Do's and Do Not's in Japan: Sushi Edition

Welcome back blog readers!

Last week I posted a few of the cultural norms I've been learning since I arrived at Japan, this post will be a continuation of that topic, but with a much more focused subject: Sushi.
For those of you who enjoy eating sushi, you may be going against several unspoken rules and etiquette regarding how to eat sushi properly. Many of the "rules" I learned here were ones that I had broken frequently back at home in the states, and ones that I know my Western friends break as well. So let's get started on the Do's and Do Not's of sushi so you can wow everyone with your sophistication if/when you come to Japan!



For starters, say you're out eating sushi with some friends and you all get a shared plate with some various types of rolls and other sushi. It is perfectly alright to pick up the pieces of sushi you want with you fingers (be sure to wash your hands first though!) Some people consider using your fingers to be more appropriate than picking up pieces with chopsticks, as chopsticks can be difficult and can ruin the delicate arrangement of the ingredients that the sushi chef worked hard on. This goes for eating the sushi too, but be sure to follow the other rules too. Chopsticks must be used for ginger or wasabi!

When eating a piece of sushi, never bite the piece in half, it will cause everything to fall apart once you bite through the wrapping. As someone who only started eating sushi last year, this is the rule I had broken every single time. My mentality in doing so was that I didn't know if I would like the way it tasted and didn't want to put a big piece in my mouth only to dislike it. This is a rule I will not break anymore. Alright, so your eating sushi proficiently now, or so you think, make sure that when eating your piece of sushi (in one bite) that you are putting the fish side directly on your tongue. This is so that you can get the full flavor and freshness of the fish (it doesn't really apply to sushi rolls since they are usually the same on both top and bottom).

When you order sushi, you're also given ginger, wasabi, and soy sauce. If you choose to use these condiments keep in mind the proper ways of doing so.
1. Wasabi: If you would like to add wasabi to your sushi, take a small dab (with chopsticks) and put it on top of the fish. Many types of sushi already have wasabi between the fish and rice. Do NOT mix the wasabi into the soysauce! This is one that my friends back home are guilty of.
2. Soy Sauce: When dipping your sushi in soy sauce, always dip the fish side. It's considered rude to dip the rice as the sushi chef worked hard to create a perfect texture, temperature, etc of the rice to compliment the fish and soaking it in soy sauce is like subtly saying that the rice is not good enough.
3. Ginger: Pieces of ginger are meant to be eaten between different types of sushi as a palette cleanser. Ginger should not be put on the sushi or eaten while the sushi is in your mouth, it also should not be added to the soy sauce. I have a cousin back home who likes to do this and I will be informing her about this post.

A few more generalized rules of etiquette when eating out in Japan:

• Do not rub your chopsticks together after breaking them. I've seen many of my friends doing this, its supposed to be a way to remove excess bits of the chopstick, it's considered very rude and is like telling the chef that the utensils are cheap. I promise you aren't going to get any kind of splinter or anything.
• Unlike in the West, you are not expected to leave a tip in Japan. Quite the opposite actually as it is considered rude, it's almost akin to saying that the chef cannot support himself doing his job. However, if you really enjoy a meal and want to thank the chef, treat him to a bit of sake to drink with you and your guests as a thank you for the delicious food he has prepared.
• When ordering sushi, you should try considering the types and order/eat more fatty types last so that the flavor of more fatty fish does not overpower that of lighter flavored fish. For example, you should consider eating a lighter fish piece, like snapper, before eating a piece with fatty tuna so that the strong tuna taste does not mask the taste of the snapper. (Using ginger between pieces can help too if you're like me and know next to nothing about fish).

I hope these little rules will be useful if you go out and enjoy sushi at a restaurant whether here in Japan or anywhere around the world, I'm sure your sushi chef will be pleased to see that the dish they worked hard on is being enjoyed properly. Also, these rules obviously don't apply for casual settings, and again the Japanese are very polite, so if you do happen to forget a rule or you slip up you don't have to worry about being yelled at, but if you follow them I'm sure you impress your Japanese friends.

じゃあまたね!

Julia.

Cultural Norms in Japan: "No! Don't Do That!"

Hello again from rainy Kofu! (Thanks to typhoon season things have kind of sleepy and dreary here.)

Anyways, this week I'm here to discuss, address, and explain just a few of the cultural and social norms, that I'm learning on my adventure in Japan.
So first, I want to take the time to give a VERY brief introduction to one point of Japanese culture for those of you who may not be familiar with Japan. At its core, the Japanese people and their culture are incredibly polite. They will do their absolute best not to offend or cause a scene in any situation. One very common thing I've noticed is that you will hear apologies for every little thing! That brings up another point, any time you apologize for anything, like being in someone's way on the street or something of sorts, the person you were blocking will say sorry too. It's so polite, people say "I'm sorry" or "Excuse me" or "Thank you" for everything wherever you go, I've heard these three phrases every where. So if you're planning on coming to Japan, be sure you at least know the phrases: "Gomen Nasai" (I'm sorry) and "Sumimasen" (Excuse me) and "Arigatou Gozaimasu" (Thank you very much).

So aside from that little bit of polite cultural information, I've ran into several interesting cultural/societal norms in the last few weeks here. Let's get to the fun!

1. Escalators. Escalators are everywhere in Japan! That may seem lazy at first, but just wait. Unlike back home in the states, everyone doesn't just cram onto an escalator and enjoy the ride. Here in Japan there are rules, escalator etiquette if you will. That being said, if you are taking an escalator and want to enjoy a few seconds or so standing around and letting technology do its thing, you had better be standing on the left side if you don't want to be an obvious outsider. On Japanese escalators, the right side is reserved for people who want to walk up the escalator. In America we see that as a little strange, like "Are you in that big of a hurry that you can't just wait a few seconds?" Well for some people in Japan, yes, yes they are. So do everyone (and yourself) a favor and be sure to remember this if you're coming to Japan.

2. Tissues. This is one I learned right before arriving, it is NOT acceptable to blow your nose in public here in Japan. That being said, I'll refer you back to my first little statement about how Japanese culture is incredibly polite, they aren't going to yell at you or cause any problem, it's just something that isn't socially accepted and will label you as a foreigner (not in a bad sense or anything, but if you want to really blend in, following native cultural norms is the way to go.) So as the weather is beginning to get colder, I've noticed quite a lot of sniffles when traveling around, I expect this will only get more common as cold season sets in. Which brings me to my next point...

3. Surgical Masks. If you know even a little about Japan or if you've seen pictures of Japanese people, you've probably noticed some of them wearing surgical masks. This is something unique and kind of cool in my opinion, whenever a Japanese person is coming down with/has a cold (or they want to avoid catching someone else's cold) they will cover their faces with a surgical mask. I think this is so considerate, I've yet to catch the bug that's been going around on my floor (which got 3 of my Japanese roommates) because they've all made an effort to keep their germs to themselves. *Excuse me as I go knock on wood before jinxing my current stroke of good luck.* So, if you're coming down with a cold or you're living in a dorm with several people and you don't want to catch a roommate's cold, you have a huge selection of masks to choose from. Surgical masks are even becoming a bit of a fashion item here in Japan, I just read a recent survey about how young people/teens wear them just because they think it's cool. They also come in different colors, designs, etc. at a range of prices so there's a lot of variety.


Princesses, Pooh Bear, etc. Surgical masks can have style!


Or for the not so flashy, you can stick with plain white.

So these are only a few little cultural norms that I've been exposed to thus far, I know quite a lot more regarding sushi etiquette, but that's a whole post in itself. I hope you found this little cultural differences interesting. If you like, post some other Japanese norms in the comment section, or even cultural norms of other countries.

またね,
Julia.

If I could have one thing from home...

Hello Blog Readers,

So this week was the start of classes at Yamanashi Gakuin, me and the other iCLA students began taking courses in a time frame similar to that of add/drop periods at other universities. Within the next two weeks, we are allowed to juggle our schedules and try a variety of classes that we are interested in or stick with the courses we selected during preregistration. At the end of this period, students must submit a finalized registration for the classes they will be taking for the semester. (In case I didn't specify, iCLA or International College of Liberal Arts is the name of the program YGU has for international students to study alongside Japanese students who have volunteered for the program in order to learn/improve their English and help internationals settle in to life in Kofu.) Up to now I've spent pretty simple days in Japan, I haven't gone out to Tokyo yet, I haven't really gone beyond Kofu at all, I'm still trying to settle in and get familiar with the local area before I branch out and explore Japan more thoroughly. That's not to say that I've been cooped up in my dorm this whole time though, I frequently expand my knowledge of Kofu by walking around town, a little further each time. I enjoy walking around and seeing the local shops (the supermarkets are particularly wonderful as it gives me plenty of exposure to Japanese spoken and written language). While I'm still finding it sort of surreal that I'm in Japan and surrounded by seemingly endless things to here, I'm also wishing I had packed certain things from home.

One thing I've noticed is that the "sweets" here don't really stand up to what we have back at home. That is, cookies and doughnuts just aren't that sweet. I'm not saying that Japanese pastries and treats aren't delicious or that you can't find any familiar treats here (I've seen oreos, kitkats, moon pies and the like), it's just different from the sweets I love from back home. So that brings me to the topic: If I could have one thing from home, what would it be?


Various kinds of Pocky (which are all really good!)


Familiar sodas, but just some different packaging (Coke looks almost exactly the same as it does in the states too.)


My personal favorite Japanese candy: Lion brand Soda candy


Japanese cookies and sweets from a welcome party for the international students :)

This is a tough question as I can think of several things I'd want from the states. Sure I could say my favorite potato chips or homemade cookies from my grandma, or anything of the sort. But that makes me think, if I could only choose one thing... Would I really choose food? 
Am I that desperate for one of my favorite sweets that it would be my number one choice? I also instantly thought of my favorite brand of iced tea mix, it comes in a big container and would easily last me throughout my entire stay. It's my absolute favorite drink and the teas here are good, but they just don't compare. 


Cookies that taste almost like homemade.

I also thought: "The bed here is pretty firm, maybe I would wish for my comfy bed?" but that one of course seemed ridiculous and I wanted to try to think seriously about this, so if I could have any one thing, something that I could reasonably have here... What would it be?

I was discussing this topic during a Skype call with my boyfriend back home and I thought: "Wouldn't it be nice to have him here exploring Japan with me?" But again I'm trying to think feasibly here, so unfortunately, he isn't something I could've packed. (haha)

I guess if I were told to pick just one thing it would have to be something that I absolutely cannot find here, something to make Japan feel a little more like home. There are two objects I've been wishing I could've brought since I arrived, those being my electric guitar and my skateboard. My guitar would be lovely as I could spend my free time playing songs and learning new ones. As for my skateboard, it would make getting around a lot faster than walking.

I'm not sure what I would pick if it had to be just one thing, I've been thinking about this question all day and for every idea, I can think of pros and cons or items that may be more useful. So if I didn't have to stick to reasonable options I would pick my boyfriend, I’d love seeing Japan together and having him here for days when I feel like I should've stayed home. And if I had to be reasonable, I would probably pick one of three things:

1. My skateboard for easier traveling around Kofu.

2. My favorite iced tea mix so I could enjoy it throughout my stay.

3. A HUGE batch of homemade cookies from my grandma because no snack that I find here will be as good.

I hope this post was interesting enough although my answers weren't absolute, there are a lot of things from back home that I can't find here, but that's just another reason why I want to embrace Japan and try what they have to offer, because sure I'll be back home in a few months, but who knows when I'll get the chance to come back to Japan?!

Thanks always for following my journey through Japan and I hope you'll continue enjoying my posts as I continue to figure things out on my own,

Julia.

Settling in at Yamanashi

Hello from Japan!

So, now that I'm starting to settle into things here at |Yamanashi Gakuin, I thought I would sit down and update you guys on my travels. I flew out of Pittsburgh International Airport on Saturday August 29th. From there I had a short layover in Chicago's O'hare Airport (which ended up being a sprint across the terminal due to my flight arriving a bit late) and then a much longer layover in Los Angeles, which was followed by an unbelievably long flight across the Pacific. I can't stress enough that if you are travelling to Japan (or anywhere that requires you to fly over the ocean) bring several things that will hold your attention for extremely long periods of time, you can only sleep so much.
After the long flight I arrived at Haneda International Airport in Tokyo Japan! To my surprise and appreciation, Haneda was the easiest airport I have ever navigated. The staff was kind and efficient and I was able to get my information processed, pick up my luggage, pass through customs, exchange my currency and locate/purchase a ticket for the monorail (the first of a series of trains I took to reach my destination) with incredible ease. I arrived at Haneda around 5:00am and spent a little time on a FaceTime call with my boyfriend back home before departing on the monorail.
The route I took from Tokyo to Yamanashi consisted of a few train rides which lasted in total about 2 hours. I first took the Tokyo Monorail from Haneda to Hamamatsucho, then a train to Shinjuku, another train to Kofu and backtracked a bit from Kofu to Sakaori, then I took a short walk from Sakaori Station to Yamanashi Gakuin. (Sorry I don't have many pictures of the trains/stations, I was exhausted!)


Tokyo Monorail


Train to Shinjuku Station







Pictures from my train ride from Shinjuku Station to Kofu!

Upon arriving at Yamanashi I met the welcoming staff and received my dorm key etc. The dorms are small, but efficient and cozy, rooms are grouped in suites that are made up of a common area, 8 dorms, a small sink/fridge area, and a bathroom with two showers/toilets/sinks. So far I've met two of my roommates (only 6 of our 8 rooms are filled and the two roommates that are here now are helping the internationals settle in during our welcome week).


Floor four, unit W411-418 my suite


W416, my home for the semester (though it's much cleaner now)


My room when it was in a state of chaos as I unpacked.

The dorm rooms at Yamanashi Gakuin are quite nice, the desk has plenty of storage space and the bookshelf mounted to the wall is useful in organizing your things where they won't be in your way. There is also a hanging bar for clothes and such at the foot of the bed and drawers beneath the bed.

After some initial culture shock and a reassuring skype call I settled in quickly and am already enjoying myself in the country I've always dreamed of visiting. There are still moments when it kind of hits me that I'm here, it's almost like a dream sometimes! I'm excited to continue sharing my experiences at Yamanashi Gakuin University here and hope you'll enjoy my coming posts! I'm already planning an upcoming post about all the amazing food I've gotten to try since I've arrived. Until then, I'll be finishing up orientation and preparing for my classes at the start of next week.

またね!
Julia.