The food is delicious but sushi for breakfast? Still working on stomaching that . . .

Learning flower arranging, drumming, practicing calligraphy and making sushi are all well and good . . . but what's it really like living in Japan?  Here's some thoughts on the good, the bad and the things that still make us shake our heads and go, "Huh?":

The good

• It's safe - after having panic attacks because of having to walk alone day/night in Brazil, Tokyo (and especially Mitaka) is one of the safest places I've ever lived.
• It's clean - I've yet to see a piece of trash out of place.
• It's organized, efficient and systematic (. . . most of the time and we'll come back to this)
• It's cosmopolitan - it has everything and if you want to, you can feel like you're not really in Japan.  There is food and people from all over the world and most people speak some English.
• The people are polite and respectful (more on this later)
• It's quiet - nobody talks on the trains, subways and buses to the point of it being eerie
• It's welcoming - our community has free Japanese classes and support for foreigners wanting to learn the language and get involved
• Society functions - there are no strikes or shutdowns, infrastructure is solid, and phone and internet service is stable (and uncensored)
• It's timely - you can set your watch by the trains and if you're not five minutes early to class, you're late.  As a person who has heart palpitations if I'm going to be a minute tardy, I feel like I've finally found my people.
• Everybody follows all the rules all the time (there are a lot of rules both written and unwritten)
• It's convenient - all convenience stores are open 24/7 and if that's not good enough for you, you can always head to the thousands of vending machines carrying anything from snacks, pop, beers and cigarettes.  Amazing.

Just hanging some gutted fish out on the porch . . . to dry? Not sure.

Gasp! Caught someone openly breaking a rule.

The bad (sometimes just a different take on "the good")

• It's expensive - holy smokes, this is the most expensive place Sean and I have ever lived, by far (more on price comparisons in another post so you can see what we're up against)
• Oddly, there is no free wifi anywhere - crazy, right? You have to buy your own portable router or "pocket wifi" and carry it with you or pay for outrageously expensive data plans
• Getting a direct answer from someone is impossible and don't even think about expecting to hear the word "No" - if you like talking in circles, Japan is the place for you.  Most of the time I feel like a toddler when I try to get a direct answer as my question/frustration is simply "redirected", put off, delayed or politely avoided altogether.
• Most important communication is not by email or phone but still by snail mail or fax.  I don't get it either.
• If you're a foreigner and want to rent an apartment, you might be out of luck - only about 20% of landlords will even consider renting to non-Japanese and if so, will probably charge you more
• Everything is organized and scheduled but there's no room for creativity, spontaneity or deviation from the norm.
• Everything is efficient and systematic which is great unless you don't understand all of the complicated and unintelligible systems (machines for parking your bike, machines to pay library fines, incomprehensible deposit/transfer actions on ATMs, complicated toilet buttons  etc.)
• The people are polite and respectful but it's way over the top to the point that it doesn't seem real.  I spend most of the day saying "I'm sorry", "Excuse me", "I'm sorry", "Excuse me" and on and on.
• It's quiet because nobody speaks up and everyone is sleeping or drunk from late night business meetings at the bar (on transportation and also in class).
• People are welcoming but it's hard to get close - foreigners are kept at a distance.
• It's clean but oddly, there are no trash cans anywhere.  If you do happen to find one, you'll find an assortment of cans with strict and confusing labels telling you how to sort your garbage.  Refuse separation practically requires a college degree.
• It's sexist. Women are submissive, insecure and openly defer to male colleagues for opinions in society and in the classroom.  It's maddening.
• Dress tends to be formal and the more ceremonial process at events, the better. It's tiring.

That's all for now, I've got to get back to reading.  Have you had any similar/different experiences with Japan?

The lights are mesmerizing in the rain.

Yokohama at night along the river.

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