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Five Misc. Things I've Learned From Japan
1. It's the little things that count
The Scene: You, a poor American, have just bought a packaged salad from the store, which contains a little packet of dressing. You tear open the top of the rectangular packet and dressing squirts out all over your fingers. You manage to get some out onto your salad, but have to squeeze the ends of the packet to get enough out.
If only you were in Japan, for the sake of your soiled fingers and salad dressing. If you buy a packaged salad here, the dressing comes in a convient little bubble-shaped packet that snaps open and dispenses on your salad, not your fingers.
Japan knows that the little things count, and companies go out of their way to take care of then. You will never see an un-uniformed employee anywhere.
However, there is one little touch that drives me crazy: Whenever you buy something at a store and they wrap everything individually and then place all those items into a bag, they tape the bag closed. Then when you want to show your purchases, you have to engage in an epic struggle with the tape. :(
2. Old Japanese ladies scare me
You know those horror movies where the cute, innocuous character turns out to be the bad guy? That's what some rogue Japanese grandmothers are like when on the city bus.
It's never the ones I expect--the ones with flaming red streaks or blue hair (both more common than you'd think, and so is purple). No, it's always the tiny little grandmothers half my size. They're perfectly normal while waiting for the bus, sitting with their cute little hands folded. But then the bus pulls up and it's a different story.
Suddenly, cute little grandmother springs up, shoves her way to the front of the line, and boards the bus ahead of all of the people who were waiting before her.
They resume their normal, everyday grandmother guise until the bus reaches their stop. Then they jump up again and, as if the last person off the bus will fall down dead, push and shove their way off. I've seen them bowl full-grown gaijin off their feet!
You may be wondering how little old ladies can muster the physical strength to push full grown adults out of the way. I wonder, too. I think it must be the element of surprise.
3. I love conbinis
Those mini-marts next to gas stations don't hold a candle to the Japanese conbini. Conbinis are the most wonderful places on earth, next to karaoke. They are full of everything you could possibly need, from pens to kleenex to snacks. They also have bathrooms, and are open 24/7.
There are 3 big conbini chains in Japan, Lawson, 7-Eleven, and Family Mart. My personal favorite is Family Mart, mostly due to their excellent collection of chu-hi (this kind of flavored alcohol) and that they stock cheese and crackers (the former of which is hard to come by).
Conbinis are conveniently located, well, everywhere. Chances are if you walk down a street, there will be at least one conbini nearby. There are times when I get lost, and Family Mart is my lone green shining beacon of hope on an otherwise dark street.
Conbinis also house ATMs, phone card machines, and usually sell tickets to most major events like concerts!
4. The genius of karaoke is underappreciated abroad.
I think this is pretty self-explanatory. You get to be a rock-star for as long as you can pay for.
5. Socialized health care has its ups and downs.
I sadly have gotten sick a few times here, and have learned to navigate the Japanese health care system. Your first stop through the tour of the system is a hospital clinic.
While in America most doctors operate their own private practices, many doctors here work out of hospital clinics. No appointment is necessary; you simply show up at the clinic during operating hours and wait your turn. This can take anywhere from 15 minutes to approximately the end of time.
Finally, your name is called and you are taken into the doctor's room, where there are, shock, other patients. See, since doctors are limited as to what they can charge, they have to see the maximum number of patients to earn a lot. There isn't much privacy. While other patients are sitting around pretending not to watch, you will be examined and diagnosed.
Now that you've been diagnosed, you head back out to the waiting room and wait some more, until the receptionist calls your name again. You have to pay up now. Whereas a single visit to the doctor in the States can cost like eighty dollars, the National Insurance here pays 70% for you, so you are only responsible for the reaminnig 30%. If you are a student, your school's policy will usually pay for 30% of your 30% via reimbursement.
Finally, you head over to the pharmacy. In order to turn a profit, most pharmacies are affiliated with clinics, and are thus located next door or across the street. The same insurance policy applies here, too. Be aware that Japanese antibiotics pack no punch, so you'll probably be coming back and getting a second round.
So basically, you get health care at a fraction of the price, at the cost of privacy and some time.
1. It's the little things that count
The Scene: You, a poor American, have just bought a packaged salad from the store, which contains a little packet of dressing. You tear open the top of the rectangular packet and dressing squirts out all over your fingers. You manage to get some out onto your salad, but have to squeeze the ends of the packet to get enough out.
If only you were in Japan, for the sake of your soiled fingers and salad dressing. If you buy a packaged salad here, the dressing comes in a convient little bubble-shaped packet that snaps open and dispenses on your salad, not your fingers.
Japan knows that the little things count, and companies go out of their way to take care of then. You will never see an un-uniformed employee anywhere.
However, there is one little touch that drives me crazy: Whenever you buy something at a store and they wrap everything individually and then place all those items into a bag, they tape the bag closed. Then when you want to show your purchases, you have to engage in an epic struggle with the tape. :(
2. Old Japanese ladies scare me
You know those horror movies where the cute, innocuous character turns out to be the bad guy? That's what some rogue Japanese grandmothers are like when on the city bus.
It's never the ones I expect--the ones with flaming red streaks or blue hair (both more common than you'd think, and so is purple). No, it's always the tiny little grandmothers half my size. They're perfectly normal while waiting for the bus, sitting with their cute little hands folded. But then the bus pulls up and it's a different story.
Suddenly, cute little grandmother springs up, shoves her way to the front of the line, and boards the bus ahead of all of the people who were waiting before her.
They resume their normal, everyday grandmother guise until the bus reaches their stop. Then they jump up again and, as if the last person off the bus will fall down dead, push and shove their way off. I've seen them bowl full-grown gaijin off their feet!
You may be wondering how little old ladies can muster the physical strength to push full grown adults out of the way. I wonder, too. I think it must be the element of surprise.
3. I love conbinis
Those mini-marts next to gas stations don't hold a candle to the Japanese conbini. Conbinis are the most wonderful places on earth, next to karaoke. They are full of everything you could possibly need, from pens to kleenex to snacks. They also have bathrooms, and are open 24/7.
There are 3 big conbini chains in Japan, Lawson, 7-Eleven, and Family Mart. My personal favorite is Family Mart, mostly due to their excellent collection of chu-hi (this kind of flavored alcohol) and that they stock cheese and crackers (the former of which is hard to come by).
Conbinis are conveniently located, well, everywhere. Chances are if you walk down a street, there will be at least one conbini nearby. There are times when I get lost, and Family Mart is my lone green shining beacon of hope on an otherwise dark street.
Conbinis also house ATMs, phone card machines, and usually sell tickets to most major events like concerts!
4. The genius of karaoke is underappreciated abroad.
I think this is pretty self-explanatory. You get to be a rock-star for as long as you can pay for.
5. Socialized health care has its ups and downs.
I sadly have gotten sick a few times here, and have learned to navigate the Japanese health care system. Your first stop through the tour of the system is a hospital clinic.
While in America most doctors operate their own private practices, many doctors here work out of hospital clinics. No appointment is necessary; you simply show up at the clinic during operating hours and wait your turn. This can take anywhere from 15 minutes to approximately the end of time.
Finally, your name is called and you are taken into the doctor's room, where there are, shock, other patients. See, since doctors are limited as to what they can charge, they have to see the maximum number of patients to earn a lot. There isn't much privacy. While other patients are sitting around pretending not to watch, you will be examined and diagnosed.
Now that you've been diagnosed, you head back out to the waiting room and wait some more, until the receptionist calls your name again. You have to pay up now. Whereas a single visit to the doctor in the States can cost like eighty dollars, the National Insurance here pays 70% for you, so you are only responsible for the reaminnig 30%. If you are a student, your school's policy will usually pay for 30% of your 30% via reimbursement.
Finally, you head over to the pharmacy. In order to turn a profit, most pharmacies are affiliated with clinics, and are thus located next door or across the street. The same insurance policy applies here, too. Be aware that Japanese antibiotics pack no punch, so you'll probably be coming back and getting a second round.
So basically, you get health care at a fraction of the price, at the cost of privacy and some time.