Hey people!
Today, Karen and I had to go to the Immigration Office to get a reentry permit. We need one in order to leave the country and come back. So, we had to take the subway to Nagoya Station. I had been to the station for the first time on Saturday. It’s the main hub of trains in Nagoya. A lot of rail-lines intersect there. If I am ever going to take the Shinkansen (Bullet Train) it’s where I would go to do so. Also, there’s lots of shops selling all sorts of things. It’s basically like a mall. Consequently, it’s a big place. I went there on Saturday to buy my Denshi Jisho (like an electronic dictionary). But, on this trip we had to go to this weird little area in south western Nagoya (not entirely sure?) and we had to get a train from the Station. But, we had to walk completely across the station to get to our next train, so we got there and waited for the train to come.
On the train we realized it was a lot further than Karen had thought, and Karen was glad she decided against walking there instead. But, on the train, these two girls started eating something and Karen snarkily remarked, “Oh, those girls breaking the rules,” or something along those lines. I thought it was weird, too, but not too shocking. I had seen people doing it before, not frequently, but it wasn’t completely new to me. Anyway, we go the Immigration Office fine, and everything went smoothly. Then we started on our back to school.
On the train heading back to Nagoya Station, the lady sitting next to me gets a phone call and starts talking on her phone. Karen and I just look at each other kind of shocked and laugh at her faux pas. Other people on the train looked at her oddly, too. It was weird to see someone actually talking on their phone instead of just texting. That was something I had not seen before in Japan. People sit there texting like mad-men on the train, but no one ever talks on their phone.
Then we got back to Nagoya Station, and were walking towards our subway line. We stepped outside to get there, and this group of girls walks by. One of them has an ice cream, she opens it, starts to eat it and throws her wrapper on the ground. Now, Karen and I look at each other in horror! Granted, in America such behavior is not entirely common either, but the blase way in which she threw her trash on the sidewalk was so unfamiliar in relation to all other behavior I have seen here.
Anyway, the whole point of this story is that I am finding it strange how actions considered inappropriate here, that back home I wouldn’t think twice about, are beginning to register as somewhat scandalous.
Also, the second thing is, I find it strange that all three of these people were young women. Whether that is just a coincidence or some indication of women trying to break out of the rigid traditional views of women in Japan, I have no idea. But, just something I was thinking about today.
You know you love me.
xoxo
