Read at your own risk: the following post is going to be more of a rant about something that has been bothering me so if you claim you're a traveller and are of a sensitive nature, I suggest you stop reading now. I don't really know where to start so I'll just delve right into it by saying: A country is made for its people, not for the tourists who come for a few weeks, and not for ex-pats like myself who come for a few years. Japan is built for Japanese people, Brazil for Brazilians, Nigeria for Nigerians, and so on. English has/is becoming the 'global language' but that doesn't mean every single person on Earth is going to be fluent. When I first moved to Japan, I prepared myself for the worst. I expected every single thing to be in Hiragana, Katakana, or Kanji. So when I saw words spelled out in Romaji and even better yet, English words, I was beyond excited. Maybe it's because when I went to Greece, I was so shocked that everything was in, well, Greek (silly naive me). So now I'm ecstatic when I'm able to find Skippy peanut butter or Heinz ketchup here, or better yet, sauerkraut! I'm grateful I can flip a McDonalds menu over and find English (even though I hate McDonalds, I find it somewhat comforting at times while travelling because of the familiarity...but that's a whole other blog...). I'm grateful that something like 11% of Japanese words are imported from other languages, so I can instantly say things like coffee, banana, mansion, and consent (even though the meaning is ever so slightly different). I'm grateful for these little quirks, but I've not come to take them for granted, nor do I expect it. When you set out on an adventure somewhere as a backpacker or expat, you should expect things to not make sense, to feel uncomfortable at times, to not understand, for it to be a challenge, you mentally and physically prepare yourself for it. If it's not different from your home country, then where is the fun and learning experience in it?
We've all met that tourist, whether at a hostel, in a tour group, or *gasp* someone we are travelling with. That person who loudly complains that nobody speaks English, there's no English signage, there's no ketchup, they can't read the train schedule, the bus schedule is shite. Guess what? It works for the people who live here. And in this day and age of smart phones, Hyperdia, GPS, Google Maps, etc. there's really no excuse for this kind of ignorant behaviour. We've also all seen that person speaking to someone who obviously doesn't understand and saying things louder and more slowly as though they're speaking to a deaf child, thinking they're magically going to suddenly understand English. Maybe we've even done it ourselves. Granted, my Japanese is absolute shite but I at least try and I never travel anywhere without my trusty dictionary, phrasebook, or Kanji app. In a real pinch, I use my call-a-Japanese-friend lifeline. But thank goodness, most Japanese people speak much better English than I expect my Japanese to ever be and if they don't, in this crowded country, someone who can help is sure to be nearby. A Japanese person will never walk away, letting us get lost; they will get everyone on the street involved to help before that happens! When I travel around Japan, the majority of people I meet at hostels and on tours and at bus stops are tourists - from Japan. They have a beautiful country and they are seeing it, which is more than I can say for myself - I've basically never travelled in Canada, except to Toronto or Vancouver airport to exit or enter the country. So it makes sense to have everything in Japanese, besides the fact that WE'RE IN JAPAN! Whenever I've seen Japanese tourists abroad, they're always trying to speak English, or they're in a Japanese tour group, and guess what? They never come up to me speaking Japanese, so why can't we do the same? All I'm asking is that you try.
So to those (and this is mainly expats, tourists can be slightly forgiven for not understanding the country so well) who constantly complain and compare and do not want to take advice from those who have been here longer than a few months: If you really feel the need to complain so much, maybe you're not happy here and should leave, you're taking a great opportunity away from someone who really wants it and will benefit from it. Language is a huge part of learning about a culture and a country, and not just for communication.
Peace out yo, I promise my next blog will be more upbeat...Happy end of Golden Week and back to work!
