Getting Around

Avert your eyes to learn a language

Saleem Reshamwala

13 May 2009

Japan

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The registers in Japanese convenience stores show prices in large numbers. This is convenient for newcomers. But it also means lots of people miss an opportunity for a quick bit of language practice. When I first got here, a friend recommended trying to pay for products without looking at the register. Since Japanese store employees use a lot of high-level polite Japanese, that number can be buried in a lot of pleasantries. If you're coming in with little (or no) Japanese, it's a good daily chance to work on a bit of listening. You'll screw it up occasionally, but the cashier will correct you. And that's a bit more listening practice, too.

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Festivals & Events

Sapporo Snow Festival

Erin Kessler

18 May 2009

Japan

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Before coming to Japan, one of the things I had on my "must do" list was the Sapporo Snow Festival (Yuki Matsuri), held every year in February. I'm from upstate New York, so I'm used to long, cold, arduous winters and piles and piles of snow, but I had never seen snow turned into art. It all sounded so magical to me. So, I saved my money that first year in Japan and went to the festival. If you like snow and skiing or snowboarding, this is the place to go. You can combine a few days seeing the ice and snow sculptures with a winter sport. Visit the Hokkaido tourist information center at Sapporo station for deals on ski/snowboarding packages. And, this goes without saying, book your transportation and accommodations well in advance.

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Culture Shock

Which way to face on a "squatter" toilet

Michael Lynch

27 May 2009

Japan

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Many places in Japan still have the old-style toilets commonly called "squatters" in English. It can be confusing trying to remember which way to face when you use one. The easy way to remember is this: you don't want to fall, so face the elevated end...you'll have something to grab hold of!

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Must Do

Hiji Waterfalls

Michael Lynch

09 Jun 2009

Japan

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High in the northern mountains of Okinawa is the tallest waterfall on the island. A good 45 minute hike up and down well manicured trails leads you from the entrance, where you pay a small fee (200 yen), to the base of the waterfalls. Signs along the way warn Americans of the past injuries and deaths of the servicemen who thought it would be cool to jump and dive into the refreshing, raging waters. If you wear comfortable walking shoes and bring a camera, you can capture some excellent photos of the waterfalls and nature along the trails, as well. The falls are located in Kunigami and signs along HWY 58 will lead you to the trail entrance.

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Etiquette

When in doubt, talk about the weather

Saleem Reshamwala

17 Sep 2009

Japan

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Back home, talking about the weather might be seen as the lamest of all possible conversational gambits. But in Japan, it's often used as a way of greeting. Especially in the south, "Atsui desu ne," ("Hot, isn't it?") is a de facto equivalent of "What's up?" Just a little something that you can both agree on while you get your conversation started.

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Food

A tip on tipping in Japan

Michael Lynch

16 Jun 2009

Japan

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So, you go to a really nice restaurant and are greeted by a friendly staff, waited on hand and foot. The steak is mouthwatering, you have your choice of rice or bread, plenty of iced tea, and the waitress checks with you every five minutes to see if there's anything else you'd like. What percentage of the tab is a reasonable tip to leave? Nothing! In some places it's even considered rude to leave a tip. In Japan, you don't tip; excellent food and service is a way of life!

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Packing

Leave the Sudafed at home

Saleem Reshamwala

15 Dec 2009

Japan

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On entering Japan, there's a chance you'll get picked up for a customs search. These can range from a quick question or two to being placed in a white room and questioned by three white-gloved men for the better part of an hour (which might happen to say, oh, I dunno, a Glimpse contributor who had a Muslim name, Saudian Arabian stamps on his passport, and a three-week vacation from shaving, but that's for another post... ). Most of the questions are a touch comical for the average American -- you'll get asked straight up, "Do you have cocaine? Heroin?" -- but the one that sometimes catches people is the restriction on Sudafed. It's illegal here (since it can be broken down to make other drugs), so choose pseudoephedrine-free cold medicine.

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Music

Learn a bit of enka to impress (and amuse) your friends

Saleem Reshamwala

15 Dec 2009

Japan

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Karaoke is a regular part of Japanese nightlife, so you might as well use it as a chance to work on your Japanese. Enka is a kind of Japanese music that was popular for years in Japan, but hasn't yet been embraced by the younger generation. Older Japanese men will sing mainly enka on a karaoke night, and Japanese people of all ages will be amused/impressed if you take the time to learn some. Check out American-born enka star Jero (Japan's first Black enka singer), or just search out some enka on YouTube. Plenty of songs there, and some fantastic vintage outfits as well.

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Sports

Get a pair of gym shoes and keep them shiny white

Saleem Reshamwala

15 Dec 2009

Japan

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In most gyms where I grew up (the United States), members can just walk in in their casual sneakers, pick up a basketball and start playing. In Japan, the gym is considered an "inside" space, so you can't just bring in dirt off the streets. Even for a meeting in a school gym, people will either switch to indoor shoes or, in a pinch, pad around in socks. So, get a pair of sneakers just for indoor use. I forgot mine once and played a pickup game barefoot. Fun at the time, but painful the next day.

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TV

Can't understand the comedians? That's Kansai-ben.

Saleem Reshamwala

15 Dec 2009

Japan

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A disproportionate number of Japanese comedians come from Osaka, or at least pretend to. The city has a reputation as the funniest, most lively area of Japan, and the local dialect, "Kansai-ben," is often used by comedians, regardless of their actual place of origin. So, learn just a bit and Japanese evening television will start making a lot more sense. The "Kansai dialect" wikipedia page is a bit dry, but has a good vocabulary list to get you started.

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Dating

Ladies, don't expect any chocolate come Valentine's Day

Saleem Reshamwala

15 Dec 2009

Japan

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On Valentine's Day in Japan, girls buy boys chocolate. Boys buy girls ... nothing. Sorry, that's just the way it is. BUT, fellas, don't think the Japanese chocolate industry is going to let you off that easy. Exactly one month later (March 14th) is White Day, when boys buy girls white chocolate. I once heard that the rule of thumb is that men should spend twice as much on White Day as the women spend on Valentine's Day. If you're budget's tight, it might be a good time to plead cultural ignorance. Though the barrage of White Day advertisements might make that a bit hard to believe...

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Slang

Counting (by twos)

Heather Heinz

08 Jul 2009

Japan

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Japanese has over 100 different counter terms: “go ko” is five small, round objects while “go hon” is five broad, flat objects; “go mei” is five people, but so is “go nin”. The numbers themselves are also strangely fluid: four is "shi", but it's also "yon"; seven is "shichi," but then it's "nana" sometimes, too. Twenty is usually "ni-juu" but not quite always. A good strategy is to learn the numbers, then the "tsu" generic counter. Familiarity with the “tsu” series makes learning the other stem-changing counting systems simpler. Next, learn the counters for people, so you won't insult anyone by calling them an inanimate object! Then you're ready to impress a native speaker by counting out objects by twos: “chuu, chuu, tako, kai, na”!

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