06/05/07 - "Normal" Adjustments
On the first day I arrived, my host mother brought me back to her condo and there she taught me all the do's and dont's of life in her home.
Most of them I had either read about or been taught, but the difference between just hearing about something and actually putting it into action
is very large, especially in this context. It was a pretty easy adjustment, but I'll always forget to wash my hands every time I come back, or
wear the bathroom slippers out into the hall, at which point I'll hear "dame!" and quickly amend what I've done.
Cleanliness
This value is something that seems infinitely more important in Japan than in
the US. Every time I come home, before I even enter the hall I have to change
from my sandals or shoes into slippers. I didn't know that this behavior was rooted
in cleanliness until my host mother made me clean the wheels of my luggage, because
they were "kitakunai" and would mark up her well polished floor. Also, I have
to wash my hands. From there I'm safe, but then when I want to use the bathroom
or take a shower there are protocols as well. The apartment is spotless, something
very different from the typical American counterpart. Moreover, on the streets,
near the train station, and around the campus, there are constantly uniformed
men and women picking up trash and sometimes even stray plants, in the interest
of beautification I suppose.
Food
One of the most defining characteristics of washoku is small quantity, large variety.
For the meals prepared by my host mother, I usually have seven to ten different
dishes, each in a very small portion. This is very different from the US, where
we either have large quantity large variety (a la Olive Garden), or large quantity
small variety (a massive steak). This morning I talked with my host mother a lot
about some interesting characteristics of American dining, and it cracked her
up so badly. I said that at some restaurants, with Olive Garden in mind, even
before the appetizers we eat lots of bread and salad. From there we eat an appetizer
that's bigger than a normal Japanese dish then have a massive entree, sometimes
with more salad and bread. After the main course is done we Americans sometimes
consider stopping, because we feel very full, but not TOO full because we've eaten
so fast, so we ambitiously order dessert. Then begin the problems. I told my host
mother that an American restaurant parking lot is usually the point where people
realize they've overeaten and are very sick. The best part of it all is that people
continue to do it time and time again!
She thought it was hilarious, and couldn't stop laughing.
My breakfast from yesterday is a good example of the small quantity large variety concept I've seen.
Time
Before now I felt that US culture was a pretty punctual one, but it's definitely
been topped by that of Japan. Trains and buses are exact, as are family schedules.
Supposedly being late to class and meetings is a serious wrong, which means if
I ever work here I'll have to adjust, a ton.