Chick Entry
Just to warn readers, this is definitely a "chick" themed blog entry (unless you are a man and like to shop and cook... nothing is wrong with that let me emphasize).
Despite some of the raunchy customer service that I received during my month long stay in the States, I did get some serious shopping done. I got some nice black pants and several pairs of jeans. Because I was so tired of the customer service and not being able to get what I wanted, I went to the only place in America where customer service and awesome selection still exists, Nordstrom's. Yes, to many women, Nordstrom's is the shopping hub. I had gone to about 10-20 stores in search of some jeans that fit me right and honestly, I wasn't in the mood to settle for an "OK" pair of jeans. I wanted a pair of jeans that felt comfortable and looked great, and I was willing to pay for it. Some of our readers may also be readers of our favorite mommy blog, gingersmom. Several weeks ago, she wrote a little ditty on NYDJ (Not Your Daughters Jeans). I tried them on and fell in love. Every woman who is a mom and is tired of having muffin top needs to try a pair of these on. However, at $98 a pop I could only justify buying one pair. I did find a couple other brands that were lower in price and still didn't make my butt look like some sort of flattened bubble. Jag brand and the Nordstrom brand Caslon were great and cost a little less. My Caslon jeans only cost about $68.
As all men who are reading roll their eyes, let me continue... (I warned you guys). Besides, clothing, I also bought several food items that I couldn't find here. I was overjoyed to go into one store and see a whole quarter of an aisle dedicated to olives. I mailed food items back to our house and just received a box a couple days ago containing the Arborio rice I had purchased. I had never tried cooking Risotto before, so I was excited to try once I received the correct rice in the mail. In Nigella Lawson's, Nigella Bites cook book, she has a recipe for Lemon Risotto. After making it tonight, I thought I had died and gone to heaven. Let me assure readers that this is by no means health food, but man, this was some of the best comfort food I had ever had. Please click on my cooking site if you're interested in the recipe.
Now that I have the cooking and shopping through my system, let me talk about some of my culture shock experiences. There are the typical things that most people list about everything seeming bigger and farther apart in the States compared to Japan. The bigger part I expected but the farther apart aspect was a little surprising. Everything just seemed far away. I could no longer just walk to the grocery store but had to drive 10 minutes to get there. I felt closed up a lot of the time. Another difference was watching how parents hovered over their children. I understand that because of sicko weirdos, it's something that more folks need to do there but it seemed very extreme to me.
Knowing the language was both good and bad. I could navigate much easier being able to read and talk to people. But because I heard everything, I also noticed the bad. It seemed as though everyone had an opinion on how to raise children (and I'm not talking about comments that I received. Just in general). For instance, if a child fell on the playground, instead of the nearest parent trying to aid, many times they would shake their head and say to themselves, "why isn't their parent here?" It seemed like a sense of looking out for "number one" instead of the community as a whole.
I think what made the trip very good was just being able to be home. In my opinion, I don't think that I could ever stay in Japan forever because I would never feel at home. I would always feel like an outsider. Many westerners may disagree, but again just my opinion. It was the little things and big things alike that made it so enjoyable. The big was seeing family and friends that we hadn't seen in years. The little was being able to read the back of a cooking package, being able to talk to someone on the street, read the newspaper, oh yes, and the commercials!! I never thought I would enjoy commercials so much. There is so much to say and that is why I think that it will be coming in little spurts along the way. I say again, stay tuned.
Despite some of the raunchy customer service that I received during my month long stay in the States, I did get some serious shopping done. I got some nice black pants and several pairs of jeans. Because I was so tired of the customer service and not being able to get what I wanted, I went to the only place in America where customer service and awesome selection still exists, Nordstrom's. Yes, to many women, Nordstrom's is the shopping hub. I had gone to about 10-20 stores in search of some jeans that fit me right and honestly, I wasn't in the mood to settle for an "OK" pair of jeans. I wanted a pair of jeans that felt comfortable and looked great, and I was willing to pay for it. Some of our readers may also be readers of our favorite mommy blog, gingersmom. Several weeks ago, she wrote a little ditty on NYDJ (Not Your Daughters Jeans). I tried them on and fell in love. Every woman who is a mom and is tired of having muffin top needs to try a pair of these on. However, at $98 a pop I could only justify buying one pair. I did find a couple other brands that were lower in price and still didn't make my butt look like some sort of flattened bubble. Jag brand and the Nordstrom brand Caslon were great and cost a little less. My Caslon jeans only cost about $68.
As all men who are reading roll their eyes, let me continue... (I warned you guys). Besides, clothing, I also bought several food items that I couldn't find here. I was overjoyed to go into one store and see a whole quarter of an aisle dedicated to olives. I mailed food items back to our house and just received a box a couple days ago containing the Arborio rice I had purchased. I had never tried cooking Risotto before, so I was excited to try once I received the correct rice in the mail. In Nigella Lawson's, Nigella Bites cook book, she has a recipe for Lemon Risotto. After making it tonight, I thought I had died and gone to heaven. Let me assure readers that this is by no means health food, but man, this was some of the best comfort food I had ever had. Please click on my cooking site if you're interested in the recipe.
Now that I have the cooking and shopping through my system, let me talk about some of my culture shock experiences. There are the typical things that most people list about everything seeming bigger and farther apart in the States compared to Japan. The bigger part I expected but the farther apart aspect was a little surprising. Everything just seemed far away. I could no longer just walk to the grocery store but had to drive 10 minutes to get there. I felt closed up a lot of the time. Another difference was watching how parents hovered over their children. I understand that because of sicko weirdos, it's something that more folks need to do there but it seemed very extreme to me.
Knowing the language was both good and bad. I could navigate much easier being able to read and talk to people. But because I heard everything, I also noticed the bad. It seemed as though everyone had an opinion on how to raise children (and I'm not talking about comments that I received. Just in general). For instance, if a child fell on the playground, instead of the nearest parent trying to aid, many times they would shake their head and say to themselves, "why isn't their parent here?" It seemed like a sense of looking out for "number one" instead of the community as a whole.
I think what made the trip very good was just being able to be home. In my opinion, I don't think that I could ever stay in Japan forever because I would never feel at home. I would always feel like an outsider. Many westerners may disagree, but again just my opinion. It was the little things and big things alike that made it so enjoyable. The big was seeing family and friends that we hadn't seen in years. The little was being able to read the back of a cooking package, being able to talk to someone on the street, read the newspaper, oh yes, and the commercials!! I never thought I would enjoy commercials so much. There is so much to say and that is why I think that it will be coming in little spurts along the way. I say again, stay tuned.
posted by Unknown | 6:41 PM
4 Comments:
When I am in Japan, the best part of watching TV is the commercials. I think they put American commercials to shame.
Since I've been back about six months now from Yokosuka, I DO admit that I enjoy certain commercials more here -- especially the "smart" commercials that bookend my favorite non-cable shows (shows that I couldn't get while on the Kanto Plain).
What a great observation on the playground mentality! I've experienced the same situation, but at the gym. EVERYONE has an opinion here in the states and they're willing to interrupt the complete zen of your workout (even with headphones on tuning out the world) to tell you their half baked medical views and unresearched gym-rat philosophies. There is so much I miss about Japan!
So glad that you had successful shopping and that you're adapting to your return!
I never really thought about having culture shock coming back home. Interesting.... Yeah. We do have to hover over our kids. It just isn't safe anymore. Too bad.
NYDJ. I LOVE YOU!!
I really enjoyed your post and hearing about the reverse culture shock your experienced. I think you hit the nail on the head when you said "It seemed like a sense of looking out for "number one" instead of the community as a whole." I think that is a keen observation that embodies one of the major differences between the average American mind and the average Japanese mind. Although living in Japan can be rough, just think about all the cultural knowledge you are gaining without even always being aware of it. It's awesome!
ps- congrats on find the jeans of your dreams! As a woman, I can totally appreciate that!
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