fukuoka for training and we were off. Alfred soon told me that I would be the only one in the training group. This was a little disappointing as I had hoped to meet some people during the training and have some people to explore with. Never mind. So we arrived at the hotel at around 10am but I could not check in till 12 so I had 2 hours to kill. Alfred showed me some of the basic amenities around the hotel, then he went away to work and I was left to fend for myself! I had something to eat and by the time 11.15 came I was asleep on my feet. Luckily I was checked in 15 minutes early. Grabbed a shower and a couple hours sleep. Then came my first challenge. I realised I had not brought with me any adaptors for my plugs (Aus and NZ use 240v, Japan uses 100v) So knowing that I wanted to spend some time writing this tonight on my laptop (oh yeah free internet in the hotel room) I set out to find an adaptor. I took my laptop cord with me thinking that I would try and use hand signals to explain what I needed. It sort of worked and after many hand signals using a ‘plug thrusting’ and ‘no good’ and ‘2 prongs instead of 3′ movements and 3 wrong stores later I finally found myself with 4 helpful store assistants trying to find an adaptor for me. Ooops I missed a bit… On the way to the 3rd store whilst staring at my crumpled free map like a typical lost westerner in Japan, a young Japanese fella asked if I needed help. That was about as far as his English went, but he actually stopped what he was doing and walked me all the way to the shop I was looking for. Pretty awesome I thought. Arigato gozaimos (Thank you very much) is pretty much all the Japanese I have used so far. You hear this quite a lot of from Japanese people around you, especially in the noodle bars etc from the staff. It was hard for me to show my appreciation to him other than to say this and pat him on the back.

So I found my adaptor and was quite proud of my small achievement! I then came back and slept a bit longer then went for another small explore. Along the way this time, a Japanese guy with long hair and a backpack on his back, called out to me as I walked past..”Kiaora bro!” I couldn’t believe it. I wondered how he knew I was a kiwi then realised he had seen my NZ t-shirt which has a picture of NZ on the front. So I stopped and had a chat with him and asked him where I could find a good ramen shop (soup noodles) he said there wasn’t one close but he would drive me to one. Another super friendly Japanese person! I declined his kind offer as I didn’t fancy my chances of finding my way back to the hotel if driven to far away, especially in my sleep deprived state. He pointed me in the right direction of something that was still good but not a proper ramen shop and off I went on my dinner mission.

So that was my first day in Japan. Here I am now sitting in my 3 by 5 hotel room about to crash out and catch up on sleep and try and get my body clock adjusted. Its prob about 25 degrees outside and pretty muggy. From the lone Kiwi in Fukuoka, love to all my loved you know who you are! Till my next action packed installment

konichi wa…

Hello world indeed!!

Well sitting in the luxury and comfort of home I have a little bit of spare time on my hands so thought I may as well get started on this blogging thing! Many thanks to my sister Kama (cantabrian.net) for setting this up for me and showing me how to get started.

Not the most experienced blogger out there but figure I just tell the world, or rather anyone that has nothing better to do, about whatever shit is on my mind!

So I arrived back in NZ on Monday the 20th of July after 8 years in Melbourne. I have been back just coming up to a month now. My visualisations of what I would be doing whilst enjoying the comforts of home, have pretty much all come to fruition, right down to reading the morning paper cover to cover every morning, sitting at the sunny end of the dining room table, eating porridge, drinking coffee and juice, with the dog staring at me for my plate.

Family time is what its all about and this is what I have. Family time. Something I have not really had a lot of..well not on a continual basis. Maybe the odd visit at Xmas but nothing like a couple of months just doing family stuff. I left home at 17 and since then have done it all my way. All good but jeez I miss family time so that’s what I’ve got now.

Its the simple things really, home cooked meals, helping out with the vacuuming, making a cup of tea or coffee for your folks, talking shit with your brothers and sisters, taking the dog for a walk, having dinner kept aside for me…all the little things that you forget about when you don’t live with your folks..the comforts of home. If you ever feel the need for some grounding or just to touch base and reconnect with whats really important in life then go home for a bit..I totally recommend it.

I have a little over a month left at home before I begin the next ‘phase’ which begins in Oita, Japan on October 7. I’m feeling nervous and excited at the same time which is an interesting paradox of emotions creating a kind of neutral balance hard to explain. My reasons are pretty much 90% financial in that I have made an executive decision to finally do something about making a decent dent in my student loan!

My plans are to chill out in the time I have before I start work in Japan, preparing for12 months of working and saving teaching English in an environment which will be far removed from what I have grown accustomed to. The comforts of home will be no longer as I will be a westerner in a very Eastern world. But, this is what brings the excitement. Where ever there is change there is adventure and where ever there is adventure there is excitement, so bring it on!

There are people I will leave behind and there is 1 who will be on my mind a lot…and she knows who she is. But I am a firm believer in that if destiny and fate can form part of the foundations of a relationship under construction, then a very solid union can be formed…

There is an old cliche – ‘If you love something set it free…’ well thats what I’m doing. Its a scary thing to leave your dreams in the hands of whoever is at the helm of fate or destiny but I guess at some point in all of our lives we all have to do it..

Sooo for the next 5 or 6 weeks I plan on more family time, well untill they go to Italy Sept 7. Then these blogs will change tack while I pen my experiences and thoughts as I begin my 12 months in Japan…

Untill I gather up some more random thoughts…later!!!