A Week in Japan (Week 1)

The tone of this piece may come off as negative, but I just want to let you know that I am having a great time in Japan. This is what I was thinking on January 18, 2018.

Thursday, January 18 marks a little over one week in Japan. My experience here thus far has been phenomenal, having gotten to experience an incredibly polite yet quiet culture consisting of people who have been super helpful. I truly appreciate everyone who has helped me in some way, especially those who put up with my rusty Japanese and those who even spoke English.

I am currently experiencing a few things right now. Up until this point, culture shock has been surprisingly minimal. I am experiencing the usual stress of starting classes as I attempt to get organized and reading. I have also been experiencing, for lack of a better way to describe it, a sense of yearning. I don’t want to go into too many details, but I feel like I left Chapman without accomplishing a certain goal. But at the time of writing, I am experiencing a bit of culture shock, and perhaps a bit of isolation.

I have eaten out almost every day while in Japan. Sometimes I order onigiri from the local 7-eleven store and other times I order ramen at various ramen restaurants. Believe it or not, I have only had sushi once so far. The language barrier is starting to get to me. While I know enough Japanese to be able to read “ramen,” “tonkatsu” (pork cutlet), “tsukemen” (dipping ramen), etc…, I haven’t been interacting with too many locals. As I usually do, I often eat alone although sometimes I’ll eat with my friend Alexa who is also studying abroad. Often times, I have no idea what I ordered while other times I’m pointing to a menu asking the server “Kore wa kudasai” (This please). Thankfully, Japanese people have been super patient and helpful, even if they don’t speak English.

While short, I decided to write this piece after eating at KFC for dinner. KFC is nothing like the disgusting hellhole it is in America; it’s actually very nice and has a modern, upscale feel. Japanese KFC locations even serve alcohol, but I’m saving that for Friday night. As I was ordering, I pointed to what I wanted to order to the cashier only for him to speak to me in English and apologize for a lack of an English menu. I was surprised but yet delighted that he took the time to help me by speaking English. Considering that I am a guest in Japan, I continued to speak whatever Japanese I could luster while doing my best to show my appreciation. My dinner was delicious, but I still felt a bit isolated.

Thankfully, although frustratingly, the language barrier is the area I am having the most difficulty in. I find this ironic as I studied Japanese for three years, two in high school and one at Chapman. I have mostly gotten used to wearing slippers in my dorm and separate bathroom slippers in the bathroom. I have gotten used to the “miniature” size of my furniture, and I have gotten very used to eating with chopsticks and saying thanks for my meals (“Itadakimasu” [“I humbly receive,” or “Thank you for this meal”] before eating, and “Gochisosamadeshita” [“It was a feast,” or “Thank you for this meal”] after eating).

It’s not just the language barrier that’s getting to me, it’s also what I left behind at Chapman. Last semester was really my turning point; I broke out of my cage and I did just fine (totally not a Mr. Brightside reference). Well, I did more than fine, I set some interpersonal goals for myself and I not only achieved them, I actually hit the home run. I finally got my social ball rolling and I left for Japan essentially tossing that ball as high as I could so when I return at the end of April (or the beginning of May), I can catch the ball and keep it rolling.

Overall, Japan has been phenomenal and I am so glad I decided to study abroad here. I love how clean Tokyo is, how friendly everyone is, and I am appreciative for everyone who has helped me along the way. However, I feel that there is more I can do to better integrate with Japanese society and reflecting on my accomplishments over last Fall certainly hasn’t been helping.

Here are some pictures throughout my journey thus far.