Sep 24 2007
Observations
After a combination of being lazy in my apartment and being lazy in coffeeshops near my apartment, a few things have come to my attention:
-the prevalence of hardcore gangsta rap as background music in ramen shops, family restaurants, everywhere. Does this not bother anyone else? Do these people just regard it as ¡ÈAmerican music¡É and just tune it out? Sometimes it’s difficult to eat my ramen with a straight face when lyrics like ¡ÈFuck those bitches!¡É are coming out of the speakers. I turn to the obaasan grandma sitting next to me expecting a shocked face..no, nothing.
-the one pant-leg rolled up thing. If you’re walking around, especially at night in places like Roppongi and Shibuya, you can see lots of college-age and youngers wearing sweatpants or baggy jeans like this. This was originally a style started by rappers in the US almost 10 years ago. Let it go, kids, let it go.
-reggae music in general. Reggae music hasn’t been popular in the US for quite some time (if ever), but over here it has quite a scene. I’m actually starting to like it…
-I don’t mind separating my trash. I don’t mind not having a dishwasher. But for the love of all that’s sanitary, give me a freakin’ garbage disposal!
-the unexistence of coffee presses that hold over 4 cups. Some of us have an addiction to feed.
-what’s up with paperbacks written in English that sell for $15 over here? I can go to Kinokunya’s at Japantown in SF and get Japanese books with only a $2-3 dollar markup. Stop dropping the ball, Japan. I like reading your books too, I just need a break sometimes.
-the Engrish, oh, the Engrish! Ok Japan, I can understand when you print crappy English on a t-shirt and try to pass it off as cool. We do that with your language too. But when I see multi-million dollar companies and the government print advertising with English spelling and grammar mistakes, I cry inside.
-is there any reason why the train system in Japan can’t be running 24 hours a day?
-24 hour ATM’s. Please.
-Ok Japan, I know you like your lager. It’s pretty much the only kind of beer you sell. I’ll give you credit, though, you do it quite well. Can we start making other kinds of beer though? A brown ale? Red ale? Maybe a pilsner?
-And no, not everyone in America drinks Bud.
-pizza. Japan has yet to figure out what a real pizza is.
Certain things that Japan has figured out which need to catch on in the US:
-the toilet and the shower NOT being in the same room together. I’m sorry, you should not poop and wash yourself in the same room. It’s unclean.
-hot water pots. Because they’re awesome.
-Actually household electronics in general in Japan are awesome. My microwave also functions as an oven as well as a toaster. The vacuum cleaner weighs a fraction of those sold in the states and is just as powerful, without bags. My rice-cooker (almost non-existent in the states) cooks by pressure and I can set it to make of rice for different kinds of dishes (fluffy, rice for sushi, rice for curry, etc).
-cell phones. There is no excuse for the US to be 10 years behind in cellular phone technology.
-customer service. The phrase ¡Èthe customer is always right¡É actually carries weight here. In Japan, I don’t have to wait in a line with my purchased goods for the employees to check and make sure I didn’t steal anything. Way to go losing customer confidence, America. (A big pet peeve of mine)
-convenience stores. I’ll take a 7-11 here over one in America any day, even if it doesn’t have slurpees. In Japan, convenience stores are more convenient, cleaner, and safer than those in the states, hands down.
-vending machines. They’re everywhere and sell everything. I can even buy hot drinks in winter. See argument for convenient stores.
-ramen. American has yet to figure out what real ramen is.
Ok, that’s my list. Hope you enjoyed it. I have a question and hopefully someone out there will know the answer. I want to bring some wine back from America. I know I can bring up to three bottles without charge. Does anyone know what kind of tariff they slap you with if you try to bring in more than three bottles?
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I probably shouldn’t be reading this list at work, since I sort of laughed like a maniac through most of it. And, for what it’s worth, I sympathize with your book situation. Sounds a lot like being in Italy. (That drove me nuts. The same paperback that would cost me $8 in the U.S. was between 13-16 Euros … so $20. I got so desperate for new reading material I was reduced to scouring the shelves of the apartments we stayed in for books people had left behind. Did you know all people read on vacation is cheap mystery thrillers and porny romance?)
I hear ya on the gangster rap music. On one particular incident I was in a grocery store and heard some song along the lines of “fuck that bitch’s pussy” whilst 70-year old grannies around me were poring over what kind of soy sauce they were going to buy.
Beer: You can get a reasonably good selection of Belgians around Tokyo. It’ll cost you quite a bit if you drink it at a bar (800-1300 Yen or so at Belgo, Frigo, Favori, and Les Hydropathes; google them) but it surprisingly reasonable in stores (Tokyu Food Show and others). Most Japanese micros are on the weak and thin-bodied side, but there are some gems. Try the restaurant/bar known as “Popeye” in Ryogouku - they easily have the best selection of micros in Tokyo. In particular I recommend the beers of Hakusekikan brewery.
Claire - Yeah, the book situation is grim right now. I have about 5 books in English opposite the same number in Japanese on my bookshelf. I use the English ones as breaks from the Japanese ones (I’m really bored waiting for this visa thing) but I ran out. I’ll stock up again in the states.
Vic - The music kind of startles you, doesn’t it? You’re minding your own business in public and you hear explicit lyrics (I’m talking really explicit) and for a fraction of a second, you wonder if you’re dreaming…
Thanks for the heads up on the beer. I will be going to this “Popeye” place when I get back to Japan. I agree that most Japanese microbrews are a bit weak on taste. One’s that I’ve found to be surprisingly good are local beers from a town called Takayama in Gifu-ken. I did a quick google on them and found a site:
http://www.hidaroman.com/hidajibeer.html
I discovered them while I was sightseeing up there, so I’m not sure if you can buy them from any Tokyo store…
Hey dude, what’s up? How’s the job thing going?
And yeah, agreed on so many points:
-wtf hiphop music in ramen joins/japanese stores?
-YES 24HR ATMS/TRAINS WHY NOT, JAPAN, WHY NOT?
-cellphoneshouseholdelectronicscustomerservicecombiniramen *sob*
Adding ya to my links on my page, btw.
-Josh
Hey Josh, thanks for putting a link up on your page for me. Nice tumbleblog, btw.
I brought 50 bottles of wine with me, back when excess baggage charges weren’t so steep. After 3 free bottles, you get charged 150 yen per bottle, or 1000 yen per bottle of hard stuff. Declare it and pay on your way through customs. It’s important to remember that it’s for personal consumption and not a gift for someone else. It’s Japan, after all, and 50 bottles seems reasonable. Other times I’ve brought 24 or 36 bottles, always without a problem, although it tends to surprise the customs agents.
Totally agree with you about Ramen
“pizza. Japan has yet to figure out what a real pizza is”
Technically, America it is the same, unless you go to real Italian restaurants
I did not understand the thing about toilet and shower… maybe my sense of humor is lacking?
Bill Hilly - I got into Japan with my first case of wine today. Total damage? 1300 yen. Anyone interested in a US wine export-to-japan startup?
Olaf - True, I’ll give you that. The typical pizza place in America is probably not going to give you authentic Italian pizza (although the chances of stumbling upon it in America are much better). I just personally find American pizza to be not only tastier, but more satisfying.
The whole toilet and shower thing deserves a little explaining. I didn’t realize this either until I got a place in Japan, but when you have a whole room (even if it’s small) devoted to the shower, you don’t have to worry about limiting it to the confines of the bathtub. You can pretty much get the whole room wet. That’s what they’re designed for. And I still don’t like the idea of pooping and washing in the same room. Seems like counter-productive activities.