I'm back in Australia for the first time in over a year. It certainly felt strange and it took me a couple of days to get used to everything again.
For example, looking out the window of the plane as we arrived at Sydney airport, I realised I was unconsciously looking for Mt Fuji. (Whenever I'm on a train and it's a clear day I look for Mt Fuji.) When I was near a train and the ground shook, I thought it was an earthquake. (Actually I felt a long earthquake while teaching on Saturday night. It went for a full minute.)
I walked off the plane, yawning, and a couple of techies in the overpass grinned at me and said "that bad, was it?" in the Aussie-est accent I'd heard all year. I felt weird in the airport too - suddenly I felt short, and I no longer felt slightly overweight. I thought Aussies seemed really tall and tanned and untidy - everyone was in such casual clothes, and people were randomly dumping suitcases on the floor, rifling through things, getting in each others' way. In Japan, everything and everyone is very orderly and neat and self-contained.
While waiting in line I exchanged a few words with the lady in front of me (we'd both been out the country for a while and we'd just heard the word 'g'day' from someone in the next line). I said only two sentences and she said 'you've got an American accent'. I think I've already mostly lost it again though.
I went to the bathroom and expected the toilet to flush itself (that's one thing I don't miss; auto-flushing toilets always irritate me). I went through Customs and one of the Customs guy was chatting cheerily to a customer; I overheard him say 'that's bloody sensational!' I overheard another Customs guy calling a customer 'mate'. I felt happy.
And when I went outside, I realised for the first time that Australia has a smell. A fresh, earthy smell; I'd never noticed it especially before. Even the air felt different from Japan.
I realised just how ocker and casual most Australians are. Even the clothes of people around me surprised me. Most Japanese people are so well-presented, I feel like most Aussies look like they're dressed for the beach. Even store keepers are more friendly and open. In Japan, store clerks are very courteous and polite, and there's this feeling that they are there to really serve the customer; the customer and clerk are not on an equal level.
But in Australia the status is the same, so people will more freely chat to store clerks, and staff will joke or say friendly things. I went into one store and the clerk was telling us how manic it was at Christmas and how they'd had some nasty customers that week; another store and they told us a particular product wasn't that great, another was exchanging banter with the customer she was serving. You'd never hear this level of casualness or realness from Japanese clerks. I had it it in my mind that Japan's customer service was much better than Adelaide's, and I guess it is faster and more efficient, but actually Adelaide's waiters and clerks are much friendlier than I remembered.
Aussie people, too, are really open and friendly. I notice it after Japan. Japanese people are lovely; I really like them immensely, but I do miss being able to speak English to people, and freely chat to or ask questions of anyone I see. And Japanese people do tend to be more reserved and contained; loads of people wearing business suits, walking in silence through train stations; people are very considerate but not usually gregarious like Aussies. Australians seem much more relaxed, human, themselves.
I also realised how much I miss Aussie food. Adelaide's food is really, really good. I realise again that I don't like Japanese food *that* much. Sure, I've grown used to it; I've found plenty of things I like, but often in Japan it's a case of 'hmm, this doesn't look *too* bad, I guess I can eat this'. It's not the same as going to any restaurant and having at least a dozen things on the menu that make you go 'oooh, I reaaaally want this!!'
In particular I miss Australian bread and rolls, I miss good Australian pasta, and Greek food, and pub/cafe meals (fish and chips, gourmet burgers, salt and pepper squid, etc).
I've been feeling lucky to be back but also kind of appraising things - do I want to return here, etc. The pace of life feels much slower and more relaxed here. The weather is amazing. I miss Australian weather too! And I felt so free, driving around. It's nice to feel like you can go anywhere, when you have a car; and the sky stretches across forever, and there's so much SPACE.
It's also been good seeing everyone again.
But I don't quite have the feeling of being home...
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Sushi Heaven
Months ago I saw a Japanese comedy called 'Water Boys'. In one scene, the boys are working as cleaners at an aquarium. As they clean the glass of the tank, they fantasise about how all the different animals in the tank would make delicious sushi...
At the time I thought this was very funny. Then yesterday I went to Ikebukuro's aquarium with a Japanese friend. A lot of the tanks had Christmas decorations in them. We even saw Santa feeding the manta rays. This is one of the strangest things I have ever seen. And I live in Japan!
As I mentioned, I went with a Japanese friend, who kept commenting on the potential edibility of each display.
'Oh, looks delicious...'
'Not much meat on these ones...'
'Looks tough to eat...'
I thought this was pretty funny, until I overheard snippets of conversation from various Japanese people around us and realised that everyone around us was saying the same thing!!!
At the time I thought this was very funny. Then yesterday I went to Ikebukuro's aquarium with a Japanese friend. A lot of the tanks had Christmas decorations in them. We even saw Santa feeding the manta rays. This is one of the strangest things I have ever seen. And I live in Japan!
As I mentioned, I went with a Japanese friend, who kept commenting on the potential edibility of each display.
'Oh, looks delicious...'
'Not much meat on these ones...'
'Looks tough to eat...'
I thought this was pretty funny, until I overheard snippets of conversation from various Japanese people around us and realised that everyone around us was saying the same thing!!!
Saturday, December 13, 2008
No Smorking
Every time I see the sign at Tully's Coffee that says 'No Smorking', it makes me smile.
I don't want to smork anyway.
I don't want to smork anyway.
Friday, December 12, 2008
Culture - bits and pieces
I've been here over a year now, and I still don't think I know Japan that well. It's because I don't speak the language; I'm not really immersed in the way people actually think and express themselves. I do learn a lot through hearsay and reading books and blogs. But there are lots of things that are visible to me, and most of them I now take for granted and don't really notice. Yet it certainly is different to Australia, so I thought I'd try to think of some examples.
If I repeat myself, sorry... sometimes I don't remember what I've written in the past.
***
Buying food
I was reading a book ("Welcome to Sawanoya") by an old Japanese guy who ran an inn where lots of foreigners stayed. He writes:
'One day, a neighbor who runs a sweets shop related the following story: "Sawa-san, your customers come to my shop asking to buy one piece of sembei [crackers] or one manju [a type of sweet]. That sounds rather strange to me, but I'm happy to sell treats by the piece to these people who've come all the way from abroad.' No Japanese would by such small quantities nowadays, as they naturally expect to buy an entire package.
I had never heard such a sentiment from a Japanese point of view before. To me it seems completely natural to go to a store and buy a single, very small snack. I have also bought a single rice cracker or whatever (rice crackers are bigger here). But I realise it is unusual. Today I went to 36 Sticks. They sell little thin cakes and desserts (36 different kinds). I bought a cheesecake stick. It was nice, and at 180yen, a nice cheap snack. While I was there, someone next to me was selecting several; another seemed to be ordered a whole cake, rather than a stick.
I remember my sister observing, when she was here, that when she bought an item in a bakery, everyone around her was ladening their trays with stuff. This is very true, actually. I often only buy one bakery item (bakeries here specialise less in loaves of bread, more in little snack items like croissants, curry bread, melon bread, little sandwiches, pizzas, etc etc). But I've very, very rarely seen a Japanese customer with only one item on their tray.
My sister also observed, when she went to the mini croissant shop, that while she bought a couple of mini croissants, all the people before her were getting at least 10 or 20, and most customers were getting several bags of croissants. This is also true. When I go there I usually get 100g (4 or 5 minis) and I still feel like I'm ordering a ridiculously tiny amount.
Sometimes I do feel funny about buying only one of an item, if only because packaging here often entails some effort, and I feel rather sad for the staff wrapping and putting my single bread roll in multiple bags. (I suppose I feel more sorry for them when they are individually wrapping each of fifteen bakery items in individual plastic bags, even if they are killing the environment.)
For example, if you buy any kind of fresh dessert, you will usually be asked 'how many hours until you return home?' Your answer will determine how many little ice packages they put in your box.
I do wonder, though, what people do with all that stuff. Sure, a lot of people are buying for families, a lot of people are buying gifts, and a lot of people buy for their offices or meetings, but surely some people must buy for themselves?! What do they DO with all these items?!
***
Anthrax scare
Okay, no anthrax scare. But that's what some foreigners think when they first see Japanese people wearing white surgical masks over their nose and mouth. Usually there's one of two reasons for it:
As a result, you see a lot of masks in winter (cold season) and spring (hayfever season). Large numbers of people seem to suffer allergies. It's astonishing. For months people are mostly fine, then suddenly half your students are answering 'so-so' when you ask 'how are you', and looking red-eyed.
My own opinion is that a lot of the masks are quite unnecessary, and probably have a detrimental effect on your health as you spend all day breathing in your own germs. However, I have to say, I did cave in and wear my first face mask last week, while riding the trains.
I have had colds before and not worn them (as a teacher, it's not good to wear one anyone, though many people do wear them all day at work). But last week I had a cough, and a somewhat nasty one, and I didn't want to share it with all the passengers nearby. I have to concede, the masks can be socially responsible when you see how crowded the trains are.
***
People do bow a lot. Various store clerks bow to show politeness; people bow when they meet; people bow at the end of the day saying goodbye to each other; people bow to apologise, etc. At my job, the Japanese staff sometimes bow to students or potential students.
As a foreigner I don't bow and it doesn't feel natural to me - I've only done it three or four times. I have developed what I call the 'chicken jerk', where you kind of bob your head briefly like a chicken pecking... hahah... I'm not the only foreigner to pick up this habit. I do the nod a lot in a day - when I walk past someone who works in the same building as me, when I leave a store, when I meet someone or say goodbye to them, etc.
Store clerks do it in varying degrees; I was amused when my sister came and entered a particularly exclusive department store (I've been to a different branch of it so I can confirm), and was a bit bemused to find that wherever she walked, she was following a gauntlet of staff who would bow as she passed. It's kind of unsettling to have a whole line of people, bowing one after the other, as you walk down the corridor.
Though I see bowing a lot, I am often amused at the train station on Friday or Saturday nights, when hordes of businessmen who've been out drinking together, are saying goodbye. There's always a constant series of bows - one person bows, the other bows, the first person has to bow again, then the second... I don't know the unwritten rule for when you can politely break the cycle and actually leave. You'll see these little knots of people all standing in a circle and bowing to each other. It always makes me smile.
Bowing is such an intrinsic part of communication here that they even put it on signs. For example, if there's a sign saying 'construction work - sorry for the inconvenience', it will often be accompanied by a cartoon picture of a construction worker bowing apologetically. Or, if you go to a ticket machine at the train station, a picture of a woman will bow and say 'irrashaimase' (welcome - they say this in stores), before presenting you with your choices.
If I repeat myself, sorry... sometimes I don't remember what I've written in the past.
***
Buying food
I was reading a book ("Welcome to Sawanoya") by an old Japanese guy who ran an inn where lots of foreigners stayed. He writes:
'One day, a neighbor who runs a sweets shop related the following story: "Sawa-san, your customers come to my shop asking to buy one piece of sembei [crackers] or one manju [a type of sweet]. That sounds rather strange to me, but I'm happy to sell treats by the piece to these people who've come all the way from abroad.' No Japanese would by such small quantities nowadays, as they naturally expect to buy an entire package.
I had never heard such a sentiment from a Japanese point of view before. To me it seems completely natural to go to a store and buy a single, very small snack. I have also bought a single rice cracker or whatever (rice crackers are bigger here). But I realise it is unusual. Today I went to 36 Sticks. They sell little thin cakes and desserts (36 different kinds). I bought a cheesecake stick. It was nice, and at 180yen, a nice cheap snack. While I was there, someone next to me was selecting several; another seemed to be ordered a whole cake, rather than a stick.
I remember my sister observing, when she was here, that when she bought an item in a bakery, everyone around her was ladening their trays with stuff. This is very true, actually. I often only buy one bakery item (bakeries here specialise less in loaves of bread, more in little snack items like croissants, curry bread, melon bread, little sandwiches, pizzas, etc etc). But I've very, very rarely seen a Japanese customer with only one item on their tray.
My sister also observed, when she went to the mini croissant shop, that while she bought a couple of mini croissants, all the people before her were getting at least 10 or 20, and most customers were getting several bags of croissants. This is also true. When I go there I usually get 100g (4 or 5 minis) and I still feel like I'm ordering a ridiculously tiny amount.
Sometimes I do feel funny about buying only one of an item, if only because packaging here often entails some effort, and I feel rather sad for the staff wrapping and putting my single bread roll in multiple bags. (I suppose I feel more sorry for them when they are individually wrapping each of fifteen bakery items in individual plastic bags, even if they are killing the environment.)
For example, if you buy any kind of fresh dessert, you will usually be asked 'how many hours until you return home?' Your answer will determine how many little ice packages they put in your box.
I do wonder, though, what people do with all that stuff. Sure, a lot of people are buying for families, a lot of people are buying gifts, and a lot of people buy for their offices or meetings, but surely some people must buy for themselves?! What do they DO with all these items?!
***
Anthrax scare
Okay, no anthrax scare. But that's what some foreigners think when they first see Japanese people wearing white surgical masks over their nose and mouth. Usually there's one of two reasons for it:
- the person has an allergy and is trying to protect themselves against breathing in allergens;
- the person has a cold and is trying to protect the populace from their own germs
As a result, you see a lot of masks in winter (cold season) and spring (hayfever season). Large numbers of people seem to suffer allergies. It's astonishing. For months people are mostly fine, then suddenly half your students are answering 'so-so' when you ask 'how are you', and looking red-eyed.
My own opinion is that a lot of the masks are quite unnecessary, and probably have a detrimental effect on your health as you spend all day breathing in your own germs. However, I have to say, I did cave in and wear my first face mask last week, while riding the trains.
I have had colds before and not worn them (as a teacher, it's not good to wear one anyone, though many people do wear them all day at work). But last week I had a cough, and a somewhat nasty one, and I didn't want to share it with all the passengers nearby. I have to concede, the masks can be socially responsible when you see how crowded the trains are.
***
People do bow a lot. Various store clerks bow to show politeness; people bow when they meet; people bow at the end of the day saying goodbye to each other; people bow to apologise, etc. At my job, the Japanese staff sometimes bow to students or potential students.
As a foreigner I don't bow and it doesn't feel natural to me - I've only done it three or four times. I have developed what I call the 'chicken jerk', where you kind of bob your head briefly like a chicken pecking... hahah... I'm not the only foreigner to pick up this habit. I do the nod a lot in a day - when I walk past someone who works in the same building as me, when I leave a store, when I meet someone or say goodbye to them, etc.
Store clerks do it in varying degrees; I was amused when my sister came and entered a particularly exclusive department store (I've been to a different branch of it so I can confirm), and was a bit bemused to find that wherever she walked, she was following a gauntlet of staff who would bow as she passed. It's kind of unsettling to have a whole line of people, bowing one after the other, as you walk down the corridor.
Though I see bowing a lot, I am often amused at the train station on Friday or Saturday nights, when hordes of businessmen who've been out drinking together, are saying goodbye. There's always a constant series of bows - one person bows, the other bows, the first person has to bow again, then the second... I don't know the unwritten rule for when you can politely break the cycle and actually leave. You'll see these little knots of people all standing in a circle and bowing to each other. It always makes me smile.
Bowing is such an intrinsic part of communication here that they even put it on signs. For example, if there's a sign saying 'construction work - sorry for the inconvenience', it will often be accompanied by a cartoon picture of a construction worker bowing apologetically. Or, if you go to a ticket machine at the train station, a picture of a woman will bow and say 'irrashaimase' (welcome - they say this in stores), before presenting you with your choices.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Teaching kids
[By the way, I've mentioned before that I never use people's real names on this blog, so that co-workers and students will be less likely to find it. But I haven't yet made up a name for myself. So I'll call myself... Anne. ^_^]
So, teaching kids... I've complained about it; my three kids' classes take more preparatory work than all my adult classes combined. My little kids (aged 2-3) can be challenging. I have four of them, and sometimes running the class is like herding cats. I'm not very good at getting all of them to pay attention to one thing at the same time. But there are some good things about teaching kids, and sometimes they are just cute.
The kids often mimic what I say and do. The other day, all my little kids started giving the thumbs-up (a bad habit of mine) and saying 'good!'
One mum said her daughter, 3-year-old Mina, would get excited the day before class and say 'tomorrow I'm going to Anne-sensei's class!!'
One little boy's mum said that since he started taking my class, whenever he sees a foreign person on the street, he calls out 'hello!!'
When I come up to the lobby where my little kids are waiting, they all run up to me and give me things (whatever toy they're holding, etc). The other day, Mina called 'Anne-sensei!!' when I appeared. It's the first time a little kid has called me by my name. ^_^
Sometimes I get excited about their minor breakthroughs. For example, I'm always saying colours to them when we're colouring in. But usually they don't seem to notice. Suddenly, last week, the boy started identifying crayon colours (in English) without prompting. I was so proud!
Most of the kids will spontaneously break into song at some point during the lesson. (Songs in English, that is.)
My older kids are sweet too. Last week my 9-year-old gave me a Christmas card. She wrote:
To Anne: I Love Anne from Ayu
Last week I was sick and my oldest kid's class was cancelled. I taught her today. I left the room a few moments before she did. Later, when I went back to clean up the room, I saw she'd secretly left a letter on the desk. It was addressed to 'Anne teacher' and it was a cute little note, in English and Japanese, saying she hoped I was feeling better and I should take care of myself. So sweet! I went around showing everyone because it was such a cute note.
It made me realise that teaching kids does have some rewards after all.
So, teaching kids... I've complained about it; my three kids' classes take more preparatory work than all my adult classes combined. My little kids (aged 2-3) can be challenging. I have four of them, and sometimes running the class is like herding cats. I'm not very good at getting all of them to pay attention to one thing at the same time. But there are some good things about teaching kids, and sometimes they are just cute.
The kids often mimic what I say and do. The other day, all my little kids started giving the thumbs-up (a bad habit of mine) and saying 'good!'
One mum said her daughter, 3-year-old Mina, would get excited the day before class and say 'tomorrow I'm going to Anne-sensei's class!!'
One little boy's mum said that since he started taking my class, whenever he sees a foreign person on the street, he calls out 'hello!!'
When I come up to the lobby where my little kids are waiting, they all run up to me and give me things (whatever toy they're holding, etc). The other day, Mina called 'Anne-sensei!!' when I appeared. It's the first time a little kid has called me by my name. ^_^
Sometimes I get excited about their minor breakthroughs. For example, I'm always saying colours to them when we're colouring in. But usually they don't seem to notice. Suddenly, last week, the boy started identifying crayon colours (in English) without prompting. I was so proud!
Most of the kids will spontaneously break into song at some point during the lesson. (Songs in English, that is.)
My older kids are sweet too. Last week my 9-year-old gave me a Christmas card. She wrote:
To Anne: I Love Anne from Ayu
Last week I was sick and my oldest kid's class was cancelled. I taught her today. I left the room a few moments before she did. Later, when I went back to clean up the room, I saw she'd secretly left a letter on the desk. It was addressed to 'Anne teacher' and it was a cute little note, in English and Japanese, saying she hoped I was feeling better and I should take care of myself. So sweet! I went around showing everyone because it was such a cute note.
It made me realise that teaching kids does have some rewards after all.
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Updates
11am and it's 7 degrees outside... iya da... :(
I was sick for about two weeks but am feeling pretty well better now. I even took a day off work, which I've not done before.
Yesterday was my big Japanese Proficiency Test. I think I did quite well. I'm fairly sure I at least passed. But I'm a perfectionist and I want to get a Good Score...
I got my visa updated. (Pain... -_-). Today I have to go to the ward office. I get sick of all this... the annoying thing is they only gave me a 1-year visa, so if I *do* decide to stay longer, I'll have to go back to immigration *again*... Other people at this company have gotten 3-year visas, and we specifically requested one. But I heard it's pretty well random which one they give you... oh well...
This is a grand time of year, with lots of parties. A lot of companies have big 'bonenkai' (year-end parties). Our school's gonna have a big Christmas party. I'm hoping for a karaoke after-party, personally. Next week we're gonna have a couple of get-togethers because Jim, my old co-worker, is back in Japan for a couple of weeks! ^_^ On Saturday I'm going to a party with a co-worker, so that's three parties next week, hahaha. Unfortunately I missed our building's Christmas party - I was really looking forward to it too -_- - because I was sick.
I really love living in a big metropolis. You can finish work, and walk outside, and you've got loads of restaurants and bars to choose from. It makes socialising so easy. Or, any weekend you can go into Tokyo or somewhere, where it's all happening. Also, I think karaoke makes a really nice addition to socialising choices. After you've finished dinner, sometimes you don't want to spend the whole night in a bar or club.
I was sick for about two weeks but am feeling pretty well better now. I even took a day off work, which I've not done before.
Yesterday was my big Japanese Proficiency Test. I think I did quite well. I'm fairly sure I at least passed. But I'm a perfectionist and I want to get a Good Score...
I got my visa updated. (Pain... -_-). Today I have to go to the ward office. I get sick of all this... the annoying thing is they only gave me a 1-year visa, so if I *do* decide to stay longer, I'll have to go back to immigration *again*... Other people at this company have gotten 3-year visas, and we specifically requested one. But I heard it's pretty well random which one they give you... oh well...
This is a grand time of year, with lots of parties. A lot of companies have big 'bonenkai' (year-end parties). Our school's gonna have a big Christmas party. I'm hoping for a karaoke after-party, personally. Next week we're gonna have a couple of get-togethers because Jim, my old co-worker, is back in Japan for a couple of weeks! ^_^ On Saturday I'm going to a party with a co-worker, so that's three parties next week, hahaha. Unfortunately I missed our building's Christmas party - I was really looking forward to it too -_- - because I was sick.
I really love living in a big metropolis. You can finish work, and walk outside, and you've got loads of restaurants and bars to choose from. It makes socialising so easy. Or, any weekend you can go into Tokyo or somewhere, where it's all happening. Also, I think karaoke makes a really nice addition to socialising choices. After you've finished dinner, sometimes you don't want to spend the whole night in a bar or club.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Japanese food
It occurred to me that when I write about Japanese food in this blog, I tend to give a lot more press to the Japanese food I have not enjoyed. That is probably because it is more fun to report whatever latest monstrosity I have consumed, and sounds more impressive.
That said, there is a lot of food I like here too, both Japanese and international. I am not always eating horrible things. In my first three months or so, I was always trying new things, just to see what they were like. Now, if a variety of dishes are on the table, I don't feel any need to try them all. I established there are several things I Just Don't Like (offal, fatty meat, most sashimi, wasabi, pickles, and all Japanese sweets) so now I'm rarely in a situation where I need to eat them.
Basashi (raw horse)
Actually, Japanese people are great foodies, and I've actually become quite astonished to realise how many different types of Japanese food there are. In Australia I tended to think of Japan as having Japanese food - perhaps twenty or thirty main dishes that comprised their national cuisine. But no, there are dozens of styles of cuisine, and many, many thousands of specific dishes.
What's more, each area has its own specialties, regional varieties, favoured ingredients and special cooking styles, and each season has its preferred dishes or ingredients. Japan's also famous for presenting its food with care.
As an example, I went to Nagano a couple of weeks ago, and ate oyaki (a kind of fried little vegetable pancakey thing), a Nagano specialty. We also had rice with chestnuts, since that area of Nagano was famous for chestnuts. There are apples for sale everywhere as souvenirs, as Nagano is also famous for apples. Nagano is also famous for grapes, and there were lots of other various special foods I didn't recognise or understand.
We tried some vegetable that 'is very rare and grows in this area'. We had mushrooms because they were in season. We had apple wine. While we were eating, downstairs, hordes of people were buying Japanese 'omiyage' (souvenir) sweets specific to that town. On the train on the way back we got a very famous type of 'ekiben' (train lunch box) called 'kamameshi', these ekiben are unique to specific train stations - ours was rice topped with seasonal vegetables in a ceramic bowl.
Kamameshi ekiben
(These ekiben are a perfect example of how staggeringly large Japan's food culture seems to be. I mean, there are so many types, some of which are famous; there are even ekiben aficionados who will go around eating as many different ekiben as they can... Just check out this website. This is the Kanto area (around Tokyo) alone!! If you click on any of the starred links it will show you that place's ekiben.)
Specialised restaurants
If you are going to eat out in Japan, a lot of restaurants specialise in a particular cooking style. You can find restaurants that serve lots of different types of food, but they're less common.
Shabu-shabu (hot pot)
You might go to an okonomiyaki restaurant, for example, where you can make okonomiyaki (fried vegetable pancakes with various constituents), yakisoba (fried noodles with vegetables) or monjayaki (a lame, watery version of okonomiyaki) on the hot plate at your table.
Or you might go to a soba, udon or ramen restaurant. These different types of noodles (mostly like a big bowl of soup with noodles and various other bits and pieces) are popular as fast food too. There are a lot of small soba/udon/ramen places around train stations, where patrons stand to eat, and you'd be astonished how fast a salaryman can scarf down a huge bowl of noodles. No wonder some of the world champion eaters have come from Japan...
Soba
There are sushi and sashimi restaurants, tonkatsu (fried breaded pork cutlets, often other fried breaded meats too) restaurants, horumon (offal) restaurants, shabu-shabu or sukiyaki (hotpot) restaurants, Okinawan restaurants...
Okinawan food
Virtually every department store building has a 'restaurant floor', full of lots of these little restaurants.
There are also 'izakaya', which I've mentioned before. They're friendly, casual eating places with a small cover charge, people go there to drink and eat lots of shared dishes, various things including deep-fried chicken, sashimi, takoyaki (octopus balls), tempura, nabe, edamame (soy beans in their pod; a common finger food snack here), yakitori (grilled chicken), etc. These places are a good choice for large groups.
That said, there is a lot of food I like here too, both Japanese and international. I am not always eating horrible things. In my first three months or so, I was always trying new things, just to see what they were like. Now, if a variety of dishes are on the table, I don't feel any need to try them all. I established there are several things I Just Don't Like (offal, fatty meat, most sashimi, wasabi, pickles, and all Japanese sweets) so now I'm rarely in a situation where I need to eat them.
Basashi (raw horse)
Actually, Japanese people are great foodies, and I've actually become quite astonished to realise how many different types of Japanese food there are. In Australia I tended to think of Japan as having Japanese food - perhaps twenty or thirty main dishes that comprised their national cuisine. But no, there are dozens of styles of cuisine, and many, many thousands of specific dishes.
What's more, each area has its own specialties, regional varieties, favoured ingredients and special cooking styles, and each season has its preferred dishes or ingredients. Japan's also famous for presenting its food with care.
As an example, I went to Nagano a couple of weeks ago, and ate oyaki (a kind of fried little vegetable pancakey thing), a Nagano specialty. We also had rice with chestnuts, since that area of Nagano was famous for chestnuts. There are apples for sale everywhere as souvenirs, as Nagano is also famous for apples. Nagano is also famous for grapes, and there were lots of other various special foods I didn't recognise or understand.
We tried some vegetable that 'is very rare and grows in this area'. We had mushrooms because they were in season. We had apple wine. While we were eating, downstairs, hordes of people were buying Japanese 'omiyage' (souvenir) sweets specific to that town. On the train on the way back we got a very famous type of 'ekiben' (train lunch box) called 'kamameshi', these ekiben are unique to specific train stations - ours was rice topped with seasonal vegetables in a ceramic bowl.
Kamameshi ekiben
(These ekiben are a perfect example of how staggeringly large Japan's food culture seems to be. I mean, there are so many types, some of which are famous; there are even ekiben aficionados who will go around eating as many different ekiben as they can... Just check out this website. This is the Kanto area (around Tokyo) alone!! If you click on any of the starred links it will show you that place's ekiben.)
Specialised restaurants
If you are going to eat out in Japan, a lot of restaurants specialise in a particular cooking style. You can find restaurants that serve lots of different types of food, but they're less common.
Shabu-shabu (hot pot)
You might go to an okonomiyaki restaurant, for example, where you can make okonomiyaki (fried vegetable pancakes with various constituents), yakisoba (fried noodles with vegetables) or monjayaki (a lame, watery version of okonomiyaki) on the hot plate at your table.
Or you might go to a soba, udon or ramen restaurant. These different types of noodles (mostly like a big bowl of soup with noodles and various other bits and pieces) are popular as fast food too. There are a lot of small soba/udon/ramen places around train stations, where patrons stand to eat, and you'd be astonished how fast a salaryman can scarf down a huge bowl of noodles. No wonder some of the world champion eaters have come from Japan...
Soba
There are sushi and sashimi restaurants, tonkatsu (fried breaded pork cutlets, often other fried breaded meats too) restaurants, horumon (offal) restaurants, shabu-shabu or sukiyaki (hotpot) restaurants, Okinawan restaurants...
Okinawan food
Virtually every department store building has a 'restaurant floor', full of lots of these little restaurants.
There are also 'izakaya', which I've mentioned before. They're friendly, casual eating places with a small cover charge, people go there to drink and eat lots of shared dishes, various things including deep-fried chicken, sashimi, takoyaki (octopus balls), tempura, nabe, edamame (soy beans in their pod; a common finger food snack here), yakitori (grilled chicken), etc. These places are a good choice for large groups.
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