Things They Don’t Tell You

Here are some things no one tells you about Japan right off the bat, which may be helpful for those of you planning to come here at some point. And for those who aren’t, well, I hope it’s interesting. (And you should come. I don’t take no for an answer!) Some of these are somewhat complain-y, but they’re really overarching truths that I’ve observed.

1.        The Japanese like to drink…far, far more than you might think. Nomihoudai or “all-you-can-drink” is a fairly common way of going out and getting plastered. I’ve seen guys chugging pitchers of beer…seriously, American frat boys gotta step up their game!

2.        Makeup is wildly expensive here. Do not lose your makeup bag at the abovementioned drinking establishment—or anywhere, really—for you will regret it.  ¥1100 for a fairly small eye shadow, one shade…that’s just over $14, folks. Similar prices for eyeliner that doesn’t work very well.

3.        Fruit is also more expensive than it should be—many apples cost over $1. It’s much more common to have a giant fluffy piece of buttered white bread toast at breakfast than a nice ripe orange or apple. Same goes for peanut butter—it’s pricey and hard to find, and there’s none of the natural “just peanuts” kind.

4.        Which brings me to the next point—no whole grain anything, ANYWHERE. And we KCJSers are wondering why we’re hungry all the time, and some of us are gaining weight…or at least I am.

5.        Speaking of which, you are not guaranteed to lose weight here, even if you walk around a lot. The food is not actually as healthy as it is portrayed in “common knowledge” about Japan. The convenience stores sell fatty meat curry in fried bread, for Pete’s sake. And don’t forget the mayo everywhere! (it was hiding in my sushi one time….yick.)

6.        Okay, it’s a lot about food, but being pesco-vegetarian here is a lot less convenient and more surprising to people than I’d thought. While there’s a decent amount of seafood and veggies (and CARBS), meat shows up in a lot of cuisine. And people really just don’t understand why you wouldn’t eat it, other than disliking the taste of it. C’mon people, I’ve done this since elementary school, calm down.

7.        In public bathrooms, there is nothing to dry your hands on, and sometimes no soap. So carry some Purell! Also, a lot of people bring a little hand towel with them…very handy indeed. (No pun intended. I hate puns…unless they’re in Japanese, then it’s interesting to figure them out. Teehee.) Also, best of luck finding a Western-style toilet...yeah.

8.        In contrast to the very nice but somewhat awkward Kyoto U students in my choir, the students at Doshisha, and many people elsewhere in the city, are super oshare, or stylish. Even if you wear your cutest clothes—or suavest, for you menfolk—you may still feel underdressed.

9.    Riding a bike can be scary--I’m pretty sure I’ve almost died a few times. There’s not much space, since the sidewalks and little side roads are narrow, there’s poles in the way, and of course there’s pedestrians, cars, moped riders, and other bikers. Plus the bikes are designed in this way that makes you sit straight upright. Craziness.

10.    If someone compliments you on your Japanese, it is probably not sincere. Specifically, the earlier they say it, the less sincere it is. One of my classmates said that his host family was oh so amazed at how “fluent” he was right after saying “Douzo yoroshiku onegaishimasu” (similar to “Nice to meet you”). Stop lying to us, people! Actually, when we discussed this in class, the prof concluded that it was just a perfunctory thing to make the Japanese person saying it feel comfortable because they’re “supposed” to say it. The result from the Japanese students taking the class was silence or small awkward laughter. Bingo!

11.    On that note, another thing that you’ll hear fairly soon from many people here, despite them being so reserved otherwise, is the question "Do you have a boyfriend/girlfriend?" So far I’ve heard this from my host parents, their friends who came to the mini-welcome party, a nice old obaachan (granny) I’ve met a couple times on the bus, and a girl in the Kyodai choir who’s befriended me. That’s not counting all the people who asked when I came here in high school. Each time they ask, the answer’s been no, so it’s getting a bit embarrassing. Do they just do this to Westerners or what?

This has been “Natasha’s meager attempts at giving you an insider’s education on Japan.” Hope you enjoyed it!