I decided I needed some listening practice in Japanese, so I plugged the headphones into my cell phone and started listening to Japanese radio. Right now I’m listening to these guys who are interviewing people about reading novels on their cell phones. Can you imagine reading a whole novel on that little screen on your cell phone? According to them, they’re saying that 65% of Japanese youth have read a novel on their cell phone. That’s pretty crazy. Though, I’m pretty sure I haven’t spotted anyone on the trains here reading any novels but then again, I’m not really looking that often.
Speaking of things people do on the train, it is interesting to see here in Japan adults doing things that are usually associated with kids back in the United States. For example, I saw a middle aged women playing a Game Boy while walking through the train station. The other day, I was sitting next to a businessman who was playing a PSP. Of course, there are plenty of kids playing these portable game systems, but it is surprising sometimes to see grown ups doing the same. In the ads that they play on the screens inside the trains, I remember seeing an ad for a Game Boy cartridge that was basically a cookbook. I remember thinking what sort of kid would want to buy a cookbook for his Game Boy. Or, what kind of 6 year old cooks anyway? But now I see that they target adults with their ads which is something they do not do at all in America.
Also, even more popular than the hand held gaming systems in the train is the reading of “manga”, a type of comic that originated in Japan. Manga is usually read in one of two forms. Either in a bound book which is specific to a series and consists of one volume or in a large “magazine” type book which consists of cheaper paper and is much, much thicker. It usually looks more like a phone book (though not as heavy because the pages are cheap and big) and consists of various chapters from many different series of manga. I often see businessmen and others reading these on the train. Manga stories consist of anything and everything. Manga stores are much more common in Japan than comic book stores are in America and as can be told from the fact that businessmen and others read them, they are much more prevalent in Japanese society than comic books are in America.
Though probably the number one thing you see being done on the train is people staring down at their phones furiously moving their fingers. Usually they are sending e-mails to people or playing games (which are pretty advanced) on their cell phones. In Japan, it is not permitted to actually speak on one’s phone while on the train. People actually follow this despite nobody being around to enforce it. I’ve actually only seen someone on the train talking on his cell phone once and that was not because I heard him speaking in to it but rather because I noticed him bent all the way over in his seat so that his face was parallel with the ground. At first I didn’t know what was going on but then I noticed this businessman had one hand up to his ear and the other hand covering the mouth and receiver so I figured he was talking on his cell phone. To be honest, the two people further away from me on the train talking softly were louder than he was. But I guess it shows that people take the no talking on the cell phone in the train rule here pretty seriously.
Apparently it is expensive to make calls on one’s cell phone here, so people mostly send each other e-mails on their phones (basically the equivalent of text messaging though there is another form of sending messages called c-mail which is cheaper for a particular cell phone provider here called AU). So, in America, you might get annoyed because people are yelling into their cell phones constantly all around you. Here, in Japan, you might get annoyed because the person in front of you on the narrow sidewalk is walking so slowly because he or she is looking straight down at his or her cell phone typing out a message.
In other news, I had more bank trouble. When I went to Keio University’s international center to give them my Japanese bank account information so that I could pay for rent, they asked me to write my name down on a form as it is written in my bank book and that’s when I realized the bank had misspelled my middle name.
In Japanese, they use one of their two phonetic alphabets to spell foreigners’ names (they have three alphabets in all). So, for my middle name, Barraclough, it’s spelled out using the characters for BARAKUROU. But for whatever reason, they accidently used the character for “N” instead of “RA”, so my middle name in the bank book became BANKUROU. Quite a different transformation from the original “Barraclough”, eh?
Anyway, I went back to the bank and waited around for my number to be called. Luckily I ran into another student from my program, a German kid named Johannes, so I was able to talk to him while I waited. I finally got up to the counter and explained my problem and filled out some paperwork to have my name changed. They printed a new bankbook and gave it to me. I was supposed to have gotten my ATM card that day from the bank but because they had the wrong name from before, my card had to be destroyed and I’ll have to go back next week when they have my new card with the correct name ready.
One of the things I forgot to mention from before was the man who stands in front of the doors. I guess he’s a security guard since the bank is fairly busy and fairly big but the interesting thing is how he says “Irrashaimase” (“Welcome”) to every person who walks in. I remember the first time I was there for about an hour and he must have said this phrase at least a hundred times in essentially the same tone and length. Also, the workers waiting around would occasionally say “Irrashaimase” as well when customers walked in. So, all in all, it was a lot of “Irrashaimase”s, it must get pretty tiring though this is an important part of welcoming customers in Japan.
I think I remember hearing that they used to hire people in Japan specifically for the purpose of standing at the doors to shops and department stores in order to bow and say “Irrashaimase” to every customer who walked in. I haven’t seen this here yet. Perhaps this occurred in the past when Japan’s economy was doing very well and they had extra money to burn. These days, most Japanese companies have cut back on these extra things including such things as golf trips every weekend, nights out at the bars for workers on the company’s tab, etc.
Anyway, it’s time for me to do some homework. Until next time.
Another benefit of Shinsei bank (I mentioned in another thread), everything can be done in English.
No bother with translation issues of names into Katakana or Hirgana, and no bother with antiqueted bank books (or having to show your birthdate in Japanese year style), (you can access all information online etc in english), plus they issue your ATM card the same day you apply.
You should really look into opening an account with them, for the pure ease and service compared to other Japanese banks.
Another item I notice about doormen or security guards is sometimes they will salute you as you enter as well.
It would be interesting to hear more about the school itself.
A little more about schoollife. Otherwise, really interesting blog. Keep it going.
Unfortunately I cannot use Shinsei bank since my university here requires the use of the one I currently have for automatic payment of rent.