Mouth wide open like a true tourist!

It’s just over 3 months that I’ve been living in Japan and whilst I’m still basically a newbie, gradually, I’m becoming adapted to my new surroundings. By all means though this was not always the case and at first there were many things for me to discover, some of which I will detail below.

My Melody Mask

6pm, fresh off the plane, jetlagged and in need of a shower I was not at my most observant as I took my first steps in this new terrain, yet there was one thing even my weary eyes picked up on: masks. And no I’m not talking about scary, Halloween masks or skin purifying, beauty masks, but clinical, surgical masks. Now for westerners I have probably inadvertently sparked images associated with the infamous two, swine flu and bird flu but fear not, there’s a perfect explanation. It was quickly explained that due to the hard working nature of Japanese people, no one takes time off for sissy illnesses like the common cold, so instead masks are worn to safeguard oneself and protect others from sickness. So whilst at first I was semi perplexed, now it is something I barely notice. Plus, Japan being Japan means you can buy super kawaii masks featuring characters like My Melody and Snoopy, the perfect fashion accessory when you’re sick!

Shinsaibashi by night

So my first night in and masks were the only thing I’d picked up on (I always was susceptible to finding beauty in my surroundings!) The next day though came with its own delightful surprise. In the broad daylight and with more perceptive eyes I found that the buildings of Osaka literally soared over me! Buildings so big I couldn’t help gawking at them, mouth wide open like a true tourist! Now, I’m no city virgin, it’s just Osaka is on a whole different scale to any city I’d previously seen. Not only are the buildings majorly massive, but there’s so many that it truly encompasses the 

metaphorical concrete jungle. And these were my thoughts before I’d even set foot into the shopping central of the city, Shinsaibashi. Shinsaibashi’s buildings are like big, flashing giants all cohabiting in one jam-packed area, and whilst they’re crowding up the sky the real crowds down on the ground are chaotic to say the least. I for sure got plenty of practice on my “Sumimasen”’s and “Gomen nesai”’s! Since then I’m lucky to have visited Osaka some more and though it’s not as shocking as at first, it’s still pretty overwhelming, just makes me wonder how I’ll feel on my first visit to Tokyo!!

Moving on, not to state the obvious but living in Japan means I’ve met many Japanese people. Thus far I’ve found Japanese people to be three things, polite, slightly shy and friendly, with the latter being the most true. Wherever you go people always greet you and are

always willing to offer a helping hand. I guess it boils down to Japan being a collectivist society (versus most western countries’ individualist societies) everyone working together for the greater good of society. Just a few hours into my arrival I was struggling desperately with two very large and very heavy suitcases up some stairs, next thing I know a lady is running towards me spouting Japanese and offloading one of my burdens until I reached flat ground. On another occasion I’d forgotten my umbrella and was caught in the pouring rain on my way home from work, 30 seconds into my journey and a car stopped by me, window opened and an umbrella handed to me despite my protests that it was only a short walk! Besides these cases people have generally been very friendly and eager to help, even despite, in some cases, the difficult language barrier!

To round this post off here’s a brief list of some other things I’ve encountered….. 

Cute pavement tile in my town

Rural Japan is full of rice paddies (other crops are grown too, but I mainly see rice paddies!) which if you’re not careful you can very easily fall into; there are some really, really creepy looking bugs; rural Japan and urban Japan are VERY different; cars don’t particularly stop for pedestrians, oh the man’s green and you’re crossing, ok well I’ll still drive through anyway; random older people like to drink alcohol on trains, it’s generally frowned upon to eat on public transport but drinking alcoholic beverages is absolutely A-Okay!; If you look foreign, people will stare; towns have speakers that play chimes and read announcements; and finally pretty much everything here features something cute including bridges, construction signs, drains, stations, cleaning products etc.

Well, there we have it, some of my new discoveries! For obvious reasons I couldn’t write about them all and of course these are based on my personal experiences, so don’t treat them as Gospel! There are also still many, many things I’m yet to encounter, but my verdict is this, Japan is a triple threat, fascinating, intriguing and leaves you wanting to know more! 


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