Yowza! Despite the articles on Japan my cousin kindly handed me before coming, there were still endless elements of Japan that came as a surprise. Here are a few for your perusal.

Toilet extremes. The majority of toilets in Japan are squat toilets, where you crouch awkwardly over a porcelain hole in the ground. I’m not a fan. On the far other end of the spectrum, however, are insane tricked-out toilets, which have an armrest with buttons for: butt spray, butt shower, puff of “extreme” deodorizer, flush SOUND with no actual flush (perhaps to mask embarrassing sounds?), tiny flush (for number one), big flush (for number two), seat warmer (!), and rocket launcher (just joking) :D

Extreme service and politeness. I was stunned and touched by the eager, attentive, kind service at every restaurant and store we frequented. Everyone seemed to genuinely take pride in their jobs, throwing their soul into service and doing everything possible to assist the customers. People on the street who I asked for directions were also wonderful, doing their absolute best with my Japanese language incompetence.

The desperate feeling of being unable to read. I have taken my English alphabet for granted! Dear, sweet, intelligible writing… at times in Japan you were nowhere to be found, and I was a lost, helpless puppy! This is always such an important reminder for us teachers out there: it feels real weird to not understand!

Inside a Train in Japan

Prices. I had been warned that Japan is insanely expensive. Happily, thanks to the kindness of my hosts, I was able to rock it out for about $50 a day… which is very happy given that I may have just received my last paycheck for the year!

As my local friend Gordon gushed, “The trains are SICK on time!” When you go anywhere by public transportation with a Tokyo-ite or Osakan, they will suddenly whip out their cell phones, become absorbed for several minutes, then pull you confidently down ten million tunnels of subways and cars. Turns out the trains are so INSANELY on time that everyone uses an online program to figure out EXACTLY which train and connection you should hop upon. As I was leaving for the airport train, Gordon hollered: “The airport train will come at 8:06, 8:16, 8:30, and 8:42! Remember that the 8:16 train is a local, and so will be a smaller train.” Okay then… “sick on time” is right.

There were hardly any homeless folk on the streets. When there were one or two, they were politely sitting by a wall, reading the newspaper… never begging. Moreover, why did Jimmy have to rush off on Saturday after hanging out with us? He was off to play in the Homeless World Cup and train the Japanese Homeless Soccer Team to play in Milan, Italy!

Could I ever live in Japan? Heck no. I’ve got too much loud inappropriateness, passion for diversity and poor Asian language skills to cope. Have I had the most delightful first international stop possible, thanks to the kindness of my hosts? Heck ya!

Lillie taught for six years in the Boston Public School System. Now she’s traveling the world. You can follow all of her travels on her Around the World blog.

Chew on this:

The United States population is comprised of something like:

• 14% Latino folks
• 13 % African Americans
• 5% Asians
• 66% Whites
• 2 % other

We’re a melting pot! A salad! A multicolored stew! In Japan, however, the “largest” minority is a paltry 1.5% (Chinese) of the total population! According to my friend Mike who I stayed with in Tokyo, there are just 8,000 Americans in Japan (about the size of one medium college!) and just 2,000 Canadians (of which Mike is one). Japan is homogeneous!

This begs the question: How does it feel to be a non-Japanese person LIVING in Japan? For this I turn to the experiences of Mike (a White Canadian), and Gordon (a Black American), as well as popular Japanese advertisements and scenes on the street.

McDonald's Spokesman in Japan

Wandering about in Tokyo and Osaka, I did not feel stared at, despite being the only person like me for miles. (I do hear the countryside is a different story, though.) That said, on any street corner, there lies a little slap in the face for me and my fellow Americans: The latest McDonald’s spokesman is a pudgy, supremely dorky, bespectacled “American” man who says such things as (in the Japanese equivalent): “Me likeee Japoon! Me likeee McDonalds! Yum yum in me tum tum!”

Being a Black man in Japan seems to have all the joys and perils of the exotification that stems from rareness. Dark skin is extremely uncommon, and thus it is seen in many facets of Japan as extra cool. When does this get a little creepy? Well. As you walk through the streets of Tokyo or Osaka, every few blocks you will see a Black man who has been hired to stand outside a restaurant or clothing store, motioning for folks to come in.  Apparently the majority of these men are from Nigeria and other West African countries, however when they are asked by Japanese folk, “Where are you from?” they often reply, “The United States!” and are fully believed. Word on the street is that some Japanese ladies flock to these men, believing them to be American cousins of Snoop Dogg, Kobe Bryant and other African-American celebrities. Whoa!

Meanwhile, on TV there is a Black character named “Bobby” who is – in the words of Gordon and his friend – Jimmy, “A really dumb, idiotic Black dude who makes an ass of himself on TV for money, and makes Black people look bad to the Japanese, when in reality he’s a perfectly intelligent actor. Dumb for pay.” Jimmy (Gordon’s Kenyan-Canadian friend) explained, “It drives me crazy when Japanese people tell me, “Hey, you look like Bobby!” or “You talk Japanese weird, just like Bobby!” It’s racism, and it’s annoying.”

Overall, though, Gordon has been delighted enough with Japan to stay for five years, and Jimmy for seven. By and large, they have been treated with the wonderful politeness and respect famous in Japanese culture and Japanese service. In particular, Gordon’s fluent Japanese has allowed him deep connections with Japanese people.

Despite this, Japan is a tough salad to nuzzle into. “I’ve been here seven years, and have a Japanese wife,” sighed Jimmy, “But the thing is, no matter how long you stay here, you will always feel like an outsider.”

Just then a Japanese boy passed by the three of us on the street and raised his fist in a Black Power salute. “Hey mon!” he hollered in a Jamaican accent. Gordon and Jimmy sighed. “If I had a yen for every time I heard that…”

Lillie taught for six years in the Boston Public School System. Now she’s traveling the world. You can follow all of her travels on her Around the World blog.

“AGHHH!!!!” I screamed, throwing myself underneath the low restaurant table, “IT’S STILL ALIVE!!!”

Sushi in Japan

Sure enough, the sparkling silver fish atop our fresh sushi platter was mouthing “Oooga Oooga Oooga” at us, despite having all its flesh from the neck downward sliced off in a bloody mess and sitting four inches to its left.

“AGHHHH!!!”

The other four folks at the table were more nonchalant. My local friend Yuki and her co-worker are Japanese, and thus perhaps used to these extremes of freshness. Mike has been living here seven years, and reports that on his first work dinner, his shrimp jumped off the plate and ran away. Dee is just a connoisseur of the strange; he originally suggested we order the raw horsemeat.

One by one the others chomped down the silky fish flesh (myself, I was suddenly full), at times remarking to fishy, “I’m eating you, little guy!” At last the mouth stopped its bubble blowing and we said a prayer for the dead fish. And ate it some more.

“JESUS!” Yuki suddenly shouted. “After three days he rises from the dead!” Holy heaven, she was not kidding. We followed her finger pointing towards the plate and, indeed, fishy’s fins were suddenly a-twitch! “Twitch, twitch, twitch!” they flipped, swimming with this bone-exposed, sliced up body towards marine heaven.

“AGHHHH!!!”

Photo Credit: Mike Connolly (Flickr)

Lillie taught for six years in the Boston Public School System. Now she’s traveling the world. You can follow all of her travels on her Around the World blog.

Well, it’s been about a year now since I first stood in the doorway of a bathroom stall at Tokyo’s Narita Airport, gazing down at the narrow trough in the ground and wondering “What the heck am I supposed to do with that?”

For many first-time visitors (and wallets), Tokyo can be a real culture shock.  Below are some tips on where to go, what to eat, and how to behave so that your stay in Tokyo will be truly memorable and relatively faux pas-free.

Where to Crash

If you want to experience real Japanese culture, stay at a ryokan – a traditional Japanese inn.  Ryokans are clean & comfy and often less expensive than western style hotels.  Sleep on futons on tatami mat floors, and be prepared to share bathroom facilities with the other ryokan guests.  Breakfast is usually served for a small fee.

Sunrise Sushi

If you prefer, you can skip the ryokan breakfast and wake up early (5 a.m.) to head to the Tsukiji Market, the largest wholesale seafood market in the world, for a fresh sushi breakfast!  Yum!

Foot Bath in Hakone

Serenity Now

Best place to go to escape the big city: Hakone.  If the big city gets too overwhelming and you decide you need to slow down, hop a Shinkansen to Hakone.  The trip will take less than 2 hours.  Rest peacefully for a night or two in a local ryokan. Spend time in the onsen (hot springs), take in the scenic beauty, and become one with nature.  Don’t forget your Japan Rail Pass!

History Lesson

Best place to observe real Japanese history for free: Senso-ji Temple at Asakusa.  Completed in 645 AD, Senso-ji is Tokyo’s oldest Temple.  Unfortunately, it was mostly destroyed by bombing during World War 2.  So, the temple and five-storied pagoda that are currently standing on this site have actually been reconstructed.  But they are amazing and will help you remember you are in an ancient land…something that can easily be forgotten in a city that is so modern!

Made in China?

Coincidentally, you can also find some of the city’s best souvenir shopping outside of the Senso-ji Temple at the Asakusa Market.  100% authentic Japanese souvenirs?  Maybe not.  100% Fun?  Definitely!!

If you are looking for more authentic souvenirs to bring home, check out a Sunday shrine sale or flea market.  This is where you can find authentic Japanese treasures…for a steal!  My favorite find was a genuine Japanese Shibori silk Kimono for $10 USD!  (Shibori is an ancient form of tie-die.)

Sake

A bottle of Sake also makes a fantastic souvenir!  Here are some tips for buying quality sake:

• Every bottle of Sake is marked with a percentage…usually somewhere between 40-70%.  No, this is not the % alcohol content.  Instead, this percentage indicates the amount of pure rice remaining after the undesirable fats and proteins have been “polished off” before steaming.  The lower the percentage, the better the quality.  For example, a bottle of Sake marked as 40% means that 60% of the rice was polished off, and only 40% of the rice was remaining before fermentation… meaning that it is a more pure sake.
• If you buy a high quality Sake, do not serve it hot!  Heating good quality sake will mask its flavors and aromas.  Low quality sake is usually served heated, just for this reason.

Counter Culture

Girls in Harajuku

Best free afternoon activity?  People-watching in Harajuku.  Check out what the cool kids are wearing.

Warning: At the time, it may seem like a good idea to purchase your own Harajuku outfit to wear back in the states and impress your friends.  It’s not.  Tokyo street fashion is best left on the street …in Tokyo.

Cheap Beer

Where can you find cheap beer in Tokyo?  In a vending machine, of course!  In Tokyo there are vending machines on every corner – and most of them have beer.  The legal drinking age in Japan is 20, however, vending machines don’t check IDs.  Gotta love it!  (Of course, we would never encourage underage drinking in any country.)

Cheap Chow

Where to find a cheap bite to eat – Takashimaya!  Yes, that’s right!  The basement level of this high-end department store holds the best food court you could ever imagine!  A smorgasbord of Japanese (and other) deliciousness.  Dumplings, pot-stickers, yakitori, and anything you could possibly dream of tempura-fried and on a stick!  (My personal favorites are the tempura-fried crab claws and the tempura-fried lotus roots!)  Go here when you don’t feel like paying for a sit-down restaurant. Choose as little or as much as you want, take it back to your ryokan, and wash it down with a vending machine brew.  Ahhhh, Asahi!

Cheap Thrills

You think you know karaoke?  Think again.  The Japanese take their karaoke seriously, and karaoke clubs can be found everywhere in the big city!  Conveniently, drinks in most karaoke bars are also pretty cheap.  Reserve a private box for you and your friends or sing along with the locals in the snack bar.  I would highly recommend singing with the locals.  There will be nothing more memorable than your heart-felt rendition of “Hey Jude,” accompanied a group of Japanese businessmen letting off steam after a hard day’s work.