Gaigin Musings and Observations
More past musings from my first months in Japan. Enjoy.
Actually lunch is not as bad as I imagined. I’ve got quite a system going now with the bag under my desk because even when the lunch is OK I can never finish it. These people eat like I’ve never seen. I don’t know where they put it because many of them are no bigger than my sister-in-law. I’m now used to the fact that everything tastes like fish even the Campbell’s alphabet soup out of a can. There’s also usually a nice little treat for dessert. Friday I opened the little pack of mixed nuts. Lovely. Mmmm… I had only had a couple before I noticed that one of the mixes was the little dried fishes that seem determined to haunt me. Those eyes stared up at me again from the little plastic bag. Try them, they’re really good. Yeah, okay. That lot went in the bag pretty quick.
Students are not allowed to eat or drink in the school, in fact there are no water fountains to be seen. And teachers are not allowed to eat or drink in front of the students, so I can have a Pepsi but if a student comes into the staff room, I have to hide it. Where you ask? I don’t know yet. I can take water into class but if I want a drink I have to go out into the hallway. I played a Bingo game with the students in one of my intro class and gave the winners a piece of maple sugar. This was when I first learned students weren’t allowed to eat in school. I thought this was a bit ridiculous as it was only a piece of candy, but the teacher proceeded to take it away from them. I must try and remember what class that was as the students ended up getting no prize at all.
I wasn’t going to write about this, this week as it’s a very difficult subject for me and I’m afraid it will take some time to cover. It’s also probably the thing I’ve had the most trouble dealing with since I arrived because I do feel so strongly about my love of animals. I may not have even discovered this attitude if I hadn’t experienced it first hand. Here’s my story.
As I was on my way to work one day, I heard the most pathetic meows I’ve ever heard. I almost drove on but there was something in the meow that made me stop. I parked the bike on the side of the rode and went looking for the source. On top of the wheel, in the wheel well of a mini-van in someone’s driveway, I found the tiniest kitten I’ve ever seen. I couldn’t believe such a sound was coming out of one so small. He fit in the palm of my had and huddled against my chest trembling and crying. He wasn’t hurt, but he was terrified and despite my soothing and stroking, still emitted little cries regularly. I knocked on the door of the house where I had found him but they waved me away. I tried all those houses around the area with no luck. By this time, I was running late and not sure what to do. I needed to take him to a shelter or something, but what do I know. I put him down on the deck of the house where I had found him, and he started yowling. You’ve never heard anything like it in your life. I called the woman who looks after our apartment block and asked her where the shelter was and where to take him. She told me just to leave him and go to school. I didn’t know what to say. The thought of leaving that terrified, tiny little guy was not making me happy. I think she heard the quivering in my voice because she promised to drive by and look for him on her way to the apartment. I continued on to work, his cries following me. It’s one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, and needless to say, I wasn’t too happy when I got to work. Luckily I was busy that day and managed to keep my mind occupied. On my way home, I had determined to see if he was still there and if he still was, he was going home with me until I found him a home. I didn’t care what they said about it. Now, I already know where all the cats are on my way to school. In fact I always stop and talk to them, even though they only speak Japanese. As I rounded the corner of a tiny street to see the first cat household, they have a white cat and a calico cat, I saw the little kitten. Now this house is ages away from where I had seen him that morning and I stopped. I was so happy to see him sunning himself on the doorstep with the other calico cat, perfectly happy and content. There was a little girl in the driveway and I managed to get out of her that the kitten was hers. I was so relieved that he’d found his way home, although God knows how. When I got home, the woman who looks after our apartment block told me she had driven by and seen nothing (I think it’s all crap but what can I say). She told me that there is no such thing as a Humane Society as I described it. There is a pound for lost dogs of some sort, but nothing for cats. Apparently cats are scarce and those that are around just run wild. Nobody cares for them and they are considered pests along the lines of rats. Those people that have cats usually pay a fortune for them and for their food etc. Also, they don’t believe in spaying and neutering. No animals are spayed or neutered.
I try not to think about this whole situation as it quite upsets me. This is one aspect of my personality that just can’t conform. I don’t plan to preach my beliefs, but I do plan to do something. Not sure what yet though. Don’t worry. I won’t be bringing them all home, but I would like to make sure they at least have food.
I can’t believe this isn’t the first thing I wrote about. Japanese style toilets. Hellious torture devices, designed to terrify all westerners and keep them out of Japan. Basically, they are shaped like a bidet and set in the floor of the stall. (I will step in them one day). You squat right down and fire away. Now… there are no instructions on what to do to avoid peeing on your clothes and shoes and to avoid splashing (it stinks, literally). It also doesn’t take into account those of us with knee problems or bad legs (made worse by continual cycling). I thank God every day for my strong bladder which allows me to avoid them on most occassions. I go at home and when I return home. Not at school or any other public place. Of course, there are sometimes when one doesn’t have a choice. The first time I used one, I was drunk. It’s a whole other experience in this instance.
"Strange" Differences:
∑ McDonalds’s is better. The food even looks like the picture. The bun is even fluffy. They don’t have the crispy chicken so it’s not perfect.
∑ The rumour about service is true. It is impeccable. North Americans could definitely take a page from their book on this point. However, so many of the jobs they have here are pointless to western logic (and probably boring beyond all belief). I saw a man cleaning the railway tracks with a stick. People are employed to greet you, guide you and generally bow to you. The stores are immaculate. Everything folded to perfection and hanging properly. Anyone who works in retail in the west would hang their heads in shame.
∑ The cleanliness of the country goes hand in hand with the service. Potholes? Would they even know what one was?
∑ Why are the bulldozers purple, turquoise and sky blue?
∑ When a Japanese person wants you to "come here" (ie. follow them) the gesture they use is the same one we use for "go away". That really screwed me up for the first week or so at school. I was bobbing up and down like a jack-in-the-box.
∑ The bus turn-a-rounder is quite intriguing. They also use them for cars in parking garages. The bus pulls onto this circular platform and shuts off its engine. Then the platform rotates 180 degrees so the bus is facing the opposite direction. It fires up again and is one its way. Very cool but a little freaky the first time you experience it.
∑ Grass does not exist in Japan, at least in my city. I have gone searching but have yet to find any.
∑ You don’t sign your name, you stamp it. Everyone has a hanko (stamp). It was one of the first things I received. Anything in Canada which would require a signature, here it requires your hanko. Mine was custom made with my name in Japanese. It’s very cool and I even have a little case for it. Needless to say, you have to be very careful with it.
∑ They don’t wear sunglasses here. I thought they were supposed to be cool. Don’t the Japanese want everything cool?
Actually lunch is not as bad as I imagined. I’ve got quite a system going now with the bag under my desk because even when the lunch is OK I can never finish it. These people eat like I’ve never seen. I don’t know where they put it because many of them are no bigger than my sister-in-law. I’m now used to the fact that everything tastes like fish even the Campbell’s alphabet soup out of a can. There’s also usually a nice little treat for dessert. Friday I opened the little pack of mixed nuts. Lovely. Mmmm… I had only had a couple before I noticed that one of the mixes was the little dried fishes that seem determined to haunt me. Those eyes stared up at me again from the little plastic bag. Try them, they’re really good. Yeah, okay. That lot went in the bag pretty quick.
Students are not allowed to eat or drink in the school, in fact there are no water fountains to be seen. And teachers are not allowed to eat or drink in front of the students, so I can have a Pepsi but if a student comes into the staff room, I have to hide it. Where you ask? I don’t know yet. I can take water into class but if I want a drink I have to go out into the hallway. I played a Bingo game with the students in one of my intro class and gave the winners a piece of maple sugar. This was when I first learned students weren’t allowed to eat in school. I thought this was a bit ridiculous as it was only a piece of candy, but the teacher proceeded to take it away from them. I must try and remember what class that was as the students ended up getting no prize at all.
I wasn’t going to write about this, this week as it’s a very difficult subject for me and I’m afraid it will take some time to cover. It’s also probably the thing I’ve had the most trouble dealing with since I arrived because I do feel so strongly about my love of animals. I may not have even discovered this attitude if I hadn’t experienced it first hand. Here’s my story.
As I was on my way to work one day, I heard the most pathetic meows I’ve ever heard. I almost drove on but there was something in the meow that made me stop. I parked the bike on the side of the rode and went looking for the source. On top of the wheel, in the wheel well of a mini-van in someone’s driveway, I found the tiniest kitten I’ve ever seen. I couldn’t believe such a sound was coming out of one so small. He fit in the palm of my had and huddled against my chest trembling and crying. He wasn’t hurt, but he was terrified and despite my soothing and stroking, still emitted little cries regularly. I knocked on the door of the house where I had found him but they waved me away. I tried all those houses around the area with no luck. By this time, I was running late and not sure what to do. I needed to take him to a shelter or something, but what do I know. I put him down on the deck of the house where I had found him, and he started yowling. You’ve never heard anything like it in your life. I called the woman who looks after our apartment block and asked her where the shelter was and where to take him. She told me just to leave him and go to school. I didn’t know what to say. The thought of leaving that terrified, tiny little guy was not making me happy. I think she heard the quivering in my voice because she promised to drive by and look for him on her way to the apartment. I continued on to work, his cries following me. It’s one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, and needless to say, I wasn’t too happy when I got to work. Luckily I was busy that day and managed to keep my mind occupied. On my way home, I had determined to see if he was still there and if he still was, he was going home with me until I found him a home. I didn’t care what they said about it. Now, I already know where all the cats are on my way to school. In fact I always stop and talk to them, even though they only speak Japanese. As I rounded the corner of a tiny street to see the first cat household, they have a white cat and a calico cat, I saw the little kitten. Now this house is ages away from where I had seen him that morning and I stopped. I was so happy to see him sunning himself on the doorstep with the other calico cat, perfectly happy and content. There was a little girl in the driveway and I managed to get out of her that the kitten was hers. I was so relieved that he’d found his way home, although God knows how. When I got home, the woman who looks after our apartment block told me she had driven by and seen nothing (I think it’s all crap but what can I say). She told me that there is no such thing as a Humane Society as I described it. There is a pound for lost dogs of some sort, but nothing for cats. Apparently cats are scarce and those that are around just run wild. Nobody cares for them and they are considered pests along the lines of rats. Those people that have cats usually pay a fortune for them and for their food etc. Also, they don’t believe in spaying and neutering. No animals are spayed or neutered.
I try not to think about this whole situation as it quite upsets me. This is one aspect of my personality that just can’t conform. I don’t plan to preach my beliefs, but I do plan to do something. Not sure what yet though. Don’t worry. I won’t be bringing them all home, but I would like to make sure they at least have food.
I can’t believe this isn’t the first thing I wrote about. Japanese style toilets. Hellious torture devices, designed to terrify all westerners and keep them out of Japan. Basically, they are shaped like a bidet and set in the floor of the stall. (I will step in them one day). You squat right down and fire away. Now… there are no instructions on what to do to avoid peeing on your clothes and shoes and to avoid splashing (it stinks, literally). It also doesn’t take into account those of us with knee problems or bad legs (made worse by continual cycling). I thank God every day for my strong bladder which allows me to avoid them on most occassions. I go at home and when I return home. Not at school or any other public place. Of course, there are sometimes when one doesn’t have a choice. The first time I used one, I was drunk. It’s a whole other experience in this instance.
"Strange" Differences:
∑ McDonalds’s is better. The food even looks like the picture. The bun is even fluffy. They don’t have the crispy chicken so it’s not perfect.
∑ The rumour about service is true. It is impeccable. North Americans could definitely take a page from their book on this point. However, so many of the jobs they have here are pointless to western logic (and probably boring beyond all belief). I saw a man cleaning the railway tracks with a stick. People are employed to greet you, guide you and generally bow to you. The stores are immaculate. Everything folded to perfection and hanging properly. Anyone who works in retail in the west would hang their heads in shame.
∑ The cleanliness of the country goes hand in hand with the service. Potholes? Would they even know what one was?
∑ Why are the bulldozers purple, turquoise and sky blue?
∑ When a Japanese person wants you to "come here" (ie. follow them) the gesture they use is the same one we use for "go away". That really screwed me up for the first week or so at school. I was bobbing up and down like a jack-in-the-box.
∑ The bus turn-a-rounder is quite intriguing. They also use them for cars in parking garages. The bus pulls onto this circular platform and shuts off its engine. Then the platform rotates 180 degrees so the bus is facing the opposite direction. It fires up again and is one its way. Very cool but a little freaky the first time you experience it.
∑ Grass does not exist in Japan, at least in my city. I have gone searching but have yet to find any.
∑ You don’t sign your name, you stamp it. Everyone has a hanko (stamp). It was one of the first things I received. Anything in Canada which would require a signature, here it requires your hanko. Mine was custom made with my name in Japanese. It’s very cool and I even have a little case for it. Needless to say, you have to be very careful with it.
∑ They don’t wear sunglasses here. I thought they were supposed to be cool. Don’t the Japanese want everything cool?