Alice Zeng: First Impressions - Japan vs Canada
Since I think a lot of people are interested in the culture differences and what to expect when coming here I thought I would share some of the differences I’ve noticed between Japan and Vancouver during my stay so far.
Firstly, let’s talk about the climate. I honestly think we are extremely blessed to live in a place like Vancouver where the air and water is so clean and the climate so perfect (in my opinion! I love the moderate temperatures and the rain). My first impression of Aichi was that it was extremely similar at first. April in Aichi-ken is about the same as March of Vancouver, it was colder than I had expected, and I didn’t bring enough warm clothes for the first 2-3 weeks (the mornings were extremely chilly). But it quickly got warmer as May approached and it is now a lot hotter, and will be getting much, much hotter (July can be as hot as 34C and August near 38, 39). The main issue is the humidity. Japan is extremely humid and that means their rainy days are less than enjoyable, I actually find them even worse than sunny days because you get really stuffy and sweaty and if you get wet you don’t dry. If your hair doesn’t take moisture well, I send you my prayers.
Second, my impression of Japan can be summarized like this: small, and all packed up. For a country so small with so many people it makes perfect sense of course, but I got to admit I was pretty amused by just how small everything here is, from houses to cars to the roads and even the people!
That brings me to my third point. Japanese people are tiny!! I have a really hard time finding shirts that will fit anything more than a B sized chest without it being one of those really baggy tops in which case it doesn’t look baggy (when it’s supposed to). Guess I’ll stick with only bottom-wear. (I did end up getting a sweet pair of baggy pants.) Oh, and also, I’ve been called tall here. I’m 5′2″.
And lastly, I guess I have to talk about the food here and it’s everything you’ve ever imagined. Food here is absolutely delicious, and affordable! Before I came I was told by a couple of people to expect not to be fed because people eat so little there. Not true. Within my first week I was taken to a restaurant where they basically served me two entrees. Two entrees. I’ve also (very quickly) developed an attachment to the convenience stores here where they sell delicious, decent sized, proper meals for 300-600 yen. Did I mention they actually taste good.
Alice Zeng is a Bachelor of Design in Visual Communication student at Capilano University. Alice is currently studying abroad at Aichi Gakusen College in Okazaki, Japan.
Firstly, let’s talk about the climate. I honestly think we are extremely blessed to live in a place like Vancouver where the air and water is so clean and the climate so perfect (in my opinion! I love the moderate temperatures and the rain). My first impression of Aichi was that it was extremely similar at first. April in Aichi-ken is about the same as March of Vancouver, it was colder than I had expected, and I didn’t bring enough warm clothes for the first 2-3 weeks (the mornings were extremely chilly). But it quickly got warmer as May approached and it is now a lot hotter, and will be getting much, much hotter (July can be as hot as 34C and August near 38, 39). The main issue is the humidity. Japan is extremely humid and that means their rainy days are less than enjoyable, I actually find them even worse than sunny days because you get really stuffy and sweaty and if you get wet you don’t dry. If your hair doesn’t take moisture well, I send you my prayers.
Second, my impression of Japan can be summarized like this: small, and all packed up. For a country so small with so many people it makes perfect sense of course, but I got to admit I was pretty amused by just how small everything here is, from houses to cars to the roads and even the people!
That brings me to my third point. Japanese people are tiny!! I have a really hard time finding shirts that will fit anything more than a B sized chest without it being one of those really baggy tops in which case it doesn’t look baggy (when it’s supposed to). Guess I’ll stick with only bottom-wear. (I did end up getting a sweet pair of baggy pants.) Oh, and also, I’ve been called tall here. I’m 5′2″.
And lastly, I guess I have to talk about the food here and it’s everything you’ve ever imagined. Food here is absolutely delicious, and affordable! Before I came I was told by a couple of people to expect not to be fed because people eat so little there. Not true. Within my first week I was taken to a restaurant where they basically served me two entrees. Two entrees. I’ve also (very quickly) developed an attachment to the convenience stores here where they sell delicious, decent sized, proper meals for 300-600 yen. Did I mention they actually taste good.
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| The best ramen I’ve had so far. 600 yen. |
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