Even After X amount of years in Japan I'll never get used to____

[SugoiBoy]

Masks still work.

https://www.nih.gov/news-events/new...e-humidity-masks-may-lessen-severity-covid-19

I believe that masks do work. Knock on wood, I haven’t had as much as a cold for about two years now.

It just seems a little odd to me to see people to wearing masks when they are alone in their cars.

Certainly, however, I can understand, say, a taxi driver doing that.

 

[TAG Manager]

It just seems a little odd to me to see people to wearing masks when they are alone in their cars.

I agree. I drive a lot more since covid started and I don't use a mask in the car, doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me.
I've scaled back mask usage to only times when I'm around large groups of people or it's required to enter.

On another note...
I'm really getting sick of the plastic/plexiglass shit they are putting on tables. We just started moving them aside and 9 out of 10 times the staff don't say anything.
Really ruins the enjoyment of eating out when you can't communicate or share food.

 

[Ken1988]

I believe that masks do work. Knock on wood, I haven’t had as much as a cold for about two years now.

It just seems a little odd to me to see people to wearing masks when they are alone in their cars.

Certainly, however, I can understand, say, a taxi driver doing that.

I don't think a mask can filter out virus unless it's N95, but I believe its role is to humidify your respiratory tract and protect your cilia in it. It's nothing wrong to put it when you are alone.

 

[Rusty Trombone]

Anyone notice that the non-Japanese get stared at a lot more since Covid.
I’m too blind to notice but one of my staff pointed it out during a stay at a hotel earlier this week.

she picked up that a lot of the guests noticed a gaijin in the room.
Takes me back to the early 90s!

or it could just be the fact that I’m drop dead gorgeous!

 

[MikeH]

or it could just be the fact that I’m drop dead gorgeous!

This is my way of thinking! If you don't understand something then just better take it as a compliment!

 

[Frenchy]

I’ll never get used to … how good they are with trains and trains connections

tonight I was coming back a bit tipsy from a dinner in Hachioji. So I enter the station with my Suica card then notice there is a Azusa express with green seats leaving soon for Shinjuku and I buy that little luxury with my credit card (not the Suica) coz Im such a fucking snob .
then once in the train it occurs to me I don’t want to exit at Shinjuku but connect to subway at Ichigaya. No worries, I just take a Chuo-Sobu train in Shinjuku station and get off at Ichigaya.

Then I try to exit JR and enter the subway in Ichigaya with the Suica and of course the door doesn’t open and there is the dreaded alarm and “you fucked up something, see a station officer , you stinky gaijin” message (but more polite).

So I show my Suica and the express ticket from Hachioji to the very cute station lady at the gate and I start my sloppy explanations about how I messed up the destinations, means of payment and probably a few neurons too.

what surprised me is not that she sorted it out , but thar she did it in 10 seconds and without even listening to me. In France this would have been a shitshow, no one understanding the situation, probably the station guy thinking I tried to cheat etc

so in short hurray for the JR/subway system and people. Those guys know their shit. Not only they think about how the system should work but also about the many ways some drunk guys, dumb gaijins, or old senile geezers (and thats all of the above for me) will mess up and how to make it right

 

[Keihan]

I’ll never get used to … how good they are with trains and trains connections

tonight I was coming back a bit tipsy from a dinner in Hachioji. So I enter the station with my Suica card then notice there is a Azusa express with green seats leaving soon for Shinjuku and I buy that little luxury with my credit card (not the Suica) coz Im such a fucking snob .
then once in the train it occurs to me I don’t want to exit at Shinjuku but connect to subway at Ichigaya. No worries, I just take a Chuo-Sobu train in Shinjuku station and get off at Ichigaya.

Then I try to exit JR and enter the subway in Ichigaya with the Suica and of course the door doesn’t open and there is the dreaded alarm and “you fucked up something, see a station officer , you stinky gaijin” message (but more polite).

So I show my Suica and the express ticket from Hachioji to the very cute station lady at the gate and I start my sloppy explanations about how I messed up the destinations, means of payment and probably a few neurons too.

what surprised me is not that she sorted it out , but thar she did it in 10 seconds and without even listening to me. In France this would have been a shitshow, no one understanding the situation, probably the station guy thinking I tried to cheat etc

so in short hurray for the JR/subway system and people. Those guys know their shit. Not only they think about how the system should work but also about the many ways some drunk guys, dumb gaijins, or old senile geezers (and thats all of the above for me) will mess up and how to make it right

That must've been one hell of a dinner to go all the way to Hachioji. There's only one thing in the world that'll get me to drag my ass that far, and that's Takaosan Beer Mount.

Makes me sad. I really do miss that place. I think I was last there a couple years back in September...I think Japan was hosting some sort of rugby championship games so Tokyo was flooded with foreign tourists (not sure, I don't watch rugby, rugby is gay). There was a table full of hooligan savages from Manchester nearby, and I guess they were observant enough to figure out I wasn't an actual Japanese--it was probably the fact that I was the only "Asian" getting back in the beer refill line with them every 3 minutes--so we stuck up a conversation, hit it off and ended up slamming a whole shit-ton of beers together throughout our remaining 90 minutes and behaving in a manner that probably caused most of the Japanese at Beer Mount to regret hosting that rugby tournament.

Pretty sad that just the thought of a time where you could walk up to a group of random strangers and get shitfaced together and not be fretting about health issues (THEY'RE NOT MASKED! THEY'RE FOREIGN! ARE THEY VACCINATED? DID THEY GET THEIR BOOSTERS??) seems like a lifetime ago. But thank you for that pointer about the Azusa express. I was curious if there was a quicker way back to Shinjuku. I almost pissed my fucking pants on the train the last time.

 

[Frenchy]

That must've been one hell of a dinner to go all the way to Hachioji. There's only one thing in the world that'll get me to drag my ass that far, and that's Takaosan Beer Mount.

Makes me sad. I really do miss that place. I think I was last there a couple years back in September...I think Japan was hosting some sort of rugby championship games so Tokyo was flooded with foreign tourists (not sure, I don't watch rugby, rugby is gay). There was a table full of hooligan savages from Manchester nearby, and I guess they were observant enough to figure out I wasn't an actual Japanese--it was probably the fact that I was the only "Asian" getting back in the beer refill line with them every 3 minutes--so we stuck up a conversation, hit it off and ended up slamming a whole shit-ton of beers together throughout our remaining 90 minutes and behaving in a manner that probably caused most of the Japanese at Beer Mount to regret hosting that rugby tournament.

Pretty sad that just the thought of a time where you could walk up to a group of random strangers and get shitfaced together and not be fretting about health issues (THEY'RE NOT MASKED! THEY'RE FOREIGN! ARE THEY VACCINATED? DID THEY GET THEIR BOOSTERS??) seems like a lifetime ago. But thank you for that pointer about the Azusa express. I was curious if there was a quicker way back to Shinjuku. I almost pissed my fucking pants on the train the last time.

that’s the Rugby World Cup you talk about , miscreant! And it ain’t gay. Your version for sissies with helmets and shoulder protections and more time for pauses than actual playing phases, that’s gay!

Yeah the Azusa has toilets . I don’t understand why the Chuo line doesn’t have green car seats and toilets . Its a fucking long ride and you can do it only with the plebe, yuck!

 

[MikeH]

And it ain’t gay. Your version for sissies with helmets and shoulder protections and more time for pauses than actual playing phases, that’s gay!

Come on guys, no need to fight! We all agree they are both gay. Like more gay than sucking a dude's dick.

 

[Frenchy]

Come on guys, no need to fight! We all agree they are both gay. Like more gay than sucking a dude's dick.

yeah well not every one here had the chance to be a star ballet dancer and hot swimwear male model in the very virile country of Luxemburg (or Albania, I forgot)

 

[MikeH]

yeah well not every one here had the chance to be a star ballet dancer and hot swimwear male model in the very virile country of Luxemburg (or Albania, I forgot)

You are correct in that I have danced ballet in Swan Lake – Dance of the cygnets. It was a huge success.

Count your blessing that it was before Al Gore invented the internet.

 

[Frenchy]

You are correct in that I have danced ballet in Swan Lake – Dance of the cygnets. It was a huge success.

Count your blessing that it was before Al Gore invented the internet.

i knew it!

 

[Rusty Trombone]

Ah the RWC!
One of the best times I’ve had in Japan.
Would get blotto with mates at the game. Party in Tokyo, then wind up back at my favorite ever SB place in Ginza. She’d patch me up, bathe me, make sure I drank lots of water. I’d wake up, she’d be gone to work and her dogs would be licking my face.
I’d take the dogs for a walk, then be in the hooters again for lunch with the lads, and start all over again.
Good times!

To keep it on topic, I was surprised the SB tolerated me. We didn’t break up until 12 months later.

 

[Keihan]

We all agree they are both gay. Like more gay than sucking a dude's dick.

It's only gay if you didn't get paid to do it.

And if you paid to do it, that makes you an aristocrat.

But rugby is still gay.

 

[Rusty Trombone]

It's only gay if you didn't get paid to do it.

And if you paid to do it, that makes you an aristocrat.

But rugby is still gay.

You're not teacher of the year!! You're dentist of the year!

You just keep drilling for a nerve!!

 

[Frenchy]

You're not teacher of the year!! You're dentist of the year!

You just keep drilling for a nerve!!

and we all know dentists are super-gay

 

[Keihan]

I take that back. Soccer (and yes, it's called SOCCER) is the gayest of all.

 

[Frenchy]

I take that back. Soccer (and yes, it's called SOCCER) is the gayest of all.

although there may be some good reasons to think it’s beach volley .

 

[SugoiBoy]

I still find it slightly amusing that there is a “BS” button on remote controls in Japan.

 

[leducul]

Here's one that always bothered me. The facemasks. I know the reasons why people wear them are many and varied. Some because they fear illness, some because they are themselves ill and others because they are poorly adjusted socially.

What really grinds my gears is when people have facemasks on, both earbuds in, music blasting into their ears and they're reading a fucking book and looking at their phone at the same time while standing in front of the door of a train.

Reading through this thread... This one takes a different meaning nowadays...

 

[requiemmorrow]

This is literally my only pet peev living here: The no phone call rule on Japanese public transportation.

Yes, I absolutely, fully understand that this rule does help preserve sanity. Please do not misunderstand me, because I hate super noisy trains myself and do regularly enjoy the catatonic feeling of a quiet evening subway ride. Especially when compared to riding NYC subways where people would get on the train and just start singing at the top of their lungs, preaching about their religious occult, or blaring loud music through their cell phone. However, for my morning commute it is literally the best part of my day to call my aging folks in the states. Other commuters may speak in a low mumble to each other, so why can't I mumble to my mom? For fuck's sake, I even try to make myself as low profile as possible, too. Nonetheless, I literally would whisper into the phone while children nearby were screaming and shitting themselves, and some miserable oba-chan would tap me on my shoulder, make a menacing glare, and snap "no phone" as if I killed their firstborn.

What's even worse is the responses I get when I complain:

• "It's our rule, and we Japanese like to follow rules." My last two years exploring DH and Pink Salons says otherwise.
• "It's because we can't hear the other half of the conversation." What the fuck are you listening to me talk to my mom for and why does not knowing what is being said your fucking business?
• "You are a selfish person and like a criminal if you can't be mindful of others." The fuck? If that's the case, keep your screaming fucking kids that are clearly your fault alone at home and stay with them so the rest of us can have peace.
• "If you want to make a change, make a campaign with a politician." This is an issue that most deeply affects mostly foreigners because Japanese usually don't have time zone concerns. We aren't given any real representation here so this is a terrible fucking excuse.
• "If it's such a big deal, get off at a station and call your parents from there." This is the laziest one that makes me want to strangle them. I am just as busy as they are and these are the same ones telling me not to be selfish, so this is an indication that they believe I have the fucking time to get off the train like that. Hypocrisy at its finest.

There are tons more I have heard over the years, and none of them are anything more the drivel they are spoon fed to obey some silly overreaction of a rule. If the rule was amended something like, "please refrain from talking loudly on the phone" I'd sooner believe even in busy Tokyo the peace and quiet would hardly change and/or people would actually speak quietly on the phone, too. After all, they "like to follow the rules," right?

 

[Durg50]

You make some good points. I cant logically explain why someone talking on the phone is annoying but two people having a convo in person is not annoying. It just is though.
As for the screaming kids; thats not something that can be controlled, hence they get a pass.

 

[requiemmorrow]

You make some good points. I cant logically explain why someone talking on the phone is annoying but two people having a convo in person is not annoying. It just is though.
As for the screaming kids; thats not something that can be controlled, hence they get a pass.

I agree that kids can get a pass, but the issue isn't so much about the children, but about the parents. The parents are adults like me who need to use public transportation knowing full well that their children can and most certainly will cause stress for other passengers. If they were to be "not selfish," they would take a cab, get a car, or walk. Clearly, that is unnecessarily cruel to people just trying to live their lives...yet these are the same people who will bitch at me for trying to live mine.

The point is that everyone is still being selfish, so provided I am not screaming or spitting in ojii-san's face yammering on the phone, it'd be nice to just be left alone to chat up my aging family. (Again, this is just a peev, not something I am ready to go to war over...)

 

[Sudsy]

You say you'll talk quietly... but my definition of "quiet" and that of, say, my deskmate at work, are VERY different. Lovely guy, but he lived in Detroit for ten years, and his version of quietly talking on the phone is somewhere around 75 decibels at 2 meters - similar to the noise level of a cheap vacuum cleaner. Yes, I measured (I'm trying to convince my boss to give this guy an office so the rest of us can work....).

Talking on the phone on public transit is like drinking and driving. In moderation it's relatively harmless. Taken too far, it's a disaster. And you can't trust the general public to know where the line is and not to cross it.

So yeah - the simplest solution is keep everyone off the phone. Live with it, the rest of us do.

 

[requiemmorrow]

You say you'll talk quietly... but my definition of "quiet" and that of, say, my deskmate at work, are VERY different. Lovely guy, but he lived in Detroit for ten years, and his version of quietly talking on the phone is somewhere around 75 decibels at 2 meters - similar to the noise level of a cheap vacuum cleaner. Yes, I measured (I'm trying to convince my boss to give this guy an office so the rest of us can work....).

Talking on the phone on public transit is like drinking and driving. In moderation it's relatively harmless. Taken too far, it's a disaster. And you can't trust the general public to know where the line is and not to cross it.

So yeah - the simplest solution is keep everyone off the phone. Live with it, the rest of us do.

I know I am whispering, because I would usually get away with it if I make a call. The issue is typically some hardline rule keeper who sees me talking into my headset that is concerned because I am "acting like a criminal" (I have actually been called this, and it's fucking hilarious.) Meanwhile, nobody on a subway dies because of a conversation they overheard on a phone.

Which is why I wouldn't go so far as to say it compares to drinking and driving, as even with mild intoxication a drinker is still 100% responsible for an automobile accident in the USA and can face serious consequences. Alcohol is a poison that impairs one's judgment, and as a responsible adult operating a vehicle willfully with impaired judgment is an unnecessary risk with permanent consequences of depriving another of life or their freedom.

In my rebellious phone time, I am not killing anyone.
I am not depriving anyone of their freedom.
I'm just talking to my parents like Japanese talk to theirs.
The worst "disaster" that would come of a looser rule like I suggested is a noisy train car, and even then considering the general societal love for tranquility and quietude I even further doubt Japanese will become brash and loud (and if so they would be drunk, and well go figure even now when they are drunk they are brash and loud so nothing would change.) Most of the world operates quite fine with or without these silly phone rules, so it's simply a luxury for the work-weary nationals who love to demonstrate their unending selflessness while reminding me how little of a fuck they give about a situation like mine.

Anyway, I understand there will always be an excuse, and as fits as a topic of this thread I'll just never get used to it. Rather, I just bite my lip and let it go.