5 things I miss but 5 things you should learn
Living in Japan feels like stepping between two worlds, one moment I’m paying for a license with a paper stamp, the next I’m riding a self-driving bus.
It’s a daily dance between old-school charm and futuristic tech, and honestly, that’s what makes life here so fascinating.
Cheap meat
Now I’m not just bashing the overall price of meat in Japan, I’m talking about cheaper cuts of meat. Meat here in Japan tends to be super expensive but also soft. I miss buying a “B-Grade” cut of meat and having to chew on it.
You don’t realise how much you miss chewing food tiill all the meat you get is super soft…. Like the People of the Forest in a specific light novel, I also feel like my jaws will lose strength if I kept eating it… so I make sure to get chewy things.
Though on the note of food, karaage 唐揚げ is one of the foods that we should definitely embrace in South Africa. The crunch and size is just right, and you’d be surprised how well it goes on a vetkoek or gatsby.
Braai
Not just the food, but the social aspect is something that I miss. This is especially so since Japan is still recovering from social isolation during covid and will probably take many years to get back to the pre-covid levels.
What I think would do good over there is the whole festival culture and way of doing it. The local church bazaar has nothing on these communal social events.
Biltong
Yeah, I know I’m hung up on the food but give me this one…. No really, give me some biltong…. I need it… the closest I can get here is making my own chicken biltong, and even that’s getting crazy expensive.
In exchange, I’ll give you dango, this is probably the best deal you’ll ever get. These three mochi balls on a skewer slightly toasted and slathered with sweet soya sauce is probably the best sweet sack I’ve ever had, and it’s nice and chewy… just remember to chew it well as we don’t need any more statistical cases….
Open spaces
Riding the scooter would be so much more fun if I could go through more scenic open spaces. Unfortunately, Japan has very little difference in scenery unless you go to Hokkaido or Okinawa.
In exchange, how about I give you great fishing areas, both rivers and ocean, where a lot of edible fish are always swimming. As a bonus, you can also have the cicadas… no, that’s not a threat…. Some people love their songs….
Anonymity
Anonymity.
For better or worse, as a foreigner you’ll always garner attention if you don’t look like a local, this is doubly so if you work in the community where you live. Being recognised isn’t the worst thing in life, but it can become overbearing when you just want to quickly grab a snack at the konbini and a student drags their family over to greet you, then they leave you with the equally dumbfounded parent while they scurry off to do whatever caught their attention this time.
Though, it also means that you’re being swamped when you go to the local festivals because the students and some teachers and parents treat it like seeing a celebrity in the while.
In exchange, I’ll give you the Japanese way of lining up to buy something. Orderly, organised, and with ample space around each person. No one should be breathing on your neck while queued behind you .
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