“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
