Has Japan changed me?

 So I just had a quick read about this post, and figured I should write about whether any of those applied to me, and why/why not. I mean, I've lived in Japan for 6 years now - five of those years dedicated to working in rural towns in Ibaraki prefecture.

 1. Your English will change.

Eh... not really. However I do feel my accent has changed a bit. Given that I'm from Down Under, I have to adjust my accent accordingly to teach English to students, as they're learning based on American English. The rare times I tell off students, or just having a bit of fun, I'll let loose the Aussie accent. At the very least they'll stop what they're doing and stare at me in surprise, confusion and horror that I can talk like that. 

When I'm outside of the classroom though, I swear like a madman, much to my girlfriend's annoyance - though I try to cut back on it. Also, hanging out with non-Japanese friends does help in avoiding the use of loan words.

2. Your alcohol tolerance will increase.

My case is a bit unique in that I quit drinking since coming to Japan, and haven't really been drinking ever since I graduated over 6 years back. Partly due to health reasons, partly due to being the only one among my friends and girlfriend who can drive us anywhere. So yeah, no alcohol for this guy anymore... though I do miss the cocktail parties, I'm not gonna lie.

3. You'll travel more around Japan than abroad.

Before the pandemic, I would often go to Tokyo to visit my girlfriend.  Unfortunately, Tokyo is the last place I want to visit right now, especially how cases of the Wuhan virus have spiked since the beginning of the Olympics. During this pandemic, my girlfriend and I have traveled to other towns - whether it be for berry picking, or going to an outlet mall where you can usually find a good bargain on retail goods. Also this year, before the summer break concludes, we're planning to go to a ryokan in Gunma.

4. You’ll find yourself automatically following the rules

I feel this is partially to do with the common Japanese expression "The nail that sticks out gets hammered in" (出る釘は打たれる) - and this applies especially to foreigners. For some weird reason, Japanese don't like the idea of people stick out or being unique. And when it comes to following rules, if you break them as a foreigner, you stand out even more - not to mention give foreigners a bad name. 

Also, while Japanese people generally follow the rules, the pandemic has shown me that this is not always the case.

5. You won’t worry about being single 

Given that I've been in a steady relationship for a number of years now, this really doesn't apply to me.  

6. You will join the church of the konbini 

 Anyone who has been to Japan for any period of time will know that convenience stores in Japan are pretty awesome and... convenient, especially in big cities. Though in rural towns, while there are convenience stores, your mileage may vary. In the previous town I was living, there were 3 convenience stores within a 5 minute walk from my apartment. In my current town? It's more like a 15 minute walk to get to two of them.
However, supermarkets are in most cases going to be the cheaper option. The only difference being that they're usually not open 24/7. But it cannot be denied that convenience stores in Japan are great for those times you need a quick bite or need to pay your bills.

7. You take an umbrella everywhere – even when it’s just drizzling

Haha. Nope.

8.You appreciate the seasons more

I appreciate that I would rather spend summer back in Australia than in Japan.

Also, before the pandemic, I enjoyed going to the summer festivals, especially when I was living in my previous town. Since I was living in the town center, where the summer festival was also held, it was a two minute walk to get there. Plus it was always a nice surprise to bump in to my students who were also attending.
Yeah, I really miss the summer festivals.

As for other seasonal events, I never really did pay that much attention to them. I haven't been to see the autumn leaves since I was in Kyoto 6 years ago, haven't been to any hanami-related events for perhaps 3-4 years now. However, I did go to a temple for New Year this year. 

So, has Japan changed me? If we were to use the above as a benchmark... no, not really. However, there is one aspect I feel that Japan has changed me that the article hasn't covered: patience. Since coming to Japan, I've learned to be more patient with things, and come to understand that Japan does certain things differently to Australia - for better or for worse. Also, despite working in elementary/junior high schools, it is generally better than working in hospitality in that I don't have to deal with drunk people.