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Experiencing
a culture shock
Japan
can be an interesting experience
As a non-Asian and a new person to the
Japanese
culture my first day in Japan was overwhelming and even frustrating.
Prior to my trip to
Japan, which was supposed to last at least 90
days, I spent a lot of time reading about the country (those were the
times without the internet, and of course, no MyNippon).
I read a few books about
Japan, its culture,
history, people and business
environment. I watched
a couple of videos and talked to people who had traveled to
Japan.
It was a bit of research only and I thought
I was ready - I was not going to suffer a culture shock in Tokyo.
(Related article: Know
more about Japan)
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As soon as I arrived at my departure gate at the
John F. Kennedy Airport in New York I realized that all my reading had
not prepared me for the reality. At
the gate itself I could feel Asia all over. More than 95% of the
passengers were Asian, the food was Asian, and the languages that I
could overhear were all Asian. Right
there in New York I felt like a gaijin (or foreigner).
I arrived at Narita airport after the longest
flight of my life. With my
jet lag already apparent, I was excited to finally be in Tokyo.
I was able to manage myself at the Customs even though the
authorities thought that my luggage was too large and perhaps I was
planning to settle down illegally in Japan.
I do not blame the custom personnel for this attitude - every day
many foreigners arrive in Japan with a desire to stay in the country.
This was not my objective - I had a good job in the New York area
and was attending business school.
It’s just that I do not travel light - especially to Japan
where I was told that everything was so expensive.
(Related article: Bureaucracy
in Japan)
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 At the arrival lounge I met my friend who was
picking me up. We chose to
use the cheapest way to go from the airport to Tokyo.
We took the train that brought us to Ueno station.
My luggage needed to be shipped separately due to its size.
In Ueno we changed trains. I
do not recall my impressions of Ueno, but I remember my trip from the
airport. I noticed the rows
of low multistoried, rather ugly I should say, buildings at both sides
of the tracks, the lack of trees, and the abundance of billboards with
advertisements. (Related article: A
gaijin's story in Japan)
As I left the train
to walk to my future home, I felt it - this was real, I was in Tokyo far
from my home, my culture, me people.
It has been my decision to be there, it was my decision to be in
a totally different country.
My first reaction
to Tokyo was not as positive as I thought.
I was in a clean, safe city where everything was different from
what I had ever seen. I had
traveled extensively, I had lived in three countries and I read a lot
and loved Japanese culture, artistic style, ikebana, cartoons,
Hello
Kitty (English born, but a Japanese citizen) and so many other
things about Japan. I was
prepared to feel comfortable and if not at home, at least familiar with
Japan. I was familiar, I
was able to identify the Seven Elevens and the Family Marts, but I felt
as if I had arrived on another planet.
Do not take me
wrong - I loved Japan, but my first few days there were, if not
difficult, extremely challenging. I
had what is generally referred to as a culture shock.
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