Oh, Japan

Oh Japan, sometimes you're so weird.

This morning when I dropped Shuma off at his home daycare, a playmate came up and said "Wow, Shuma's wearing sandals!". He's been wearing sandals every single day since he started in July, but looking at the shoes lined up at the front door I noticed they were all sneakers (and have been since last week, now that I think about it). So I've missed the magical day that all good girls and boys change from summer to winter footwear. Never mind that it's getting up to 29C today! It's not the first time that his apparently unseasonal attire has drawn attention: back in May the moms in two separate playgroups commented on Shuma's short sleeves. They were hot days but I guess the official It's OK To Change Over To Short Sleeves Day hadn't arrived yet. But that was moms and I'm getting kind of used to having our clothes and lunches and such drawing comments. This time my faux pas was so glaring even a 3 year old noticed.

Then, riding to the supermarket I passed a host on his walk of shame. (A host, for those of you outside of Japan, is the male equivalent of a hostess, which is kind of the modern equivalent of a geisha. They have a particular look which, because there is something seriously wrong with this country, a lot of Japanese women find appealing.) A shame-walking host may be a common sight in some parts of Tokyo, but in my little part of suburban nowhere you don't often see a hung-over young man with a slick suit, satin maroon dress shirt and dyed-blonde hair making his way to the bus stop at 9:30 in the morning.

And then I had to argue yet again with the checkout lady at the supermarket because she wanted to put my two ears of corn in a plastic produce bag. I had already said I didn't need a shopping bag (and thank goodness this supermarket is fine with that now, it used to be like pulling teeth to get them to understand that you brought your own bags and don't need theirs), but she just had to protect my other groceries from the bare naked corn. Or maybe I'm supposed to keep my corn clean? Even though it comes already protected with several layers of husk that I am going to remove and discard? And that even if I were to eat the husk, boiling it would disinfect it? Or maybe I've been living in Japan for 16 years and failed to notice that raw corn husk is a delicacy? Lord only knows, but they've been bagging my corn every time for the past two months after years of them being fine with naked corn, so they must be under orders.

 

* I have decided my blog is going to die if I don't start posting. So I'm going to start writing something, anything, and it will probably be boring so please just ignore it until I get my blogging mojo back. One big problem is Facebook: it's so easy to share stuff there (in fact, the post above is lifted straight from my most recent update, apologies for the double posting) but I'd really rather keep FB as a place to stay in touch with people and keep my blog as, well, my blog. I also have family members who miss seeing regular Shuma pictures so I'm also going to include crappy cell phone pictures of him (the only kind I take these days) that have nothing at all to do with the post. To that effect, here is Shuma eating a donut:

I wonder what's just off-camera that's got him so excited?

Comments

[Jonathan]

Amy, I've been reading your blog since I was 16 - I'm now 23 years old. PLEEEASE don't let it die! I miss the food posts and dinner pics, but I'll take anything nowadays, just to keep connected with you.

And holy cow, I remember when Shuma was just born - look how big he is now!

[joeinvegas]

Does someone publish an official calendar that you could use to check these things?

[David]

Mr. Donut!

Hey, nosy people will judge you. It's more important to fit the mold - the ONLY mold - in Japan. It's something I never got used to, especially when people only offered weak, pathetic reasons why I needed to do things a certain way.

Don't worry about those people. They're too busy worrying what other people will think of them to notice the important thing - their own life.

As for the corn, I don't know what that's about.

[lil]

I love any post you post, it's hilarious, wierd about the shoes/sandals appropriate wear thing in daycare, forget about it!

[Caroline]

I am glad you are posting again, I love reading about your life in Japan! A Japanese friend recently spent 2 weeks at my place and it made me realize just how different their culture is, it was very interesting. We were laughing because we realized that they do many things the opposite of how it's done here. Often it didn't make sense to me at all, just as I am sure that the way it's done here often didn't make sense for her at all either.
'Oh Japan sometimes you are so weird'...I totally agree :) Of course that's what makes it such a fascinating country but since you live there, I can imagine that it must be a bit frustrating at times.

[suzy]

I loved reading this post! When we lived in Japan I always missed the invisible memo about when it was time to change from black stockings to beige ones, or from winter coat to spring jacket. I would totally stuff up the sandals and shirt sleeve length thing too.

[Nicholas]

Well, welcome back! I was missing it.

[Amy]

Jonathan, that is so nice to hear. Thank you. Let me have an Old Person Moment and say: Oh to be 23 again! I hope you are enjoying it as much as I did (or as I think I did, possibly with some rose-tinted glasses on).

Joe, there actually is an official day where students and office workers change their uniforms, and I think it's October 1st. This footwear thing is new to me, and seems to be more of a common knowledge thing than an actual rule. Judging by the comments on Facebook, some Japanese moms find it just as confusing.

Yes David, Shuma and I are big Mr Donut fans. They are doing away with their point cards at the end of the month- just a warning if you've got a card you're eager to use on your next visit.

Thanks Lil!

Caroline, fascinating and frustrating sums it up pretty well!

Oh Suzy, I'm so glad my eikaiwa days are over and I no longer need to wear beige stockings! Ugh. I never minded those rules for myself, and pretty much wear sandals from spring to fall as long as it's about 15C, but I can't get over the fact that Shuma's peers are noticing his transgressions.

Thanks Nicholas!

[Jen]

Ahh, the good old seasonal clothing thing. I don't get it. It doesn't really affect me now (it doesn't bother me what people think about how I'm dressed, I'd rather be comfortable!), but I can imagine that if I have kids over here, I'll start to think about that kind of thing a bit more...

I have had the supermarket bag argument about buying tampons etc. before.. I am putting them into my own non-see through plastic bag, I don't need you to put them into a bulky noisy paper bag! The other things I buy aren't going to be contaminated! Hehe.

[Aelith]

I just wanted to chime in and say I enjoyed this post. Little daily things are still pretty interesting, thanks for sharing. I hope for some more posts soon.

[Alan]

Also a long-time reader and I appreciate the bits and pieces of daily life in Japan (or Canada for that matter) you care to share. Thanks!

[Amy]

Oh god Jen, the tampon bag! Some of the feminine product packaging is so discrete nobody would ever know what they were, but that paper bag is a dead giveaway! But more importantly, why am I supposed to be ashamed of buying a product that half the population uses?

Thanks Aelith and Alan!

[Kat]

I enjoy the snippets of life/culture like this post so long as they are not too negative or whiney. I say go ahead and keep it up. I am an expat wife of a Japanese man recently moved to Japan. Dh hasn't lived in Japan for years and often doesn't know or doesn't care. I'm sure I'll miss many "memos";) but no worries. I'll keep Oct. 1st in mind as it is soon approaching. Thanks for that memo! I keep thinking of starting a blog but keep sharing on Facebook and fear I may lack the whatever to keep a blog going longer term.

[EC]

Do please keep posting! Just found your blog and it's so fascinating to get day to day details of life in other countries - it's the mundane things that really give you a flavor of another culture rather than the big stuff!