Summary: Two weeks in Japan

Hello everyone,

I have been a fan of japan-guide.com for several years now. I used the site to research trip details for my recent two-week trip to Japan and I would like to express my gratitude. Thank you.

I have been studying the Japanese language and culture for just over two years. My primary goal for the trip was to decide whether or not I truly desire to live and work in Japan. Other goals included using my skill with the Japanese language and visiting some historic sites. I spent over a week in Tokyo, two days in Kyoto, several days in Osaka and
one night at a ryokan in Yugawara. The Omatsuri in both Yugawara and Osaka were fantastic and most definitely the highlights of my trip. The stay at the ryokan, including time spent in an onsen, was also very relaxing. Overall I was pleased with my experiences but at the same time I was disappointed with a few experiences. I am currently unconvinced that a short-term career shift to Japan is the right option for me. I will discuss more about that at the end of this post.

First a little about the pleasant experiences I had. Shinjuku, Harajuku, Ikebukuro, and other teeming areas in Tokyo were amazing. I had been looking at pictures of these places for years but nothing could have prepared me for the sheer amount of liveliness and motion that takes place in those hubs. The train stations were slightly intimidating at first, and I felt that any length of time spent in Tokyo traveling to and fro via train might make for a stressful life. Perhaps that is why some Japanese tend to often spend evenings and weekends relaxing with abundance of alcohol or at a ryokan. The game centers and panchinko parlors were also very interesting. Tokyo is truly a city that never sleeps.

While in Kyoto I visited several historic sites, including Kinkakuji, Ginkakuji, the Kyoto Imperial Palace and Kiyumizudera. Ginkakuji was absolutely amazing. Even though there were hundreds of tourists around it was an extremely peaceful setting and made me forget that I was 15,000km away from home. I stayed at a hostel while in Kyoto and it was a very good experience. I was able to socialize somewhat with a few natives, locals and other travelers alike, which was a pleasant change from overall social experiences in Japan (see below).

In Osaka I went to the Omatsuri on August 4th. Incredible. The fireworks lasted for an hour and were indescribable. It seemed as if every inhabitant of Osaka was at the Omatsuri. On other nights in Osaka I met with friends that live there and we spent the evenings at izekaya and karaoke rooms. I agree with other information I've read here at jg that the cultures between Osaka and Tokyo differ. It seemed as if Osaka was more relaxed and slower paced.

Now onto discussion as to why I am not convinced a move to Japan is right for me.

I am 184cm, 102 kilos and have blonde hair and blue eyes. I had to overcome the uncomfortable feeling of being stared at. I thought I had prepared well for this aspect of being a foreigner in Japan, especially after reading information obtained here at jg, but I was not prepared at all. After roughly a week I became more used to it but at first it was very, very uncomfortable. It began on the train ride from Narita and didn’t end until I stepped off the plane in the States.

I am a very social individual. Sometimes I may even be too social for American standards. This is probably the main reason I am not convinced that a move to Japan is right for me. It was difficult to socialize with the Japanese. It seemed that most Japanese were stand-offish because I was a foreigner. Perhaps it is because Japanese typically assume a foreigner cannot speak Japanese, and also because most Japanese may have an inherent fear of using the English language. Or maybe it was just because of my intimidating size. Please correct me if any of you feel I am incorrect with these assumptions.

Lastly, it seemed as if I was discriminated against on two separate occasions. Both involved myself with two Asian friends entering restaurants. My friends had arrived first and placed their names on the waiting lists, being told to wait between 10 – 20 minutes. Shortly afterward, on both occasions, I arrived late and suddenly the waiting time had increased to two hours at one location and 2.5 hours at the other location. I had read information concerning discrimination in Japan but certainly didn’t think it was big enough of an issue that I would experience in merely two weeks.

Thank you for your time in reading my summary. I hope some of it was helpful to those planning a visit and I certainly do hope that some other foreigners or even Japanese living in Japan can offer some feedback.

Mike


P.S. I rented a cell phone from MyJapanPhone (advertised here at japan-guide.com) and the service was excellent.

Mark, thanks for your prewarning on the whole staring thing. My husband is 199cm and I'm blonde/blue eyes so I expect we'll get some stares when we go to Japan next year, but that's okay.

But, how do I put this politely... Americans tend to stand out wheverever they go. This is a generalisation, but Americans tend to be confident and loud, and so stick out where ever they go abroad. This is just my observation though.

Well, as I stated I prepared for the stares. I thought I was ready but once I was on the train from Narita to Tokyo it began. I quietly dispelled it as genuine curiousity but as time went on I realized it was more than that.

Sometimes folks (Japanese) would stare even after I made eye contact with them, although that was rare. I assume it is because, let's face it, most Japanese "look" the same with darker hair and dark eyes. So if they see someone with blue or light eyes they are going to be fascinated by them.

It's really not that big of a deal, I suppose. The major difference is, as I am an American, there is a broad mix of appearances here in the States. I don't tend to stare unless the person in front of me has pink, spiked hair and/or is wearing some personlized contact lenses.

It's normal. Now, a week after my return, I'm beginning to readjust to our lifestyle in America and I feel like it was no big deal.

Don't worry about it. Just know that for whatever reason it will happen and when it does, just ignore, nod at them, or stare back.