I wrote this entry a while back, but never posted it because I’ve tried to stay away from making sweeping generalizations about people and culture during my stay in Japan.
But then during a bike ride through town today, my feelings on this issue were only further confirmed. So, here it is…
I realized the other day that I’ve become accustomed to the near-miss while riding my bicycle. The frequent brushes with death no longer faze me while trying to get from point A to point B on the streets — it’s all just part of the trip. It’s like riding through a giant video game, with mad cars and crazy bikers popping out with dizzying regularity.
During my first few months in Japan, I wasn’t so at ease with the game. I was slightly appalled at the erratic and dangerous driving I’d often see here in Nagano. Pedestrians, bicyclists and cars often seemed just a hair away from catastrophe.
Many drivers in Japan seem to drive with an air of confusion and surprise, as if they’re constantly taken aback when they encounter anything out of the ordinary. This leads to cars roaring out of alleys with no thought that pedestrians or bikes might suddenly cross their path, drivers who seem confused to find pedestrians in crosswalks, maneuvers that make no sense at all, and agonizingly-long disentanglements when two cars find themselves facing each other in a street big enough for only one car.
But the most amazing thing is that I’ve never seen an actual accident. Just more close calls than I can ever begin to recount.
Let me step out on a limb and make some generalizations, comparing road experiences here and in the U.S. It’s not that drivers in the U.S. are particularly skilled or safe. I’d say that drivers in the U.S. are intentionally unsafe. There’s anger, rage and aggression behind the wheel in America. Here in Japan, my take is that many drivers are unintentionally dangerous.
Which is worse? I can’t quite say.
Revenue Stamp For Re-Entry Permit
I went to the local immigration office this morning to get my re-entry permit, required with my visa if I leave the country and plan to return.
The office was staffed by your run-of-the-mill, grumpy, low-level bureaucrats. No additional information is given unless specifically asked for, including the fact that you have to pay for the permit with a special revenue stamp (seen above) that must be purchased at a building across the street — a major thoroughfare with no convenient crosswalks, meaning a game of live Frogger is necessary.
It was refreshing to see some diversity at the immigration office. There was a huge family from China, some Brazilians, and assorted other foreigners, creating a buzz of languages other than Japanese. Although Tokyo has a decent mix of people, finding ethnic diversity in the outlying areas of Japan is largely limited to the handful of Thai, Filipino and Russian bar hostesses and to the western English teachers. A melting pot it’s not. I’m looking forward to getting back to a more multi-cultural society. And I’m so looking forward to a break from the sticking-out-like-a-sore-thumb syndrome.
Ready To Go Roaming
My internet connection gets switched off this Sunday, as I leave my apartment here in Nagano for three weeks of travel before I head back to Seattle.
Despite the fact that my phone forces me to change each and every character I type from uppercase to lowercase, making an already tedious method of text entry almost unbearable, I plan to post occasional (short) entries during those three weeks of travel (thanks to Kevin Cameron’s Mobloging For Other People).
So, I’ve been sitting here trying to think of an appropriate icon or tag line for use with entries posted from my mobile. But then I realized that labeling the entries as such is really more of a “gee-whiz” reaction to new technology. In the end, it doesn’t really matter how the entry is posted.
However, if you’re interested, entries during the next few weeks that are only one or two sentences are likely posted from my mobile. Either that or I’ve got a lot of time on my hands. A longer entry probably means I’ve found an internet cafe.
Gym Freaks
My gym has a campaign going (“campaigns” are big in Japan — big marketing pushes to get people to buy something). The artwork in one of the campaign brochures features an array of freakishly developed humanoids exercising, relaxing and socializing at the gym. Workout trends change so quickly. When did the rack become a popular exercise machine?
Thanks For The Memories
Wednesday was my last day of teaching English in Japan. And I couldn’t have spent the evening with a better group of people.
At Least It Isn’t Dark Like Seaweed
You know you’ve become fairly acclimated to life in Japan when you come home from a night of drinking with friends and realize you’ve got a piece of squid stuck between your teeth.
A Big Ham
I haven’t posted a photo of my niece, Joni Grace, since she was born last October. She appears to love mugging for the camera, so there are plenty of good shots to choose from (the photo above was taken by her father, John). I can’t wait to see the little bugger in person for the first time next month.
New People
I’ve updated the People in Japan photo album — added new photos and changed the album design. Sooner or later, I’ll get around to updating the other albums.
No SARS Cases Reported In Japan
There’s currently a SARS scare in Japan, following the discovery that a Taiwanese doctor who visited the country was diagnosed with the disease upon his return to Taiwan. However, it appears no one who came into contact with the doctor has contracted the disease.
I hesitate to post this information for fear of alarming some, but I figure any news of this back home will just make it sound worse than it is anyway.
There are still no cases of SARS in Japan. And an incident like this continues to be a threat not only here in Asia, but in any other part of the world where people travel.
My personal risk-assessment level (on a scale of 1-10, with ten being the worst) remains around three.
Is It Really That Time Already?
I’m off to my work farewell party, my mind reeling with the thought of a year which suddenly seems to have gone by so quickly.