English... Why?

 Japan has a rather interesting fascination with the English language. The train stations (and inside the trains) have names written in both, Japanese and English, which is useful for foreign travelers. Various stores and labels (i.e. McDonalds, Dominoes, Starbucks, etc.) would be in English, of course. So far, no surprises there.

It becomes more intriguing when doing shopping. Some words or a phrase in English can often be seen on clothing and various other items, such as bags and bento boxes. In Japanese, barely. Having English writing on items has been trendy for quite sometime time. To be fare, I have found clothing/items with writing in languages other than English - French, German, and Italian - but English appears to be the predominant "cool".

Sometimes this "cool" goes to certain extremes defying logic:

When grocery shopping at a local mall, sections such as "Meats", "Sea Food", "Dairy", and etc. are labeled in English. Keep in mind that this "local" mall is actually 20 minutes away by train from the main city - there are no tourists here and only a handful of foreigners, such as myself, who are here for family reasons.

While most Japanese have studied English in some form (usually during their school days), and some can speak the language however badly, most can read English letters for the sake of typing. Still, I have a hard time imagining most shoppers at the store bothering to read/understand what is written on the wall. Still, as the saying goes, "the grass is greener on the other side", so it is understandable to think that some other language is cool. Do I think that Japanese language is cool? You bet! 😎

Don't Cross (pun intended) Japan's Customs

 2022/06/12 After four year hiatus due to COVID and work, finally back in Japan!

Getting was not the easiest thanks to pandemic related unknowns: possibility of flight changes/cancellations, possibility of quarantine (luckily we did not have to), need for a travel visa for me showing that I am visiting family (no tourists allowed at the time), requirement of a negative COVID test (only certain tests accepted and special paperwork has to be filled out by the doctor), and even a requirement to download and use a rather confusing MySOS app to show negative test upon arrival. 

And right from arrival we got greeted with wonderful Japanese quirkiness. First, we had to navigate a pathway through a throng of people checking the MySOS app and giving us an empty ID card holder on a pink lanyard - not the same as Hawaii's lei, but this is Japan. Then, after passing by a station where people without properly completed MySOS app were being tested, we got to sit down at another station where they checked our temperature, documentation, and information on the MySOS app in fine detail. Further, we passed by a station where they collected back our pink lanyards... I was almost sad to part with it for some reason.

After going through the maze of the COVID-related stations, at last we were at the proper Customs checkpoint. Thanks to my family with their Japanese passports and my visa, I got to join them at the Customs for Japanese citizens - meaning I did not have to wait at all and, most importantly, I did not have to hear my family complaining how long they had to wait for me! While at the Customs checking-in window, punctuating Japan's weirdness that I love, there was a sign that drew my attention:

A crossbow... No, I do not have a crossbow. Why crossbows are so emphasized is beyond my knowledge, but I have a hard time imagining any airline allowing crossbows as carryon in the first place. And even if they had crossbows, would they actually declare them? Oh well, Welcome to Japan! 😎