Here in Japan, cleanliness, politeness, non-confrontation, and non-expression of negative emotion are the keys to cultural harmony.  Transgression of these norms is a faux-paux the best case scenario, and a serious problem in the worst.   Having lived here for almost seven years now, I have begun experiencing to a greater degree the effects of such transgressions.

The other day I saw a young foreign woman lying down on a train with her feet up on the seat.   I could just make out the underlying shock and nervous disgust of the other passengers upon seeing this.  I even felt it a bit myself.  Of course, nobody said anything to her, for that would be too confrontational.   And if the train conductor had to do it, he would have most certainly apologized before and after suggesting that she sit up.  People do not show their displeasure outwardly, but if you know the contextual signs (short stares followed by looking away) the meaning is clear.

Every New Years in Japan around a dozen people or so, mostly eldery, die from choking on mochi, or sticky rice cakes, which are a part of the traditional New Year cuisine. Made from pounding cooked glutinous rice into a gooey pulp, mochi has a tendency to get stuck in the throat if too large a piece is eaten. Ask any Japanese person what they would do if one of their family members were choking on mochi, and 4 out of 5 will tell you they’d grab the household vacuum cleaner, stick it down their loved one’s throat, and turn it on. Apparently this works.

Dainty Desert,
originally uploaded by apc33.

Portion sizes are much smaller in Japan than they are in most places in the world I have visited. There is more attention placed on food quality and presentation than on quantity. Most of the American students I work with lose anywhere from 5 to 15 pounds in the first semester. Part of this is due to smaller portion size and smaller percentatges of fat and sugar, but also because more time is spent on foot and bicycle than than in cars.

Stomachs grow accustomed to smaller portion sizes quickly. The body and mind feel better too. My wife and I went out to eat on our anniversary at a gourmet restaurant in Missouri. The food was delicious, but by the time we had finished the appetizer, we were more than half full and couldn’t even begin to finish the main course. We would have happily paid the same price for half the amount of food. How is it that Americans have come to eat so much at one sitting?