The Quirks of Japan

A few days ago, I felt my first tremor. It was AWESOME!

It was very early in the morning and I was still asleep in bed, when light shaking woke me up. It wasn't really intense, but I could hear the furniture shifting and I could feel myself shaking in the bed. Here was my exact train of thought:

Why is everything shaking?
Oh, this is an earthquake. Cool.
I really hope my laptop doesn't fall off the desk...

And then I fell right back asleep without having moved at all. Talk about nonchalant!

When I finally did wake up, I was half-convinced it was just a dream, so I went to my neighbor's for confirmation. There had been an earthquake and unlike normal foreigners who went straight to their ridiculously large earthquake survival manuals issued by city hall, I stayed in bed and went back to sleep! I am so doomed.

At least I didn't sleep through it. Poor Maggie did! She got an email on her phone ten minutes after it was over asking if she felt it. She woke up for her phone, but completely missed the earthquake! She was so bummed. I told her not to worry; if we're lucky, we'll get another one this semester. It's probably asking for trouble, but I really want to feel one again! If a great fissure opens up in the ground and I fall into it, it will serve me right.

There are other quirks of Japan and the Japanese that I do not appreciate nearly so much. Like the staring thing. My god, I hate the staring. Not only is it ridiculously annoying, but it doesn't make sense to me! Hi! You live in Tokyo! I know I am not the first white person you have ever seen!

Some people are a lot better about it than others, though. Like, when I get onto a train, maybe a few old men or women will glance at me, but then they'll look away after a moment. Like they just want to confirm that I am, in fact, a gaijin, and that's that. Fine. But not all are so discreet. Yesterday, this ojisan kept staring at me when I wasn't directly looking at him. I could be focusing right in his immediate vicinity and he would have no problem staring right up at my face. Only when I glanced down and met his eyes did he finally look away. But then I'd look away again, and he'd go right back to staring.

But the WORST case, by FAR, was at a restaurant where two of my friends and I were eating. It was one of those chain, not-quite-fast-food restaurants where the tables are very close together. We had been eating next to this middle-aged man, perfectly normal, and then he finished and stood to gather his things. The ENTIRE TIME he was hovering over his table, he was staring DIRECTLY at Maggie, who is Chinese Canadian, sitting two feet from where he stood. How obvious can you get!? I kept looking at him hoping he wold see me and look away, but he refused to be distracted from Maggie's face. Luckily, she was so engrossed in conversation, she didn't notice. When he finally left and I told her about it, she was appropriately creeped out.

I just don't understand how Tokyoites can be so rude and unrestrained in their staring. If I lived in a little village in the mountains, yes, staring would be expected and appropriate. But Tokyo!? I see at least ten other white foreigners every day; there is no way I can be that unique to them. Right?

Now I understand what my sensei meant by "the panda effect". It doesn't matter if they've seen one before, it's different and strange (and sometimes really cute) and they can't help but stare. Sometimes they even want to touch, if you have unique hair or something. For that reason, I bought a panda bear charm for my cell phone. Appropriate, don't you think?

As long as it's just staring, I can live. But if anyone tries to pet my hair or something, I may react like an actual panda and take someone's arm off. Be warned, Japan. Look, don't touch.