You Really Don’t Know until You Live There
I’ve lived in Japan over half of my long life, and for the most part, I love it. But, if I am really being honest, there is one thing I hate.
Things I Love About Japan
The Food
Japanese food, called washoku, has been added to the UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage for a reason. The Japanese emphasize eating a wide variety of fresh food, with seasonings added to enhance, rather than to distract from, the food’s natural flavor.
Vegetables, fruits, and fish are only available when they are in season and they are some of the freshest and most delicious that I have ever tasted.
And who can fault the impeccable presentation and attention to detail?
Nature
Japan is a magnificent and beautiful country. Hiking is popular, and there are many opportunities to walk surrounded by the ever-changing beauty of nature.
After all, this is the country where shinrin-yoku, forest bathing, originated.
Safety
I do not worry walking around my neighborhood or on city streets after dark, nor do I worry if I lose something.
I can leave my cell phone or bag on my table at a cafe to keep my place when I go to order my coffee. It won’t be stolen.
Efficiency
If the train schedule says the train will arrive at 11:03, the train will arrive at 11:03. And the train will be clean.
The post office is just as reliable. Mail is delivered with promptness and care.
Health Care
Positive steps are taken to ensure a healthy populace, who all must be enrolled in the national health care system.
Nearly everyone in Japan has a yearly health check. If perhaps, someone has put on a little weight, the doctor will advise them on how they should eat and prescribe their daily walks or another exercise. The patient is to return every two months until they reach their ideal weight.
Health care is reasonably priced, too. For example, last week I went for cancer screening tests at a clean, modern hospital. I was there for about an hour and a half. The checkup and doctor consultation cost me $10.00.
The One Thing I Hate
Othering
Since I live in a rural area where there are few foreigners, I stand out like a giant sore thumb. When I dare to step into an area where people are not used to seeing me, I am likely to be treated like a creature from another planet who cannot use chopsticks or speak even rudimentary Japanese. Toddlers cry. Children point, jump, and cry, “Gaijin! Gaijin!” (Foreigner!)
Shock is shown when I can do such amazing feats as writing my own address or speaking a few words of Japanese. Imagine the advanced skills those take!
If I were to live in Tokyo, Osaka, or another large city in Japan, I doubt I would encounter this othering. It does seem to be fading here, or perhaps I am just getting used to it after all these years.
That said, I am always gratified when I walk into a shop to meet the anxious faces of clerks looking back and forth at each other, exchanging worried glances that communicate, “Who will talk to the foreigner? I can’t speak English!” then their tangible transformation when they hear my accented, yet understandable, Japanese. Utter relief!
Ah, the joys of life in Japan.
If you have questions about Japan or suggestions for articles, please add them in the comments. For more photos and information on Japan, follow me on instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/more_than_tokyo/
