Маленькие радости Японии

The Small Graces of Japan

Источник: https://barbaraoneal.substack.com/p/the-small-graces-of-japan

Somewhere in the wilds of Tokyo Station, I saw two middle-aged men nearly run into each other around a corner. They both popped back and bowed, repeatedly, until some proper level had been reached, and then they went on their way. Bowing politely is still everywhere, used in a thousand places, and it never feels amiss. Younger people bow less, which I suppose is natural, but it strikes me as a real loss.

Gozaimasu appears in many common expressions—thank you and good morning, for example—and it whispers along at the end of greetings and polite exchanges even when the first word is lost, adding simply respect.

Japan is clean. I mean very, very, very clean. The streets and public restrooms and even roadside convenience stops. Not a tiny strip of paper, or a bottle, or trash in the toilets. The subway is clean. The highways are clean.

This despite, or perhaps because, there are very few public trash receptacles. You are expected to carry a trash bag yourself, and also carry a cloth towel to dry your hands in public restrooms, which means there is no paper trash overflowing from people doing the right thing by washing their hands.

Related: the Toto toilet is a delight. I can see one in my future. Warm seat, multiple bidet options, clean and efficient. Also music, if you are so inclined.

The written language is very complicated, made of hiragana, katakana, and kanji, of which there are tens of thousands, though one need only know around 2,000 for everyday literacy. The average fluent reader recognizes closer to 3,000. The systems are mixed together, so you have to know them all. It takes “literacy” to an entirely new level.

Additionally, all Japanese students study written English.

Can you imagine?

A word about food. I am not a massive fish eater. I grew up in Colorado at a time when fish was either trout or rubbery frozen shrimp. I also have substantial gluten issues, which I sometimes try to outrun while traveling, and decided not to here after a long recovery when I returned from Morocco. I was afraid I would be hungry a lot, but this wasn’t at all the case. I discovered I liked quite a few forms of sushi, for one thing. I love tuna, and it is also great raw. We ate a ton of veggies and rice, and the selection at FamilyMart was just as dazzling as everyone said. Tuna mayo onigiri, mochi balls with red bean paste, melon sodas, edamame, yogurt with giant chunks of fruit—so many good things. I still do not care for octopus or a few strong sushi choices, but I feel much more confident in choosing now. Also, I can use chopsticks at approximately a seven-year-old level of proficiency. It was hilarious how often the teens instructed the adults in this.

Spending two weeks with my granddaughter, just the two of us, was a gift of such value I will never forget it. I look forward to exploring with the other two.

Now I’m headed back to the waiting book in progress, and the impending promotion for A Thousand Painted Hours, which will be out August 11. Much to do!

Happy July, all.