Tokyo

It’s been one month since I arrived at Narita Airport in Japan and began my study abroad journey. It’s hard to wrap my head around the reality that time has passed so quickly, and I’m so grateful for all the things I’ve already been able to see, do, and experience. Of course, being in another country often challenges you to see things in different ways, and there are a lot of differences from America and my hometown that I noticed right away. Here are just some of the differences I see and encounter in daily life.

#1. Trash cans—For reasons that I still haven’t been able to figure out, the streets of Japan have an alarming lack of garbage cans. Even in buildings, I have trouble finding a “regular” receptacle for items that aren’t plastic bottles or cans. This means that I frequently end up holding pieces of trash that I have to shove into my pockets because there’s nowhere to throw them away and hope I remember to get rid of them before throwing my pants in the wash. What’s even more mystifying is that there is very little litter out in public on the street…

#2. Sorting garbage—Speaking of trash, the way that Japanese people sort and separate trash for disposal is incredibly detailed and specific. Both in my household and at school, trash is sorted into three major categories: landfill, recyclable, compostable, but while living in an apartment I’ve become keenly aware of the different, and more complicated, Japanese garbage disposal system. The two major categories here are moeru (combustible) and moenai (incombustible), and within the latter, there are more specifications that must be abided by. Plastic bottles, aluminum cans, and glass bottles must all be separated and thrown away separately.

#3. Escalators—When using escalators, people create one long line on the left side to allow people to walk past on the right side. As a bonus, those waiting for the train also form orderly queues behind the lines that indicate where the doors will be when the trains stop, and when the train does arrive people stay to either side, leaving the middle clear for people to exit easily.

#4. Tipping—Like many other countries, Japanese people don’t tip in restaurants because it’s unnecessary (something I wish America would pick up on as well). Bonus: money is usually not handed directly to someone but rather placed on a tray where the other person can pick it up.

#5. Train etiquette—When riding on the train, people refrain from eating, talking on the phone, or talking loudly in general. On incredibly crowded trains, men often put both hands up on a hand strap or rail to make women feel more comfortable and indicate they aren’t going to take advantage of being packed into a tight space to do anything inappropriate.

#6. Greetings—Upon first meeting someone, whether it be a professor or a student your own age, it’s customary to keep some distance between you and the other person and bow, usually by lowering your head slightly for less formal occasions. Shaking hands is not common, even though it’s the standard greeting in America for first-time interactions. When greeting people of the same age whom you’ve met before, I’ve found that a wave works fine, like back home.

#7. Umbrellas—Maybe it’s an odd one to end on, but it’s hard not to notice how often people walking on the street, especially older women, pull out umbrellas in the middle of a sunny day. At least from what I’ve come to know, using an umbrella when it’s not raining in America is bound to have people whispering and making fun of you as you pass by, but here it seems like just another everyday occurrence.

I'm still wrapping my head around the fact that in less than twenty-four hours I'll be departing from LAX and taking a twelve-hour flight to Tokyo, where I'll be staying for the next four months studying Japanese language and culture. I’m lucky enough that I can say this isn’t the first time I’ve been to Japan—my mom grew up in Yokohama and we used to visit her parents every so often when I was younger. However, this is the first time I’ll be traveling there alone and, armed with mediocre language skills and an open mind, I’m hoping this experience will be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity of growth and exploration.

Everyone knows their own personal must-haves when it comes to taking a long trip or a vacation, whether it be a comfy neck pillow for a long flight or a polaroid camera to capture fond memories in hipster fashion. Perhaps a fewer number have spent as long as us IES Abroad students will in our new host countries, but nevertheless, I’ve gathered a list of the three most important things in my suitcase and backpack that will (hopefully) make this the trip of a lifetime.

#1. Headphones—I don’t think I would be able to survive the daily one-hour commute from my apartment to the university campus without music. I’ve never owned headphones before but I specifically searched for a pair with a good noise-canceling function, hopefully enough to drown out the clacking of the train cars. It might sound strange, but I’m looking forward to the experience of commuting like an average student or working adult. Is it a little too dramatic to imagine myself listening to Lo-fi music while the scenery blurs past me as I glance out the train window?

#2. PASMO Card—I have memories at fourteen years old of my mom handing my sister and me our own PASSMO cards, which allowed us to enter and leave train stations efficiently and hassle-free. Even though I’ll have a commuter pass from my apartment’s nearest train station to the station by the university, I’m hoping this small credit card-like pass will come in handy when I want to take excursions into the city or if I decide to travel to other prefectures.

#3. Walking Shoes—Los Angeles is known for the kind of traffic that causes people to roll down their windows and shout angrily at the strangers that cut them off on the freeway. In other words, we’re a city whose people’s lives are built around cars, so walking long distances as a part of a daily routine is less common. I’m bringing along a reliable pair of shoes that will (fingers crossed) make walking a lot less horrible, whether it be to the train station or exploring the city.

My suitcase is naturally filled to the brim with more than just these items, but I can absolutely see them becoming staples of my everyday life in Japan. As I’m zipping up my luggage I can’t help but feel as if I’m missing something…but I guess I’ll just have to wait and see when I land in Tokyo.