Cultural Differences in Japan!

So, your thinking of coming to Japan and are wondering how you will hope with "Culture Shock!"

Is Japan really that different? Is it all true what my friends have told me?

 

Ok, so this, by any means, is not a complete list of cultural differences and can certainly vary from location to location and person to person. I will write about some of the things I have observed over the past year of living in Iwate-ken (north-east Japan) and compare it to 24 years of living in England.

 

Toilets

I've chose to start with this one, for the simple fact I often get asked about squat toilets. 

Q. Do they still use squat toilets in Japan?

A. Yes! Well, sometimes. In most schools (not all) they will have at least one western style toilet. If you are lucky it will have the heated seat (great for winter). If your at a more rural school, or somewhere away from western tourist hot spots (such as big cities) then in restaurants, convenience stores, survice stations etc will have squat toilets. Generally speaking, they are suppose to be better to use. Someone once told me they are more hygienic because you dont sit on anything - i beg to differ about being more hygienic...without too much detail a heavy seafood diet, mixed with raw fish, ramen (like a noodle broth) etc...basically the typical Japanese diet... can cause fast bowel movement with explosive consequences resulting in serious splash back making a messy toilet - whats worst is people who miss!

Enough said on that issue.

Food

Q. I've heard all Japanese people eat sushi (raw fish), is it true?

A. No! Although most Japanese people that you come across will say they eat sushi, not all of them do. In fact I have met many Japanese people who don't like sushi, one person was the daughter of a sushi restaurant owner. Sea food is a big part of the Japanese diet, after all its an island. But you can still find western food in most places, certainly in all the big cities which will also have food from all over the world. For most part I will say rice is served with almost everything - if you don't like rice you may struggle!

I should also point out that at Elementary and Junior High School you are normally expected to eat with the students and usually its the same as what they are eating. For most part you might like the food, sometimes you might not - but you still have to eat it all to set a good example to the students. 

School

Q. I really like playing soccer, can I join the soccer club at school?

A. Yes! Schools really like it if you join in with school activities and other events. However, you need to make it clear if its a once in awhile thing or an every week thing. If they ask you to join and you say yes, you are expected to go every week, to every practice, to every meet, to every tournament...if you can't you should have a very good reason and give reasonable notice. You are there to set an example to the students...at the same time it cana lower the spirits of students if you stop going - they take their club very serious and sports/tournaments even more so - so think twice before committing to something you don't really want to do.

Students

Q. Are students well behaved?

A. Depends. In general Japanese students are more well behaved than students in England. You get your jokesters and students who are loud. There are students who steal and rebel. For most part though, the schools you teach in the students might be noisy and seem a little unruly but at the same time they will still show you some respect. In Elementary school the aim is to make kids interested in English by making it fun, which means most kids don't take it seriously and see you as a play things. At Junior High School it's a little more serious for English but at the same time the kids have so much energy that again you are used as a play thing. At High School some students are getting bored of school - some have already decided they are not going to university or they feel they are too stupid so have given up but are being forced to go to school - these are the students who usually disrupt the class for others by talking with friends during class, making jokes, wanting to be center of attention...my method is to ignore them, which usually works - the next step is to stand by them - there is only one class whereby the student who causes the most problem usually ends up sitting at the front next to me. You rarely hear of kids being expelled and for most part there is only 1 or 2 trouble causers... Expect a "hello, hi, os, chiwa, good morning" from nearly every kid in the corridor, a greeting from everyone at the start and end of lesson and usually a shocked but exciting face when a student sees you outside of school.

Teaching

Q. Will i work long hours and how much will I get paid?

A. No. Depends. For most jobs working in schools you will be employed by a dispatch company (such as interac)...usually for these contracts you work a max of 29.5hours - this includes teaching and prep time, any authorised school events (be careful, if you go to a sports day that isn't authorised then you wont get paid - its voluntary). Also the time between periods (usually 10mins) and lunch are classed as non-work. Typically your at school from about 830am - 330pm. 

As for pay - this varies from company to company, location to location etc - average across the country is 230,000en

Cultural Differences!

Q. Will i experience culture shock in Japan?

A. Well, some people would argue culture shock isn't real - it's a figment of the imagination, something a mad doctor made up, a term that gets thrown around way too often like "depressed".

So I presume your question is "Are there cultural difference in Japan to other countries?"

In this case. Yes!.

For starters food - the main part of the diet is sea food and rice. Rice is served with almost everything. When eating you are usually expected to use chopstick - sometimes even with ice cream - dont expect every restaurant to have knives and forks (you can ask but either they wont have any or dont understand you). At some restaurants you might be expected to take your shoes off or sit on the floor - a rule of thumb is if you see a step up into the restaurant at the entrance way or to a setting area you should take your shoes off. Slurping most foods - including spaghetti - is ok but pointing with chopsticks is rude

At peoples homes you are expected to take your shoes of at the entrance (the same at schools and some restaurants). If sitting on the floor you should sit on your knees and wait for someone to say otherwise. 

When talking avoid anything that can cause conflicting ideas - such as religion. Giving an opinion is not always wise unless specifically asked to. Looking at the person shows respect. 

When meeting a person you bow - the deeper your bow the more respect you are showing - in Japan there are different levels of respect depending on a persons age and profession - for example at school all students are lower than you but all teachers are higher than you. Theoretically you are higher than the office staff. Of course at the top is the Principal of the school - however, because you are foreign some people, in and outside of school, might show you higher respect - especially in rural areas - as a rule of thumb, show respect to everyone you meet.

business cards are often passed to you when meeting people for the first time - usually when you meet your schools for the first time etc. Your not expected to have a business card but if you want to start teaching your own private classes it is best to have one.

At school you are expected to dress smartly - you should always have a tie and a belt(boys) - belt is very important! Generally you should have a suit. For girls skirts are ok but below the knees - not advisable if teaching young kids, nothing revealing and long sleeves is preferred. Hair should always be kept clean and tidy. boys should have no jewellery and girls maybe a necklace and only one earring in each lobe.

boys in class are generally more closers to each other and dont mind contact - they will hug each other, grab each other, sit on each others laps, share drinks and food, where pink, use mirrors to adjust their hair, etc etc - a lot of boys in japan are known as Herbivores (grass eaters)...i guess the western version of metrosexuals... a lot schools keep boys and girls separate - sometimes separate PE class etc... even in regular class its boys on one side and girls on the other...you will find most students are very immature, shy compared to England. 

at some schools girls look like boys - i dont mean this in a bad way but for some reason they have their hair cut short - they dont wear make up or jewellery and so only when they are in school uniform (at high school) you can tell if they are a girl or not...at junior high school and elementary school the uniform is sometimes a tracksuit making it sometimes impossible to tell. Of course on the other hand I taught at one school were by the skirts were worn very short, makeup plastered on their faces and big looped earrings - this was a low achieving school i guess similar to a rough city school in England (although the students do have a bit more respect here)

 

All in all Japan is very different from England - for one the language is different and in rural areas or smaller cities it can be hard to find any English. But you find ways around the language barrier. You get use to the food, and of course you can always cook yourself or find a McDonald once in a while. Also, once you've done something a few times, such as going to the post office, using an ATM, eating at a restaurant - you get use to how they work, what you do and sometimes you actually remember what to say. Work for most part is friendly and easy - you should have nothing to worry about there. 

Living is a bit different - but if in your apartment your dont want to take shoes off, then dont. You can still by common brands here of clothes and food (I still eat Kelloggs Frosties). Some companies, such as the post office, NTT (internet) have English phone lines... in big cities you will find menus in English, waiters who speak english, shop assistants who speak english...

My advice would be to remember that you are in another country. Finding English anything should be seen as a luxury or privilege rather than something you expect - Embrace what bits of culture you want to...finally, remember you can create a mini England in your apartment if you want to

(on a side note - if you do decide to embrace japanese culture and visit an onsen (hot spring bath) you might bump into a student...this happened to a friend (I havent embraced that much culture - onsens are not my things) - this can be embarrassing considering the fact you bathe in a communeral bath, in the nude)

 

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