Some random quirks of Japan...
Nov. 13th, 2002 06:30 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shirenomadFour is an unlucky number here, due to its similarities to the word for "death" in both sound (both pronounced "shi") and appearance (which I'm giving up trying to replicate here). For that reason, the numbering system at both the ryuugakusei apartments runs thusly -- 101, 102, 103, 105... -- with similar patterns as you move up the floors. Both are only three stories tall; I dunno what they'd do if there was a fourth floor. The school buildings don't bother worrying about it, but then no one has to live in the school buildings. Though I seem to remember hearing about some buildings in America without a 13th floor (skipped straight from 12 to 14), so I guess we're not one to talk either way.
Grocery stores: They ring everything up like in the States, but then just put it in another cart. You get to bag it all yourself, 'cause they aren't going to pay someone to do it for you. Also, as a throwback to market "barkers," most supermarkets have speakers at various points playing ads or jingles about nearby products. On a continuous loop, which can get a little annoying after a while, though it might help if I could understand more than half the words. (Talk slower!) They must be effective to some degree, though, because the jingle that's been running in the meat department since I came here in August will pop into my head at the oddest moments. -_-
On TV, most any show without a script -- game shows, shows where people review vacation spots/restaurants/etc. (a popular genre here), talk shows, and "60 Minutes"-like news sensationalism -- have this tendency to transcribe the speech in subtitles. I guess it helps for when they don't enunciate properly... regardless, it's helping boost my reading skill.
While we've been importing their shows, they've been importing ours. Specifically, of all things, Dark Angel, which is insanely popular here right now. The video rental place has a whole shelf devoted to both subbed and dubbed copies of the first two seasons, and I stumbled across a random episode dubbed on TV a while back.
Curry is astoundingly popular here, though I think what they serve in Japan is somewhat milder than the stuff you'll find in Indian restaurants. Nonetheless, it works well with rice, and I'm developing quite a taste for it. Also borrowed and somewhat tasty, the French(?) croquette, which is whipped potatoes encircled by a flaky crust.
An amusing sidenote to the above: if rice is served in a bowl with a Japanese meal (or by itself), it's called by its proper Japanese name, "gohan." If it's served on a plate with a foreign meal, particularly Western meals, it's "raisu."
A traditional Japanese toilet is, essentially, a porcelain-lined hole in the ground. You're meant to crouch over it instead of actually sitting down. There are a couple advantages to this, namely a) no contact means it's more sanitary, and b) no contact means your butt doesn't freeze during winter. Still, it's a royal pain to get used to (especially for the ladies, I suppose; us guys can still use them as horizontal urinals). Thankfully, Western toilets can be found in most buildings somewhere; you just may have to look a bit harder. As a side effect of the country getting spoiled over point B, many have lids with heaters that you can turn on during the cold months. Which would actually be a good idea in the northern states, if a bit expensive. An even better idea that they've implemented: the handles can be pushed either way, one way for a small flush, the other for a large one. Satisfies both the water conservationists and those with a hankering for Polish food. ;D
Also in the area of sanitation, a mildly ill person rarely skips work or school here; instead, they wear surgeon-like masks to avoid spreading germs around. These masks are available in any drug store, and it's a rare day (especially now that winter approaches) that I won't spot someone with one on. You can sort of see this less sympthetic attitude towards illness in the language: byouki, the Japanese word for "sick," is only applied to those who are literally hospitalized or bedridden, while those with something like a cold or flu are just kibun ga warui (literally, "feeling bad").
Popular fashion here among the ladies right now: short to medium-length skirt (usually denim) OVER some form of pants. Or any skirt with knee-high leather boots. (Yum. :>)
This might not be true in other areas, but Tsuru's got a city-wide PA system (or at least one spread out enough so that it covers the area between campus and my apartment). Not used too often, though, save for brief non-vocal musical bits to signal the beginning and end of the standard work day... and I can never understand the full-fledged announcements when they happen.
Grocery stores: They ring everything up like in the States, but then just put it in another cart. You get to bag it all yourself, 'cause they aren't going to pay someone to do it for you. Also, as a throwback to market "barkers," most supermarkets have speakers at various points playing ads or jingles about nearby products. On a continuous loop, which can get a little annoying after a while, though it might help if I could understand more than half the words. (Talk slower!) They must be effective to some degree, though, because the jingle that's been running in the meat department since I came here in August will pop into my head at the oddest moments. -_-
On TV, most any show without a script -- game shows, shows where people review vacation spots/restaurants/etc. (a popular genre here), talk shows, and "60 Minutes"-like news sensationalism -- have this tendency to transcribe the speech in subtitles. I guess it helps for when they don't enunciate properly... regardless, it's helping boost my reading skill.
While we've been importing their shows, they've been importing ours. Specifically, of all things, Dark Angel, which is insanely popular here right now. The video rental place has a whole shelf devoted to both subbed and dubbed copies of the first two seasons, and I stumbled across a random episode dubbed on TV a while back.
Curry is astoundingly popular here, though I think what they serve in Japan is somewhat milder than the stuff you'll find in Indian restaurants. Nonetheless, it works well with rice, and I'm developing quite a taste for it. Also borrowed and somewhat tasty, the French(?) croquette, which is whipped potatoes encircled by a flaky crust.
An amusing sidenote to the above: if rice is served in a bowl with a Japanese meal (or by itself), it's called by its proper Japanese name, "gohan." If it's served on a plate with a foreign meal, particularly Western meals, it's "raisu."
A traditional Japanese toilet is, essentially, a porcelain-lined hole in the ground. You're meant to crouch over it instead of actually sitting down. There are a couple advantages to this, namely a) no contact means it's more sanitary, and b) no contact means your butt doesn't freeze during winter. Still, it's a royal pain to get used to (especially for the ladies, I suppose; us guys can still use them as horizontal urinals). Thankfully, Western toilets can be found in most buildings somewhere; you just may have to look a bit harder. As a side effect of the country getting spoiled over point B, many have lids with heaters that you can turn on during the cold months. Which would actually be a good idea in the northern states, if a bit expensive. An even better idea that they've implemented: the handles can be pushed either way, one way for a small flush, the other for a large one. Satisfies both the water conservationists and those with a hankering for Polish food. ;D
Also in the area of sanitation, a mildly ill person rarely skips work or school here; instead, they wear surgeon-like masks to avoid spreading germs around. These masks are available in any drug store, and it's a rare day (especially now that winter approaches) that I won't spot someone with one on. You can sort of see this less sympthetic attitude towards illness in the language: byouki, the Japanese word for "sick," is only applied to those who are literally hospitalized or bedridden, while those with something like a cold or flu are just kibun ga warui (literally, "feeling bad").
Popular fashion here among the ladies right now: short to medium-length skirt (usually denim) OVER some form of pants. Or any skirt with knee-high leather boots. (Yum. :>)
This might not be true in other areas, but Tsuru's got a city-wide PA system (or at least one spread out enough so that it covers the area between campus and my apartment). Not used too often, though, save for brief non-vocal musical bits to signal the beginning and end of the standard work day... and I can never understand the full-fledged announcements when they happen.
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What fun!
Date: 2002-11-13 08:02 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2002-11-13 03:06 pm (UTC)Down, boy, down.
Actually, the skirt-over-pants look is not entirely uncommon. I've seen two people with it during the past week. I think its one of those things which just spontaneously appears in the minds of women world-wide as the new fashion for the month. Of course, with the weather we have, wearing just a skirt -- of any length -- is not exactly advisable, although women do it anyway ...
--Will