- Apr 5, 2012
- 3,192
- 212
Edit / it's SUPER SUPER LONG!! Just skip to the parts that interest you! I'm sure no one will read the whole thing haha
ﾍ( ´∀｀)ﾉI was wrong, quite an amount read it! Thanks for your time, hope I could help you clear some stuff up about Japan, or help you if you ever wanted to visit/live there (○^∀^○)
Here is a TL;DR edition, handy for those that have been directed here by Orisa. Thanks! (*ゝω･*)
Also a heads up, I am in no way a guru or something - I am only here to shed some light on some misconceptions people have about life in Japan and perhaps helping some people if they wish to ever live in Japan. In no way am I telling you how to behave, how to change yourself, etc. That is all up to you. Though if you would like to have a good time in Japan, I suggest checking this out!
Hi all, hope everyone is doing good ヾ(ゝ∀･｡)ﾉ
Anyways I just want to cover this topic - living in Japan! As I'm sure most of you are all interested in Japan and wondering what it's like living there.
So, perhaps if you are a child of a parent who works at an embassy and has to move around every once in a while, or works in an international company or whatever, there is a chance that you will have to move to Japan one day if you're still living with your parents, that is. Which surprisingly I had experienced a few years ago. Unfortunately I'm still a child so I won't cover things such as work, housing, and other adult-responsible stuff in Japan. Just my experiences as a child in Japan, perhaps it will help you have an idea of what it's like, what you have to be careful of, what you have to adjust of yourself etc.
One of the reasons I'm making this thread is I've noticed many misconceptions of life in Japan. People like to base what they see in Drama, Anime, Manga or whatever. It's strange but yes I have noticed it alot. I just want to remind those that life in Japan is as real as life anywhere else. I'm sorry but it's not always a happy-go-lucky in Japan.
During my stay I have noticed some foreigners having a hard time adjusting, so I think it's pretty important to prepare yourself adjusting to a completely different culture, which is important especially if you've been living in the West.
There's a Japanese saying that goes
郷に入っては、郷に従え (Gouni itte wa, gouni shitagae)
The English translation is basically the English saying
When in Rome, do as the Romans do
Which I think a really important thing to think about. What you do in your home country may be seen offensive or abnormal somewhere else. For example I've been to countries where the majority of the population is Muslim, and they are really religious, and yet you see foreigners dressed really innaproppriately, being quite rude.
However I must warn you that some of it may come across as offensive. However I really really do not intend to offend anyone, as sometimes I may have hints of generelisation, etc.
Most of this is based on my experiences in Ishikawa prefecture, as that's where I have stayed for the longest (2-3 years), and Tokyo for around a year.
Some of it may be hard to believe but I will do my best to do this out of my honest experience and thoughts, without bias! Also it may be messy, my explanations may not be well and it may end up as a very very long read, as I'm doing this at the top of my head. So if you're not listening to some music already I'll prepare some tracks for you to get you into the Japan vibe. Pick which you like, or none at all if you hate this music hehe (Hip-Hop, Reggae..) (〃´▽`) Thanks renano for the suggestion!
By the way the first few parts you may already know, I still think I should cover just in case someone doesn't.
and all the other Nujabes tracks
Part 1: Language
Aight, so welcome to Japan.. First thing you'll notice is how difficult it is to communicate with others if you don't already speak Japanese - so I suggest you learn a bit of Japanese first before you arrive. My friend who goes to a Japanese school who is pretty fluent in English tells me that the English teaching in Japan isn't so good.. They only teach you "scenarios" if you know what I mean. For example they won't go in-depth into the language, they pretty much teach them
"May I have some water please?"
or
"I am having a good day. How about you?"
So please, please save the good Japanese people some trouble by learning some basics beforehand as some can get really nervous. Another thing you'll notice (God I hate to generalise) but in the city there's lots of unconfident boys who aren't really comfortable with talking, so they will get nervous or just ignore you if you speak to them. They'll often forget their "thank-you's" or "sorry's" but there's still that cute little bow most of the time.
Speaking about language, if you will stay around a Japanese community, you will be the English-practicing tool, no doubt! (≧∀≦*) Also, guys, just a heads-up; you may get "popular" in this case. But don't be fooled - Japanese girls are really friendly, and you may think they're flirty at times, but really, it's just friendliness.
Part 2: Manners, Courtesy & Behaviour
I find this topic probably the most important to think about in Japan. It's definately important not to think freely once you set foot in the beautiful island country. I simply can't cover everything (there is sooo much to think about in terms of etiquette), I'll refer to some important things but I'll refer you to JAPANGUIDE ETIQUETTE section.
Manners is a giant freaking deal in Japan. It will either open or close doors of opportunities for you. First thing you will notice is "sorry" (sumimasen) and "thank you" (arigatou) are two really common words. Honestly, you here them all the time. Learn to use them! Once you brush someone's shoulder on the sidewalk, most of the time it's pretty much common for a silent "sumimasen" or a little bow. Which reminds, me learn the bow! Here's a really in-depth yet short article on communication and courtesy using bows. Another scenario could be an inconvenience you may have caused, nomatter how minor it is.
Another quite important thing is introducing yourself. This is really important as it sets your people's first impressions on you. It either opens or closes doors in the future. I could go on forever speaking about this so I'll summarize - Start with your name (Note your last name is always mentioned first), your age, occupation (in my case it was class and school), followed with "nice to meet you" and a deep bow. However please note that this is formal. However, the downsides of this is that this isn't a good method to make friends - so you have to be really careful! And be careful about naming people - never go with the first name ever until you become close enough, most of the time they'll tell you to ease up. Instead use honorifics, which I'm sure you guys know already. It's based on a social hierarch/ladder, so if you're not sure yet (for example before they've introduced each other), use -san. It's always the safe way to go. Here's a Wikipedia article.
Moving on, another quite important topic is manners on the dinner table. I really don't know enough myself to be a genious behind it, but let me tell you it is a lot to think about. What you may think seems innocent may be quite rude in Japan. So here's an article on that. But at times, especially with young people, it may be understandable since they can acknowledge that you come from a different culture, but please be careful with older people! As I said it will either open or close doors for you during your stay. Which leads me to the next topic, which goes further in depth about all this "open" or "closing doors" gibberish I've been talking about.
"Honne & Tatemae" is a large deal of Japanese culture, and I think it is the reason it lead the country to such rapid development after its condition after WWII. The closest I can translate Honne & Tatemae is "Inner thoughts and appereance", a bit like Macbeth hehe (○´∀｀)
Anyway, what this all basically means in a short paragraph is don't display negative thoughts or feelings. Positivity is everything. When with Japanese people, don't sit there and complain, don't sit there and talk about how much your life sucks, just don't talk about things that have a sense of negativity to them. They don't like it, and if you ever do bring up something negative, they'll try their best to simply change the topic. Of course this isn't so big on younger people, but definately be careful if you're already an adult. Just don't comment negatively on anything. There are times when you will need to criticise, but you absolutely will have to try to do your absolute best to make it as light as possible!!
Now you still may be wondering what this "open and closing doors" thing is about.
Well, Honne & Tatemae means that people really won't be speaking anything bad about you.. in front of you.. So say if you've done something wrong, chances are high they won't say anything, and just stop speaking with you. So the doors of relationship and opportunity is closed. This also counts with job interviews, and so on. But I'm not sure since I haven't done any of those. This article is really good describing this topic.
I myself have mixed feeling about this. It helps with a joyful atmosphere but it isn't always good to cocoon your thoughts in you. So what I believe Japanese people do about it is they learn English just so that they can lean on a foreigner's shoulder, because then they don't have to worry about it. Or even better if you already know Japanese! So please, please do yourself a favour and remember this when being with Japanese people. Then again it's less to worry about if you're still a child like I was or when talking to other foreigners.
Sitting is also quite important, but I don't want to go too far in this topic so please refer to the Japan Guide. Anywas the formal way of sitting is called "Seiza", it literally means "correct sitting". There's a whole order to how to sit, and I could take ages to describe it so, yeah, once again please refer to the Japan Guide.
If you're not used to it, it will hurt like a b***!!!
I was used to sitting like that since before I came to Japan but being in an international school some of my friends who weren't used to it had incredible difficulties sitting like that. But eventually you'll get used to it! Do your best!
Part 3: The Daily Life, Crime and Safety
OK, so according to Lucky Star, Haruhi and other happy slice-of-life Anime, life in Japan is a party! Sadly enough, this story of fiction is just as fictional as any other cartoon in the world. Let me tell you if you're used to living in the West, life in Japan is tough. In fact I really didn't enjoy living there at the time - though now I miss it because I realise how much better it felt than living here where I live. I do believe though in the end of the day it's really a matter of race. How you look will most likely change how people look at you. My dad's parents are Japanese so I don't look that foreign, and my mom is from Asia as well (Indonesia, although both of their nationalities are now Indonesian so I call myself an Indonesian)
So which means in first sight people will treat me like a Japanese person, then they notice I speak pretty funny so they'll take the moment of the doubt and ask me where I'm from. Anyway the reason I'm bringing up race now is that I'm sure white people and black people (no racial!!) will be seen differently. For example even though I don't have the experience myself (I've seen it though!) is that if you happen to be black, the chances are higher that you will be accepted a job handing out flyers for a Hip-Hop shop in Shibuya. But at the moment that's not relevant to my topic.
Chances are high that you'll start off the day using the train or metro depending on where you live. It will become a routine, and God forbid that you may have to take a train that is busy during peak times in the big cities. It's a mess. I'm sure you've seen those videos but it really is like that! Also as I'm sure you've seen it in whatever dirty stuff you watch, groping can happen, but it's easily avoided if you're a female. In fact in some big cities they have a "women's only" train or metro car which is obviously just for the ladies, elderly, disabled, pregnant ladies, young children etc.
Basically what you see in your favourite train-groping hentai game is pretty much what goes in the heads of countless perverted middle-aged salary men hehe (〃´▽`)
Extra dangerous if you're a school girl, apparently that's a fetish. You will see it alot. It's a common fetish for these people, many ads you will encounter will include a schoolgirl in uniform, simply because it sells.
Sometimes there are posters around warning people of schoolgirls unwantedly being touched on the streets, or trains, and telling them to please be careful and don't go home on your own, and don't go home too late. But don't worry too much, many stories where a scream of "PERVERRRTT" will make the pussy go running.
However please don't be afraid, ladies! As a guy I felt 100 times safer in Japan than here in the Netherlands, i felt alot more comfortable walking alone at night there than here. And if you're still concerned, I still think it's a matter of "race" in this case. At least that's what my grandmother told me.
As you may have noticed, although this is a painful generalisation, Japanese (heck, Eastern Asian girls in general) are pretty small. So if you're a large person, the perverts will tend to be a lot more intimidated, I believe. Especially if you're a strong big black lady. No racial, one love to you but I'm pretty sure that many little Asians like us are easily intimidated by you guys!! Please don't be offended!! （･´ω｀･）
Let me tell you again the fantasies of some Japanese people are incredibly odd and incredibly strange in other countries. In fact I found this video here which is pretty true, I think.
Even though the chances are low for this to happen, I'll mention it anyway - Japanese schools are hard. Very very hard. I went to International schools so I didn't have to suffer, but let me tell you, I have friends that do go to Japanese education system schools, and it's all based on ranks. Japanese kids are super smart as well. So it's really full of constant pressure and stress. Especially in the big cities you'll tend to notice people are workaholics and tend to lose their sane mind. I think that's how guro was invented (I think I am very very wrong). Some can't take the pressure, since they're constantly expected to meet the expectations of all their peers, and at one point in time, they can't take it anymore, become social outcasts, depression and even suicide. That's why as a foreigner who isn't used to Honne & Tatemae I think it's good that you're there since you can be a leaning shoulder if you're close enough.
Are you immature? Good! Japanese kids are too - a kid of 17 will most likely have the intellect of a 19 year old but the commons sense of maturity of a 12 year old. So yeah, hyper, and fun people! Until they become an adult, that is..
Anyways.. yeah.. daily life..
Another part of daily life is food! If you're cheap and don't have a lot of money, food can be quite cheap in Japan (well.. fast food..) But in this case fast food is pretty good! You can buy a meal (gyudon) at Yoshinoya for around 260JPY, and I believe that's not even the cheapest, yet still enough to fill you up!
Oh, yeah and I'll also add crime and safety since I've mentioned it earlier.
Safety - Japan is around this area in the globe called the Pacific Ring of Fire, so it's seismically active. You will encounter many earthquakes so please, be prepared!
Many houses are equipped with a radio which goes off when an earthquake is felt or predicted, warning you and giving you basic instructions. There's also alarms on the street. And on TV, if you're watching something you'll be interrupted with a screen that looks like this
(this is from the Tohoku Earthquake last year)
The yellow areas is obviously the areas affected and where you have to be careful. Sometimes there's a more detailed map with red lines going along the coasts warning you of tsunamis, which leads me to tsunami warnings, there are sea walls/barriers that close to keep the water out of the coast, but unfortunately it wasn't enough to stop the rushing waters of last year's great Tohoku Earthquake. So if there's a warning, get to higher ground immediately. I can't say myself since I never lived by the coast, but you might, so just a heads up.
Generally in earthquakes, once you feel something, which is normally above magnitude 4 or 5, where it may start to feel a bit weird to stand, turn off the gas instantly and find cover, stay away from furniture that could fall over, glass, etc. I know it's basic stuff, but honestly, the first time I was in Japan I had no idea what to do, and it was a bit frightening. Though now it's become a habit to do all these procedures. But don't fear, earthquakes are so common, barely any damage is done if it's a regular one or an aftershock. More info:
http://www.bousai.metro.tokyo.jp/english/e-athome/shelter.html
http://www.tokyo-icc.jp/guide_eng/kinkyu/05.html
Please also see the website of the prefectural government you'll be staying in.
In fact, on the first of Setember every year (I believe that was the day), it's national earthquake day, so the whole country will have a large-scale earthquake drill. You will have your day off but will be asked to participate and you'll do things like evacuate the train, metro, help an evacuation scenario, learn to use firefighter equipment, survival techniques, etc. It's actually a really unique experience. Although at my school you'll have general earthquake drills every month.
Another thing is Yakuza and politics. As a child you really shouldn't worry about this, but I really want to shed some light on this.
There's many entertainment films, movies, Anime, Manga, whatever about the Yakuza. Unfortunately, most of the stuff on there is pretty much... true*. No joke.
Yakuza is big. I'm sorry, but behind the cute Anime, Manga, beautiful cities, kind people, lovely ladies, there's some sinister stuff.
Yakuza is a great part and influence of the Japanese economy. Want to run a shop? It's pretty much nothing without the insurance of the Yakuza. Got robbed? Police won't do crap, pay the Yakuza to do the justice. There are around 90.000 Yakuza around the world, so it's not surprising if you see some. And nowadays they're pretty nasty people, even though the ones you may come across seem to be really kind, when they're working they're working it's not so funny. I don't want to go so far into this because I don't want to scare you or get into trouble, so just don't butt yourself into business such as these ever, then you've got nothing to worry about. However there have been cases when innocent people have been caught into some sick Yakuza business by accident. Heck, I'm not surprised if the Yakuza work with the government. In fact, they do, if you follow Japanese politics and news you'll understand. (I don't want to go too far)
Another funny quick thing you'll notice is the amount of cute stuff. Everything has something "cute". PSAs on the street, letters you get from companies and the government, will always have a little "mascot". I still do not know why they do it, but it makes it alot more cheerful, so it's nice!
Part 4: Health & Hospitals
Not so pleasant this part, but I think it's quite important.
Generally you'll see that most Japanese people are pretty fit. Yes, this is because of the damn lots of walking and stair climbing you'll do during your stay. During the first few weeks you will be tired fast. But you'll get used to it, I'm sure! Also another reason they seem to be fit is martial arts and the P.E. curriculum in the schools. The choice of sports at school is really wide and can be fun once you join them - in fact high school baseball feels like it's more televised and spectated than profesional women's football hehe ( ・ω・)
There's lots of martial arts as well, it's a popular activity from an elementary schooler to a retired man. Many municipalities have public Dojos where you can practice your arts or public parks.
*Edit / I didn't mean to say that it's exactly the same, I meant to say that many Manga/Anime or other entertainment with Yakuza themes are partly reflected on the real Japanese underworld.. I can go into further detail if you want, during my time I did a crap load of research on them, and politics.
Hospitals in Japan is a headache - even though I always came with my mom or dad so we shared the headache, let me tell you it's really beauraucratic (sp?) There is lots of writing, speaking, sorting, documents etc. involved - I have been in hospital a lot so I pretty much know how it feels. The hospitals I've been to are incredibly creepy!! They tend to feel haunted a lot, and the doctors are absolutely evil. I don't know why but Japanese doctors seem to be incredibly cocky. Of course I'm generalising, but prepare to be scolded a lot! I think it's in the blood, my sister studied medicine in Japan and she has become cockier over time as well hehe (ノ´Д｀)ノ
Fruits tend to be quite expensive in Japan for some reasons, I saw some apples once for about 40k JPY. Could probably buy a video game with that money! But still, make sure you have your fruits often!
Part 5: "It Can't be Helped"
Part 6: Making Friends in Japan, and (Social) Acceptance/Behaviour
Part 7: (Life at) Home and TV
Part 8: Time (and Trains), Part 1
Making Friends Part 2, Japan and You
Anyways, if you've read this far, thank you!! and I hope I showed you something new. I'm really tired now so I'll continue with more parts later, please feel free to ask your questions, but I may not be answer all of them, once again because I'm only a child. Peace!! ヽ(^∀^ )ﾉ
ﾍ( ´∀｀)ﾉI was wrong, quite an amount read it! Thanks for your time, hope I could help you clear some stuff up about Japan, or help you if you ever wanted to visit/live there (○^∀^○)
Here is a TL;DR edition, handy for those that have been directed here by Orisa. Thanks! (*ゝω･*)
Also a heads up, I am in no way a guru or something - I am only here to shed some light on some misconceptions people have about life in Japan and perhaps helping some people if they wish to ever live in Japan. In no way am I telling you how to behave, how to change yourself, etc. That is all up to you. Though if you would like to have a good time in Japan, I suggest checking this out!
Hi all, hope everyone is doing good ヾ(ゝ∀･｡)ﾉ
Anyways I just want to cover this topic - living in Japan! As I'm sure most of you are all interested in Japan and wondering what it's like living there.
So, perhaps if you are a child of a parent who works at an embassy and has to move around every once in a while, or works in an international company or whatever, there is a chance that you will have to move to Japan one day if you're still living with your parents, that is. Which surprisingly I had experienced a few years ago. Unfortunately I'm still a child so I won't cover things such as work, housing, and other adult-responsible stuff in Japan. Just my experiences as a child in Japan, perhaps it will help you have an idea of what it's like, what you have to be careful of, what you have to adjust of yourself etc.
One of the reasons I'm making this thread is I've noticed many misconceptions of life in Japan. People like to base what they see in Drama, Anime, Manga or whatever. It's strange but yes I have noticed it alot. I just want to remind those that life in Japan is as real as life anywhere else. I'm sorry but it's not always a happy-go-lucky in Japan.
During my stay I have noticed some foreigners having a hard time adjusting, so I think it's pretty important to prepare yourself adjusting to a completely different culture, which is important especially if you've been living in the West.
There's a Japanese saying that goes
郷に入っては、郷に従え (Gouni itte wa, gouni shitagae)
The English translation is basically the English saying
When in Rome, do as the Romans do
Which I think a really important thing to think about. What you do in your home country may be seen offensive or abnormal somewhere else. For example I've been to countries where the majority of the population is Muslim, and they are really religious, and yet you see foreigners dressed really innaproppriately, being quite rude.
However I must warn you that some of it may come across as offensive. However I really really do not intend to offend anyone, as sometimes I may have hints of generelisation, etc.
Most of this is based on my experiences in Ishikawa prefecture, as that's where I have stayed for the longest (2-3 years), and Tokyo for around a year.
Some of it may be hard to believe but I will do my best to do this out of my honest experience and thoughts, without bias! Also it may be messy, my explanations may not be well and it may end up as a very very long read, as I'm doing this at the top of my head. So if you're not listening to some music already I'll prepare some tracks for you to get you into the Japan vibe. Pick which you like, or none at all if you hate this music hehe (Hip-Hop, Reggae..) (〃´▽`) Thanks renano for the suggestion!
By the way the first few parts you may already know, I still think I should cover just in case someone doesn't.
Part 1: Language
Aight, so welcome to Japan.. First thing you'll notice is how difficult it is to communicate with others if you don't already speak Japanese - so I suggest you learn a bit of Japanese first before you arrive. My friend who goes to a Japanese school who is pretty fluent in English tells me that the English teaching in Japan isn't so good.. They only teach you "scenarios" if you know what I mean. For example they won't go in-depth into the language, they pretty much teach them
"May I have some water please?"
or
"I am having a good day. How about you?"
So please, please save the good Japanese people some trouble by learning some basics beforehand as some can get really nervous. Another thing you'll notice (God I hate to generalise) but in the city there's lots of unconfident boys who aren't really comfortable with talking, so they will get nervous or just ignore you if you speak to them. They'll often forget their "thank-you's" or "sorry's" but there's still that cute little bow most of the time.
Speaking about language, if you will stay around a Japanese community, you will be the English-practicing tool, no doubt! (≧∀≦*) Also, guys, just a heads-up; you may get "popular" in this case. But don't be fooled - Japanese girls are really friendly, and you may think they're flirty at times, but really, it's just friendliness.
Part 2: Manners, Courtesy & Behaviour
I find this topic probably the most important to think about in Japan. It's definately important not to think freely once you set foot in the beautiful island country. I simply can't cover everything (there is sooo much to think about in terms of etiquette), I'll refer to some important things but I'll refer you to JAPANGUIDE ETIQUETTE section.
Manners is a giant freaking deal in Japan. It will either open or close doors of opportunities for you. First thing you will notice is "sorry" (sumimasen) and "thank you" (arigatou) are two really common words. Honestly, you here them all the time. Learn to use them! Once you brush someone's shoulder on the sidewalk, most of the time it's pretty much common for a silent "sumimasen" or a little bow. Which reminds, me learn the bow! Here's a really in-depth yet short article on communication and courtesy using bows. Another scenario could be an inconvenience you may have caused, nomatter how minor it is.
Another quite important thing is introducing yourself. This is really important as it sets your people's first impressions on you. It either opens or closes doors in the future. I could go on forever speaking about this so I'll summarize - Start with your name (Note your last name is always mentioned first), your age, occupation (in my case it was class and school), followed with "nice to meet you" and a deep bow. However please note that this is formal. However, the downsides of this is that this isn't a good method to make friends - so you have to be really careful! And be careful about naming people - never go with the first name ever until you become close enough, most of the time they'll tell you to ease up. Instead use honorifics, which I'm sure you guys know already. It's based on a social hierarch/ladder, so if you're not sure yet (for example before they've introduced each other), use -san. It's always the safe way to go. Here's a Wikipedia article.
Moving on, another quite important topic is manners on the dinner table. I really don't know enough myself to be a genious behind it, but let me tell you it is a lot to think about. What you may think seems innocent may be quite rude in Japan. So here's an article on that. But at times, especially with young people, it may be understandable since they can acknowledge that you come from a different culture, but please be careful with older people! As I said it will either open or close doors for you during your stay. Which leads me to the next topic, which goes further in depth about all this "open" or "closing doors" gibberish I've been talking about.
"Honne & Tatemae" is a large deal of Japanese culture, and I think it is the reason it lead the country to such rapid development after its condition after WWII. The closest I can translate Honne & Tatemae is "Inner thoughts and appereance", a bit like Macbeth hehe (○´∀｀)
Anyway, what this all basically means in a short paragraph is don't display negative thoughts or feelings. Positivity is everything. When with Japanese people, don't sit there and complain, don't sit there and talk about how much your life sucks, just don't talk about things that have a sense of negativity to them. They don't like it, and if you ever do bring up something negative, they'll try their best to simply change the topic. Of course this isn't so big on younger people, but definately be careful if you're already an adult. Just don't comment negatively on anything. There are times when you will need to criticise, but you absolutely will have to try to do your absolute best to make it as light as possible!!
Now you still may be wondering what this "open and closing doors" thing is about.
Well, Honne & Tatemae means that people really won't be speaking anything bad about you.. in front of you.. So say if you've done something wrong, chances are high they won't say anything, and just stop speaking with you. So the doors of relationship and opportunity is closed. This also counts with job interviews, and so on. But I'm not sure since I haven't done any of those. This article is really good describing this topic.
I myself have mixed feeling about this. It helps with a joyful atmosphere but it isn't always good to cocoon your thoughts in you. So what I believe Japanese people do about it is they learn English just so that they can lean on a foreigner's shoulder, because then they don't have to worry about it. Or even better if you already know Japanese! So please, please do yourself a favour and remember this when being with Japanese people. Then again it's less to worry about if you're still a child like I was or when talking to other foreigners.
Sitting is also quite important, but I don't want to go too far in this topic so please refer to the Japan Guide. Anywas the formal way of sitting is called "Seiza", it literally means "correct sitting". There's a whole order to how to sit, and I could take ages to describe it so, yeah, once again please refer to the Japan Guide.
If you're not used to it, it will hurt like a b***!!!
I was used to sitting like that since before I came to Japan but being in an international school some of my friends who weren't used to it had incredible difficulties sitting like that. But eventually you'll get used to it! Do your best!
Part 3: The Daily Life, Crime and Safety
OK, so according to Lucky Star, Haruhi and other happy slice-of-life Anime, life in Japan is a party! Sadly enough, this story of fiction is just as fictional as any other cartoon in the world. Let me tell you if you're used to living in the West, life in Japan is tough. In fact I really didn't enjoy living there at the time - though now I miss it because I realise how much better it felt than living here where I live. I do believe though in the end of the day it's really a matter of race. How you look will most likely change how people look at you. My dad's parents are Japanese so I don't look that foreign, and my mom is from Asia as well (Indonesia, although both of their nationalities are now Indonesian so I call myself an Indonesian)
So which means in first sight people will treat me like a Japanese person, then they notice I speak pretty funny so they'll take the moment of the doubt and ask me where I'm from. Anyway the reason I'm bringing up race now is that I'm sure white people and black people (no racial!!) will be seen differently. For example even though I don't have the experience myself (I've seen it though!) is that if you happen to be black, the chances are higher that you will be accepted a job handing out flyers for a Hip-Hop shop in Shibuya. But at the moment that's not relevant to my topic.
Chances are high that you'll start off the day using the train or metro depending on where you live. It will become a routine, and God forbid that you may have to take a train that is busy during peak times in the big cities. It's a mess. I'm sure you've seen those videos but it really is like that! Also as I'm sure you've seen it in whatever dirty stuff you watch, groping can happen, but it's easily avoided if you're a female. In fact in some big cities they have a "women's only" train or metro car which is obviously just for the ladies, elderly, disabled, pregnant ladies, young children etc.
Basically what you see in your favourite train-groping hentai game is pretty much what goes in the heads of countless perverted middle-aged salary men hehe (〃´▽`)
Extra dangerous if you're a school girl, apparently that's a fetish. You will see it alot. It's a common fetish for these people, many ads you will encounter will include a schoolgirl in uniform, simply because it sells.
Sometimes there are posters around warning people of schoolgirls unwantedly being touched on the streets, or trains, and telling them to please be careful and don't go home on your own, and don't go home too late. But don't worry too much, many stories where a scream of "PERVERRRTT" will make the pussy go running.
However please don't be afraid, ladies! As a guy I felt 100 times safer in Japan than here in the Netherlands, i felt alot more comfortable walking alone at night there than here. And if you're still concerned, I still think it's a matter of "race" in this case. At least that's what my grandmother told me.
As you may have noticed, although this is a painful generalisation, Japanese (heck, Eastern Asian girls in general) are pretty small. So if you're a large person, the perverts will tend to be a lot more intimidated, I believe. Especially if you're a strong big black lady. No racial, one love to you but I'm pretty sure that many little Asians like us are easily intimidated by you guys!! Please don't be offended!! （･´ω｀･）
Let me tell you again the fantasies of some Japanese people are incredibly odd and incredibly strange in other countries. In fact I found this video here which is pretty true, I think.
Even though the chances are low for this to happen, I'll mention it anyway - Japanese schools are hard. Very very hard. I went to International schools so I didn't have to suffer, but let me tell you, I have friends that do go to Japanese education system schools, and it's all based on ranks. Japanese kids are super smart as well. So it's really full of constant pressure and stress. Especially in the big cities you'll tend to notice people are workaholics and tend to lose their sane mind. I think that's how guro was invented (I think I am very very wrong). Some can't take the pressure, since they're constantly expected to meet the expectations of all their peers, and at one point in time, they can't take it anymore, become social outcasts, depression and even suicide. That's why as a foreigner who isn't used to Honne & Tatemae I think it's good that you're there since you can be a leaning shoulder if you're close enough.
Are you immature? Good! Japanese kids are too - a kid of 17 will most likely have the intellect of a 19 year old but the commons sense of maturity of a 12 year old. So yeah, hyper, and fun people! Until they become an adult, that is..
Anyways.. yeah.. daily life..
Another part of daily life is food! If you're cheap and don't have a lot of money, food can be quite cheap in Japan (well.. fast food..) But in this case fast food is pretty good! You can buy a meal (gyudon) at Yoshinoya for around 260JPY, and I believe that's not even the cheapest, yet still enough to fill you up!
Oh, yeah and I'll also add crime and safety since I've mentioned it earlier.
Safety - Japan is around this area in the globe called the Pacific Ring of Fire, so it's seismically active. You will encounter many earthquakes so please, be prepared!
Many houses are equipped with a radio which goes off when an earthquake is felt or predicted, warning you and giving you basic instructions. There's also alarms on the street. And on TV, if you're watching something you'll be interrupted with a screen that looks like this
(this is from the Tohoku Earthquake last year)
The yellow areas is obviously the areas affected and where you have to be careful. Sometimes there's a more detailed map with red lines going along the coasts warning you of tsunamis, which leads me to tsunami warnings, there are sea walls/barriers that close to keep the water out of the coast, but unfortunately it wasn't enough to stop the rushing waters of last year's great Tohoku Earthquake. So if there's a warning, get to higher ground immediately. I can't say myself since I never lived by the coast, but you might, so just a heads up.
Generally in earthquakes, once you feel something, which is normally above magnitude 4 or 5, where it may start to feel a bit weird to stand, turn off the gas instantly and find cover, stay away from furniture that could fall over, glass, etc. I know it's basic stuff, but honestly, the first time I was in Japan I had no idea what to do, and it was a bit frightening. Though now it's become a habit to do all these procedures. But don't fear, earthquakes are so common, barely any damage is done if it's a regular one or an aftershock. More info:
http://www.bousai.metro.tokyo.jp/english/e-athome/shelter.html
http://www.tokyo-icc.jp/guide_eng/kinkyu/05.html
Please also see the website of the prefectural government you'll be staying in.
In fact, on the first of Setember every year (I believe that was the day), it's national earthquake day, so the whole country will have a large-scale earthquake drill. You will have your day off but will be asked to participate and you'll do things like evacuate the train, metro, help an evacuation scenario, learn to use firefighter equipment, survival techniques, etc. It's actually a really unique experience. Although at my school you'll have general earthquake drills every month.
Another thing is Yakuza and politics. As a child you really shouldn't worry about this, but I really want to shed some light on this.
There's many entertainment films, movies, Anime, Manga, whatever about the Yakuza. Unfortunately, most of the stuff on there is pretty much... true*. No joke.
Yakuza is big. I'm sorry, but behind the cute Anime, Manga, beautiful cities, kind people, lovely ladies, there's some sinister stuff.
Yakuza is a great part and influence of the Japanese economy. Want to run a shop? It's pretty much nothing without the insurance of the Yakuza. Got robbed? Police won't do crap, pay the Yakuza to do the justice. There are around 90.000 Yakuza around the world, so it's not surprising if you see some. And nowadays they're pretty nasty people, even though the ones you may come across seem to be really kind, when they're working they're working it's not so funny. I don't want to go so far into this because I don't want to scare you or get into trouble, so just don't butt yourself into business such as these ever, then you've got nothing to worry about. However there have been cases when innocent people have been caught into some sick Yakuza business by accident. Heck, I'm not surprised if the Yakuza work with the government. In fact, they do, if you follow Japanese politics and news you'll understand. (I don't want to go too far)
Another funny quick thing you'll notice is the amount of cute stuff. Everything has something "cute". PSAs on the street, letters you get from companies and the government, will always have a little "mascot". I still do not know why they do it, but it makes it alot more cheerful, so it's nice!
Part 4: Health & Hospitals
Not so pleasant this part, but I think it's quite important.
Generally you'll see that most Japanese people are pretty fit. Yes, this is because of the damn lots of walking and stair climbing you'll do during your stay. During the first few weeks you will be tired fast. But you'll get used to it, I'm sure! Also another reason they seem to be fit is martial arts and the P.E. curriculum in the schools. The choice of sports at school is really wide and can be fun once you join them - in fact high school baseball feels like it's more televised and spectated than profesional women's football hehe ( ・ω・)
There's lots of martial arts as well, it's a popular activity from an elementary schooler to a retired man. Many municipalities have public Dojos where you can practice your arts or public parks.
*Edit / I didn't mean to say that it's exactly the same, I meant to say that many Manga/Anime or other entertainment with Yakuza themes are partly reflected on the real Japanese underworld.. I can go into further detail if you want, during my time I did a crap load of research on them, and politics.
Hospitals in Japan is a headache - even though I always came with my mom or dad so we shared the headache, let me tell you it's really beauraucratic (sp?) There is lots of writing, speaking, sorting, documents etc. involved - I have been in hospital a lot so I pretty much know how it feels. The hospitals I've been to are incredibly creepy!! They tend to feel haunted a lot, and the doctors are absolutely evil. I don't know why but Japanese doctors seem to be incredibly cocky. Of course I'm generalising, but prepare to be scolded a lot! I think it's in the blood, my sister studied medicine in Japan and she has become cockier over time as well hehe (ノ´Д｀)ノ
Fruits tend to be quite expensive in Japan for some reasons, I saw some apples once for about 40k JPY. Could probably buy a video game with that money! But still, make sure you have your fruits often!
Part 5: "It Can't be Helped"
Part 6: Making Friends in Japan, and (Social) Acceptance/Behaviour
Part 7: (Life at) Home and TV
Part 8: Time (and Trains), Part 1
Making Friends Part 2, Japan and You
Anyways, if you've read this far, thank you!! and I hope I showed you something new. I'm really tired now so I'll continue with more parts later, please feel free to ask your questions, but I may not be answer all of them, once again because I'm only a child. Peace!! ヽ(^∀^ )ﾉ
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