We arrived in Osaka on a cloudy and a bit breezy day which tended to make everything look rather grey and dull. And that was easy part. It has been well over forty years since both Dick and I were last in Japan so we were ready for a culture shock but so far that hasn't really been true. I must admit there were a few times in Osaka that I felt I was in a scene from Blade Runner (drizzling rain with bicycle riders on a crowded market street) but all in all not really that different than being J-town, just bigger.
One of many things I have forgotten is the ability to read Japanese script, okay I never could read that many kana characters but with 1945 Kanji (btw there are over 50,000 kanji character but many are not used frequently), 46 Hiragana and 45 Katakana characters it is easy to forget them. This has so far proved to be the most difficult thing as there is very little signage in Romaji (English alphabet). Slowly I am remembering my Japanese language to ask basic questions which has lead to an issue - dialect. My mother was from Hokkaido and I lived in the Tokyo area so my pronunciation of the words is a bit blended. I was aware of this difference and was reminded again when we met our first guide in Osaka, she asked if I was aware of the dialect difference. But there are several translation failures when going from Japanese to English. For example at breakfast there are two different items identified as "Pork Used" and "Beef Used" which as a vegetarian I don't really care about so I am not certain what the items are.
I finally am not the shortest person walking around!! The general population has gotten taller but not by much compared to when I was last here. The young adults dress fairly similar to their counterparts in the US but there are a large number of young women who tend to wear clothing that borders on Cosplay. Sometimes I stop and just stare at their appearance as it tends to make them look like something out of an anime or manga book.
Everyone is so polite and respectful which makes the need for Women only train cars seem a little out of place. These special cars were instituted when a large number of women complained that they were being repeatedly groped.
| Man being denied entrance to a women only train car |
There is very little trash on the streets, none in the trains, and not much graffiti anywhere. In fact I commented that the hanging paper advertisement signs found on the train would be a fire magnet if the same were used on BART. This cleanliness doesn't mean that there isn't any trash found as many small rivers contain trash that is probably swept up or flushed from a different location and dumped there as river are often used for disposal inappropriately. But still there is very little litter and no over flowing trashcans are seen. When we were waiting for our plane in Osaka we watched a small army board the plane and within minutes it was spotless and the same was true for our Shinkansen train. These teams are aided by the design of the vehicle to be so efficient. It is so very Japanese to consider all aspects when designing an object.
Another polite custom is the train conductor walking through the car with a ticket book in hand asking out loud (I am guessing here) if anyone needs help and when he arrives at the door separating the compartments he turns and bows to everyone before entering the next car where he repeats his bow to the occupants in the new car and continues on.
Of course the driving on the left hand side of the road is really difficult for me to get use to. This left handedness is also found in walkways (though not as widely followed), stairs, and escalators. So all you left handed folks this maybe the place for you.
Technology in the bathroom
I mentioned that technology has changed here in Japan so as an example I present the Japanese Western toilet (there are still squat toilets in many public restrooms for women who still wear kimonos).
Yep, this is a toilet/bidet combo. I plan to get a photo of one that has a button to make a flushing sound and post later.
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