Culture Shock, After Shock

Kon'nichiwa from Japan!

We made it! What an adventure it has been already! We traveled for nearly 30 hours to get from Orlando to Tokyo. In Los Angeles, we met up with 9 other staff and students who are spending the summer in other cities in Japan. The 12 hour flight didn't feel as long as I expected. Once we arrived in Tokyo, we took 3 different trains to the other side of the city and then walked with all of our bags for about a half mile. It was a long journey!

Everything is so different here, in such a good way. It is quiet here. Dogs don't bark as much, doors don't slam, there is rarely music playing. Even the trains are quiet; no one speaks above a whisper while they commute. There were a couple times the fact that we are American was extremely obvious, besides our outward appearances. People have a specific way of doing everything in Japan and efficiency is key. People stand in lines and everything is organized. Checking out at the store takes no time at all.

Fashion is amazing in Japan! The women wear a lot of leggings and tights. There are a lot of neutral colors and lace. Men wear tighter pants. Hair styles vary from traditional to spiky, from pixie cuts to thick bangs.

The bathrooms and stalls are much smaller than in America. Actually, nearly everything is because there are so many people and such limited space. They are like tiny closets, but really, why do we need so much space in America? Some of the toilets even have seat warmers! No, I'm not kidding. The first one I sat down on, I didn't realize the seat would be warm. It startled me so much I literally jumped! Another interesting bathroom adventure is the noise machine. Japanese are very polite, and there is a machine that simulates running water to cover any noise one may make. Yes, there is much to learn here in Japan.

The showers are communal in some places and the counters are lower to the ground because the average Japanese is shorter than the average American. That is one thing I really appreciate here!

Japanese value beauty. I am constantly in awe of how beautiful it is around me! And they are extremely clean. Taking out your trash in Japan is serious business. There are very few public trash cans because they want you to take your trash home in order to sort it.

This summer we are gaijin, foreigners. We are different. We are the minority. I've never felt like that, but I appreciate these people so much. We are also students, of people, of culture, of individuals. There is so much to learn, it would take a lifetime. I wish I could stay longer. We haven't even been here a week and already I don't want to leave.

Culture shock has been both subtle and obvious. All of the things I've mentioned are the things I've noticed to be different. It has caused me to wonder, why do we do the things we do? Why are Americans so loud? Why are we so wasteful? Why do we drive on the right side and the Japanese on the left? Why is it rude to point in Japan?

What else is different? The earthquakes! I felt a 5.2 on our very first night in Tokyo. I was so confused! After 30 hours of traveling across the world and hardly any sleep, I was so groggy. It happened at about 1:30 a.m. At first, I thought to myself, "I don't remember this being a massage bed." then I realized what was happening! My bed was shaking because the earth was! To the Japanese that was no big deal, just a regular occurrence! No one outside of our group said anything about it the following day. There is a lot to get used to here.

In our orientation, my new friend Martina shared this quote:

"Diversity is not about how we differ. Diversity is about embracing one another's uniqueness."

This is the story so far of my summer, embracing the uniquity of the Japanese. I love it.