I asked a friend about her experience living in Japan and if she had any advice. This is some of what she wrote:
You will get very used to driving on the left-hand side. It is still natural to me now and I was only there for 2 years'ish. I sometimes still walk to the wrong side of the car to get in, rare, but they are mini-japan flashbacks.
The weather is great. Very rainy, but very tropical. That is on Oki, mainland is supposed to be beautiful as well, more like the states and not as humid as Oki. Buy an umbrella and rain coat or something that wont soak through.
To get your license you have to pass a simple test regarding signs and laws. They give you a class and it is very easy. You will get more comfortable driving as time passes and will venture out farther. Baby steps!
Japanese rarely buckle their kids, I swear they drive around with them standing in the front seat. They are also not the best drivers, buses and taxis especially, lots of mopeds and bikes, just makes you increase your awareness. The roads are more slick in Oki (including sidewalks) because of the coral they put in the cement mix. It gets slick so don't run when it's wet.
They are casual dressers in Oki, more formal on mainland. Oki is like their Hawaii. so shorts, sandals are perfectly fine. You will get pamphlets saying otherwise, but if you walk around in business attire the whole time you will be hot, sticky, and overdressed.
The food is great. You can eat everywhere, super clean, english or picture menus in most all locations. Learn some basics, it will help out a lot and just make you more comfortable.
Lots of people hire mama-sans when they are there (housekeeper/nannies). They are usually very good with kids and are completely normal there, not a bad idea to consider. We had a cleaning lady weekly, it was really nice.
Public bathrooms are not the greatest. They have holes in the ground that are tiled that you have to balance over. Many restaraunts have put in regular western toilets. It makes it tough if you are out in a park etc, especially with kids who don't want to pee in a scary looking hole in the ground. Plus, you have to stand on the tile which is always suspiciously wet. Carry wet wipes and purell!
WHICH is why, you take off your shoes in restaurants (traditional, many let you keep them on) and put them on when you go to the bathroom. If this is the style of restaurant, you will see the collection of shoes. No one will walk off with them, they are perfectly safe.
They have lots of preschools/schools where American children can go to school and get the language exposure off base. The elementary offer japanese and chinese usually. There are jobs for spouses if you are interested and there are lots of activites and travel opportunities.
I missed clothes. The exchange there was terrible. Limited choices and everything seemed to be polyester and apple bottom or baby phat. Sometimes I wanted just a basic tank top or shorts and not have to pay $70. Off base the sizing is limited because they are made for short, tiny japanese women. So, lots of online ordering, especially for the kids. BUT, you can have pretty much anything made. Furniture is cheap. You can make do with government furniture and leave your things stored here, or buy new there.
Mail is very quick, 2 weeks or less. All mail is picked up at a PO Box at your base's post office.
The internet was fine and the cable is funny. Same shows almost, but no commercials. Since they contract with whichever network to broadcast, they can't make profit and have to only show PSA's. So, you may be watching a kids show and then a military made commercial comes on about gambling addition, alcohol, sexual assault, smoking cessation, not running with headphones, not walking and talking on a cell in uniform, don't shake your baby, don't hit your spouse, don't be that guy, etc. They are low budget, sometimes entertaining and sometimes annoying.
The movies are about $2 a person and they have 1 or 2 new releases a month. Do you live on base now or have you ever? You know about the stopping for colors, standing at the movies, reserved parking spots, etc?
Signing on guests is fairly easy, but you have to get it situated in advance. My mom came and visited and had a good time, we were locked down most of her visit and it was the 2nd occurance in 2 years, so she didn't get out much. We went to 2 other bases with beaches, so she still got to see things. Just not eat and shop or get her pedicure (best pedi's on the planet).
Mac flights are great. I am addicted. We did them before hand traveling on vacation to Europe from the states. So I was familiar with it there. Paperwork needs to be perfect, so just make sure it is in order before you try and leave anywhere. My fave mac flight travel site is dirk peppards. They list the outbound flights of multiple terminals so you can kind of plan.
Cell phones there aren't that bad. Inexpensive and we had a good plan to make unlimited calls to the states. We were with SoftBank. Cameron Diaz is the spokeswoman (or was). Green Mountain coffee has Scarlett Johanson and Boss Coffee has Tommy Lee Jones on their vending machines. Vending machine coffee is not bad. They have good coffee there if you like. Also, FANTASTIC curry. The only thing I missed was mexican food. They have everything else.
You don't make eye contact that much, it is uncomfortable for them. They don't shake hands or touch (like pats on the back) or hug hello, etc. They do have a tendency to pick their nose, belch, etc and not find that offensive. You will probably feel really tall and awkward at first, they might stare because you are blonde. They may randomly walk up to you and want a photo. They may come up and touch or want to hold your baby girl, not you, they just like kids. My good friend who is black used to have people touch her hair ALL the time. It was weird. The first time we went out, people were touching her daughter's hair. They somehow don't have that sense of boundaries when it comes to kids.
Playgrounds are awesome.
Japanese pro baseball has spring training in Oki, lots of games.
Ah, so I hope that helps. I LOVED it there, really. You will have a great time. The community opens up because you are all in the same boat.
I am so incredibly excited to experience a new, totally different culture! I think it will be fun to explore and learn! I think I'm most excited about the food. As always. I love food. so much.
[sigh]
I'm also kind of looking forward to rain. I'm sure I'll get sick of it, but we get it so infrequently here that I really miss it. I wonder if they get thunderstorms. That would be awesome. I wonder if they have any weird weather, like typhoons. Do they get tornadoes? Obviously Japan gets earthquakes. I am really looking forward to getting out of the military and living somewhere the ground does not randomly shake. I have an earthquake phobia. Not sure if that is a real thing, but it's my thing. [just googled it. it's a real thing. seismophobia.]
I have a strange fascination/repulsion/obsession with their public toilets. My friend posted a photo on her facebook page and I am looking forward to the day I can share a similar photo with you guys. I know, of all the things I am looking forward to posting the (lack of a) toilet shouldn't be on my top 10 or even probably top 100, but it is. This is why you love me. I am quirky and nerdy and maybe just a tad bit strange.
No comments:
Post a Comment