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recent correspondence

> Thanks for turning me on to the Japan Tribe.
> Specific questions would include:
> 1. How is the climate there?
> 2. Do many people speak English there or is it neccesary to learn Japanese before I leave?
> 3. What did you miss about America while there?
> 4. What didn't you miss?

The climate varies widely based on the region. The wikipedia entry on Japan has a lot of good information about the culture and geopgraphy, but suffice it to say that the north island, Hokkaido gets pretty darned cold in winter, and the south island, Okinawa gets very hot in the summer. Okinawa doesn't get particularly cold in winter, and Hokkaido apparently has a very pleasant summer. The rest of Japan gets actual seasons, with a mild spring and autumn, a hot and humid summer, and a snowy winter. It was a big surprise for me as someone who was raised in southern California. It's nice, though -- it adds a kind of pace to the year, and it feels like time is actually passing, rather than the endless, sunny limbo of Los Angeles.

English is spoken minimally. Japanese people are abe to read and write English much more readily than speak it. Depending on where you go, you will have better luck finding someone who speaks English. Tokyo and Kyoto are reasonably easy to get along without any Japanese language skills. However, and I don't know how to emphasize this enough, even minimal Japanese study will go a long way toward smoothing your way. Japanese people are usually very helpful to anyone trying to learn the language. It is a surprising contrast to America, where most people only speak one language, and get frustrated if others don't speak English natively. It's a good idea to study some, and be prepared to learn a lot more once you arrive.

What do I miss the most? My family and friends, mostly. The internet has ameliorated a good portion of the isolation I experienced in 1993-94, but it's still rough to be on the other side of the planet from so many people that are important to me. Relaxing spaces; there aren't many nice coffeeshops around in which relaxing is possible. Starbucks is booming over here, but the vibe is different. They're so popular and busy, so full of people all the time, that sitting and hogging a table for a few hours would be really inconsiderate; and inconsideration is really the one unpardonable sin over here.

There is no cheap and easily accessible Mexican, either. However, the abundance of good, reasonably priced Japanese food prevents me from whining too much about that.

What I do not miss is a very long list:
  • Expensive, mediocre Japanese food
  • A mean average of mediocre and expensive restaurants in general
  • Driving to work (I take a train now; the difference in stress level is phenomenal)
  • American candy (I'll take o-manju instead)
    American service: waitresses, waiters, flight attendants, checkout clerks... Service in Japan is incomparably, unfailingly complete. When I'm in the US, and am expected to tip for bogglingly inferior service, I accept it as a cultural conceit, but not one I'm happy about.
  • My neighbor, a redneck pool cleaner, who would noisily connect the hydraulic controlled boat trailer to his GMC pickup truck at 3:30 or 4:00 a.m. on Saturday mornings, though his truck and trailer where parked next to three apartment windows, the closest of which was my bedroom window. When I asked politely if he could keep the noise level down, he looked like he wanted to fight. I can't imagine anything similar happening here, even if I was dealing with Yakuza.
So I like it here. It's an impressive country. I miss things having to do with the American spirit, and other intangibles, but it's nice to be here, now.

.brian

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