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I know I've moaned about the way I've been treated as a gaijin by the
Japanese quite often. But really, DO NOT let this put you off ever going
to Japan. Really, it's pretty natural that the Japanese treat me as a
foreigner, cause after all, that's what I am! And you'd get the same
treatment as a foreigner wherever you go in the world. In fact, Japan
probably treats foreigners a bit better than a lot of countries do. And as
for that presentation a few days ago, while it still feel it could have
been done more...sensitively towards us, it still was a good thing, to get
us meeting Japanese kids. And I did really enjoy meeting those kids, and
even being filmed speaking my terrible Japanese - I do feel lucky to have
been on TV.
And last night, I was reading some of the messages that the kids left for
me, and some were really quite sweet. One said they thought my photos were
very interesting, another said I had a lot of good points, and another
just asked blankly, "why did you photograph graveyards?!" which made me
smile. And today, our tutor Imanishisensei actually said thank you to us
all for taking part. So, it seems that the teachers were grateful for us
:)
Anyway, the point of this is, there is so much about Japan I LOVE, that
even on the days when I am forced to remember I am a foreigner, and always
be, I still love this country, and there are many things about it, many
many things, that England could learn a thing or two from. I thought I'd
run down some of my highlights here:
1. THE FOOD. Of course. The quality of the food here is far
superior to England, for the most part, and cheaper! And it's very healthy
too. As well as the obvious sushi, sashimi and tempura, some of the
foodstuffs that I now can't imagine living without include: an (azuki bean
paste, my favourite!), mochi (pressed rice cakes, especially the daifuku
variety with an inside), onigiri (rice balls often wrapped in seaweed
containing various fillings, often eaten for lunch), and the yummy sweet,
sesame seed rice cakes I like to munch!
2. THE PEOPLE. No really, the people are a good bunch here.
Sometimes they might annoy me with their Japanese quirks that I haven't
been brought up, but really, the people here are polite, kind, very
selfless and logical as a rule. It'll be a shock going back to England
where loutishness, rudeness and selfish thinking are becoming more and
more acceptable in society. OK, so us Brits aren't too bad, but even we
are worried by how bad some of us are getting these days.
3. SERVICE. In pubs, shops, airports, restaurants and anywhere else
that provides a service, you will (generally) be treated with great
respect and people will go out of their way to provide the service you
want. It's idyllic. And if you understand keigo (especially formal
Japanese language used to honour the other person), you feel like royalty:
"I am sorry, but would the honourable lord customer please honourably sign
this humble receipt?"
4. NOMIHOUDAI/TABEHOUDAI. For a fixed price (normally between
£10-£15), you can order as much drink/food as you want from the menu for a
set time, normally between 2-3 hours (although I've heard of longer). If
only the Brits were better behaved when drunk, we might have this concept
in Britain....
5. IZAKAYA. These are where people go after work where Westerners
might go to a pub. Basically, you order cheap, yummy food and drink
alcohol. And where I live, most have nomihoudai options.
6. WARM TOILET SEATS. In all Japanese homes, and some of the nicer
public placers, toilets have seat warmers. Believe me, they'll have you
purring.
7. KARAOKE. Karaoke in Japan is NOTHING like its Western imitation.
In the West, a karaoke is something you do standing up in front of a load
of people, most of which you probably don't know, and it's normally held
as part of a party or special bar night. In Japanese karaoke, however, you
and your friends get your own very cosy little room with the machine and
two mics. You enter your choice using a machine (you normally get two so
you don't have to fight over it, as well as two separate catalogues for
Japanese and foreign songs). And then you sing, while a video plays along
with the music, and at the end it calculates how many calories you've
burned up! And of course, food and drinks can be ordered via an intercom
system. And there's often a nomihoudai option.
8. NO CLOSING TIMES. In Britain, it is currently illegal for pubs
to keep serving alcohol beyond 11.30pm (11.00pm on Sundays), unless they
have a costly "extended license." Such a law does not exist in Japan. This
means you can stay out drinking in a peaceful little bar until the owner
himself decides to close it.
And there's more, plenty more, but I'd be going on forever if I mentioned
everything. So I'll leave it at that.
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