japan life

7/26/2019 Japan Life

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ecause Japan is an island country with little flat land

and heavy population densities, most people who live in

cities live in apartments. Most of these apartments

haven't any yards. Sidewalks separate buildings from the

street are rare. In rural areas, homes are often one or

two story homes. hey have the roofs and walled gardens.

In Japanese homes, the rooms are small by our standards.

!ne room has a variety of uses, such as living, dining,

and sleeping. "ightweight sliding panels made of paper

are pasted on frames made of wood. hese serve as their

walls. hey can slide back and forth to make the rooms

larger.

#t night, the living room may become the bedroom. #

futon

, a thick cotton padding, is brought out and placed


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on a woven straw mat called a tatami. In the

morning it is rolled back up and stored until its ne$t

use.

%uring the day, a low table may be placed in the center

of a room for meals. &hile eating, people sit on large

cushions instead of chairs.

o keep the tamami clean the Japanese remove their shoes

when entering a home. hese shoes are replaced by

slippers used only for the indoors.

Some people even have outdoor boots for their dogs. &hen

you enter a Japanese home, you come first into a small

entrance way. his is where you must take off your shoes

and put on the slippers.

# Japanese meal usually includes several dishes. ach

type of food is served in different bowls or dishes. he


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evening meal is the main meal. #ll family members come

together and eat. hey eat with chopsticks, which they

call, hashi.

Most families must shop every day so they have fresh

vegetables, fish and any other food they might use.

(ice is the staple of the Japanese diet and is served at

every meal. he word for breakfast means )first rice.)

*ish is the main source of protein, and seafood is the

main course. he Japanese eat three times as much fish

as meat. wo popular seafood dishes are sushi, patties

of rice with vinegar and raw fish wrapped in seaweed, and

sashimi, raw seafood dipped in a tangy sauce. !ther

favorites are+ tempura, batter fried fish and vegetables

sukiyaki, strips of beef and vegetables and yakitori,

s-uares of grilled chicken served on a skewer.

Since Japan is a nation of islands surrounded by the

ocean, it isn't surprising that the products of the sea

appear on their dinner table daily. In addition to fish,

seaweed is used for wrapping food like sushi and for

flavoring foods. Miso soup is a favorite which can be

served for breakfast, lunch or dinner. It is made from a


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soybean paste dissolved in a seaweed stock. Soy, is

loaded with vitamins and nutrients. In fact, they eat

much healthier than we do in the nited States.

If you were living in Japan this is what your meals might

consist of.

reakfast

+ hot steamed rice, small pieces of grilled,

salted fish pickled vegetables miso soup green tea

"unch+ boiled rice, fish or meat, vegetables, tea

%inner

+ rice, clear soup, broiled fish with soy sauce,

steamed custard made with chicken and vegetables,

tempura, pickles, rice, tea

Interesting facts about Japan

Japan is an #sian country that has many interesting facts

concerning it.
http://www3.tky.3web.ne.jp/~mikoyan/tyoumiryou.html


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%id you know that it is considered -uite rude to blow

your nose in public/

%id you know that in 0012 3ortomo was named the first shogun by

the emperor/ 4is family 5 the Minamoto clan6 governed Japan. %id

you know that the Japan7s 8ational #nthem7s name is 9imigayo/ It

means )4is Ma:esty7s (eign.) %id you know that there is a

meaning for that boring little red dot on Japan7s flag/ he

boring little red dot stands for the sun. %id you know that in

Japan they have ;oke'mon cards/ hey call them ;oke'monsters.

Japan is made up of

? mountains

>> islands

< 9ris and Jessica live in Japan

< here are wild monkeys in Japan

< &ild monkeys donAt like to be looked at in

the eye

< he Japanese ;rime Minister is elected by

the legislature, not the people

< "egend says that the Japanese monarchy began

in the =

th

Bentury B

minutes. his is to let the rice absorb the water on itssurface so that it cooks soft and moist.


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;lace the rice and the measured water in a heavy pot, coverwith a tightHfitting lid, and cook over a medium flame foraround minutes. urn up the flame until the steam beginsspurting out from the lid, at which point you should lower thegas to a very low flame.

&hen all the water is absorbed, turn off the gas and let stand

for around 0> to 0 minutes with the lid on.

1 #lthough the recipe is for thekind of rice sold in Japan, youcan use similar varieties thatare grown in alifornia and Spain5Japonica6.2 Be sure to use a thick pot

with a heavy lid. o cook 2 cupsof rice, you'll need a pot that'saround 0 centimeters 5@ inches6in diameter and 02 centimeters 5inches6 deep. he rice mightspill over if the pot's too


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# ;ractical Duide to &orking as a

Scientist in Japan

(obert &. (idge

veryday life, Bulture and "anguage

I don't want to say too much here, as you will en:oy discovering manyfascinating little things about Japan yourself, but there may be somethings not so obvious when you first move to Japan, such as thee$istence of the oHoperative 5as they have in the 96, and otherinformation, such as how to enter a Japanese house, that you may notfind in a travel guide.

Difts

he Japanese are great gift givers, and the foreign visitor 5especially

the short term visitor6 can create much goodwill with the simplest ofsmall presents, especially things from your home country not found inJapan. ven trivial things like university ties, pla-ues, tea towels,boomerangs and koalas for the children go down very well. hey will sayit isn't necessary, but will nevertheless appreciate your familiaritywith local custom.

he Japanese home

&hen you first walk into a Japanese house, you will notice you are in asmall area lower than the house floor. his area is called the 7genkan'and is where you remove your shoes. he idea is to step out of yourshoes onto the house floor, don't step back onto the genkan floor or you

will make your socks dirty. If you know the hosts well, it is fine tosit on the house floor and undo your laces, though you may find laceHfree shoes more convenient. I use laced shoes but wear them loose Ifyou do wear laced shoes, why not try loosening them and tying a loosebow before you knock on the door/ hen you will be able to make a veryprofessional entrance to the house without fiddling with your laces.# host will provide slippers, these will almost certainly be too smallfor men and if they are ludicrously uncomfortable it is fine to politelyrefuse them. I always do. If you are to enter a tatami room, you mustremove your slippers anyway and :ust have stockinged feet. his is whyit is important not to step on the lower part of the genkan in yoursocks. atami mats are about .cm thick, 0L>cm $ 1>cm rectangles of

igusa straw with a very fine weaved straw cover. hey are verycomfortable to sit on or sleep on in a futon. he 7futons' you can buyin #ustralia are nothing like Japanese futonMany houses now have partH&estern, part traditional Japanese rooms, andthere is every chance you will be offered a sofa to sit on. It is notthat unusual to have an ordinary chair in a tatami room but peopleusually sit on the floor or on cushions.*or bath time 5!Hfuro6 you must soap and rinse yourself thoroughly


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outside the bath while sitting on a little stool, and then only when youare completely rinsed can you enter the bath, which is really used :ustto warm you up and rela$. 8ever use soap in the bath. he same bathwater is used by all so don't pull the plug out.here are two kinds of toilet, the &estern style and the s-uat 5similarto those in parts of urope6. Most city houses have &estern style

nowadays, but in the countryside there are more s-uats. he universitywill have both types available. It doesn't take long to get used tos-uatting

*ood and goods

Dolden rule+ be adventurous. Japanese don't really go for readyHmadefoods as much as in other countries 5S# for e$ample6. Most Japanese goto the market every day. his is as much out of necessity 5lack ofspace6 as in the desire for fresh food. he wife of one #mericanresearcher at sukuba complained that Japan was very primitive becauseshe couldn't find anything to cook. It turned out that she had spent her

whole life in the S going to the supermarket freeGer and pulling out Tdinners for her family. In Japan, you must really cook Japanese food isvery healthy indeed. 3ou may find prices high compared to your homecountry. My advice is don't compare but see how your food bill comparesto your Japanese yen salary. Inflation in Japan has been very low formany years and prices have moved little. In 01L> there were >> yen tothe #ustralian dollar, but now only about 0>> yen. So ten years agoJapan seemed cheap.#t the supermarket even a small knowledge of the Japanese syllabaries59ana6 will come in handy, although there will be many mysteriousthings. &hen I was first in Japan as a language student I tried manythings, but got stomachHache only once, from eating a seaweed thatshould have been used as a soup stock. I thought it had been rathertough to chew(ice is an interesting sub:ect in Japan. he Japanese government refusesto import rice from the S for some good reasons. Japan is very limitedin natural resources, and it is not about to give up its independence onits basic staple and become dependent on the fickle S for such a basiccommodity. In the past this had certain disadvantages for the Japanesepeople. he Dovernment once decreed that there should be at least a oneHyear supply of rice in case of emergencies, so Japanese people werealways eating old rice, because the new rice went into store and outcame the previous year's crop. his is not delicious at all. 8owadays,while Japan still has at least a oneHyear stockpile of rice, new rice iseasily available and only a little more e$pensive than the old rice.8owadays semiHpolished rice is becoming very popular, and it is not hardto find brown rice. 3ou can distinguish semiHpolished rice because ithas a small white spot on the grain. I recommend you buy a rice cooker.In okyo you can find shops that specialise in foreign food forforeigners, but at a price. If you really must have your daily bran,bring it with you from your home country.Most shoe stores go up to a ma$imum of 2Lcm 5about uropean siGe ,British siGe 1.6 for men, which makes it very difficult to buy shoes


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for most uropeans. 3ou will also find this limit at ski hire shops forski boots. If you are an e$ceptionally tall or large person, you mayhave trouble getting clothes. *or a comparison, I am a small siGe inanada, a medium in the 9 and #ustralia, but a large in Japan#s for other things, I am still amaGed whenever I go to some districtsof okyo and see the incredible range of goods for sale. Some districts

specialise+ eg #kihabara for electrical and electronic things and 9andafor books, but department stores such as 9eio, Mitsukoshi, !dakyu,Seibu, akashimaya, okyu and &ako have a superb variety of goods. Itseems there is nothing you cannot buy. Do to the &ako department storein DinGa and see 32,>>>,>>> H 30>,>>>,>>> watches in an ordinary displaycabinet.he January Sales :ust after 8ew 3ear are a bargain bonanGa. speciallypopular are department store 7"ucky Bags' that generally range in pricefrom 3,>>> to 30>>,>>>, though some are much more he "ucky Bags aresealed so that the purchaser has no idea what is inside e$cept that theyare clothes if in the clothes department, and so on. he price labelvalue of the goods inside the bags is usually three or four times the

price paid, and most purchasers are happy to accept a few wrong siGes5which go to relatives anyway6. !ne famous children's clothing storecalled *amiliar has "ucky Bags according to age and se$, and are superbargains.

*lea markets, baGaars and sodai gomi 5big rubbish6

8owadays there are increasing numbers of flea markets in Japan, usuallyheld on Sundays. hey are a great source of interesting souvenirs, cheapclothing and practical goods. If you have a growing family, look out forkindergarten fundHraising baGaars, which sell secondHhand children'sclothing at e$traordinarily low prices. here are also certain times ofthe year when people throw out their big :unk 5sodai gomi6. Japanesetend to throw out things that are only slightly worn out, and electricalthings are often in e$cellent working order. If you look around in yourlocal area at these times you may be able to pick up a good rice cookerfor e$ample.8ew 3ear is also a big cleanout time in Japan. If you don'tknow when to look out for sodai gomi, ask your neighbours )sodai gomi nohi wa, itsu des'ka).In okyo, the Darbage %epartment has five recycle depots. #t theseplaces they have all kinds of sodai gomi displayed and they check thatanything mechanical or electrical works properly. If you want something,you can put your name down and at the end of the month a lottery isdrawn for each item, and the winner gets it free. hus, if you areprepared to wait you can obtain some items for nothing 5if you are inluck6 and it can save you wandering around the district like a vulture

Shopping hours

he main department stores generally open from 0>.>> am to =.>> pm, si$days per week. hey close one day in the week, but on different days toeach other so that there is always a big store to go to every day. #llstores are open on Sunday. "ocal markets and small supermarkets oftenopen earlier and close later than the department stores. here are also


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some 2Hhour stores.

he Japanese BoHoperative

he oHop usually delivers once a week, they have retail outlets in onlyvery few places. 3ou can easily :oin for a small fee. #sk your

neighbours or friends. hey sell great solid bread which is much betterthan the airy fairy stuff in the supermarket. he oHop people choosemany things that have been grown without insecticide spraying etc. heyare very careful to get the best things and so sometimes the price is alittle higher. hey sell very good -uality rice, and great potatoes from4okkaido. 3ou must order once a week, but two weeks in advance. helocal oHop members take it in turn to receive all the local members'goods, who come to that house to collect them. Its certainly a good wayto get to know your neighbours.

ating out

It is not as e$pensive as you might imagine, but e$pect high prices if

you walk into classy restaurants in DinGa. Some of the best places toeat at reasonable prices are in the department stores, usually locatedon one of the upper floors. here are great noodle shops everywhere, andeven in the back streets of DinGa you can find a cheap place to eat. #tnoodle shops please slurp with gusto Most eating places are small andcosy and have -uite realistic plastic models 5with prices6 of their maindishes on display outside, so you can see what they sell without knowingany Japanese and without having to enter first. #t worst, you can leadthe waiter or waitress outside and point to what you want, as I did manytimes before I learnt Japanese. hey certainly won't mind. heinstitution food halls where you work will be cheap because they aresubsidised.

Bommuting

If you are in a large city and you must commute to work, it is muchcheaper to buy a monthly or threeHmonthly pass, called teikiken. heokyo rush hour is very bad at certain times. #s most office workersdon't start particularly early, the best times are around =.> H L.>>amor after 0>.>>am. If you travel away from the direction of the city inthe morning it should be less packed. Be careful not to get :ammed in sofar that you can't get out at your stop. If you need to, say lots ofe$cuse me's 5sumi masen6 and push -uite hard. #t ma:or stops, there isusually a huge e$odus of people, so it is either easier to get out or to

get a seat if you are continuing on. Most of the :amming occurs aspeople try to get on :ust as the doors are closing, so for slightly moreroom move away from the door area. # lady friend of mine said that thereare some advantages to the packed trains because once the doors are shutshe can let go of her shopping and it stays suspended there until thene$t stop#ll train stations have their names in (oman form on the platform,though the maps outside unfortunately don't. ach station has the ne$tand last station names written up, with arrows pointing the way the


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train will go, and the train guard announces the ne$t station over theloudspeaker system. It is thus really difficult to get lost, but if youdo, anyone will bend over backwards to help you. If you know where youwant to go but can't figure out the price of the ticket from the tableson the wall, :ust buy the cheapest ticket from the machine and have itad:usted at the fare ad:ustment office 5seisan:o6 at your destination.

4owever, in okyo there are now many totally automatic stations withmachines that allow you entrance and e$it, and where it is better tohave the correct ticket for e$iting without problem.It is not uncommon for women to be fondled on packed trains, though Idon't know if foreign women are sub:ected to this kind of abuse.nfortunately, as in most countries, there is no provision for disabledpeople, and you will need to be reasonably fit as there are lots ofstairs to climb up and down.

Bycling

Many people use the bicycle in Japan, and there is a lot of problem with

bicycle parking, especially near train stations. #bandoned bicyclese$acerbate this. In okyo and other large cities and towns, people tendto cycle on the footpath because the roads are so busy. Many small roadshave no footpath at all, so if you cycle be especially careful. a$idrivers tend to have little regard for cyclists and definitely won'tgive way to you. ven if the other person is at fault, it is better togive way than have a nasty accident. Motor scooter riders also often usethe footpath, though it is illegal for them to do so. Many Japanesecycle on the wrong side of the road don't let them force you out ontothe crown of the road, make them go around you, because at least theycan see the cars coming. In crowded places, cars will often pass youvery closely, so please beware. Bicycle theft is one of the few crimesthat you must be aware of, and if you have a good bicycle I recommend astrong lock and chain.Bicycles can be rented at about twenty J8( 5Japan 8ational (ailway6stations 5half of these allHyearHround6 at reasonable rates. # list ofthese can be found in the Baedeker's Japan tourist guide and of courseat any J8(, I or 7i' office.

Schools

If you have schoolHage children, then you will have to send them eitherto the local school or to one that specialises in foreign children5e$pensive6. Some schools have special facilities for nonHJapanese andyou can get a list of these schools from the local &ard !ffice. Doing to

a local school can be an e$citing time for kids if they have a positiveattitude. *oreign children are very popular because they are different.It is very likely they will need a uniform. Schools often have sillyregulations. *or e$ample in sukuba the local high school wouldn't allowgirls to use racing style bicycles to school because it was7unbecoming', but for boys it was fine. Schools usually play loud musicfor the children to e$ercise to, especially primary schools. It isalways too loud. I have heard a primary school from several kilometresaway. Tery often local residents complain and can get irate, so don't


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think you are the only one who wants peace and -uiet.

he electronically amplified voice

Many Japanese seem to have a fascination for loudHhailers, and use themat all opportunities. In fact, Japan can be very noisy. I have even seen

a primary school teacher in the playground talking through a loudHhailerto a group of about ten small children sitting around him. ;robably sohe could be heard above all the other loudHhailers In sukuba, thelocal meat market used to advertise by loudHhailer from a small planethat cruised over the tree tops, often at L.>> am on Sunday mornings5Sunday is shopping day6. I often mused about shooting the damn thingdown, but did derive some satisfaction from abusing it at the top of myvoice.

# passive people

he Japanese are very mildHmannered, and Japan is probably the safestcountry in the world. I'm not saying violence doesn't occur, but it is

so rare as to be discounted. 3ou will never need to be afraid. &hen Iwas visiting Japan in 0110, a vandalised telephone was a main news itemon the =.>> pm news. hat gives you an idea of how infre-uently suchthings happen.his passiveness is very much a reflection of their ordered society. Itis likely that the low incidence of violence and general mayhem has itsfoundations in a time when the whole family was punished for onemember's misdemeanour. ven now, if one member of a family is guilty ofa serious crime, the whole family can be ostracised by society. In 01L1,a young man murdered several young children. #lthough he had personalityproblems and was a little peculiar, it was such an awful thing that noHone could possibly forgive him for it. 4is father was a printer, so he

lost all his customers and would never get any more. !ne of the childrenwas killed on their property, so they will never be able to sell it. hetwo sisters would never be able to marry. I heard that one had moved faraway and changed her name, so she may have a chance for a new life.hus, in any wrongful act in Japan, a person must consider not only theconse-uences to self, but also to family, and this probably keeps crimeon a low scale. I like to think that the very high level of education isa contributory factor.!f course, you must have heard of the Japanese gangsters, the 3akuGa.hey are not nice, though most are a nuisance rather than reallydangerous. hey do have one 7good' function though+ they keep waywardyouths off the streets by recruiting them and giving them a 7purpose' in

life.

ody language and other things

Denerally, people don't stand too close to each other when conversing,unless it can't be helped in a crowded place. his is especiallyimportant when meeting people for the first time. #s there is usually noneed to shake hands there is no need to draw close. !n meeting, peopleusually bow a little. Sometimes you will see people almost bend in half.


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his is a sign of great respect or a kind of 7please do a big favour forme' type bow. I find it -uite embarrassing when someone sticks theirface in their knees, but after a while you can become accustomed to it.Many people who have interacted with foreigners will shake your hand ingreeting. Some try to shake hands and bow at the same time, but this canlead to swapping of hair grease and should be avoided if possible

If you need to apologise, don't do it with your head held high andRorlooking the receiver straight in the eye. "ower your head and lookdownwards as you apologise, or the receiver won't believe your apologyat all. he same body language goes for giving gifts.3oung people know that there are certain rude hand signs used byforeigners, seen in the movies. It is most likely that they don'trealise the significance of these signs. #s I have suggested below forrude words, assume they are innocent bystanders of the modern world, andif you have the chance, teach them.3ou may notice that people don't throw things when asked to passsomething, as &esterners may do amongst friends and colleagues. It ise$tremely rude to do so in Japan. My colleague asked to borrow an

eraser, so I niftily threw it over to him and it neatly popped into hishand. I didn't notice at the time, but later a student e$plained to methat my colleague had become intensely angry with me over it, despiterealising that I had no idea it was rude. 4e :ust couldn't help himselfbecause it is such an ingrained thing in Japanese society.

anking and money

Banks are similar to here, e$cept that there are no grilles as you findin some countries. hey have cash dispensers but they are not open 2hours. In terms of paying for things generally, almost all Japanese usecash. here is no che-ue system in Japan. 4owever, if you want topurchase an e$pensive item from a department store or company and youdon't want to bring cash, you can pay for it by using a furikae yoshi,which is a kind of credit slip for the item that you take to the bank todebit against your account. !nce the company has been notified by theirbank that the item has been paid for, its yours. Many things can paidfor in this way. tility bills can conveniently be paid by direct debitthrough your bank, although you can use furikae yoshi if you wish.If you have a credit card you can use it in many places, although don'tforget that the e$change rate given you by an overseasHbased credit cardcompany is never good. In eleven years I used my credit card only oncein Japan. If you want to send money home you can get a bank draft easilyat a cost of about 32,>>. In okyo banks, foreign e$change countersshould have nglishHspeaking staff, and their forms are bilingual.he ;ost office 5yubin kyoku6 is one of the most convenient places tohave a money account, because in virtually every town in Japan you canwithdraw money using your passbook, no matter how small the post office.his is very handy if you wish to travel without lots of cash. o openan account you'll need identity such as your passport, residentialcertificate 5:uminho6, #lien (egistration, andRor medical insurance card5hokken sho6.


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sing the telephone

*or overseas calls you can dial direct if your telephone has beenconnected for it. he country codes are the same as anywhere, the 9 is for e$ample, as you would dial from #ustralia. he code to access theinternational line depends on the telephone company your telephone is

connected to. *or e$ample, if it is the 9%% then dial >>00, or >>02 ifyou want a call back on duration and cost. !ther companies havedifferent access codes 5eg >>0 or >>@06.#ll international operators speak e$cellent nglish, so if you need aconnection or have an en-uiry, there is no communication problem. "ocaloperators may speak nglish in okyo or another large city, but don'tcount on it. !f course, telephone books are unusable for you unless youcan read Japanese very well.%on't consider having a telephone connected to your residence unless youwill be staying for some time, because the initial costs are very high.It can cost close to 30>>,>>> to be connected, though you can take this7membership' with you anywhere in Japan if you move.

Das, electricity and toyu

Most Japanese homes use gas for cooking, kerosene 5toyu6 for heating,and electricity for most everything else. Because electricity is verye$pensive it is even possible to buy gas rice cookers. 9erosene 5toyu6heaters 5toyu sutobu6 have automatic, springHloaded devices forinstantly turning off the flame in an earth-uake. here are some prettyimpressive hiHtech kerosene heaters that use a pressurised burnersystem, rather than a wick.lectricity is set at 0>>T and at either > or @> cycles, depending onwhere you are in Japan 5it is > cycles in okyo6. #lmost all electricalitems in Japan can self ad:ust to the cycle, but be careful with

e-uipment you bring in from abroad.

(ubbish and recycling

he Japanese sort their rubbish 5gomi6 into burnable 5moeru gomi6 andunburnable 5moenai gomi6 ob:ects, which are collected on different days.8ewspapers are considered unburnable because they are recycled.Denerally, put all plastics into bags labelled unburnable, and paper anddry kitchen waste into the burnable. %isposable nappies are consideredburnable. 3ou can use plastic shopping bags to hold both types ofrubbish. Beer bottle empties and the like can be returned for a verysmall credit on your ne$t purchase, or you can leave them in the crates

outside the shop. #luminium cans are also recycled.

hings people don't do in public

It took me a while to discover, but people in Japan don't eat while theywalk, and they don't eat in suburban and commuter trains 5but there isgood 7!HBento' to buy on long distance trains of course6. I have seenpeople eating iceHcream while they walk, but generally they will buy thesnack and then stand outside the shop and eat it. ry not to blow your


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nose in public. If you have a stinking cold, use one of those masks tostop the spreading of germs.

;ublic baths

It seems to me that Japanese people have fewer hangups about nudity than

&esterners, though some people may disagree. !nly rarely now are some ofthe older public baths in country areas mi$ed. !nsen 5hot spring6 bathsare great and are a national pastime. he rules for using public bathsare the same as at home. 4ave fun

Smoking

Smoking is very common but there are specific areas of no smoking andthese are very well adhered to. #ll shops and some restaurants are noHsmoking, many restaurants have noHsmoking areas. #ll commuter trains andnow all stations are noHsmoking. Denerally, fewer women smoke. 3ou willfind less smoking in the university because the young and the smart knowit is bad for the health.

Detting around in Japan

I'm sure you will have guide books to help you travel in Japan, and yourcolleagues will help. (emember that certain times of year, such as 8ew3ear, Dolden &eek and !bon 5see #ppendi$6 are e$tremely busy and thusuncomfortable to travel. #ll railway signs are in nglish, 9an:i5hinese characters6 and 4iragana, and many road signs are now also innglish. nfortunately, many rail maps outside stations are only inJapanese. In okyo it is easy to get an nglish version of the subwaysystem.

Detting around locally

Streets are not named in Japan e$cept main roads in large cities. "ocalareas are divided into ever decreasing smaller areas until the last areacontains :ust a few houses. his makes it very hard for foreigners toget about 5even the locals are not that good at it6. If you are to go tosomeone's house, they will have to draw you a map or meet you at thestation or bus stop. In okyo, the central area is divided into 2 9u's5eg ShibuyaHku6 which is further divided into home's. I have somefriends who live in HHL bisu, ShibuyaHku. his means they live in theeighth bit of the fifth section of the fourth home of bisu district.he postman knows the names of the people in each bit, and all peoplelabel their gate with their name and home section number. If you arelost, you can always know where you are because the relevant home andsections are labelled on some of the electricity poles. !f course,knowing where you are isn't necessarily going to get you off in theright direction, but you will also find maps on prominent streetcorners. %on't hesitate to ask someone, even if it is :ust pointing tothe address. #ny Japanese person can read and understand addresseswritten in nglish, though I wouldn't chance it on an old lady 5I know avery sweet 10Hyear old who understands nothing of the alphabet and who


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thinks my terrible scrawly writing is very beautiful indeed6.

he police

It seems that the main duty of the police in Japan is in givingdirections ertainly, it is very easy to find a local police bo$

5koban6 of which there are over 0,>>> in okyo alone. he police wearguns in Japan, but it would be a very rare event indeed for one to beremoved from the holster. ;lease consider the police to be your friends,they will certainly try their best to assist you in any way they can.

%ates and the mperor system

he Japanese use both the Dregorian and Japanese alendar. 8ew 3ear isthe same as ours. he present era is called 4eisei, and the mperor'sname is #kihito. 4owever, noHone in Japan calls him by his name and heis generally referred to as en'no 4eika. he previous era was calledShowa, when 4irohito was mperor. he current year is 4eisei 501126.3ou may be asked to write your date of birth in the era system, so you

must work it out for the Showa era. Showa DanHnen 5year 06 was in 012@and ended in 01L1 when 4irohito died thus 010 was Showa 2@, fore$ample. *or both the Dregorian calendar and ra, Japanese use year,month, day.

he weather

My good friend here from #rmenia told me once that as far as he wasconcerned there are only two things wrong with Japan, the summer, andthe winter. I have to agree with him about the summer, but one's opinionabout the winter depends on the amount of insulation in the walls andceiling of your house 5of which there is usually none in okyo houses6.

Japan e$tends a long way northHsouth, there are distinct mountainranges, and as a result there are -uite distinct regional differences inweather patterns both northHsouth and eastHwest. 4okkaido in the northis very cold in the winter but has very pleasant summers. South of theohoku region 5northern 4onshu6 it can be very steamy during the summerbut the winters are relatively mild. 9yushu in the south is almost subHtropical. he Japan Sea coastal districts get a lot of snow in thewinter, even as far south as 9yushu, yet the ;acific !cean side of Japancan be snowHfree -uite far north, because the mountains take theprecipitation from the easterlies.In general, there are si$ seasons in Japan. #utumn and winter are bothshort, and the blossom can start in January, depending on the region. It

is interesting to watch the wave of blossom from south to north overlate winter and early spring, reported on the weather programs, as theweather warms northwards. Spring is, of course, the best time of year.here is blossom everywhere and people picnic under the blossom trees.8e$t comes the rainy season, and it can pour down day after day untilyou can imagine that summer won't come at all. %on't fret, you aren'tgoing to like summer much anyway. Most of Japan e$cept north of ohokuis stinking hot and 0>>? humid during the summer. It isn't pleasant atall. Sometimes the power companies complain they are within a hair's


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breadth of power cuts because of all the air conditioners going In thesummer the cicadas 5called 7semi'6 are everywhere. It is said that theJapanese hear the call of the cicada with the side of the brain thatalso hears music, and they therefore en:oy the sound. &e foreigners aresupposed to hear the cicada call with the side of the brain that alsohears noise, so we don't en:oy it. But I don't agree, I en:oy the sound

of the cicada, it reminds me of many other pleasant things about summer.Soon though comes the yphoon season, which brings more rain and highwinds. nfortunately, yphoon season can also be very hot and sticky. Bylate September it is usually cooling down for autumn.

arth-uakes 5:ishin6, volcanoes, landslides, typhoons and other

interesting events

4opefully you will only e$perience a mild earth-uake 5:ishin6 and noneof the other events. #ll I want to say is that if you have an earth-uakedon't run out of the house, it is safer under a doorway or under a solidtable. I got -uite used to the small 7-uakes that occur every day,

although in the okyo region 59anto6 there are one or two bad ones peryear. Make sure your freeHstanding cupboards are tied to the wall. hereis usually a device on top of the cupboard for doing this. If you areoutside during an earth-uake don't remain close to concrete walls asthey are sometimes 5illegally6 unreinforced and likely to topple. 9eepaway from houses if you can because of possible slates falling downwide open spaces are best or shelter in a doorway in narrow streets.here was a -uite unforgettable earth-uake when I was in my office 5onthe =th floor6 one day in 01L@, and at the time I thought I would beshaken out of the window. #fterwards I went down to my laboratory 5onthe th floor6 to ask how things were there. he students were listeningintently to the radio to discover where the epicentre of the earth-uakehad been. *ortunately the only casualty in the laboratory was acolleague who had been hit on the head by a flying toilet roll. &hen Istated that I didn't like earth-uakes, a ;h% student said very strongly)&ho likes earth-uakes/). I guess I had assumed that the locals were soused to earth-uakes that it didn't worry them. hey had clearly been asfrightened as I had been.If you live in a high rise e$pect much more swaying than on the ground.It is apparently -uite possible to get seasick because the fle$ibilityof the buildings means that they sway for sometime after the 7-uake.Many earth-uakes in the 9anto region start with a deep rumbling noisethat feels like a truck is about to appear from out of the ground. 3outhen have a second or two to get under a doorway or table before theshaking starts his all sounds terribly traumatic but a really badshake only occurs very infre-uently and then there is usually minimal ifno damage because almost everything in Japan is earth-uake proof.Since I wrote the above, there has been, of course, the most devastatingearth-uake in the 9obe area 5on the 0=th January, 011, e$actly one yearafter the alifornian earth-uake6, in which over ,>>> people lost therelives and many more who were in:ured and lost their homes. It was a deepshock to all of us living in Japan and there is now a general feelingthat the preparations for such a disaster and the safety of buildings


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are not as good as once thought. 4owever, I should say that the ma:oritywho lost their lives were in old wooden buildings with heavy roofs andthat modern buildings generally stood the terrific sideways movementvery well. he 4anshin %ai Shin Sai 5Dreat 4anshin arth-uake %isaster6was all the more a disaster because the 9obe area has had no smallearh-uakes for a very long time 5some fifty years6 and people there

hadn't been reminded as fre-uently as those in okyo of the omnipresenceof such a terrible event. %espite this, a recent survey showed that lessthan half of the pepole in okyo have made any kind of preparation for adisaster.

ypical Japanese lifestyle and everyday living

Blimate and weather

9ashiwa ity and 8agareyama ity are located in hiba ;refecture, whichhas a relatively moderate climate throughout the year. 4owever, pleasebe aware that during the midHsummer, the temperature can still climb

well in e$cess of > degrees entigrade, which, compounded withtypically high humidity, can create the uncomfortable conditionsassociated with the hot summer. #lso, snow falls in hiba ;refectureduring the midHwinter months.#ir conditioners, fans and heating stoves will help to comfortablycontrol the temperature inside your residence.*rom summer to autumn, Japan e$periences several typhoons 5tropicalstorms6 every year. It's best to be prepared for these storms by storingan emergency kit 5with flashlight, batteries, food, water, etc.6 in anaccessible place. #lso, you should familiariGe yourself with yournearest local emergency shelter.

e aware of mold

he months of June and July are known as the )rainy season) in Japan.ven when the rainy season is finished, summer in Japan is typically hotand very humid. herefore, it is easy for mold to grow.$posure to mold is unhealthy. herefore, be sure to open your windowson clear days, try to have good ventilation, wipe off condensation fromthe inside of windows and doors, and use moisture removal goods, such asa dehumidifier, to prevent the growth of mold.

%rinking water

Denerally, it is not a problem to drink tap water in Japan. 4owever, if

you don't like the local water smell or taste, it's best to boil yourwater, use a water purification system, or buy bottled mineral water.

he traditional lifestyle without shoes inside a building

In almost all Japanese homes, you step up to enter from the front doorarea after you take off your shoes. Sometimes, you will wear room shoes5slippers6 inside the house, but you should take off these slippers whenyou enter a tatami 5Japanese straw mat6 room. 8owadays, at most offices,


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you don't have to take off your shoes to enter, but there are still afew traditional businesses in which you have to take off your shoes.

athroom and toilet

;ay attention to the traditional Japanese eti-uette when taking a bath,

especially when you visit someone's house or a public bath.&ash and rinse off your body, before you enter the bathtub.%o not wash your body inside the bathtub. o use soap, you should comeout of the bathtub first, then wash and rinse your body outside of thebathtub.raditionally, in Japan, the hot water in the bathtub is not changedafter every person takes a bath. %o not unplug the bathtub to let thehot water out. &hen you finish your bath, leave the hot water in thebathtub.In Japan, there are 2 styles of toilets 5soHcalled )Japanese style) and)&estern style)6. If you use the )Japanese style) toilet, you will haveto s-uat. $cept for toilet paper, please do not flush any other foreign

ob:ects, such as sanitary napkins or the cardboard core of the toiletpaper roll.

(estaurants

#t most Japanese and hinese restaurants, chopsticks are usually served.If you can't use chopsticks, please don't hesitate to re-uestsilverware.In most restaurants and bars in Japan, even where only alcohol isserved, there is no system of paying for individual drinks or snacks,one at a time. 3ou simply pay your total bill when you leave therestaurant or bar at the cash register.ypically, in Japan, there is no system of tipping for service, but

nowadays, many hotels and a limited number of restaurants will include aprescribed service charge 5normally a percentage of the total6 on yourbill.

Shopping

In Japan, when you purchase goods or use the money transfer service atthe bank, you have to pay the Japanese ? consumption ta$.he ? consumption ta$ is included in the price shown on the price tagof any item for sale in Japan. 5he listed price reflects the total costof the item and the sales ta$.6*or most shopping, you should usually plan to pay in cash, but

nowadays, a limited number of places, such as hotels, restaurants, andsupermarkets, accept credit cards.3ou can cash a personal check only at the bank where the check waswritten or at the bank in which you have your own account 5in yourname6. In Japan, you cannot write personal checks for purchases.

asic information for shopping

Supermarket5nglish only6
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2073.htmlhttp://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2073.html


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onvenience Store5nglish only6

0>> yen shop5nglish only6

;riceheck!93!

U #n nofficial ;rice "ist of veryday Items in okyo 5nglish only6

4oliday and 8ational holiday

#lmost all government offices, banks and post offices are closed onSaturdays, Sundays and 8ational 4olidays in Japan, but many departmentstores, shops and restaurants are open on these days.In Japan, if a 8ational 4oliday falls on a Sunday, the ne$t day 5Monday6will be observed as a holiday. In addition to the Japanese 8ational4olidays, many public offices, banks and schools will also close for afew days in midH#ugust, for a period of days known as )!bon) 5theBuddhist event6, as well as at the end of the calendar year and thebeginning of the new year 5especially January 0 to 6.

;ublic telephone

se 0> yen coins, 0>> yen coins. or a telephone card to place a phonecall.elephone cards are readily available for purchase at the kiosk ornewspaper stand of the station, as well as in vending machines orconvenience stores.If you see the sign )International all) then you can also placeinternational calls from that public telephone.

T and radio

In Japan, you can en:oy watching the T or listening to the radio, andare authoriGed to receive any T or radio broadcasts that with your Tor radio antenna.here are also a variety of commercial cable and satellite Tbroadcasting networks, for which subscribers need to pay charges. 849 isJapanese national public broadcasting, and, if you own a T set, youmust pay a listening fee, as prescribed by Japanese law, regardless ofwhether you watch 849 programming or not.

T(3%#3 "I* I8 J#;#8
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2071.htmlhttp://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2077.htmlhttp://www.pricechecktokyo.com/http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2071.htmlhttp://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2077.htmlhttp://www.pricechecktokyo.com/


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hanging the futons,a weekly chore in Japan Many Japanese customs, values and personalitytraits arise from the fact that Japanese live so close together in sucha crowded place. veryday the Japanese are packed together like sardines

on subways and in kitchenHsiGe yakatori bars and sushi restaurants. #doGen lap swimmers may s-ueeGe into single lane at a swimming pool.Bicycles and pedestrians fight for space on crowded sidewalks, which areespecially packed on rainy days and sunny days, when umbrellas are outin force. If there weren't such strict rules and strong pressures toobey them people would be all over each other, in each otherAs face,and at each other's throats.Businessmen spend the night in coffinHsiGed sleeping capsules. ;eopleentertain outside their homes because there is no room to entertainguests inside their homes. "awns are so small they are cut with scissorsand gardens are so small Japanese say they will fit on a )cat'sforehead.) he shortage of space has been the inspiration behind

Japanese engineering wonders such as the &alkman, candyHbar siGe cellphones, compact cars and waferHthin television sets.ommon Japanese tools include a nata, a wonderfully functional JapanesetoolHHsort of like a cross between a longHbladed hatchet and a heavyfish cleaver, and a kamaHHa short, singleHhand sickle, for cutting heavybrush, and a shortHhandled bamboo rake. VSource+ 9evin Short, %aily3omiuriW&ith personal space being so hard to find in Japan the concept ofprivacy is more of state of mind than a condition of being alone. heJapanese are very good at shutting out the world around them and makingtheir own privacy by losing themselves in reading a comic book orsleeping while they are surrounded by people. But even that is not

enough for some people. #ll over Japan, you see men parked in their carssleeping or reading, sometimes for hours at a time.very person in Japan belongs to a family registry that documentsmarriage, births and deaths. he registry system was introduced in theMei:i period in the 01th century as means of keeping track of itspopulation. he government also keeps track of people through ta$,pension and health care records. he government issues identity cardsand re-uires anyone who moves to record the move with local authorities.Some say the bests way to make sure you get along with your neighbors


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are -uickly passing along the kairanban clipboard of local announcementsand observing the garbage disposal regulations properly.Japan was rated 8o. 00 in the nited 8ation Nuality of "ife Inde$ in2>0>. 8orway, #ustralia, 8ew Pealand and the nited States were the topfour rated countries.

hings to "ove #bout "ife in Japan

!n things to love about life in Japan, #ndrew Bender wrote in the "os#ngeles imes+ E06 Tending machines. Sure, we have vending machines inthe States, but machines that sell hot and cold canned drinks, withtemperatures that can be changed seasonally. #ll kinds of awesome.Tending machines are a way of life in Japan, selling subway tickets,oke on a mountainside by a middleHofHnowhere hiking trail, beer, toys,even underwear. VSource+ #ndrew Bender, "os #ngeles imes, March 00,2>02W26 atami rooms. Minimalism may have been discovered by the rest of theworld over the last > years, but it goes back ages in Japan. #

traditional Japanese room has tatami 5mats6 on the floor, simple stuccowalls supported by wooden posts, and an alcove called a tokonoma, usedto display your changing selection of hanging scrolls, pottery andseasonal ikebana. 6 4ighHtech toilets. #re heated toilet seatsnecessary/ Maybe not, but they sure are nice on a cold winter morning.Japan has elevated plumbing to an art, and the graphics on the pushbuttons are adorable. VIbidW6 0>> yen stores. Japan is famously e$pensive, but more and more 5not:ust6 Japanese are shopping at the e-uivalent of dollar stores. 3ou'renot going to get topHshelf stuff, but the wares E rice bowls to ricecrackers, neckties to knickers E are often e-ual to what you'd buyelsewhere. &here else can you outfit your entire kitchen for thee-uivalent of K>/6 a$is. Sorry, #merica. Japan has us beat on this, whiteHgloved handsdown. a$i doors open and close automatically, lace doilies cover theseats, drivers are unfailingly polite and tipping never enters theirmind. If you don't know the route or can't speak Japanese, it's a goodidea to have a map to your destination. In the unlikely event that thedriver takes the wrong route, I've had instances where he 5or,increasingly, she6 will shut off the meter. VIbidW@6 okyo subways. !ther cities only wish they had a Metro. okyo'samaGing train network is the envy of the world, spotless, punctual andgenteel. &ith 0 lines below ground and a tangle of additional linesabove ground, it's the life blood of the city. If you hear anyonetalking loudly on board, it's almost certainly not in Japanese. hoseimages you've seen of packers shoving folks into cars E only at certainstations during rush hour. VIbidW

conomic %aily "ife in Japan

Japan is very cash oriented. oins and banknotes account for 0 percentof national income compared to @ percent in Dermany and . percent inthe nited States. redit cards are not as common in Japan as they are


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in nited States. Japanese walk around with large amounts of cash andpay for most things with cash. Before making a large purchase, they aremore likely to run to an #M machine than use a credit card. #Mmachines dispense up to K>,>>> in yen.Japanese housewives have traditionally controlled the family's finances.hey are careful shoppers and like things fresh. hey look out for

bargains like everyone else but donAt go in for buying things in large-uantities like #mericans, partly because they donAt have room in theirrelatively small houses for a lot of stuff. &omen are also some ofJapan's most active investors.here are almost no checking accounts or paychecks in Japan. Most peopleget paid though bank transfers to their bank savings accounts and paybills by making money transfers at a bank, post office or conveniencestore that cost as much as K each. Instead of waiting in line at abank, most people give their money or papers to receptionist and thensit and rela$ on a couch until the transaction is finished and arecalled to a window.

Bonsumer 4abits in Japan

an honorHsystem vegetable standwhere customers take whatthey want and leave money Japanese consumers are notoriously fickle

and demanding. hey often chose -uality over price. $pectations for-uality and freshness are high.Japanese are willing to pay more for -uality. 8ice supermarkets thathave good -uality stuff often do better than ones with everyday lowprice places. 9en Belson wrote in the 8ew 3ork imes+ EJapaneseconsumers are considered the worldAs most discriminating, particularlythose who have traveled overseas. ;roduct cycles are short preferencesswing wildly, especially among younger women and Japanese consumerstend to be fanatical when it comes to -uality.F


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Japanese prefer smaller, lighter products and are willing to pay highprices for them. hey are also willing to spend money for the latest andcoolest stuff. By contrast #mericans often seem interested most in thelowest price. !ne young Japanese woman told the 8ew 3ork imes, EItAsmuch better to buy one good thing and use it carefully than spend moneyon many cheap things. #s I become busier, I donAt have as much time to

shop, so I only go to places where I can get good things.F

%aily Bhores in Japan

(ice is usually prepared in a special steam rice cooker that has aspecial timing device so rice can be prepared for the ne$t morning whilepeople are sleeping. Japanese housewives usually shop every day on footiron on small footHhigh ironing board that fits on the floor or tableand sometimes serve food on heated kotatstables in the winter.Most homes don't have an oven or dish washer. (efrigerators and washersare generally smaller than their #merican counterparts. ooking is done

on a stoveHlike cooker.Most homes don't have a dryer or even a hair dryer because the Japanesebelieve the Shinto Sun goddess #materasu looks down are thing that arenot dried in the sun. lothes are hung in the morning on the balcony. Ifit is raining clothes are hung indoors from doorknobs and lines strungon ceiling hooks.

Shoes, Slippers and %ogs in Japan

school shoe bo$es #ccording to Japanese custom, people are supposed totake off their shoes when entering a house. he shoes are taken off at

the genkan5threshold, or entrance area6 inside the house and one has becareful not to step on the genkan with their barefeet or socks 5Japanesestep out of the heels of both shoes first and then step into housewithout stepping on the threshold6. he custom was developed to keep thefloors in the house and especially hardHtoHwash tatami mats clean.!ften Japanese step into slippers for walking around in the house butremove their slippers when entering a tatamiHmat room. If you go thebathroom you put on a pair of plastic slippers in the bathroom and then


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change back into the original slipper when you step out of the bathroom.It takes some skill to take off and especially put on your shoes at thedoor with grace and ease. It is a bad idea to wear hiking boots areshoes that re-uire lacing up or are difficult to step in and out of. hecustom of removing shoes was developed when people most wore sandals.Shoe horns are often available. If you need to sit to put on or remove

your shoes apologiGe.In Japan, there are too kinds of dogs+ small dogs that are allowed inthe house and outdoor dogs that have to stay outside and are not allowedinside because of worries that they will dirty the floor or the tatamimats with their feet.

Sleeping and Sitting on the *loor in Japan

# lot of Japanese sleep on the subways and trains. #t home they oftensleep on futons 5but many also sleep on beds6. In the summer they sleep

under towels. #fter waking up a futon sleeper is e$pected to fold up hisor her futon and blankets and place them in a closet or against a wall.he Japanese spend a lot of time sitting on the floor, and if given thechoice some would rather sit or lie down on a hard floor than rela$ on abed or in a comfortable chair. &hen sitting on the floor many people siton cushions.he preference for sitting on the floor goes hand in hand with notwearing shoes in the house. Japanese don't want to sit on a floordirtied by people's shoes. If you sit in a chair it doesn't make as muchdifference if the floor has a little dirt.he seiGastyle of sitting on your kneesHHHwith the legs bent and tuckedunder the bottomHHHis regarded as polite. he more rela$ed agurastyle

is referred to as EIndian styleF in the nited States. &oman sittingthe seiGa position that perform a proper bow do so with their hands ontop of each other and the elbows out.&omen are not supposed to sit crossHlegged on the floor. hey aresupposed to sit with their legs bent under them or bent to the side5both positions are generally very uncomfortable for &estern women forlong periods of time6.


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ating 4abits in Japan

# traditional meal is served with rice, vegetables and miso 5fermentedsoy bean paste6 soup and fruit is often eaten as desert. Many dishescome with soy sauce or wasabi 5very hot mustardHlike green horseradish6.Many urban Japanese have adopted the #merican way of eatingHHHa bigbreakfast, light lunch, and a big dinner. Miso soup and rice are adietary base, often eaten for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.Breakfast 5asaHgohan6 is generally eaten between =+>>am and =+>am andconsists of :uice, coffee, eggs and toast or rice. # typical breakfastconsists of rice, miso soup, spinach and egg. Most people eat breakfastat home. It's hard to find a restaurant that serves breakfast. Manycoffee ships have a set breakfast with a drink, toast, boiled egg andlight food. !n the weekends people eat pancakes or a traditionalbreakfast of miso soup, rice, egg, vegetable and fish.

"unch 5hiruHgohan6 is generally eaten between 02+>> noon and 2+>>pm.Many people eat out, grabbing a -uick meal or snack such as a bowl ofnoodles, sandwiches, rice balls or hinese food.%inner 5banHgohan6 is generally eaten between @+>>pm and L+>>pm. Itgenerally an informal meal with meat or fish, rice and miso soup. Maindishes made at home, include thing things like curry rice, pork cutlets,meatloafHlike hamburgers, fried fish, stir fried chicken or pork dishes,and dishes made with tofu. *ancier dinners include some of the itemslisted below.Japanese often drink nothing with their meals, Miso soup often servesthe purpose of a drink. Sometimes beer, wine, hot tea, cold tea, wateror other drinks are served with their meals. #n evening snack of fruit

is commonly eaten around 0>+>>pm.

School "ife in Japan


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he school day lasts from around L+>>am to +>>pm but varies from day

to day. #lthough it is a little longer than in the .S. school day,Japanese students generally have more free time and breaks during theirtime at school. Sports clubs, even ones for elementary school, sometimesre-uire students to show up for practice early in the morning or stay atschool until @+> or =+>>pm.Sou:i5)honorable cleaning)6 is a period of about 0 minutes each daywhen all activities come to a stop, mops and buckets appears andeveryone pitches in cleaning up. !ften the teachers and principals geton their hands and knees and :oin students.Japanese schools don't have any :anitors because the students and staffdo all the cleaning. Students in elementary school, middle school, andhigh school sweep the hall floors after lunch and before they go home at

the end of the day. hey also clean the windows, scrub the toilets andempty the trash cans under the supervision of student leaders. %uringlunchtime, sometimes donning hairnets, students help serve the meals andclear away dishes.#ll primary school kids eat school lunches, and about L percent ofmiddle school students do. Japanese students eat their lunches in theclassrooms 5there are no cafeterias in Japanese schools6 and helpprepare and serve school lunches. *ood is served from stainless servingtrays and large pots by students, who sometimes wear surgical masks,aprons and hair protection. he food is often prepared in a kitchen onone floor and transported to the classroom on special carts usingspecial elevators.lassrooms are not heated or air conditioned. In the winter studentsshow up in their winter coats, scarves and gloves. Sometimes their earsand noses turn red and they can see their breath. In July, they enduresweltering classrooms without even fans.hildren in Japan learn preparedness at an early age. In kindergartenthey are taught to fold their :ackets properly and always have tissue inone pocket and a handkerchief in the other. In grade school they learnto have three sharpened pencils in their deskHHHnot four, not twoHHHandalways have glue, rulers and erasers close at hand in their pencil


35/57

bo$es. lementary school students change into slippers when they arriveat school and put their shoes on special shelves. hey all carry thesame kind of correct backpack and are informed of the one correct way toad:ust its straps.

"ittle *ree ime for Bhildren in Japan

lementary school students have plenty of time to play around withtheir friends after school if they are not too busy with afterHschoolactivities. # typical middle school or high school students, however,arrives home from school at around +>>pm, has a -uick snack and attendscram school classes, often three times a week from +>>pm to 0>+>>pm.Sometimes students have cram school classes Saturday and all day Sundaytoo.lementary school kids are usually very busy with activities two orthree days a week after school Dirl usually take ballet, dance or piano.

Boys play baseball or do karate. Both boys and girls take nglish,calligraphy, arithmetic or swimming lessons.!ne of the biggest tragedies of the Japanese education system is thefact that children and teenagers study all the time and they have littletime left over for fun or developing social skills. Students at oneJapanese high school were beside themselves with envy when a visiting#merican high school student talked about how he spent his after schoolhours driving a car to the mall, dating, making money with a partHtime:ob and talking on the phone for hours in the evening.# typical Japanese student takes a break after school and then runs offto :uku classes. "ater he or she often does homework. !ne Japanesestudent told .S. 8ews and &orld report, )I can play an hour with my

friends before cram school.)

4ousewife %uties in Japan

Japanese housewives have been described as )overscheduled, sleepHdeprived and permanently e$hausted.) hey often get up a half hourbefore everyone else to prepare rice for the morning breakfast, runaround all day doing various things to take of the needs of their


36/57

children, husband and often one of two aging parents, and after checkingto make sure their children's homework is done are the last ones to goto bed at night.he daily activities of a highlyHorganiGed Japanese mother includetaking care of the family finances, meticulously cooking every meal,keeping the house clean and orderly, attending ;..# meeting and music

lessons, handling important household purchases, making most of theschooling decisions, giving out allowances to their husbands, properlywashing the clothes and folding the futons and placing them in thecloset.Some Japanese women dress their husbands in the morning and serve themthe choices cuts of meat and special delicacies at dinner. Some evenrush onto a train to grab a seat for their husband and then stand up,arms filled with shopping bags, while the husband rela$es and reads apornographic comic book. VSource+ %eborah *allows, 8ational Deographic,#pril 011>W!ne elderly woman told the 8ew 3ork imes, EI worked hard to raise ourchildren and to help my husbandAs business too, but nothing I did was

appreciated. *or most of my marriage I wasnAt allowed to decideanything, not even what to put in the miso soup. *or that I had to deferto my motherHinHlaw.F

;ark Mothers and School "unches in Japan

fancy bento lunch Because most homes don't have yards and babysitters

are a rarity, many Japanese mothers spend their days in their local parkwith their children. he practice is so common that books, newspapersand television dramas often have references to these )park moms.)VSource+ Marry Jordan, &ashington ;ostW;ark society has a rigid hierarchal social structure that is reflectedin Japanese society as a whole. very woman has a rank and leadersdecide who can be admitted to certain cli-ues and what activities andfashion are acceptable. # park mom e$pert told the &ashington ;ost, )MayJapanese women have the an$iety of having no identity. *or them, the


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park group, however small, is the start of a place to belong.)In a book on park mom eti-uette, ;ark %ebut, newcomers to the park sceneare advised )take a low posture,) )be cautious to an unknown face,) and)imitate the elder bosses.)Mothers are often :udged by how well they prepare their child's o'bento,an )honorable lunchbo$) which usually contains fresh peas, boiled eggs,

lotus roots, mint leaves, tomatoes, carrots, fruit salad, mincedchicken, seaweed is cut into teddy bear shapes and fluffy white ricewith a plumb in the middle 5symboliGing the rising sun on the Japaneseflag6.# sloppy lunch bo$ is regarded as a sign of an uncaring mother. Makingbentos has been described as means for mothers Eto demonstrate theirdevotion to motherhood, dedication to heir childrenAs nutrition andcreative skills. !ne mother told #;, Ehis is about my pride.F

Bommunity !bligations in Japan

Many Japanese urban neighborhoods have a sense of community with a setof mutual rights and obligations that is not unlike that of a ruralvillage. !n Sundays, for e$ample, you can see groups of older Japanesemen wearing the same hats and :ackets cleaning up litter around theirapartments. In some places parents are fined if they don't show up at;..#. meetings.9airanbandescribes a system in which one neighbor delivers a clipboardwith various announcements regarding the community and the recipient ofthe clipboard is e$pected to pass it on to another neighbor. ache$change is accompanied by a nice chat and e$change of gossip. # similarsystem called renrakumois issued to pass on messages from the school toone groups of parents and then another.In the old days rural communities worked together to build bridges,maintain shrines and temples and participated in fireHfighting brigades.Mailbo$es are typically filled with advertisement for nglish lessons,piGGa parlors and neighborhood brothels. %oorHtoHdoor visitors includecondom salesgirls, Buddhist political party canvassers and toilet papere$changers that e$change rolls of toilet paper for magaGines andnewspapers.

4ankos 5Signature Bhops6


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Instead of signing their name, Japanese stamp their name on forms,bank withdrawal slips and letters with a hanko5chop, or signaturestamp6. &ithout a hanko one can't open a bank account in Japan orregister for a university class. !ne professor told the "os #ngeles

imes, )I don't e$ist in this society without my hanko.) VSource+ MarkMagnier, "os #ngeles imes, 8ovember 2L, 2>>0W4ankos are cylinders about the siGe of a piece of chalk. hey have thepersonAs name carved at one end in hinese characters and they leave animprint after being stamped in ink. veryone from the mperor to ahomeless man living in a park has a hanko, and they are used foreverything from finaliGing a multiHmillionHdollar business deal tosigning for packages delivered to oneAs house.he average Japanese has five hankos but only one is registered with thegovernment to certify ownership and it is only used on importantdocuments. Since these seals are considered too valuable to carryaround, people have other seals to use for things like bank transactions

and taking deliveries. Many government documents have several hankostamps. #ccording one estimate a typical bureaucrats puts his hanko on0>>,>>> documents in a 2 year career.4ankos have a ,>>> year history. Signature seals, which operatesaccording the same concept, were used in ancient Mesopotamia and hina.Japan's oldest e$ample of writing is a solidHgold hanko dated to #.%.=.In the Lth century, only the mperor was allowed to use a hanko. "atermembers of the Imperial court and noblemen started using them. hesamurai class gained access to them in the Middle #ges. !rdinaryJapanese didn't start using them until the Mei:i period in the midH01thcentury.


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3okohama nglish recycling instructions

(ecycling in Japan

Japan is one of the world's most efficient recycling nations. heJapanese reuse over > percent of all household products, including 1Lpercent of their paper and 1@ percent of their glass. o achieve thisJapanese citiGens are very good about followed rules set up my municipalgovernments outlined on a colorHcoded calendars that most people keep intheir kitchens.4ouseholds in most places sort items in eight categories and place themoutside for collection on the days specified on the calendar such as 2ndand th *ridays for newspapers, glass and cans and the 0st *riday fordiscarded furniture and other large items. "arge items such as bicycles

or televisions can be collected by paying a fee to local government pickup services or giving them to people that cruise in small trucks, usinga loudspeaker to tick off the items they collect.In most places cans, bottles and newspapers are each placed in separatecontainers and picked up twice a month. 8ewspapers are also picked up byindependent trash collectors who drive around in trucks and sometimestrade stacks of old newspaper for toilet paper. here are specialcollection days once a month for things like batteries, ceramics, old


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clothes, furniture, light bulbs, bicycles, televisions and other items.Supermarkets have receptacles for recycling milk cartons, plasticbottles, and Styrofoam trays.In many places, trash has to be separated into burnable and nonburnableitems. ;eople that don't abide the rules have to deal with )trash lady,)a local busy body who makes sure everyone toes the line. In some places,

Japanese deposit their household trash and garbage in clear plastic bagswith a tag with their name on it. he purpose of this is to humiliatepeople who place recyclable cans, bottles or newspapers in clear bag,which everyone who passes by can see.

Bell ;hones in Japan

ell phones in Japan can be used to look up bus and train schedules,reserve tickets, shop for apartments to rent, conduct personal banking,buy and cell stock, send graphics, check the latest Sumo results, download horoscopes, pornography and :okes of the day, check pop musiccharts and see what is on at local theaters, museums and concert halls.*emales between 0> and 01 spend an average of 11 minutes a day accessingthe Internet with their cell phones. he national average for that is 0Lminutes.Japan leads the world in multiHfunction cell phones, where handsets areavailable that double as televisions, remotes or subway passes, and canbe used to buy sodas and beer from vending machines or conduct banking.


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8 %ocomo and MiGuho have worked out a system to make cash transfersfrom one bank account to another by cell phone.Japanese seemed to be more fond of sending eHmails, messages and playinggames than talking on their cell phones. !n subways it often seems likeevery hand has a phone flipped open. eenagers listen to music, readmanga, and surf the Internet. Dirls stop in restrooms to send progress

reports about dates to their friends. ;oets and musicians write downthoughts that pop into their minds. 3oung kids are eHmailed theirparents, asking them where they are.Messages are sent with fast flaying thumbs. Some Japanese spent so muchtime entering messages with their thumbs they have started using theirthumbs to point at things and ring doorbells. 3oung people who grew upplaying video games and matured using cell phone developed thumbs thatare stronger and more muscular that those of older people. Some can peckout 0>> hinese characters 5the e-uivalent of 0>> words6 a minute with:ust their thumbs.

icycles in Japan

bike parking lot Bicycles are widely used as an alternative to cars.ommuters use them to ride to the train station. rains stations aregenerally no further than 0X miles part and the time spent on a bicycleis generally less than 0 minutes, with the bicycle being faster andmore convenient than buses or walking. Most train stations have largebicycle parking lots.

Mother use bicycles to go shopping, take their kids to day care and runerrands. hey often ride their bicycles around with their young childrenin special seats in the back and at the front of their bicycles,sometimes with primaryHschoolHage kids tagging along on their own bikes.3oung women in high heels, men in black suits and teenagers on cellphones all ride bikes. 4ardly anyone wears bicycle helmets but manypeople ride in the rain with special clamps on their bikes for theirumbrellas. If they donAt have the clamps they ride holding an umbrellain one hand.


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he parking of bicycles outside designated areas, especially aroundtrain stations and shopping areas, is a big problem in some cities.Special parking garages for bicycles have been built but bicyclist findthem e$pensive and inconvenient and they are sometimes filled tocapacity.Bicycle parking lots with a capacity of 2. million bicycles have been

built near trains and subway stations throughout Japan. Some look likeparking lots for cars and are massive but even then there are not enoughspaces. Bicycles that are left outside designated parking areas aresometimes given tickets or are even impounded by police.

rains and Subways in Japan

Japanese spend a lot of time on subways and trains. (ushHhour trains andsubways in Japan can be -uite crowded. !ne commuter told the %aily3omiuri, )very morning, I pack myself into an overcrowded train, so bythe time I arrive at work, I'm already e$hausted.

he trains are so packed that people routinely faint. )!n a bad day, wecould have three o four people falling sick,) a train employee told the8ew 3ork imes. )Many of them are women who are skinny, who skip theirbreakfast or are on a diet, and they're not able to cope with roughcrowds in the train.);assengers line up at special marks o the platform to reduce the timethat a train spends at each station to as little as > seconds. hosewaiting to get on patiently wait for those get off before boarding. !nthe train many passengers read, dawdle with their cell phones or sleep.Some commuters favor positions which allows them to read or sleep.%uring the winter when people are bundled up in winter coats, they havemore padding to absorb the pushing and shoving but less people can bes-ueeGed into a train car.he J( Saikyo "ine is known as one f the most crowed rush hour train inokyo. %escribing a ride hie Matsumoto wrote in the #sahi Shimbun+E4ell is probably not as crowded as a commuter train in okyo...I wasshoved through...the carriage. I was smashed. I was stepped on ands-ueeGed. #t last I was devoured....If someone stepped on my foot thatmeant I had my feet on the floor I was smacked about I had some room tobreathe....I tried not to think about the person breathing hotlyHHHinand out, in and outHHHon the back of my head.FStation attendants with white gloves still shove passengers into subwayscars on crowded subway linesHHHas "ife magaGine showed them doing in the01@>s. he cars often hold more than twice the capacity they have beenbuilt for. he most crowded train in Japan is the stretch between enoand !kackimachi stations on the J( 9eohin ohuku "ine.

Subway and rain ti-uette in Japan


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;assengers on subways are e$pected not to sprawl across their seats,put their feet on the seats, eat or drink on the train 5although a lot

of people do this6, put on their make up, talk on their cell phones oreven listen to music on their IHpods. here are even posters that makethe point.here are special seats reserved for elderly people, pregnant women,in:ured people and women with young children. It is okay for otherpeople to sit on these sas but if someone form he aforementioned groupsshows they are e$pected to give up their sets t them.In 3okohama teams of Ecourtesy staffF are employed on trains toencourage passengers to give up their seats for elderly or disabledpassengers. ach team is accompanied by a security guard to ensure thereis no trouble.

"ong Bommutes in Japan

he average salaryman, who !Gawa described as )commuter slave ofcommuter hell,) spends an average of three and half years commuting toand from work on trains where there isn't even enough space to read. !nemagaGine wrote an article about a salaryman with single worst commute tookyoHHHthree and half hours each way.)%espite the indignity and physical agony, commuters suffer in silence,)one newspaper wrote. )there's no room to read a paper or magaGine,) onecommute lamented. )I carry a radio sometimes and listen to the news ormusic. I'm alone. I don't know anyone on the train. veryone is likethat.)

;hotographer ;eter MenGel lived for a week with a salary man who )wakesup at the last possible second...and walks out the door a =+2L sharp. hetimes himself with a little clock on the T screen. hen he walks to thestation, arriving seconds before the train 5which is e$actly on time,this being Japan6.mployees get commuting e$penses. Salarymen who can't make the trainoften stay at a company dormitory in okyo. In there was a trend forpeople to move into highrises in the city rather than homes in the


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suburbs. !ne reason for this is that many people were tired of longcommutes.

Service in Japan

Japanese like service and have traditionally been willing to pay for it.%epartment stores and health clubs have a lots of e$tra employees thatdo little more than say hello and goodby to customers and address theiroften trivial re-uests. #t service stations employees not only pump thegas and clean the windshield and check the oil, they also emptyashtrays, clean the tires, check the transmission fluid and battery, andshout a hardy )Irashaimase) 5)&elcome)6 when drivers arrive and stoptraffic and direct them out when they leave. &hen oil companies tried tointroduce the idea of selfHservice stations, Japanese customers didnAtgo for it.Service in company and government offices is very good. Denerally anyperson in a department can help you even if you are there at lunch time.

he service in shops and department stores in generally also very goodnlike the nited States, where you often have to search around forsomebody to help, and then they either lack knowledge or have anattitude, in Japan there is usually a lot of eager, friendly and helpfulsales staff on hand.9imoko Manes, author Bulture Shock of Mind, sees that #merican andJapanese attitudes about service related to differences between #mericanindividualism and Japanese group mentality in that in the nited Statesindividuals tend to worry about their individual concerns and theirresponsibilities while those of their coHworkers are their problem whileJapanese tend see themselves as members of group and each individual inthe group is capable and responsible for the demands made on that group.

Savings in Japan

he Japanese are among the world's best savers. he savings rate amongJapanese is around 2> percent, compared to percent in the .S., 00percent in Dermany 0 percent in *rance, 02 percent in Britain, and 0percent in Italy. otal household financial assets topped Y0.-uadrillion for the first time in %ecember 2>> and reached Y0.@-uadrillion in June 2>>=.he Japanese have not always been big savers. Japan had low savingsrates in the 01th century. Saving was encouraged in nationwide campaignsaimed at financing JapanAs industrial revolution. In the postwar years,

savings were reinvested heavily in Japanese businesses. (ecently, theJapanese have been accused of saving too much. It has been argued thatif consumers spent more it would stimulate the economy and help thecountry avoid recessions.Many Japanese donAt even put their savings into banks. hey keep it inbo$es or stashed in drawers at home. By one estimate there is K=>>billion in Ecloset moneyF out there. #bout two thirds of this cash isheld by people @ and older. &hen new banknotes were issued in 2>> and2>> it was hoped the new notes would encourage these people either to


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spend this money or at least put it in the bank. Many Japanese areafraid to put their money in the bank because of stories they see on thenews about bank card theft.!ne survey found that Japanese have > percent of their householdfinancial assets in cash and savings and percent in bonds, percentin trust fund and mutual funds, 00. percent in stock and capital

investments, 2@. percent on insurance and pension funds and . percentin other. By contrast, #mericans have 0 percent of their householdfinancial assets in cash and savings and = percent in bonds, 0.percent in trust fund and mutual funds, 0.2 percent in stock andcapital investments, 0 percent on insurance and pension funds and .percent in other.

Tending Machines in Japan

cell phone vending machine Tending machines are everywhere in Japan.8ot only can you buy candy, :uice, cigarettes and soda pop you can also


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buy hot coffee in cans, cold beer, rice, milk, bottles of scotch,batteries, compact discs, software, panty hose, videocassette,magaGines, and pornography. Some offer manicures. !thers sell stagbeetles, used panties and pearls ranging in price from K1 to K2.#ccording to one estimate there are more than million vending machinesor about one for every > Japanese. ;erhaps one reason they are so many

is due to the low crime rate and lack of concern about break ins.#ccording to the Japan Tending machine Manufacturers #ssociation thereare . million vending machines in , including those that sell ticket,in Japan, making it the second largest vending machine country after thenited States. here works out to about 0 vending machine fore every 2>people. #bout 2,@ million of them sell soft drinks.here are vending machines at museums that dispense miniature art works.8ew vending machines offer fresh sushi warn buyers if certain goodhavenAt been properly warmed up yet dispense drinks in cups providedby the user talk to customers offer drinks free of charge afterearth-uakes scan customers with a camera and tell them what makeHupthey need and tel customers the Japanese e-uivalent of E4ave a nice

day/ or Esorry, I have run out of change/ in the !saka dialect.

ureaucracy and veryday "ife in Japan

(esidency permits are needed to live in any city. &henever an individualor household moves they must report the move to local authorities at thecity hall for their area and get a report which they take to the citythey are moving to. !ften a family is re-uired to submit a EfamilyregistryF which list births, divorces, deaths and domiciles for theire$tended family.Japanese citiGens were outraged by an attempt by the government to giveevery individual an 00 digit number and put their registry permitinformation on a computer database in an effort to streamline theregistry process. "ocal governments defied orders by the nationalgovernment to comply with the effort and protestors decorated with barcodes drawn on their face took to the streets. itiGens were worriedmost about confidentiality issues, namely what would happen if theinformation got into the wrong hands.Beginning in 2>>, drivers licenses in Japan were imbedded with EsmartchipsF that will carries identity information and private informationthat was previously printed on the license.

*amily (egisty ackHp

*amily registers are official documents containing the personalinformation of individuals, such as their dates of birth and death andfamily relations. ;eople register such information at municipalgovernment offices, and the governments keep the data independently.In September 2>00, the 3omiuri Shimbun reported+ Ehe Justice Ministryplans to launch a national network system to store backup data of familyregisters following the loss of data kept at four municipalities inIwate and Miyagi prefectures due to the March 00 tsunami, it has been


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learned.F VSource+ 3omiuri Shimbun, September 21, 2>00W#s of 2>00, there was no computer network linking municipal governmentswith the Justice Ministry and its regional legal affairs bureaus. hemunicipalities make copies of family registers on tape, and send thetapes to the regional legal affairs bureau in charge of their areas.he governments of MinamiHSanrikucho and !nagawacho in Miyagi

;refecture, and (ikuGenHakata and !tsuchicho in Iwate ;refecture lostfamily register data after the March 00 tsunami destroyed theirgovernment buildings. he Sendai (egional "egal #ffairs Bureau's branchoffice in 9esennuma, Miyagi ;refecture, kept copies of MinamiHSanrikucho's family registers, but the branch office was also submergedunder the tsunami. "ocal residents worried that their town's familyregisters may have been lost completely.*ortunately, the branch office's magnetic tapes were safe. 4owever, asthe MinamiHSanrikucho municipal government only sends tapes at the endof the fiscal year, almost all of MinamiHSanrikucho's family registerdata from fiscal 2>0> was lost. he branch office tried to restore thelost family register data from information recorded on paper documents

and kept at the branch office. 4owever, it was impossible for the branchoffice to completely restore the family register data, and the loss ofdata delayed inheritances, marriages and other procedures.

!ldest 9oseki (ecord nearthed in *ukuoka

In June 2>02, the 3omiuri Shimbun reported+ E# wooden strip believed tobe the nation's oldest koseki, or family registration document, has beenunearthed at the 9okubumatsumoto site in %aGaifu, *ukuoka ;refecture,the municipal board of education announced. he strip, believed to havebeen made late in the seventh century, during the #suka period 512H=0>6, is older than Japan's currently recogniGed oldest e$isting koseki,an artifact from the year =>2 that is kept in 8ara's ShosoHinrepository. VSource+ 3omiuri Shimbun, June 0, 2>02WEIts discovery also highlights the likelihood that the centralgovernment already directly controlled people over wide areas before theaiho (itsuryoHHthe first nationwide law, e-uivalent the presentHdaycriminal code and administrative and civil lawsHHwas established in =>0.Many historians have believed centraliGed government came fully intobeing with the law's enforcement. VIbidWEhe >.LHcentimeterHthick wooden strip is 0 centimeters long and L.2centimeters wide. It bears the character )kori,) a word for a localadministrative unit used before the enforcement of the nationwide law,e-uivalent to a presentHday )gun,) or county. he strip also bears)shindaini,) a title established in @L, leading researchers to concludeit was made at the end of the seventh century. Some of the te$t on thestrip reads, )he head of the household is akerube no Mimaro,) and,)4is younger sister is 3aome.) he names and relationships of 0@ membersof the same community are described. he strip also bears the terms)seitei,) or healthy men aged 20 to @>, and )heishi,) meaning soldiersconscripted from among the seitei. #ccording to the researchers, thestrip also includes words to describe dividing a household in two and


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the head of the household before the division. VIbidWE*rom these findings, the researchers believe the information on thewooden strip was an update for the 9oinnen:aku, the nationwide familyregistration system compiled following the @L1 establishment of the#sukakiyomihararyo, the legal code in effect prior to the aiho

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