North is up, NOT
A compass is built into every American, who is used to locating in terms of North South East West, and maps/guides always have North at the top. But in Japan things are not that way. If you view an area map at a train station or in the street, or look at the layout map of a building or a department store, North can happen to point in any direction on the map. So a tip for you: when looking at a map, first find out which way is North, if you are used to finding direction that way.
The sense of direction for Japanese (and Vietnamese for that matter) in general are not like Americans (I don't want to extend this to Europeans as I frankly am not sure). Japanese give directions through landmarks and distance, which might be due to the fact that many streets don't run straight, lack names, and not laid out in a grid system (Kyoto is an exception).
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Left is right
The Japanese drives on the left, so naturally they also keep to the left when walking. This is of the utmost importance when walking about in the crowded train and subway stations and even on the busy streets of Shinjuku or any major hub. I kept teasing my wife for her aptitude of poking into the throngs of people on the wrong side, disrupting the chi, causing turbulence in the field of harmony.
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The Way of the Umbrella
When it rains, you see umbrellas pop out everywhere. The overwhelmingly popular ones are the clear plastic pop-out ones, not the compact folded ones. Crowded as Tokyo is, you must admire the ease and rhythm in which people carry their umbrellas while walking in the rain. Keep to your left, eye the aproaching people, be aware of the flow you're in, speed up, slow down, gauge their speed, their heights, make the right movement at the right moment to raise or lower your umbrella so that you can pass one another without disrupting anyone's pace, all the while watching for the water puddles to avoid. Damn the tourists who disrupt this dance with their preoccupations with cameras and maps and sights and their cluelessness and their "what's with all the hurry folks".
No wonder the Japanese are very nimble, their walk brisk but light.
As I mentioned elsewhere in this diary, there are umbrella racks in front of stores, and you can safely leave them there while shopping, no one would steal yours (except may be a clueless tourist thinking they are there for customers to use, they are spoiled the American way). Some better stores even have a contraption where you insert your umbrella, flip a lever and voila your umbrella now securely wrapped in a plastic pouch so it won't drip all over the nice carpet while you carry it around during your shopping. I'm proud to say that our hotel had that machine and I was good at using it!
So while in Japan, learn the way of tea, the way of the sword, the way of wearing kimono, but don't forget to be fluent in the Way of the Umbrella. It will help you more than all the other Ways combined while you stay there.
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Spoiled the Japanese way, and the American way
So, having seen the high-tech toilets in Tokyo, you would say the Japanese are spoiled. But a bit more thoughts into this, and you might realize you are spoiled the American way too. Take the example of the umbrella above. In better American malls you can see umbrellas being provided for customers to use while shopping. This might spoil you doesn't it? Or in America you can return your purchase even after wearing them, or you can try clothes on before buying. Aren't these only in America where customers are spoiled?
Ah, expectations. Everyone puts their different expectations and assumptions on different things.
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Recycling
Recycling in big cities like Tokyo and Kyoto is big now. It's not surprising, considering the obsession with aesthetics in everything sold here that produces tons of wraps and containers. At home, the styrofoam and plastic food containers must be cleaned, dried and put out in designated bins. Without a proper education in sorting recycles, we initially had a hard time differentiating between moeru gomi (燃えるゴミ, combustible trash) and funen gomi (ふねんごみ, incombustible trash). Discarding an item is a major disruption to our rhythm, as we would invariably pause, start up our brains to make a decision which one to throw it into.
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Hunting for the garbage can
Where are trash cans? Gomibasho is a mysterious object. They can't be found on the streets, in public restrooms, in front of department stores, as you are accustomed to seeing them in the States. Our guess is that people don't want to have the image of a trash can in front of their pretty buildings, and there are no paper towels in restrooms so no need for them there either.
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No title
My wife made the observation that women walking to work in Tokyo never walks with 1 bag. There is always her purse with just a few essential items, then there is her lunch bag. That's the way, ah ha.
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The kings and queens on trains
Riding the long-distance trains (those that need a ticket to get on), and you can't help noticing that whenever a conductor or a food-cart woman exit the car you're riding on, they will turn around, bow and say thank you. They would do this even if they are just walking down the aisle on the way to wherever.
Then the cleaning crew also bow and say thank you while waiting for you to get on or get off the train.
Customers are kings/queens!
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Rat, where are thou?
I often joked: Find me a rat in Tokyo! The whole time in Tokyo using the train and subway systems we didn't see a rat. Four years ago in Paris, we saw several ones without even looking. Now I have no doubt there are rats in every corner of the globe, but where did they go in Tokyo when we were there?
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School field trips
While in Kyoto, we met so many groups of school kids from junior to senior high, coming from all over Japan for a field trip. This is a common part of the curriculum in Japan, with expenses paid for by parents. There would be big groups of 30 led by a couple teachers, small groups of 5 or 6 senior high schoolers led by a single teacher, and self-guided groups without any accompanying teacher. Well-heeled groups traveled by charter buses, while others used public transportation. They would visit historical and cultural sites just like any tourist, and their teachers would hold class sessions right on the spot. One time in Ryoanji I listened in on a teacher explaining to a group of 5 students the meaning of the rock arrangements and how many of them there were from a single viewpoint. Each student carried a notepad for taking notes. I guess there might be a quiz afterwards.
Isn't this a great way for the next generation to experience their culture first-hand and to cultivate in them the love for their country?
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