Vitality Stories

Random Observations In Tokyo

First Impressions

Last October I went to Toyko for ten glorious days. Before I left, I poured over a travel guide, knowing my boyfriend and I would dedicate our time and attention to the city itself. What I didn’t read or anticipate is how influenced I would become by the Japanese culture in such a short time. Daily I was impressed and changed forever. Since my return, I have been practicing mindfulness, and I’m no longer trying to be THE best writer, friend, daughter, sibling, aunt, girlfriend, neighbor, collaborator, customer, driver, athlete, reader, or fashionista; I’m simply being MY best, and as a result, my best is getting better over time.

I’ve previously shared some of my first impressions of Japan in my Growing In Tokyo series (Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4). I wanted to share a few more observations that don’t require a newsletter of their own.

Random Impressions

 

I lived in San Francisco for several years and I often saw Japanese, Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese people wearing masks. Between the pollution issues in China and the Avian Flu pandemic at the time, I chalked the masks up to proactive personal health.

When I boarded my flight to Tokyo, a few passengers had masks on, and I wasn’t surprised. I thought, Smart! Germs are everywhere in airports, and planes are airborne incubators.

But guess what? I was misreading the situation. I found out that the person wearing the mask isn’t afraid of getting sick. No, he or she IS sick. In Japan, the person wearing the mask is trying not to get his/her family, friends, co-workers, or strangers sick.

How considerate is this?! I think it is a nice example of someone being their best, respecting another person’s health and not inconveniencing them with the nasty flu or cold.

Now, to be fair, I did learn from a chronic runny-nosed expatriate in Japan that there is a bit of peer pressure when it comes to wearing a mask. She didn’t want to wear one every day but felt she had to. To that, I’ll say, “When in Japan, do as the Japanese do.”

Tactile Ground Surface Indicators

 

The next time you’re in a city and standing on a sidewalk at a traffic light, look down and notice the raised yellow tiles on the corner just before a pedestrian crosswalk. I’ve seen them on corners in San Francisco and Seattle and yet, I never really saw them. In Tokyo, I couldn’t help but see the square-foot yellow tiles because they were everywhere. They were neverending lines on sidewalks and stairways and in train and subway stations. Where did all of these yellow tactile lines go? When I saw a manhole half covered with yellow, I knew I was missing something. I Googled them and found this article by Igor I. Solar.

Imagine Dorothy and Toto, knowing they need only stick to the yellow brick road to reach Oz. And now be impressed because the Tactile Ground Surface Indicators are navigational Braille for the blind. Through the soles of their shoes or even a cane, they can feel the patterns and know they are on track.

When I returned to Seattle I noticed, for the first time, the tactile indicators were at the corners of crosswalks. It’s a start, but not our best effort, right America?

Don’t Walk & Eat

My boyfriend and I do most of our sightseeing on foot, and I obsess about remaining hydrated during our travels which means I frequently need to recycle a water bottle. Yet Tokyo, with its immaculate streets, has next to no public trash or recycle cans. There were beverage vending machines on every corner and street vendors and convenience stores on every street. Where was all the trash?

Preoccupied with how to dispose of my water bottles, a few observations and experiences started to make more sense.

• When we ate our donar kebabs in the Ameya-yokochō Market (Day 4), we were escorted to a bench to eat and a trash can was available in the seating area.
• Every convenience store had tables out front for people to sit down and eat.
• We realized we’d never seen anyone else eating or drinking while they were walking.

Thank goodness for Google. Turns out, it isn’t polite to eat or drink while in motion in the public. I found Makiko Itoh’s explanation most illuminating:

“[Walking and eating, or drinking] is considered rude because it’s considered rude. It’s just part of general etiquette and there’s no magical mystical sacred inscrutable reason for it. It’s like it’s rude to walk down the street while picking your nose, or spitting or peeing on the street is in the United States.”

Since I never pick my nose, spit, or pee while walking somewhere, I decided to also embrace not eating and drinking while walking, especially in Tokyo.

 

Second Impressions

The other night, I watched Anthony Bourdain’s Parts Unkown: Tokyo and in his words,

“This is a ‘difficult’ show. And I hope it doesn’t frighten anyone away from one of the most fascinating and deeply enjoyable places to visit, experience, and learn a little about, on earth.”

He definitely saw a different side of Tokyo than I did. Actually, we visited mostly the same areas, only he saw them at night. Some of his experiences might seem contradictory to my impressions of a respectful and considerate society, but if someone takes the time to watch the entire show, put their personal beliefs and customs aside, he/she will see social respect remains intact and in far better measures than we will ever be able to boast about in the United States. I already knew I wanted to return and expand my footprint in Japan, and when I do, I just might follow in some of Mr. Bourdain’s steps. I was more observant than I’ve ever been in my entire life during my first trip, and I’m looking forward to the second impressions.

I hope you enjoyed these random tidbits. What thoughts come to your mind? Anything you’d like to share? Email me because I always enjoy your perspective.

As always, I’m grateful for your time and input.

Arigatō & Sayōnara!

Teri