Born and raised Indonesian, living in a country like Japan has had it’s many shock factors, I literally have a list of memorable characteristics and experiences. (note: Has travelled there frequently, and had done an exchange program last year in Tokyo.)
- Lost my phone once at the airport, literally an hour before boarding. Very stupid, I know, am very forgetful and had a migraine at that time. But after a measly twenty minute talk with the nearby security, my phone was back in my arms. Apparently a local returned it, made me genuinely think that if a foreigner had found it, would they have called it in?!
- I have seen two public suicide attempts in the capital, one was a high school student.. the other, an old man trying to jump down the railing at the train station. Rather traumatizing.
- Theaters don’t turn the lights back on until the entire credits finish, up to even post credits. They’re that respectful. Indonesians would never bother, lol.
- You rarely see kids or babies! It counts as something surprising for me since living in Jakarta, with young parents always tallying their rowdy children and additional set of nannies everywhere, my ears felt oddly hollow without an infant weeping nearby.
- Escalator culture, Tokyo has educated me to stand on the left. However, for Osaka, Kobe, and Kyoto (although tad more lenient), it’d be on the right.
- Waste disposal system in Japan is very meticulous, you need to remember details as far as bin locations and truck pickup schedules, this I considered a big culture shock. My aunt who lives in a smaller city like Yokohama has it more complicated.
- You could line for hours and hours just to purchase something (in this case.. *ehem*concert merchandise*ehem*) and you won’t find yourself feeling restless because seriously, the locals are just that patient and proper. In Jakarta, you’d line for a freaking KFC order for just 10 minutes and some old lady behind you would most likely start complaining, also probably find an attempt to shove or distress. The environment that surrounds you is what matters.
- As for actual concerts, it was honestly underwhelming to see how timid and un-rowdy Japanese are, they would either cheer momentarily or just clap the entire time, kind of a bummer for a concert junkie like me who likes to scream and shout all around. Seeps the adrenaline away. (Plus the ticket culture there also revolves around lottery bids, another downside, I’m always out of luck.)
Lastly, another concert-related story. (Disclaimer: long)
So, I watched a Kpop concert in Osaka, took a one-way that morning from Tokyo, since from the start I had the intention of just heading back right after (hotels were also super expensive at that time in all thanks to that concert), and I figured it would last a standard 2–3 hours and the train station was only five quick stops ahead. But nope, it was close to 5 hours (I’m dead serious.. SM has too many artists), excluding the effort to get out of the venue. It was around 10, I had completely missed the last bullet train to at least Kyoto (I could’ve spent the night at a friend’s place).
I was completely baffled, but with my efforts to be as optimistic and anxiety free as possible, I figured I should just take a taxi to the train station and see what’ll happen from there. Took a cab since the subway was that crowded, and once I entered the cab and said my destination, the driver then was surprised, like “Oh?! Where are you heading..?”, “umm.. Tokyo..”, “????? Aren’t they closed by now?!” He then actually called the station to check if they were still open, which was a confirmed no, he then looked at me as if I was crazy. Ended up checking nearby hotels but most of them was fully booked thanks to Koreans or overall foreign fans booking them prior to concert (it was 2-day show so I wasn’t that surprised). Eventually after about two hours, I managed to check in at a small motel, with his help, only had to spend 3500Y/night. (note: my Japanese isn’t even close to moderate, lots of “uhh” and stutters, and the driver had little to zero English comprehension, a very simple old Osaka uncle.)
Now, the big plot twist, I thought after that, I’d say my goodbyes and leave an extra tip to thank him for all he’s done, then I’d go and find another cab to hitch the next morning, but he ended up offering to pick me up tomorrow and drive me to the station. Believe me when I said I was close to crying. He was very genuine to take me back home. The next morning, he called my room from the front desk, and when I came down, he was indeed there, and bought me God damn bread. That was probably the 1000th time I became utterly baffled. He charged me a flat 5000, but literally I would have slapped him with another 5k if only I had extra change in consideration to ticket fees. The trip ended with a good smile and a simple “safe travels” from the driver and all I could’ve said to him was “Uncle, I am so thankful! Thank you!” and that was the end of it.
I seriously regret not finding out his name since if I had asked, it would have sounded disrespectful as he is an elder, and my Katakana skills were still horrible at that time, I could only decipher “-kasa” on his surname. My mind was all over the place and I didn’t even bother thinking to take a snapshot of his ID. Concerned of privacy, anyway.
Really the most shocking experience my 19-year old self that time had gone through. Kindness comes in so many forms, but that was the real true kicker, culture clashes didn’t matter. I always hope that he remains healthy and lives a good life, and that his efforts will be returned in much bigger rewards.
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