Quirky Differences

Japan is very similar, yet very different from the US.  One of the first things that Brad and I noticed when we got here is that everyone wears face masks. Yes, those surgical face masks that they ask you to wear at the doctor's office if you're coughing too much. I asked Chris about it and apparently part of the reason they wear it is to keep their faces warm when its cold outside. But then you still see people wearing them when its warmer out and indoors. I can see why people would wear them on the train, if their afraid of germs, but otherwise....I guess I just don't see the appeal. Maybe that will be my next invention...designer face masks instead of the ugly white ones. :)

       Here are some of the face masks available to buy at the store.

Secondly, Japan has awesome vending machines. Pretty much on every street corner (even in the neighborhoods) they have vending machines serving cold and HOT beverages. Yes, you can go out and get a hot bottled coffee down the street in the morning if you want. Mind you it is not Starbucks (they have those here too), but it is delicious and oh so convenient. I hardly ever get a beverage from a vending machine back home because its such a rip off but hey 120 yen for a 6 oz drink--yes please!

That is another thing. The serving sizes are much smaller here. When we go out to a restaurant you are served a glass of tea or water about a third of the size of what you get at a restaurant at home. And since servers only come to the table when you wave them over, they are never refilled. This has definitely been something to get used too. Also, we need to go invest in some handkerchiefs because restaurants typically do not have napkins on hand. This is not good especially when you're trying to get used to using chopsticks on such tricky things as noodles.  Plus, I'm trying to reverse everything my parents taught me about table manners because it is almost considered rude if you don't slurp your noodles. I was surprised how hard this was for me to do considering I had no problem ignoring my Dad's "keep your elbows off the table!" during my childhood. (I love you Dad!)

I'm also excited for my first car ride here. The driver's seat is on the right and they drive on the left side of the road. Brad and I have had an interesting time avoiding running into people at busy times during the day because we're so used to walking on the right when its opposite here.

Everyone here has been so friendly though. Like Brad posted before, we were able to meet some of Chris's students and definitely had a fun experience comparing the different cultures and practicing English and Japanese alike. Brad and I are looking forward to going out and exploring some new places in the upcoming days. We also have a couple interview set up for this weekend and early next week so wish us well! We'll keep you updated!

K

Our Second Day

Our second day began late as we tried to catch up on numerous hours of lost sleep.  We traveled with Chris to the train station close to his school and were treated to our first Japanese convenience store (called conbini in Japan).  We withdrew money at the international ATM and were charged a measly 1% of the withdrawal, a welcome realization.  In America, you are often charged four dollars or more to withdraw money from an ATM that is not owned by your bank, regardless of the amount being withdrawn.  We were charged five dollars to withdraw ¥50,000 (about $500) from the other side of the world.  Crazy.

Kathleen and I explored the neighborhood around Chris’ school while he taught his first class.  An hour later, we all went to a small sushi place close to Chris’ work.

It doesn’t get much fresher than this.

Kathleen and I returned home and took a much needed nap (I think I’ve finally adjusted to the time difference).  We then walked to the grocery store and searched for familiar products that did not require any preparation.  While I have studied Japanese and am comfortable with two of the three Japanese alphabets, the third and most complex of the alphabets is equally mixed in with the others.  We had no chance of understanding any instructions that did not include pictures.

We returned home and continued to send out resumes to potential employers.  Kathleen and I are both looking for jobs teaching English.  We have made progress and will hopefully be attending our first interviews in the next week.

We then traveled to Chris’ school to eat dinner with three of his students, Yuuta, Noriuki, and Kazue.  We went to a traditional restaurant and were treated to first-rate hospitality.  First we removed our shoes at a designated place so as not to track dirt into the dining area.  Chris’ students ordered us food and beer and we sat for hours discussing everything from simple hobbies to the complex ways we view each other’s country.  Chris’ students were able to practice their English in a very natural way and I was provided some much-needed help with my Japanese. 

Left to right: Noriuki, Yuuta, Chris, Kazue, Kathleen, and Brad

Kathleen and I were not allowed to pay for our meal, as the host-guest relationship is taken very seriously in Japan.  Chris and his students divided the check into four equal parts.  This is the norm in Japan when friends go out to eat and drink; food is ordered in large quantities and shared, and the check is split evenly.  This is a welcome custom as I cannot count the number of times I’ve been left to ensure our entire bill is paid in America only to see we are short a number of dollars because someone failed to add their bill correctly.

We parted ways at our respective stations, and Chris, Kathleen, and I headed home.  At the restaurant we made tentative plans to all go skiing at the end of February.  It is great to know I will see all of these wonderful people again soon.

My jetlag had me hoping for a low-key night at Chris’ apartment, but instead I was treated to one of the best nights of my life.  I’m happy I didn’t sleep through it.

Our First Day

We arrived at Narita International Airport after nearly 20 straight hours of travel.  We had a somewhat frightening experience at customs as the agent grilled us with questions:

Agent:  Where will you be staying?

Us:  With a friend in Akishima.

Agent:  What is the address?

Us:  We do not have his address.

Agent:  Why?

Us:  We never received it from him.  He is picking us up here at the airport.

Agent:  What is his phone number?

Us:  We don’t have his number.

Agent:  Why?

Us:  We don’t have phones that work here.

This continued for a few minutes with additional questions regarding our returning flight (we did not have proof of our outgoing flight within the 90 day limit of a visitor’s visa).  We were then asked to submit electronic fingerprints and photos – our first glimpse at this ultra-organized society.

In retrospect, it was very irresponsible for us to arrive without this information, something we had completely forgotten due to the daunting list of tasks leading up to a trip of this caliber.

Thankfully, we were let in without any delays, and after waiting no more than five minutes, we were greeted by our friend and host Chris Casey and his wonderful girlfriend Yoko.  While I had stayed in touch with Chris via E-mail and video chat, I had not seen him in over a year.  Chris has been our good friend for many years and would have been in the wedding party had he not been abroad at the time.  Chris wore a tan suit to work the day of our wedding, matching the color of the men’s’ suits and acting as an honorary usher on the other side of the world.

Our friend and host Chris with his girlfriend Yoko.  Chris and Yoko are both English teachers at the private English conversation school Aeon.

It was wonderful to see our friend again and receive travel help from his Japanese girlfriend through the complicated Tokyo train system.  Chris lives in Akishima, a suburb on the far west edge of Tokyo.  Narita International Airport is located on the far east edge of the city.  What is normally a two hour commute turned into a tedious stop-and-go as there was an unspecified accident on our train line.  Chris assured us of the situation’s rarity, stating one can usually bet their life on the Tokyo train schedule.  This long ride allowed me to indulge in a very popular activity on Japanese trains: sleeping.

We ended our long day of travel at a neat little restaurant close to Chris’s home.  The restaurant was set up like a buffet, offering the customer unlimited food for a two hour period.  We grabbed a myriad of raw meats and vegetables and brought them back to our fryer-equipped table.  We dunked the food in batter, covered it in breading, and were eating within minutes.  It was an incredible end to a very long day.

Kathleen and me with Chris’ girlfriend Yoko.

We walked back to Chris’ apartment in the snow, something rarely seen in Tokyo.   After a short tour of the apartment, we quickly crashed on a mountain of futons (Japanese futons, very different from their American counterparts), a fitting end to our 30 hour day.

This is It!!

I just want to thank my wonderful husband for putting up with me! He is the most patient, understanding person I know, but still tells me how it is, even if its hard to hear and I love him so much!I think moving is one of the most stressful situations to go through and I know he heard a lot about it from me. I never thought that there would have to be so much preparation just to leave and go away for awhile. It seemed like for every 1 thing we checked off our list, 3 more were added. But now...we are done! Or, almost...but at least most of the tedious things (besides applying to jobs) are done with. Tonight we get to celebrate with our families and eat delicious food that we're going to miss, thanks to the best cook I know, my Mom!! Brad and I are so excited for our trip and we are going to miss everyone so much!

Kathleen

Damn Tetanus Shot

Kathleen and I recently went to the doctor to update our vaccinations.  It had been over ten years since my last Tetanus shot (I needed protection from the bite of a rabid, six-year-old child - long story), so I needed to get the Tetanus vaccination in addition to my second dose of the Hepatitis A vaccine.  It was a very simple procedure - one shot in each arm.  I'm not afraid of needles, and the actual shots didn't really hurt.

But dammit!  It's been over 48 hours and my left arm still hurts.  The pain from my last Tetanus shot was gone in a matter of hours, but this one just won't quit.

Dammit!

Correction: The Worst Part is Moving. Definitely Moving.

After moving for a solid four days, Kathleen and I are finally done putting our stuff in storage.  I think I can say with almost 100 percent certainty that moving is the most unpleasant thing on this Earth.  Never has the knapsack tied to a stick life seemed more appealing.  While it is a truly abhorrent process, I never want the fear of moving to stop us from going where we want to go.

We still have many things to get done before the trip, but at the rate we're checking things off the list, we might even get to relax during our last couple days in America.  Five more days!

Brad

The worst part is definitely moving. In the last 8 months I have moved 4 times. Compare that to not moving once (except up to college) for 22 years! While the knapsack life may be appealing, staying in one place for a long, long time (eventually) sounds really appealing. But now that we can see the end of the tunnel, it is definitely worth it. Now we just have to check the rest of those things off our list and enjoy ourselves and the people we're going to miss.

Kathleen

The Worst Part: Waiting

13 days and counting.

This morning, I purchased our JR rail passes, tickets that will allow us to travel all over Japan for a discounted price.  I'm not sure if I've ever been on a train that wasn't parked at a museum, so Japan's public transportation system will be an interesting experience.

Kathleen and I both have three more days of work, and we can't do much packing until we're done working. We're slowly checking things of the "To-Do" list and counting down the days.

Brad