PART 4 NOTES ON JAPANJAPAN I usually like to write shortly after experiences when fresh but, being in Japan for three weeks has been pretty intense. Every day has been full and exciting and left no time for even notes. So instead of a detailed record I have written about some of the many highlights of this amazing adventure! It is very difficult to get to the bottom of why the Japanese people are so very different to anywhere I have ever been. To describe being there “As like being on a different planet” is not in anyway an exaggeration. Let’s take first of all POLITENESS: Take for instance buying a small cake. Firstly the glass cabinet will be spotlessly clean and the cakes will be immaculately presented with extreme precision. With no Japanese language I will smile pathetically and point to said cake. The shop assistant will bow gracefully take the selected cake in the palms of both hands and hold it toward me to make sure she has chosen the correct one for me and that I am happy with it. I will then bow. She then takes the cake wraps it like a present, places it carefully in another bag and tapes it shut. She will then bow and request my card for payment. I do not hand the card directly to her but place it onto a small tray on the counter. She then again uses both her palms to take the card and process it, before placing it back in the tray for me to bow and pick it up. The cake is then delivered with great reverence to the counter, she bows and I take the cake. The whole process of choosing and purchasing a single $3 cake will take up to 5 minutes! But it is strangely calming and at the end I am striving to show my appreciation for her trouble with clumsily bowing and saying lots of “Arigatos” (Thank You).
Another familiar example was a cable car to the top of a mountain. The traditional cable car just like in the Alps arrives at the bottom station. As we stand in line two assistants check their watches and move forward as the seconds hit twelve. They stand directly in front of us and bow in unison. The door of the cable car opens and the line is invited to enter the car. Once inside one assistant bows to the other, one enters the cabin the other checks the door and bows to us inside. This is obviously so very alien compared to the hustle and bustle of Europe and America but to my astonishment the controller of the cable car then comes out from the control room stands outside the doors bows to us all and wishes us a good journey. He then calmly walks back to the controls and sets us off up the mountain! Needless to say it was a similar experience at the top when we arrived. An extreme example of protocol was the trip to the top of Yokohama’s tallest building. There was a simple elevator and only Me and Wendy were there. We stood in front of the doors only to be directed back to stand in line. This turned into a bun fight between the two of us as I clearly believed I should be first. The Elevator man as I will call him, did not seem amused at our childish behaviour! He then pressed the elevator button and the doors opened. We did not dare move until he invited us to enter. Once inside he pressed the 71st floor button and told us to stand in the middle not the sides and added “DO NOT TOUCH ANYTHING” before he exited the lift. As the doors were closing he bowed to us and wished us a safe journey. Wendy then gave me that special look which said “Don’t you dare touch those buttons”
At first the extreme politeness comes across as maybe shyness. You gradually learn that it is almost certainly not! It is just the protocol that is embedded in each and every person. Situations, encounters and especially service have deeply engrained values. ANIMATIONS AND CARTOON CHARACTERS:
Every where you go in Japan you are confronted with animations and cartoon characters whether they be on a warning sign, business or an advert. On any public information message or warning there will be something cute. One of my favourites was a hedgehog biting and electric cable with all his bristles standing on end! Another was in a metro train, where there was a cute cartoon little boy on one side of the closing doors and a cute little girl the other. Both had bright red hands where their fingers were stuck and a huge tear coming from their eyes. Another favourite was on a Monorail in Naha that had a little teddy bear type character in a station masters suit saying “ Make everyone smile with your manners! Nearly all shops have cartoon type characters displayed on their signs, in fact it is quite unusual for there to be anything remotely serious. At first it comes across as maybe childish but the longer you experience it the more it makes maybe sense. With the extreme level of politeness and protocol it is a fun form expression and light heartedness. It really does make you smile and realise the Japanese people are great fun, it is just expressed in a different way.
FASHION I am not sure wether fashion really exists in Japan? Yes of course it does but maybe not as a western eye sees it. People seem to dress almost certainly as an expression of their inner self. Even “Cosplay which is to dress as an animated super hero or a cartoon character does not seem to shock or upset anyone. It will not come across as unusual in Japan but, there will still be the Japanese preciseness to it. Even when holding a pig!
For Women I discovered that there are certainly diverse fashion styles evident. There was anything from traditional, European, futuristic, exotic (maybe even erotic) and simple elegance. The older women expressed a sense of elegance, poise and refinement in the way they dressed, whilst the younger women were not afraid to express themselves in much more daring and adventurous ways. Even punk fashion existed but without the rebellious traits of the west. And shockingly age was inconsequential as I witnessed a maybe 5 or 6 year old in 10cm high pumps and a jean jacket. And a baseball jacket on a 90 year old no problem! Importantly compared to other Asian countries there is also a broad spectrum of colours. Even when copying western fashion most of the clothes were made in Japan and the shops were individual local brands SHOPPING Quite simply it is like nothing else on earth! It seems to be the national pastime, a way of life and the engine room of the mega cities, wether it is underground or in huge arcades and malls. The scale is breathtaking and you will never be able to visit all the shops in a big town. There are chains but most shops look to be independent outlets. "I love the animated dog!' Above Above virtually every shop will be a cartoon or animated character if not it will have something outrageous like a giant colourful product to attract your attention. A crab shop with a giant red crab above, a massive dragon over an oriental restaurant, or maybe an octopus eating an ice cream. I saw giant rabbits, huge biscuits, a samurai warrior, a dolls house but the most in your face experience are giant HD Screens with short videos. The videos will usually be animated animals or futuristic Cosplay characters endorsing a product.
The sheer scale of humanity takes a bit of getting used too!
But they are there to buy not just window shop. Even though there are hundreds and hundreds of places to eat it is not unusual to queue for a restaurant. It is staggering that with the scale of competition that so many places are thriving. Again I believe this is down to the fact that like fashion, buying things is an expression of your self. For example nearly every female of every age has one or more fluffy toys as accessories on a handbags or maybe a belt. Although there are common themes like Pokémon, Hello Kitty and Snoopy there are still hundreds of various characters and themes that mean something to an individual.
Food shopping is my favourite! As you enter a giant food court made up of hundreds of different vendors it is hard not to to feel the excitement of maybe trying something delicious. And again the scale is hard to imagine. It is not unusual to see say 15 maybe even 20 Tempura snack bars in a row. Twenty cake vendors would not be unusual. With prices in Japan so low and presentation so wonderful it is hard not to be tempted. Which brings me to "very real looking plastic food". Somewhere in Japan must me factories making thousands of these life like dishes of food for display. They are everywhere and sometimes look so real it is hard to tell it is not the actual dish of food1
Above: Plastic Food JUST A FEW QUICKIES TOILETS: Absolutely everywhere spotlessly clean, free and most of the time fully electric with built in washers and dryers. Not that is worth a visit!
LITTER: There isn’t any! None at all. In Tokyo Railway Station. Probably the busiest in the world I saw a street cleaner. He had a small carrier bag and a pair of tweezers and very little to do!
SAFETY: We both felt safe everywhere at all times.
PRICES: Coming from Europe Japan was so affordable. Much less expensive than all European countries I have visited.
LANGUAGE: Learnt a few words that were useful and polite but reading anything? Forget it! Fortunately we have Google translate nowadays.
GETTING AROUND: Although it seems daunting at first most transport routes are quite easy if you ignore the names. Most transport lines have numbers and colours
THE LITTLE CARS: When I arrived in Japan I expected to see lots of the new Japanese saloons and sports cars. I was shocked to find that most of the vehicles were little tiny box shaped cars! I later found out that with space as a premium they fit in small spaces like little building blocks and also they are only 600cc with a massive tak break. Once again with just a little twist they are individual and fun!
If you have any questions on my observations or would like any more detail on any subject do not hesitate to ask.
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