Category Archives: Culture Shock

On Japanese Convenience Stores | コンビニ

Posted on April 27, 2011 by

There’s some irony that the English “convenience store” is such a misnomer. There aren’t real conveniences, just bathrooms and cigarettes, packaged food and buckets of shaved ice smothered in anti-freeze colored syrup. Japan has adopted the concept – and word … Continue reading →

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Posted in Culture Shock, Food | 28 Comments

On the Psychic Abilities of Japanese Salarymen

Posted on April 6, 2011 by

The first thing you’ll do at a new job in Japan is sit for weeks without instructions. You will show up to work and sit at a desk. You’ll have lunch around 12:30, then sit at your desk. Your supervisors … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture Shock, Weird | 13 Comments

On Being Late to Work in Japan | 遅出

Posted on March 9, 2011 by

I know people who have shown up to work 3 minutes late to their jobs in Japan. They lost an hour of vacation pay and then sat at a desk with nothing to do for the next 7 hours. This … Continue reading →

Posted in Audio, Culture Shock, Tradition | 24 Comments

On Heating an Apartment in Japan

Posted on February 2, 2011 by

Japan does not believe in warmth without risk. You might find a heater in various offices or installed for single-room use in apartments. But more often, you won’t. Instead, you will find various life-threatening electronic devices designed to warm the … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture Shock, Preparations, Uncategorized, Weird | 18 Comments

The “Gaijin Nod”

Posted on January 25, 2011 by

A friend from Venezuela, when we were in Prague, had a habit of making a small nod with his head toward fellow South Americans. An African-American friend from Detroit had the same habit in Germany. “It’s the brother nod,” he … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture Shock, Thinking | 8 Comments

On Being Illiterate in Japan | 馬鹿外人

Posted on December 8, 2010 by

There are incomprehensible signs, everywhere, and every sign is made of smaller signs I can’t read. I can’t read a map or follow directions. I am educated and illiterate, wealthy and incapable of communicating anything to anyone. But, I have … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture Shock, Kanji, Uncategorized | 7 Comments