Going back to the U.S. is always a treat: I get to load up on foods that I can't get in Japan like Quaker Oatmeal, Pop Tarts and packets of Taco Bell hot sauce. It's also nice to hit the shopping malls and pick up shoes for the next year, since for most gaijin buying shoes in Japan can be a challenge. In one store I was in I found a pair of nice looking boots that I wanted to buy, but then I remembered that I lived in Japan, and reconsidered. The custom of removing shoes before entering any home and many businesses (including J-List) means you're likely to take your shoes off and put them on again many times during the day, so wearing shoes that are hard to get on and off easily like boots or high-top basketball shoes is a chore. Most foreigners living here develop a "shoe strategy," buying slip-ons or low sneakers which can be laced loosely so you can get them on and off easily. In the end I liked the boots so much I went ahead and picked them up anyway, knowing that I was going against the grain of things in Japan.
Living in Japan means developing a "shoe strategy."
3 comments:
Perhaps an odd question, but suppose you have a new large device or piece of furniture delivered. Are the people doing the delivery going to take their shoes off? Is the cart or hand truck used to roll the device on allowed in, with its dirty wheels?
I wanted to note that I found Quaker Oatmeal at Costco here in Japan. I believe it was at the Amagasaki location. It's a huge box with 2 4.5 lb bags, 9 lbs total, in other words.
Also, as far as the shoes go, I wish I could wear slip-ons, but I have to wear custom-molded inserts in my shoes, and my attempts at wearing them with slip-ons or loosely-laced shoes when I was younger did not turn out well, to say the least. >.> So, I just make do with taking the time to tie and untie my shoes, though I seem to be getting faster at doing so. ;)
Ooranjin, yes, anyone coming into the house would leave their shoes at the door, in the "genkan" area as in this picture. Which is just a picture I grabbed from Google images, not my house. Technically the lower area by the door is considered the outside of the house, even though it's inside, so it's not uncommon for strangers to walk into the genkan and say "Hello!" to see if you're home.
Stephen, awesome, I'll check next time I'm down there. If I lived nearer to a Costco I might have serious waistline challenges.
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