Japan is funny, America is funny too

Disclaimer: Now I realize I've only seen parts of the Japanese culture and have maximized some of the shortcomings of American culture here for comedic effect, so please just consider that this is my small, meaningless opinion with what may not be the full picture and sprinkled with humor before you attack me :)


Reason #1- Japan is a place where important ceremonies happen in sock feet. You see, you can't wear shoes inside, even in the workplace. Even if you have indoor shoes, graduation and entrance ceremonies take place in the gym which is a separate building, so people are given a bag for their outdoor shoes which they place under their seats. It's kind of funny to think that of important commencements, such as new students, teachers, and students leaving for the next step in their education, all taking place in sock feet.... Something Americans save only for pajama parties or at least the comfort of their own homes.

Reason #2- Japanese people I have encountered and heard about, do things Americans would be appalled at. Case in point, the other day Jon and I were grocery shopping. We were looking for applesauce so Jon went to find a clerk to help us find it. I was standing with the cart, when I realized a woman staring at me. I tried smiling at her, but she persisted in starting at me and then came over. She was an older woman, with her daughter. The mother said hello to me and I replied, after which she started rummaging through our cart! She proceeded to ask me questions, in Japanese of course, to which I pleaded with her that I didn't understand her. The conversation went on way too long while I was just trying do some innocent grocery shopping. She eventually told me she wanted me to teach her English, but I'm not interested in a student who is so nosy. There was another man in the grocery store that night who hassled us about the contents of our cart. Jon and I would never imagine doing that to another person, Japanese or other. I've heard from another ALT (from NZ) who lives on a smaller island who gets old grandmothers rummaging through his cart. It got to the point where he started doing it right back to them. Good for him, but I can't do that! Imagine your reaction if while at your local supermarket and some foreigner came up to you and started making comments about the contents of your cart.

Reason #3- Japanese people are more dependent and more independent than Americans. Americans like to think they are independent. We make our own decisions. For the most part, we have ourselves in mind before others when deciding how we want to live our lives: the jobs we choose, the relationships we make or keep, even the schools we go to. Japanese people, on the other hand, keep their families and their culture before themselves. When making decisions, they consult their families and evaluate the strain it would put on them if the individual makes a choice that might not be in the best interest of the family. However, it is not to say that these individuals are unhappy. I think most Japanese people have learned how to be content in the lives they feel they must lead. That's something Americans could learn. How many Americans do you know that are miserable because they feel like they have to live "their" lives a certain way. Who decides the ownership of a life anyway? Maybe we have it all wrong in America. Shouldn't the families who have helped raise a child from birth have some say in what that child does with their life? Maybe I've just been here too long. Anyhow, back to my point. American children have it made (in my area at least). Their parents pay for these children to have the best extracurriculars, daycare/maids, education, clothes and cars. Those children typically grow up resenting those very same parents for something else that wasn't provided. American children don't always grow up learning about how to be responsible for themselves, let alone their own families. I don't think Japanese people even have a word for resentment. These children clean their own schools, get themselves home from school on their own (first graders ride the bus home alone after a few trial runs with a parent, and it's not unusual to see school children walking home as late as 9pm on weeknights after their sports clubs or cram schools), care for themselves when they get home (unless Mom doesn't work, their parents work much longer hours), manage to do their own homework driven by their own self will, and just seem less helpless than American children. Japanese society depends on the individuals within it. Schools won't get cleaned if children decide they shouldn't have to clean them, the education system would fail if students stopped doing their homework, and the system would fail if adults decided to only work 8 hour days here. Therefore Japanese people are more dependent on each other than Americans who have designed their individual lives. Past the nuclear family, Americans don't really depend on each other though, they have set up their lives as independently as they can so they can feel... maybe, in control? I haven't seen any struggles for control in Japan. Not in the workplace, not in parking lots, not on streets, not anywhere. These people are ok with the fact that much of their lives have been decided for them. They do what they can with what they have and make the most of their situations, whatever the situation may be. They don't seem to be riddled with debt. They don't take vacations all the time to escape their realities. They seem to live complete, full lives and seem pretty happy in these lives. Americans have full lives, but seem pretty stressed out about these lives they lead. Just look at how many people are on meds for mental issues or pain, and how many people are suing their old friends for wrong doings. You won't find that in Japan. Doctors won't even give you painkillers in the hospital when you ask for them. Both times I asked, I was given acetaminophen (and left thinking, are you serious?).

Japanese people drive slowly, but they work quickly. Americans drive fast and work slow. I hope I take away from this place just enough to stay sane when I return to the US.

The price of our independence in America comes with a large price tag for therapy.


Reason #4- Japanese people seem to change their clothes at least once during their work day. Take my vice principal at Hyakuna for example. He is the crossing guard before school, so he wheres a suit, with a windbreaker on top. As soon as the morning bell rings he typically changes into his track suit, which he will wear in the office. Then after he eats lunch, he changes into grubby work clothes and work boots so he can work in the garden. After that he changes again, either into a business suit or a track suit again. I don't think Americans would ever change so many times in one work day.