Unlike most other students studying abroad, I got to Japan pretty late. I had an extended summer, and after my first experience flying, arrived in Japan on September 28th. My classmate Taylor Ann was so kind in setting me up with her friend Sola so that I could stay there for 2 days until I moved in for orientation at Kuwanoki Dormitory. I'm so thankful for her help and generosity T-T. I remember the first place I went to was a grocery store called Marunaka, and I spent a good hour in there looking at everything- noticing how there weren't as many fruit varieties and there are in America. All of the staff there said いらしゃいませ, even the ones that were just restocking the shelves. I wasn't sure whether or not I reply to them, so I nodded and said おはようございますback, and some of them looked shocked and looked back at me and said Good Morning back to me. I can only assume that most people don't really acknowledge them back, so maybe that's why they looked kind of shocked.
I moved in on the first of October and rode in a Taxi for the first time in my life. I felt kind of bad for the driver cuz he looked kind of old and my luggage was SUUPER heavy and when he tried to pick it up, he said "おもい!!" LOL. So I helped him lift it up and shove it into the trunk and it barely fit.. LOL. Anyways for my first Taxi ride, it wasn't as expensive as I thought it was gonna be which is good. From 大元駅to 桑の木寮, it was about 1,860円. Orientation was a lot faster than I thought it was going to be, and stressing out about where to get shampoo and conditioner was futile because there was actually a mini "flea market" downstairs- full of all the things past students could not take with them. All electronics were 500 円 and everything else was 10円!! I seriously bought about 40 things and luckily, it was/is all enough to tie me over until I found out where I could otherwise buy these items. All of the 留学生got their tutors and we had orientation with a bunch of paperwork, and my tutor was suuuuper nice in spending all day with me hanging me out and showing me around town. I like the fact that Okayama is kind of a small area, but still has a lot in it to offer. And for the past week I've been ridiculously busy doing paperwork, hanging out with new friends, and doing some shopping and exploring the area. This is the first time I've actually not had anywhere to be or anything to do, so I thought I'd finally write something before I get busy again. I actually haven't even really had classes yet. I have one today and all of the Japanese language classes start next week. In my exploring the area and going to restaurants, I've kind of noticed some differences between America and here. It certainly feels like there's more of an heir of seriousness here. When you go to a convenience store or restaurant, there's always a string of words that the workers have to say, to every customer. You never really see them joking around or laughing with each other, as you would at most jobs in America. For example, if you go to a bank in America, it's a serious environment. But you can still joke around with them and sometimes see them having conversations within their workplace- but it really does no harm as long as it's not busy. But here I've really only seen serious, almost robotic responses from the workers and it's very intriguing to me. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that Japanese people are robotic, but there's certainly a different atmosphere here in the workplace. The other thing I've noticed and been amazed with the most is how eco-friendly Japan is. Everywhere you go, there's at least 5 different types of trash cans, all in an effort to separate plastic bottles, glass, aluminum cans, paper, wrappers, etc. It's crazy. I've been here for a week and I still have no idea where anything goes. All of the cars here are super tiny and get at least 40+mpg, and a lot of the buses turn off their engines if they sit at a traffic light for a long time. And the toilets here all have a "light" or "heavy" flush option, which controls how much water it will use. Most of the sink and water faucets are connected and either side controls both options, so it saves on water piping. And most people that live in Okayama use bicycles to get around, effectively eliminating any pollution from cars. I'm sure there are more examples, but I'll think of those later haha. I'm excited to see what will come in the next week of beginning my Japanese level 3 language courses and EPOK classes. Wish me luck!
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AuthorMarissa Armstrong Archives
June 2016
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