Job Discussion Forums

[unsung]

Is JAPAN much different than what you expected...?

What I know about Japan I learned from the movies. So I was disapointed. I thought I would come here and the streets would be teeming with beautiful over sexed nurses and school girls. Also, I thought the people would be chronically shy. For the most part, Japanese are pretty easy going. They don't curl up into a little ball and cry in the corner when you try to talk to them. Also, where are all the people? In my little suburb it is very quite. I'll only see a few poeple on my way home from work...

[PAULH]

[bailey35mm]

I guess if you judge any culture or country based on movies and TV, every country one goes to would seem different. If everyone were to judge me based on American entertainment, then we Americans would all seem like cowboys and crooks. Of course the truth that I learned by coming to Japan is that even living with my Japanese wife in the US, is that every person is unique. Our connection as a country is our culture. I didn't have the idea that Japan would be what you thought, but it is different. Some things are harder than I expected, a lot of things are easier than I expected. Whether I live here for 2 years, or 60 years, the experience of living here has forever changed me, and I will always be greatful for the opportunity to live in another culture, ad I hope that everyone that comes here at least learns something before they leave.

[osakajojo]

[freddie's friend daniel]

[stillnosheep]

[nomadder]

Is anything ever like the movies?

Paul sums it up perfectly.

[PAULH]

[Glenski]

Read all you want, recent stuff, popular stuff, ancient history, etc., and see all the movies and TV that you can, but in the end, reality shows you more than what you can expect. It's as simple as that.

Is Japan much different that what I expected? Yes, it has to be because of my limited knowledge beforehand. And, I had worked in Tokyo back in 1985 in a totally different job, then toured 2 major islands by myself in 1995 (21 cities), plus written a travel column about it.

Is it more than what I expected? Yup, for the same reasons as above.

[Zzonkmiles]

Japan was different from what I expected in that I got to see some of the subcultures here that are rarely discussed in the Western media.

I'm talking about the young Japanese who sport afros and dreadlocks and enjoy breakdancing and wearing hiphop gear. I'm talking about the ganguro with the bronze skin and heaps of makeup. I'm talking about the Japanese with multiple body piercings and tattoos, black fingernail polish, black leather clothes, and all. I'm talking about the middle aged guys who have no problems with wearing skimpy women's clothes (miniskirts!) and going to the department store dressed like that.

Japan is also different in that I can finally see the "dark" or "dirty" side of living here. Japan is the land where you can receive a dozen porno advertisements in your mailbox at home each week. Japan is the land of crotchety old (and young) salarymen laying face down in their own puke after the last train. Japan is the land of grown men who have no qualms about pulling down their pants and peeing on the side of the road, or even the curb next to a busy sidewalk where people are walking by. Japan is the land of smoky pachinko parlors and homeless people camping out in front of train stations and under bridges. I'm talking about how Japanese parents have no qualms about smacking their children in public or on television when they misbehave. I'm talking about the pushy and stubborn obasans who cut in line when people are trying to board a train and are willing to push people out of the way in order to do so.

But it's not just the people. It's life in general here. I'm talking about how so many public bathrooms here either have no toilet paper or no soap. I'm talking about how even minor inconveniences, such as a misprinted name, become huge headaches requiring lots of paperwork to change. I'm talking about how it takes 4 or 5 weeks to get internet service established or transferred. I'm talking about how you are able to pay your electric and gas bills at any convenience store, but can only pay your water bill at the bank. I'm talking about how some types of common garbage (particularly plastic bottles, newspapers, or cans) are only collected two or three times a month. I'm talking about banks that close at 3pm and ATMs that are not open 24 hours.

Really, I don't think any of this stuff is really truly THAT far out there. I think that this stuff goes on everywhere--except that this time, the people doing it have yellow skin. That's stuff we're used to seeing in Western countries. We tend to think of the Japanese as being these "demure, patient, efficient, self-restrained" individuals. So, language aside, when we find that they are really no different from us, that throws some of us for a loop. Yes, the anime fans, geisha, salarymen, and video game lovers are here too. But by and large, I think Japan is as diverse as its 125 million people. They come in all stripes. And that is what was reinforced to me after arriving here.

[Glenski]

How is Japan different than what I expected? That is a huge kettle of fish to answer. Here are a few replies (sparked by Zzonk's nice post).

1. I worked in Tokyo in 1985 in a biotech office. Back then, we only had a fax and telex. No Internet to send email and such. I thought things would have changed in 1998 when I returned. Well, yes, it has changed, but offices here (in the schools where I worked) are cluttered with enormous piles of papers. These are either in paper shopping bags or cardboard boxes, and they contain everything from student records to accounting files. For a country that prides itself on being an electronics giant, Japan came up woefully short (to me) on how it maintains filing.

2. Despite my experiences in 1985, I still felt that most Japanese were into the "group mentality" for practically everything in life. I have been pleasantly and unpleasantly surprised at the number of people who have broken from such a thing and have taken to living their lives quite as much as they prefer. Some are noisy and boisterous and obnoxious (very openly so), while others are simply individualistic and progressive.

3. I expected high school education to be better taught. It isn't. Or the juggling of grades (VERY unexpected).

4. I had no idea what to expect from a Japanese family. I'd met a nice couple who graciously took care of me while I stayed in Tokyo over Xmas back in 1985, when I was the only foreigner that remained in the office for a few weeks. That's about all, and our contact was fairly limited. Since then, I have married into a Japanese family and been welcomed with open arms by everyone in it. Communication is still a bit stilted because of the language barrier, but I'm treated as an equal member of the family.

5. Coming to Sapporo, I thought that such a snowy place in winter would be handled better with regard to icy roads and snow removal. It isn't.

6. I had different expectations of what families eat on a regular basis. It has amazed me to meet people who don't eat fish, for example. Or to see that rice is not always eaten at the end of a meal (to cleanse the palate, as my guidebooks so seriously told me).

7. I hadn't expected so many "convenient" meals sold in convenience stores and supermarkets. Not just the Cup Noodle variety, but the huge selection of bento boxes and onigiri. Must have missed them on my first stay in 1985.

8. I'd seen and heard the loud speakers with their zillion watt amplifiers making political statements on the streets of Tokyo. I didn't expect to hear election trucks cruising through my neighborhood or parking on the street corner and blaring from 8am to 8pm, though. Doesn't this break the spirit of wa, I thought? Shoganai, I'm told. And, in a similar vein, when people block doorways, aisles, or other entrances, nobody seems to say, "Excuse me, but MOVE!!" They don't see this person as breaking the harmony, either, but that if THEY spoke up, THAT would break it. Shoganai again.

9. I hadn't expected my company to give me money (not from individual teachers, mind you) when my son was born.

10. I hadn't expected so many people to know so many western song lyrics (yeah, ok, they are OLD songs, usually, but they know them by heart) when going to karaoke.

I'll stop with an even 10. I hope people have seen that not all of these are mere complaints. Differences don't have to be.

[Stosskraft]

Actually, my answer is yes and no.

The crazy neon's and busle of life in Tokyo is everything I expected. I did do quite a bit of research before coming to Japan, so I think I was well prepared for some of the cultural differences. Working at an Eikawa, is pretty much what I expected, except maybe a little more "grinding" that what I have experienced in other countries.

What I didn't expect, is the difficultly in making friends and relationships here in Japan. I avoid the "foreigner clique" here (at my school and around the city), but this choice as led me to become very lonely and depressed lately. I am active in martial arts and at the local gym, yet making friends seems to be difficult. I understand the language barrier is a significant factor, but surprisingly many people here have basic English ability when it suits them. Another Myth that was quickly shattered, was the easy of meeting Japanese women. I have never had problems meeting women back home, and I have dated models in China and Thailand (no, not those "models" ) yet I have had very little luck in meeting women here, even just as friends. Maybe if I looked more like a cellphone, my success rate would increase.

Overall my Japan experience (to date) has been hot and cold. I really enjoy many parts of Japanese culture ( The food, Train system, martial arts and much more) yet I cannot get accustomed to the "coldness" of the average Japanese in day to day life. I understand this part is more my fault (small town Canadian boy), but a society that cant look each other in the eye is not for me.

For now I am just going to ride it through until my contract ends, and give 100% at work. Seems recently my on source of joy comes from my students (how can you not love a class of genki 4 year olds? ) and I will try to make the best of it until then.

Ok. rant over. Blast away

[rai]

1.) Mayonnaise. I had no idea that Japanese people loved mayo so much. Is this just an Osaka thing? Mayo on pizza is a violation of the laws of nature. My girlfriend said she used to mix it with rice when she was a kid

2.) No personal space. I thought the Japanese were very formal and polite, and therefore would give me the personal space I crave. No ways! I've taught in public kindergartens, elementary schools and jr. highs, and the kids crawl all over you. If you sit down at an elementary school or kindergarten you will be buried under kids. I DON'T LIKE it. My family is not touch-feely at all; I'm an American of German-Scottish descent, probably the two coldest cultures on the planet. My father's idea of a warm greeting was to punch me. Hard.

The adults can be too touchy-feely too. At some teacher's parties, I've been assaulted on all sides by drunken men trying to grab my arms (I'm a weightlifter, so they want to feel how big my arms really are) and trying to grab my willy(!) (maybe they want to see how big that is?). Unfortunately the female teachers don't usually grab me.

3.) Before coming to Japan, I was under the impression that all Japanese students were study machines, killing themselves to get into the best schools. Well, that's true of the high-level students, but I have yet to teach in a high level school (most of my experience is in southern Osaka) and I've seen the flip-side of the Japanese obssession with getting into a top-tier school. The kids who know they aren't going to Tokyo University or Kyoto University just give up on education. They have been told so often that they must gain access to an elite university to accomplish anything in life, that they give up all hope when they realize they're not academically-oriented enough. The kids I'm talking about are fourteen-fifteen years old, for Christ's sake!

4.) Related to 3. The lack of order and discipline in Japanese classrooms is sometimes unbelievable. I find I can only talk to other public school teachers about it, because many other people can't believe it. There are no official punishments like after-school detention, extra homework or even being sent to the principal's office. In fact, Japan interprets its "right to education" clause in the constitution to mean that a student CAN'T BE REMOVED FROM CLASS, EVEN IF THE STUDENT IS DISRUPTING SAID CLASS

Also, in jr. high,no one fails. No matter how little work a student does, they will pass to the next grade level. It seems that the good people at the Ministry of Education think failure and punishment are bad for little Akira's self-esteem, so we will have none of that. So instead, little Akira has to go to a second year English class even though he hasn't mastered first year English. How do ya think little Akira's experience in class effects his self-esteem then?!

Oh, and what kind of behaviour am I talking about? Spending the whole class period TURNED AWAY from the teachers, talking to friends. Constantly yelling across the class to friends, WHILE THE TEACHER is TEACHING. I don't mean random outbursts, I mean carrying on a conversation!! Sleeping with their head on their desk the whole period (I don't mind this one so much...).Getting up out of their desks and walking around the class, WHILE THE TEACHER IS TEACHING. Walking out of class!! Throwing things across the class (pencils, paper, spitballs, pencil cases, BASEBALLS ). Bullying other kids in class (physically pushing other kids around during class activities, or keeping up a constant stream of insults and threats under their breath to another student). One of my kids in southern Osaka jumped off a fuc!ing apartment building after being bullied too much. I cried like a little girl when I visited his family to offer my condolences.

What is the usual teacher's response? Stare into space over the kids' heads and keep talking. Ignore it. The WEEK AFTER my student killed himself, I walked into a class with my JLT, and she started teaching. IN THE FRONT ROW, a boy was crying, while two boys next to him were laughing. I went ballistic and dragged the two boys into the hallway, to find out what the hell was going on. Only when I forced her to stop the class did the teacher intervene. I love Japan in many ways, but this is definitely my last year teaching in public school.

Sorry to be so negative; I just finished a tri-mester (April-August) at probably my worst junior high school ever. September I go back to my BEST school ever. I'll try to remember to come back and post some more positive stuff later...

[Vince]

Tokyo was much different from what I expected. Although I learned a lot and had a pretty good feel for the people, I regularly came across windows to a more subtle aspect of Japan and the Japanese. I've known people who had spent more than forty years in the country and still found the occasional cultural anthropology nugget.

Where you are in Japan makes a big difference. When I went to visit a friend in Shizuoka, I encountered people who were much warmer and more personable. So it works both ways; what there is to be learned from the experience of course depends on what the experience has to offer.

[fox1]

yes very

and not disappointed at all

to cut a very long long story short, it's a lot grittier, rougher, seedier, more diverse, dirty (not necessarily in a bad way), sleazier, troubled, manic, flawed, 'sweatier' (hot inside some places), (more 'diverse smells') than I thought.

Other adjectives like 'interesting', 'amazing'... well> I was aready expecting that. And yeah, it's all that too

It's also stunningly beautiful too, as expected

-----by the way, none of that is to say 'bad'. at all basically