solo dolo

It's been about a week since I arrived and I'm finally settled in. I feel ready to rock 'n roll through the hallways of Nagoya University--except that there's no school until Thursday. Golden Week, as it's called in Japan, isn't an actual holiday but several holidays that are all coincidentally within the same week. It should give me some time to chill out and hang around town for a few days. Anywhoo here's a few of my initial reactions since coming here.

• Japan is incredibly structured. During American occupation after WWII almost every element of Japan was altered in one way or another. America has a pretty crappy track record with the whole foreign occupation thing but they seem to have done a pretty good job here. The country itself is ridiculously clean even (especially?) in the big cities and everything about the country seems well organized.


• On a similar note the whole senpai thing is probably the biggest difference between Japan and America. In school and especially at work there's always a senpai looking over your shoulder. It's probably part of the reason why Japan's so structured but it's probably also the reason why everyone kind of looks the same.


• They love to bow.


• They hate to shake hands.


• A lot of guys look like girls.


• Every single girl wears heels.


• Therefore a lot of guys wear heels (it's true).


• Food is delicious.


• Japanese businessmen occasionally get so drunk that they pass out in the middle of the street (I've seen a couple already).


• They hate to make random eye contact. When we do make eye contact they quickly look the other way like it never happened. It's kind of entertaining.


• GIRLS HAVE ATROCIUOS TEETH. LESS MAKE UP MORE BRACES.


• Japan loves skinny jeans. Curiousity striked and I bought a pair. I still don't get it.


• I could go on forever.

However, the truth is that once I started getting to know people here, I quickly realize that beyond the little quirky things they're not that different between you and me. In actuality if I was born and raised in Japan I'd probably be just like anyone else, looking at the gaijins with that "what the hell are you doing here" look. I guess world citizens are the way of the future.

Back home in Ann Arbor I had the luxury of already having friends a hand's reach away. It's nice. Here I have to stretch myself a little. I'm definitely a 面倒くさがり屋 but getting out of that comfort zone feels pretty darn good for some reason.