Being in japan really changes how I view things. For example, I really enjoy quiet. Quiet time, quiet hobbies, quiet people, etc., and what amuses me the most is how you can live in a big city like Nagoya and not have a lot of noise. I’ve never heard noise coming out of anyone else’s apartment in my building and even when you walk by the door, there’s no sound of tv or people talking. On the train people sit silently (for the most part) and keep their eyes closed. Some people are amazed at how easily Japanese people sleep on trains but I wonder how much of it is people just trying to keep to themselves… In long lines at the supermarket, people don’t complain that there are not enough cashiers… and if they do complain, its quietly, perhaps to the person standing next to them but never audible enough for others to hear it. It’s a city though and when you walk out and about the city there is plenty of noise. People are always out and about walking, talking, working mostly… so you can hear noise but in a city as populated as Nagoya, I am in awe that it doesn’t feel loud.
I mention this only because I hadn’t really noticed this until I was at Narita Airport in Tokyo. It’s a large international airport and I left on Dec. 23rd so there were tons of people trying to get home. When I got to my flight area, I sat down and pulled out a book. As I was sitting there though I started to get angry and I couldn’t pinpoint why! Then I realized it was because it was sooooooo noisy! I had about 30 minutes before I had to board the plane and I was soooo annoyed with the noise that I went and sat at another terminal until it was time to board. Still I was trying to pinpoint exactly what it was and then I realized it was the first time I had been around so many Americans in a while and I wasn’t used to the amount of chatter! But it wasn’t just chatter, it was a lot of complaining and whatnot over how slow the airline was… how it was too crowded… how the people weren’t working fast enough….
Anyway, it was a bit of an annoyance that I hadn’t noticed before. And its not even that Americans are the only culture that complains- people in France did it ALL THE TIME in line at the supermarket. It was a bit of a bonding experience. Lol. I donno, I think you can assimilate to pretty much anything, if you want to, so I wonder what other things I will notice as my time in Japan goes on. This was the first obvious one that stuck out.
Also, I did notice how very big the plates are in the US! I understand now why people are always confused when they get to the U.S.... most people think the food is to share! Nope, one plate = all mine! lol.
Next up: 18 hours in Shanghai, NYE in Kyoto and the end of my winter break! Pics are already up on FB! ^_^
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