Japan: It isn't all raw fish.

[Anti M]

Okay, I swiped that line. I thought that any "old Japan hand" could post the things and experiences which make Japan such a special place.

Let me start with the food. I've never been a big fan of sushi, my tastes were simple. I liked the 7-11 cheap sushi, and the stuff my neighbors made, and the inari zushi (little football looking things). But I do love Japanese food, especially the simple fare. Noodle carts at night serving udon or soba, and sprinkling on the hot red pepper. Yum. Good to have a full belly for the midnight walk home. The yakitori carts selling grilled chicken, and other things, on a stick. Okonomiyaki, a type of pancake topped with cabbage, veggies, meats and seafood and sometimes noodles and an egg. This is more of a festival street food, but there was a tiny restaurant which specialized in it. Gyoza in the bars (potstickers). Yakisoba, whenever possible (stirfried noodles). Omrice, which is flavored rice wrapped in a thin omlette. Karai-risu or curry rice, which is just as it sounds, rice with curry sauce over it. Ten-don, a tempura fried shrimp over rice. Katsu-don, a prok cutlet with onions and egg over rice. The "-don" refers to a bowl of rice with a meat and egg topping. Takoyaki, a grilled doughball with octopus pieces in the middle. No, really, much tastier that it sounds!

Let's see: seafood of course. Sukiyaki, which is meats and veggies you cook yourself in a hot pot at the table. Chinese food in Japan is slightly different but very tasty. No pineapple in the sweet and sour, but you get used to that, LOL. There were (maybe still are) a number of hole in the wall Korean BBQ places, very tasty grilled meats. MOS burgers, which are not beef but soy... my favorite was the teriyaki burger.

There are bakeries selling fresh breads, European style. Fresh produce, yummy but some is pricey. The french pastry shops are to die for. doughnut shops, coffee shops, pizza places, you can find anything if you look enough. Not so much Mexican food, but that may have changed since I was there. There are plenty of American fast food places, tailored to Japanese tastes and portion preferences. Yeah, we ate KFC and Mickey-D now and then, but why?

[Anti M]

I thought I'd bump this for some of the newbies.

[Anti M]

Now that a few of you have visited Japan, perhaps a few lines about your trip? What was fun? What was new to you? What notions did you have that changed?

We all love to hear stories!

[Anti M]

Things you won't see in Japan: thrift shops and yard sales.  You just won't, unless you are on base.  The Japanese dispose of the old, unless it is really old.  There are second hand stores near the bases, sometimes, and they sell older items which you'd expect to find in an antique shop.  What they consider antique, well, mere mortals can't afford such things.  Flea markets are few and far between, and when you do find one, the things on sale aren't used items from their homes, but much older things which would have been from their grandparents homes!  The only other "used" items I'd see for sale would be books in used book stores.  Used cars?  Sold to Americans or sent out of country. The exception would be Harleys, but those were collectible.

Every three months the neighborhoods have "Big Trash Day".  The piles are enormous, and there is perfectly good stuff in there.  Americans haunt these trash piles, scoring old hibachis and chests and furniture and working electronic, plus so much more.  I found a cast iron working treadle sewing machine!  But your average Japanes citizen wouldn't dream of keeping any such thing. Maybe they have no room, but when my neighbors got new things, they'd not offer their old stuff to anyone, they'd toss it out.  They thought we were crazy for desiring their cast-offs.

The base organized an off base flea market/yard sale with the local community.  We had a lot of nice things, but the only things which sold were the "distressed" name brand jeans such as Levi or Wrangler.  Nothing else was purchsed, unless it was by other Americans.  Not one thing.  

Part of that could have been American clothing just does not fit most Japanese folks.  They aren't just smaller, they are proportioned differently than we are.  Longer torsos, shorter arms and legs, just a different body shape. The only thing I bought in Japan which fit consistently was socks. 

I am not trying to make them sound stuck up, this is simply something I observed over the years.  Their cultural attitude toward "reuse" is not the same as ours.  Of course a person in a shelter will be glad of a warm coat.  I'm just trying to explain why the American style of helping may seem to go unappreciated.  It is not.  It's just a difference in culture, in the perception of what is given, and how to receive it.  (dang, I knew I couldn't explain it adequately, can't get past my own cultural bias)

Gift giving in Japan carries the unspoken implication that a gift will be returned.  Another reason they find it difficult to accept aid.  If they accept it from an agency or the government, then no strings are attached. From private individuals, the unfulfilled expectations of no return to the giver can be bothersome, especially to the older generations. 

At weddings, the couple gives presents to the guests, and receives cash gifts.  When you move into a new home, you give gifts to the neighbors, our house owner gave every neighbor a box of donuts "from" us!!  The return there was being accepted into the neighborhood.  The are tons of articles on gifting in Japan, they just give and receive with another mindset than we do.

And they would never tell you so.

[shiver]

you can always address them from 季節はずれのサンタさん (out of season santa?) 

they might hesitate, sure, but at this moment when they left their houses with little to nothing, i would imagine few of them, especially for kids, would appreciate the donations.  now a days they want american brand clothes.  (to look different? or that trend might have ended. not too sure)  i personally prefer japanese clothing as they last longer lol. i'll tell the other part:  it's not very clean.  just their mental state that if someone uses it, it's not that great any longer.  there are used stores, and i'm pretty sure more than half of them lysol spray or whatnot to disinfect the items when they get home.  not trying to say they're snobby or anything, it's just a plain fact that there's germs everywhere.  you wash your hands before you eat.  thats something grinded your mind into growing up in japan. 

as for your neighbors anti m, i think they just didnt want to make themselves feel superior nor make you feel embarrassed by giving away their things.  some people can afford to buy things, some people cannot.

to put it down simple, it's complicated lol but i believe the time has come that they'll start accepting easier than before.

[Anti M]

Some American brand clothes have always been at a premium.  The trends vary.

 

I am sure part of it is generational, younger people are more accepting (until they turn into their parents)

[NitaSewBee]

 wow a treadle machine, I'd snatch that up in a moment.