I'm a Stranger Here Myself - Transitioning to Life in Japan

 Since I was around 10 years old I've had a fascination with languages, especially those that did not use Latin script as part of their written expression. I learned the entire Cyrillic alphabet, dozens of Chinese characters, and even Phoenician script. None of this of course got me anywhere near actual written or spoken fluency but it was a start. Fast forward 10 years to when I entered college and began learning German; 1 hour a day, 5 days per week, and hours of study for 2 years. It was only when I began to learn another language that all the English grammar, verb tenses and conjugations that I could not comprehend when I was in middle school became crystal clear. I also discovered I had a natural aptitude for learning and speaking another language. I was on my way! Now, some 50 years since my interest in language began, I find myself living in a country where my native English tongue is not widely spoken and my Japanese language skills are put to the test like they never ...

Readers of my previous posts may notice I have changed the title of this journal to 'I'm a Stranger Here Myself', a tip of the hat to Bill Bryson's wonderful book of the same name.  After some reflction I  thought 'Stranger in a Strange Land' a bit of a cliche so using Bryson's title seemed to be a better fit. i'm sure he won't mind.  I think a few words praise on the level of customer service I have experienced here are in order. On more than one occasion most of you reading this have likely encountered rude and indifferent customer service from shop clerks, wait staff, and so on in the United States and elsewhere. In Japan, t hough the level of customer service is a different story. It is innate in the Japanese culture to be polite and the service industry here exemplifies that attribute. In every restaurant and shop I have visited we've been treated akin to VIPs. There are multiple businesses at every level competing for patrons and providing ...