Assimilation

One of the hardest things of trying to assimilate into another culture is learning the new social and behavioral norms. I think that many foreigners don't even think about this and instead choose to take a "I am who I am" attitude and feel they don't need to adhere to any cultural norms. Of course this is understandable ,but I just revel in the irony of those who would complaign about foreigners lack of assimilation into their own culture yet they have a complete disregard for abiding by the rules while abroad. Oh, it's just hilarious. But anyways, this is supposed to be more about some of the norms that I have noticed and try to obey. Keep in mind. I've never lived in a metropolis, but I do take the liberty of assuming that many of these behaviors are unique to Tokyo and Japan.

Certain things you'll have to learn off the bat. For instance, the driving on the opposite side of the road thing also extends to sidewalk etiquite. Be prepared for many a run in when attempting to pass an oncoming pedestrian on the right. Perhaps the best policy is to do what most Japanese seem to do, walk in a straight line and let other people move out of YOUR way.

The silent train rides are something that many people may take awhile getting used to, but this is also one of the first things many people will encounter when in Japan. No talking, no cellphone use, try not to eat or drink, eyes forward or on a book. Break the rules and you might be dealt a harsh lashing in the Nihongo from another passenger. I've seen it happen. And when you exit the train and head up the escalator, please remember: stand on the left and pass on the right.

Service is something in Japan that I find is incomparable to anywhere else in the world. Be prepared for verbal assualts of "Irashaimasen!" (Welcome) and "Domo arigato gozaimasu!". And be prepared for them coming at you at you from all fronts; we're talking Hello's and Thank You's from every employee, sometimes at once, sometimes not. Don't even bother trying to be polite back though. It will only elicit a robotish response of usually the same thanks and besides, nobody else is too kind to the service workers. Of course they are cordial at times, but mostly they finish transations without a word unless it is necessary. Take for example the countless restaruants that feature a coin operated ticket machine rather than a waiter. But hey, if you need the bus boy for anything, he will bend over backwards for your happiness.

Three Day Observation; or how I came to love Shimura-sanchome.

Finally the tako seller has arrived. I was beggining to think that the rain might be keeping him away. It was unlike him to just not show up though. Every night he is here. Usually there's a line of at least three people. But now he's setting up. He starts his generator. Connects a hose to the tail pipe of his van so as not to esphixiate himself while he works dilligently on his specialty; octopus tentacles, veggies, things that looking like bacon bits, all wrapped up into fried balls. Judging from his customers, he's a pretty popular guy. Many of the people walking by will wave to him as they pass. Or they make small talk while he prepares their order; something I hardly ever see in Tokyo. He seems seperate from this world. A piece of the past. A street vendor that has been able to modernize his buisness and fit in with this normally fast paced, often unsocial, city. A part of old Japan that was left behind.
But now he works hard, preparing for the late rush.

My train is actually part of the subway system. The Mita line. It runs above ground for about half of the trip and my stop, Shimura-sanchome, is a station that rises above the street. One exits the train and heads down two flights of stairs to reach the tako seller. He sits under a bridge directly below the oncoming and outgoing trains. But he sits there among a variety of likely competition: McDonalds, Family Mart, izakyas galore. I've usually spent the later part of the evening here, the time when the tako seller has a line. Now it is early though. Those that would want his treats instead are forced to eat fried chicken from the Family Mart or maybe something from the cheap soba shop that is next door.

There is actually any number of things to do around the station. I often marvel at how close everything is. Anything you would need can be found within three minutes. So I just sit and watch, trying to observe what it is that people do when they get off the train.
Tonight it was raining. Exiting passengers quickly let their umbrellas unfold to offer protection from the downpour. Many line up for cash at one of the three ATMs, others head into Family Mart to sneak a look at a magazine or to get a bite to eat. Very often the mothers and the elderly, it seems, head around the station, presumably to shop at the grocery store around the corner. School children walk toward the station but simply stand around talking to each other on the corner. I assume that they are waiting for the last minute to say their goodbyes until tomorrow when they will no doubt follow the same routine, as it been this way for three days. There is always an unsteady trickle into and out of the massive pachinko parlor. It is crowded as usual. When the doors open you can hear the sound of slot and pachinko machines ruining someones life or making another's day. McDonalds reminds me of the way it was in the 1980's. Crowded with families that have never seen "Super Size Me" or read "Fast Food Nation".
Unlike other stations in Tokyo, mine isn't one to be used as a meeting grounds. It's the last stop for most people. People getting off at Shimura-sanchome are either heading home or going to an izakya with co-workers that live nearby. The feeling here is one of a small community. It's as if we're not really a part of Tokyo. The town can function independently from the greater Tokyo area because everything one could need is right here. All of it: entertainment, food, groceries, electronics; anythig you would need is here. And it's all within three minutes walk from the station.

Then there's the tako seller. With everything he needs to cook right in the back of his van. Everyday. He seems out of place to me, but at the same time he fits. Back home in California, none of it would fit. Everything so close, never having to use your car to get somewhere. Yeah right. I see now that it needs to be this way, it couldn't be another way for Tokyo to function properly. With trains being the main source of transportation it is no wonder why it is here that a mini city pops up.

"Donald Ritchie: One Expat to Rule Them All" and Thoughts on Future Projects

I can't help but both be inspired and intrigued by everything I have read thus far of Donald's. Despite the difference in our ages, I can't help but feel in reading his work shared grounds in our experiences. Granted, I can only hope to spend time with people that will earn as much fame as those people Donald has spent time with. His observations come to me as being very obvious but at the same time things I might never had noticed had they not been pointed out. After reading only a few of his artilces it is easy to see why he is hailed as an expert on nearly everything Japanese despite his focus on film. Though I enjoy reading his style of observation and analysis, I don't feel that it is something that I could easily accomplish or emulate, though I would like to try. I particularly like the form that "The Japan Journals" takes; something I've only started reading in my spare time. But there is also something to be said for his more scholarly observations that can be read in the collection of articles "A Lateral View". They way he pieces together different aspects of Japanese culture to better explain the whole is briliant. I'm not sure, but his writings give me the impression that despite how on target he is about the subject, his findings are those that could only have been learned through the countless years of observations he has made and not those that could be found in any text book.

I'm still not really sure what I want to focus on for my final project, or even the medium. I'm leaning towards some sort of photographic journal type. I would really enjoy trying to play around with video but I feel that it may be too much for me to take on with what little editing and video experience I have. I'm not entirely sure of the subject yet either. Originally I had the idea to target the male hosts that roam the entrances of train stations and hassle every girl that passes. It would be an incredibly interesting topic, but agian, I'm afraid I may be biting off more than I can chew.

Ps- I'm also reading the novella "Snakes and Earrings" by Hitomi Kanehara. I highly recommend this short book. It's about a girl that is supposed to be a fashionable "Barbie-girl" that gets involved with two guys that are completely unlike her normal group of friends. One is a punk tattoo artist, the other a wannabe gangster. It has sex, fighting, and a central character grappling with her identity and the people she loves. Check it out.