I fully expect to experience culture shock and home sickness at some point. But that could take a while since I have so many comforts of home in immediate reach. My cousin Rylynn greeted me outside the airport gates and arranged for a free Department of Defense bus ride to the US Naval base in Yokosuka (yo-koh-skuh). I'll eventually get a guest pass, so that I can use the base for shopping, food or exercise. Because she's been in Japan for three months, she already knows the ropes, so there was little for me to figure out.
Rylynn's apartment is a fully stocked place with two bedrooms, heat, washer and dryer, two refrigerators, a TV, internet access, a phone, and western bathrooms (meaning the toilets are above ground). Because she can shop on base, the pantry food is inexpensive and distinctly American.I really enjoy discovering how to navigate a new place - trial and error, asking questions, testing language skills. But soon enough I'll miss the familiar comforts, so I don't mind the training wheels.
Rylynn did help me pick up several cultural nuances:
1. Theft is nearly non-existent. We could leave all my bags outside a restaurant where the luggage cart couldn't fit.
2. The Japanese dress to impress. The women are wearing heels nearly all the time. Designer clothes are important. I wondered if anyone would mistake me for being Japanese, but I think it's clear that I'm a sloppy American.
3. The mob wears sunglasses. No one else does.
4. You must enter a cab from the opposite side of the driver, but the driver must open your door.
5. The Japanese do take efficiency seriously, as I had heard. While waiting in line for customs, I received a survey to determine how quickly the line moved. Five minutes, no problem, and no more waiting from there.
2. The Japanese dress to impress. The women are wearing heels nearly all the time. Designer clothes are important. I wondered if anyone would mistake me for being Japanese, but I think it's clear that I'm a sloppy American.
3. The mob wears sunglasses. No one else does.
4. You must enter a cab from the opposite side of the driver, but the driver must open your door.
5. The Japanese do take efficiency seriously, as I had heard. While waiting in line for customs, I received a survey to determine how quickly the line moved. Five minutes, no problem, and no more waiting from there.
6. You divide garbage into recyclables, trash that can be burned, and trash that cannot be burned.
Because I'm here for five-and-a-half weeks, I'm taking this first day to adjust to the time change and relax. I appreciate the chance to ease into things.
Such a cute place!
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