Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Keen Observation (Japan edition)

Being an expat here in Japan for almost three years now have made me more become responsible and independent. Clearly, the effect is great and has helped me become a better person.

Herewith is a brief list of things that i've been accustomed to doing out of respect for their rules and tradition. They are not posted elsewhere. Mostly derived from my own keen observation and word-of-mouth from fellow expats.

1.) Be your own bagger. Unlike in the Philippines, supermarkets here allow you to enjoy the task of packing your own groceries into your plastic bag.

2.) Cleaning your own mess in fastfood outlets (ex. McDonald’s). After eating ‘dine-in’, make sure to throw your mess in designated trash bins and return the now empty tray to where it should be. That’s self-service at its purest! They don’t have janitors to follow your dirt so be responsible enough to follow their rules. I even caught myself applying that practice in Cebu…like, for many times.. haha..

3.) Proper garbage segregation. Yes, I must admit that I dutifully OBEY to this practice in my apartment. I have allocated two plastic bags: one for general trash and one for empty plastic bottles. Also, I ALWAYS segregate my food leftovers and those little scraps trapped in the sink, and then seal them in transparent plastics (which I fondly hoard for they come free in supermarkets, haha). As for the schedule of garbage collection, i don't follow them because i can't read Kanji and I'm too lazy to even ask our landlady *wicked me*. To play safe, I bring out the garbage every morning/day except (sometimes) on weekends.

4.) Bowing. It’s like a form of acknowledgment instead of greeting verbally if I happen to bump with a Japanese superior or officemate. Most often to people in my department.

5.) With escalators. In Tokyo, right side of an escalator is reserved for those ‘in a hurry’. So, if you don’t feel like rushing, stay at the left side. In Osaka, it’s the opposite. The left is reserved to make way for people on-the-rush.

No wonder most Japanese are so well disciplined. Because they obey the simplest rules that most (if not all) of us don’t follow back home. No offense meant to my kababayans but the simplest rules can often lead to a better society…*naks*. Seriously, I do follow them and for some time now, it’s like SOP.

2 comments:

Unknown said...

"the simplest rules can often lead to a better society".. could not agree with you more on this.. very true indeed

100th post? how bloopers in Japan ? :D

amor said...

haha..nice suggestion =D