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. 

Habits formed in Japan that will never work in Your Home Country

A friend of mine recently posted an article on facebook, and after reading it, I felt compelled to share it, and perhaps talk about which ones I find are applicable to me and Australia, based on my experiences in Japan.

First of all, here's the article:
60 Habits You Formed In Japan That Will Never Work In Your Country (archive.org)

I won't comment on all of them, especially since there's 60 points, so I'll just comment on the ones I feel are most applicable to me.


2: Australia's a bit of a mixed bag in terms of police. Sometimes when I'm pulled over by police (random breath tests), some are completely humorless tight asses that just make them so damn unfriendly. On the other hand, I've come across some really nice police officers that are really upbeat and friendly. I had one police officer pull me over to tell me that one of my headlights wasn't working properly and that I should get it checked out as soon as possible. He didn't give me a fine or anything.

I haven't had too much experience with police officers in Japan, except that one time last year when I was in Yokohama and I left my ipod in a taxi. They seemed to be ok, though I got the feeling that they didn't want to deal with a foreigner, especially when they were referring to me as the "gaijin" and not the politer term "gaigokujin". My Japanese may not have been as proficient at that time, but I know rude when I hear it. For foreigners, I don't think #2 is entirely true.

7: This is pretty common wherever you go, whether it be any kind of shop or restaurant (even McDonalds), the staff will always bow when you complete a transaction and leave.

8: From my experience of buying second hand consoles and games, I find this to be true. Especially with second hand consoles, they're usually on display with a small chart next to it explaining its condition, and any peripherals, cables, etc that may or may not be included when you purchase the console. In terms of used games and CDs, when you're at the checkout, the staff will actually show the underside of the disc to allow you to inspect if there are any scratches or whatnot. Since people in Japan typically look after their things, I've never had any problems with the condition of used goods.

9: I still do this, though I guess this is a force of habit, considering I was born and raised in Australia, a country that relies on its cars just as much as America.

10: I do this in Australia too, so I don't find this out of the ordinary (though this is probably because of the way I was raised).

12: Some parts of Australia have made some attempt in getting people to recycle, but we still have a way to go yet. I know my home university does have separate bins for paper, and food scraps, and a shopping center near where I live has something similar, but it's not across the board yet.

14: I still don't have that mentality of piracy being illegal, even after all this time. Software in Japan is indeed a lot cheaper compared to Australia, but in Australia it's been revealed that companies are taking us for a ride by charging us with an "Australia tax." Despite this being exposed by the previous government's IT pricing inquiry, nothing has seemingly been done to address this by the current government.

15: If done in a dormitory full of international students, there's a good chance you will never see your umbrella again - this has happened to me twice. Now, I keep my umbrella in my room, and most students in my dorm do the same.

20: Yeah, this is pretty common when it comes to calling out the attention of strangers, or waiters/waitresses, etc.

21: This really depends on where you are in Japan. I find Kyoto to not be all that stressful, but then again its all hustle and bustle compared to Tokyo, so I think this is completely subjective.

23: I don't think this purely exclusive to Japan, as I know some people in Australia who do this too. I personally don't do this.

26: I find this to be true. Despite the small quantities that are purchased, it's offset by the fact that it's so damn cheap. However, I think this is due to the mentality of you're cooking for just the one meal, and not something that will last you a few days.

28: Littering is so rare around here, it's a nice change from Australia where people have no respect for that sort of thing. Unfortunately, spitting is not as rare. Unsurprisingly, it's usually them men that are spitting.

32: I agree that vending machines everywhere would be pretty cool, but I realised a long time ago that it wouldn't work in Australia for a few reasons. 1) It will most likely be expensive 2) People are too busy driving in their cars to actually utilize these vending machines 3) Australians have no respect for other people's property, and will definitely be trashed fairly quickly. That's right Australians, you're the reason Australians can't have nice things.

33: Yes. Yes. Yes. The 100 yen stores are so damn useful, especially for international students with a limited income. The other place that most students go to for cheap houseware stuff is Nitori. I can get pots and pans there for less that $10 easily.

38: This is certainly nice. You would never experience this kind of punctuality on Australian public transport - especially buses.

42: This depends on where I am in the train. If I am right by the door, I'll certainly get out and clear the way for everyone else. If I'm around the area by the door (but not close to the door itself), I'll usually work my towards the opposite end.

44: Yes and no, for this one. It's pretty common to hear cars sounding their horn around here for no apparent reason (I usually hear this around Marutamachi, and especially around Shijo). The thing about cyclists never ringing their bell is mostly true, and it's one of those things that pisses me off sometimes. Oh I'm sorry, I'm in your way, even though I'm all the way on the left side of the sidewalk? USE THE BELL NEXT TIME お願いします.

47: This is supposed to be the general rule. Unfortunately, you'll always have some idiot who decides to do exactly the opposite when everyone else is standing on the correct side. As a result, those who want to pass are unable to do so because of that one idiot. Usually, it's an elderly person who's the cause. I find this especially common around Kyoto Station

48: This is true, but only because there are usually no bins around (except for cans and bottles). The story that I had heard was that in Kyoto there used to be more bins around for throwing your rubbish and whatnot, but when it was found that someone put a bomb in one of those bins, they were all removed as a result. I don't know how much truth there is to that story, but the point remains, there are no bins around to put your rubbish in (except outside convenience stores)

50: This is true for most streets. However there is one street in Marutamachi where people just completely disregard this (much to the inconvenience of drivers). Also, quieter side streets that have traffic lights are not typically no subject to this rule.

51: Everyone lines up for everything here, even multiple lines just to get in to one exhibition.
Sometimes it can be infuriating, other times it's really useful. Either way, Australians have no concept of lining up. Get your shit together, Australians.

57: Japan is a country of smokers, and it doesn't look like that's going to change any time soon. However, it's nice that they still do the whole separate smoking sections at restaurants and game centers (in the form of little booths). However, at the Round 1 game center in Shijo/Sanjo area, the smoking booth has an open ceiling, so the smoke still makes it way around the rest of the game center *facepalm*
In Australia, smoking is being banned out of existence, which is commendable.

There you go, those are my thoughts on some of the things that were listed in that article, though I'm sure those that are living/have lived in Japan may have different opinions and/or experiences when comparing that list.