GSE2007

One of the questions that I’ve been asked a lot since I arrived in Japan is whether it’s very different from England.

In many ways the answer is yes. Every day things that you take for granted, like food, present whole new challenges. For example, I was prepared for the raw fish, but on the evening when a bowl of live, wriggling fish was put in front of me and I was expected to swallow them whole I all but ran screaming from the table.

You just wouldn’t come across a situation like that in England.

Respect plays a huge part in Japanese society, far more so than in Britain I think.

Everyone has respect for each other and their surroundings. The streets are incredibly clean, even in big cities and there is no graffiti anywhere.

The police are held in very high regard and the stations that I have visited all report that in an area around the size of the Avon and Somerset Force area, a tenth of the number of crimes. And the most prevalent problem is bicycle theft.

There is little to no violent crime and because the Japanese culture is one where injecting yourself is completely alien, heroin is not a problem at all.

One difference that I have found it difficult to come to terms with is the role of women in society. Although the Japanese would argue that their women are very strong, from a western perspective they definitely have a more subservient role.

Domestic chores are the sole domain of women. It is almost unheard of for men to cook and it’s not uncommon for women to eat at different times and spend meal times ensuring that their husband’s every need is met. It may not be the case among younger generations, but it certainly was in the older families with which I have stayed.

And there seems to be a different attitude to work. I visited the Panasonic factory and discovered that before beginning work every day all employees recited the company’s mantra. On the production lines every employee was completely focused on their work. There was no-one chatting, no-one standing around drinking coffee, none of the banter you might expect in a similar situation in Britain.

A large display counted the number of products assembled so far, the day’s target, how much production time had been lost and how many lost products that represented.

But as I walked down the streets in Osaka, Japan’s second largest city, aside from the Japanese script emblazoned on the signs, I was disappointed to feel that I could have been in any city anywhere in the world.

In many ways Japan may seem like an alien culture, full of mystery and with an astounding history.

But it certainly is not immune from many of the big western brands. Starbucks, McDonalds, the Body Shop, HMV, and countless other international chains had all stamped down their identity.

It seems that the loss of the independent trader is a problem faced the world over.

 

ED

We were prepared for many things when we arrived in Japan - language difficulties, unusual food, living out of a suitcase for four weeks etc, etc... But I don't think any of us were expecting the overwhelming level of hospitality and welcome that was shown to us by Yokaichi South Rotary Club.

From the moment we stepped off the plane we were made to feel completely at home and nothing was too much trouble.

There was a group waiting to meet us off the plane, complete with banners and a Union flag and we felt like celebrities having our photos taken every few minutes.

Despite having been travelling for what felt like weeks, we were thrown straight into the programme.

Within hours of getting off the plane we were climbing 800 steps to a shrine where we were given a blessing for our visit, which was a lovely start to our adventure.

The week that followed was packed full of activities, all planned with military precision. We all had the chance to take part in some vocational visits and some of the high points of the week were taking part in radio interviews, taking a boat trip on Lake Biwa - the biggest lake in Japan (complete with being bought beer at 10am and an amazing temple on an island in the middle of the lake.)

But the thing which amazed us most was the amazing way which we were treated, Everyone had made such an effort to make sure that we had the best time possible and the whole group always had a big smile on their face. The host families were so lovely, I think we all enjoyed our time with them and they really made our visit something special.

The week was full of firsts - the first time for sushi (raw fish and rice), the first time for sashimi (chunks of raw fish), the first time for sake (Japanese rice wine), the first time for hi-tech toliets complete with flushing sounds and heated seats and the first time for karaoke!!!

Karaoke came on the final night of what I think we would all describe as an unforgettable week.

Many of the Rotary Club came to see us off on our final night and we enjoyed (?) a traditional Japanese meal (By now the novelty of raw fish was wearing a bit thin) with free flowing sake and beer, followed by a couple of hours at a karaoke bar.

Everybody showed off their, somewhat dubious, musical talents and had a go and singing the old classics - Grease megamix, Nine to Five, Sweet Home Alabama, It's raining Men etc, etc.

The end of the night saw some tearful goddbyes to our host families, members of the club and especially our interpreters Yoku and Teppei who really were our life lines during our first few days in a strange country.

And when we had to say our final goodbyes as we boarded the train to our next destination the following day everyone had a small tear in their eye, even though the boys probably wouldn't admit it! I think we all felt that we had met people that could become real friends.

But everyone was excited to see what would happen in the next few days and to meet the next group of people.

 

ED