Sayonara Japan!

First, apologies on the cliched title. Sadly as I write this I must return home after a great and productive three weeks here in Japan. A few things to note on my trip:

• Studying Japanese at least to JLPT N4 level really does make a difference. I felt much less helpless than in past visits, and able to get around and do things more easily.

With that said, not surprisingly, being only N4 level certified basically gave me a grasp of “survival” Japanese but not much on the conversational level. I still have a long way to go. One of my biggest problems, my wife states, besides pronunciation, is strange word-choices. Too much studying long vocab lists and not enough practice.

• On that note, being in Japan really helped put all the vocab I studied into context. For example, the word 一般 (ippan, “general, universal”) made no real sense to me. I kept wondering why I had to learn a word like this, until the very first day in Japan, when the toll booth there was divided into folks with ETC and the 一般 lane for cars in general. I’ve seen this kind of thing all over the place, and now I realize that studying isn’t enough. You really, really, really need to be exposed to Japanese as it is used daily to see the context. It really demystifies things.
• It took me about two weeks to acclimate enough to listen and speak Japanese comfortably at my level and begin to branch out.
• Japanese trains really are your best friend. Get familiar with the system and get a pass either outside Japan or see if you can get a Suica or Pasmo inside Japan (from a friend make sure to pay back the ¥500 fee). If you’ve ridden London’s Tube service and used the excellent Oyster Card recently, it’s similar, but can be used in stores too for buying stuff.
• The best temples and shrines aren’t always the most well-known, touristy ones. Branch out if you can.
• Trains really do get insanely crowded at rush-hour times so be ready. If you are a girl you can often take the women-only cars and if you are a guy, be careful and keep your hands to yourself in case someone misunderstands your actions. At least that’s what my wife warned me about.
• Learning some keigo Japanese really did help in cases where I needed more help. It’s very useful when speaking to strangers especially older ones.
• With that said, don’t overdo it either. Keigo is like a fine spice you don’t want to just dump in your soup; use as appropriate. When being cautious, be polite and formal, but as you make friends you can be more informal. Just listen to how such people talk to you and pick on the cues.

So, that ends the special three-week series in Japan. I still have much to write about, but as I will be back to life in the US (and no longer on vacation), I will need to go back to the traditional schedule (M, W, F and Sun.) Stay tuned as I still have lots of good stuff and pictures to talk about, and thanks for reading!

–Doug (a.k.a. “The Management”)