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Have lived in Japan for about eight years now, with a year-and-a-half somewhere in the middle spent bouncing around Germany. Originally, it felt... very odd, e
by donw 10y ago
Have lived in Japan for about eight years now, with a year-and-a-half somewhere in the middle spent bouncing around Germany.
Originally, it felt... very odd, every time I came back Stateside, especially when visiting the podunk suburb where my parents live (and incidentally, where I grew up).
Going from a city of 13 million that has quite possibly the best civic infrastructure in the world, to an aging and slowly dying town that barely breaks the 80k mark in terms of population is quite a transition.
I think the best way to explain it is... divergence? As in, my path, and the path of that place have diverged. Everything from before that point feels "natural", and everything afterwards feels strange.
Now that I've been an expat for awhile, and have bounced around quite a bit, that feeling of oddness seems to have vanished for pretty much everywhere I visit.
Sure, things are different in different places, but everything seems to fall into a slot of "this feels right" or "this doesn't suit my tastes", and there really isn't anywhere that has a perfect mix of everything.
Although I'll admit, the urge to return stateside has gotten quite a bit stronger over the years. I'm very comfortable in Japan, speak the language, and have a solid social network, but at the same time, I find myself missing a lot of the daily aspects of American life (especially the grocery stores!)
There's a really good article on the subject as well; On Being A Triangle (And Other Tips For Repatriation): http://naomihattaway.com/2013/09/i-am-a-triangle-and-other-thoughts-on-repatriation/ http://naomihattaway.com/2013/09/i-am-a-triangle-and-other-t...
- bane 10y agoMy experiences in Asia come mostly from Korea. Over the last decade or so I've noticed the grocery stores and selection there have dramatically improved such that I can usually find a reasonable analog for just about anything I want (so long as I don't get too fancy or want good cheese). But I've never lived there long enough to probably need that one thing. I think also, I've been married into Korean life so long, most of my home grocery shopping occurs at big Asian grocery stores anyways, so the experience isn't that much to translate. What do you miss about groceries in Japan that the U.S. has?
- jim-jim-jim 10y agoNot him, but dark green lettuce for making a proper salad. It exists in some places, but it's considerably expensive and nearly wilting. People seem to prefer flavorless cabbage/iceberg instead. Maybe it's a fair exchange for all the fresh fish though.
- Larrikin 10y agoThe most obvious differences for me were the eggs,I honestly thought I got a bad batch the first time I cooked after moving back because the yolk was so yellow, and the fruit. Fruit was always more expensive, but so long as it was in season, it was almost universally better than what I had eaten in the US.
- donw 10y agoFruit in Tokyo is both ludicrously overpriced and, in general, mediocre. Japanese people prefer soft fruit, so crunchy apples are very hard to come by. Many common ingredients in Western cooking don't exist -- I would kill for a supply of fresh jalapeños, or potatoes suitable for baking (you only find two varieties of potato in Japanese supermarkets). I can't legally have a barbecue, either, so it's really hard to escape from fried meat here. My cholesterol numbers shot up quite badly when I moved to Japan, even though I'm not that much of a meat-eater (maybe 2-3 times per week). A decently-sized kitchen with room for a stand mixer is basically unobtainable unless you spend serious money on an apartment, not to mention a proper oven. Japanese homes don't have ovens, so you have to buy your own. Ovens sold for the consumer market here are only slightly larger than microwaves, and while they come with more inbuilt computing power than AWS, simple things like "cook at a low temperature for three hours" are impossible. I could go on, but suffice it to say: Japan has many wonderful things, but they don't line up with my hobbies and interests.
- masklinn 10y ago> I can't legally have a barbecue, either, so it's really hard to escape from fried meat here. Isn't Yakiniku fairly common? Though a personal shichirin would probably impossible if you're in Tokyo itself, just as having a BBQ usually isn't an option if you're in Manhattan or London "proper" unless you have a huge top-floor condo. Japanese cooking definitely seems to be on the fast side though, despite the long and extensive prep'.
- mistermann 10y agoJust thought I'd ask, do you happen to know any good Japan themed youtube vlogs? I watch TheJapanChannel but just looking for other similar ones.