16.33% done

So today is my 2 month anniversary. Which means if I only stay in Japan one year I'm already 16% done with my stay. I guess the normal thing would be to say if feels like its gone by so fast. In some ways it has... But for the most part, I feel like I've already lived here for a year. I guess just because I seen and experienced so much in only 2 months, its like I've crammed the amount of experiences I have in one year in the states into 2 months in Japan. That might sound like I'm saying Japan is better than the US, but realize I'm including the negative things I've experienced in that too.

I guess I've reached a point where Japan feels "normal" to me. Its feel like my home, I'm comfortable here. So I decided to make a list of the things that are starting to become normal to me, but at first were the biggest shock.

So here it is, my strangest things about Japan list:
1. They drive on the left side of the road
2. I'd say about 70% of the population smokes
3. The 10 biggest Japanese companies make everything here (Toshiba, Mitsubishi, Honda, Yamaha, etc...) Seriously elevators, pencils, TV's, windows, wicker baskets full of clams. Let me put it this way, Asahi, makes my Soft Drinks, my bicycle, and provides my internet.
4. There are vending machines everywhere. You can buy food, drinks (alcoholic included), dvd's, cigarettes within 100 yards of my house.
5. The pencils have no erasers on the ends here. All my students carry a pencil and a separate eraser.
6. Everyone has a cell phone, but never talks on it. Minutes are so expensive here, that everyone just TXT messages with their phones. Its also considered rude to talk on the phone in public.
7. Its rude to walk down the street: eating, drinking, well basically anything I do on a regular basis is considered rude to them. The best analogy I can give for Japan is: Remember that scene in Titanic where Jack shows up at the fancy dinner party and has no idea what to do. Yeah thats like being a foreigner in Japan. Everyone is acting by an unspoken set of strictly defined rules and you no matter what are going to break them on a daily basis. The good thing is you aren't expected to follow them.
8. Japan is still a really formal place. Everyone wears suits to work.
9. The population is shrinking. Walking in downtown Osaka you wouldn't feel like there is shortage of people. But the population of Japan is shrinking rapidly. Its become a pretty serious concern for the general public.
10. Prison Break (the TV show) is huge here
11. Since there is no room for landfills they have to burn their trash. Which means you have to be very careful about separating burnable and unburnable (or they might stop taking your garbage). This leads to some pretty hazey days.
12. People rip on Americans for creating garbage, but I think Japan takes the cake. I swear if you buy a doughnut, they will wrap the doughnut, then put that in a bag, then put the bag in a bag, then tape the bag shut. I then proceed to go outside and open all 3 layers of wrapping, eat the doughnut and throw the 4 pounds of wrapping away.
13. They love English letters even though they never use them correctly. You know how people in the US get Chinese character tattoo's. Well English is like that here, except it doesn't make any sense. I've seen some of the most insane English on t-shirts you could ever imagine. My friend saw a shirt that said "I'm a sucker for diction", but usually its just stuff like "California, bright rays on great land shine ever through the basic forest."
14. This might be the windiest country ever.
15. If you walk into any store, you will immediately get bombarded with insane Japanese phrases, which I've come to find out basically mean "Welcome to our store, please buy anything you'd like!!!!!" "Can I help you? Please let me know if I can!!!!!!".
16. You pay your bills at the gas station.
17. The ATM's close here at night and on holidays because they are afraid people will break into them. HEY JAPAN, NEWS FLASH, America has about 1000 times more crime and our ATM's are open 24 hours. I don't really think we have a problem with it...
18. There is a gun store by my house. And by gun store I mean it says Gun Store on the front, except they sell plastic imitation guns. They really do look like real guns though....
19. There are probably about 1000 times more shrines in Japan than Churches in the US. However religion here is so strange, its more like a hobby than an actual way of life.
20. Bread here is only sold in packs of 5 slices.
21. They have McDonalds, KFC, and Wendy's, and they are exactly the same as in the US. No Taco Bell, Chipotle, or Taco Bueno though. BTW I'm willing to pay $100 for a fresh Chipotle burrito, in case anyone can get that taken care of.
22. Westerners, specifically Americans might have the weirdest stereotype you can imagine here. Its like we are loved but also feared on so many levels.


Thats all I could think of right now. But rest assured there are plenty of things I know I'm leaving out.

Anyway I miss everyone but I'm still having a great time. Mom don't worry you can still be assured that Japan is only my temporary home...