Conference for Returning JETs, 2011: Impressions

I just returned this afternoon from a trip to Yokohama. For those of you who are familiar with the talented, titular Loco of Loco in Yokohama (of which I've become a big fan - go check out the site!), you'll recognize exactly where I was.

That fin-shaped building that marks a part of the famous Yokohama skyline is the Yokohama Pacifico, one of Japan's premier conference centers, and the venue of the Conference for Returning JETs. The aim of the conference is to provide support, guidance, and networking opportunities for members of the JET Programme who are not renewing their contracts. Tomorrow I'll write a post about some of the contents of the conference, but for now I'd just like to share a few thoughts about the experience, because it was rather interesting.

First off, I think it was a very well-planned, well-run, and useful event. Let me state that flat out. That said, I did have some negative, and perhaps peculiar thoughts. Just a warning - not all of these are directly related to the conference itself.

So I set off Monday morning to Yokohama. I had decided to stay one station away from the venue by subway, and wound up choosing to patron the アッパホテル (APA Hotel), because I've stayed at several of their hotels at other locations and have always been generally satisfied. On my way to the hotel, which was at 馬車道 off of the みなとみらい線, I noted that although the area was very nice - many shops and restaurants, something was out of place. It came to me later. Lawson's has won the turf war at 馬車道. There are at least 4 Lawson's convenience stores within two blocks in any direction of the hotel I stayed at. From one Lawson's store, you need not walk more than 2 or 3 minutes to reach another one. I only saw one non-Lawon's conbini near the station. A little freaky.

On my way in to Pacifico (Shin-Yokohama, Yokohama, Bashamichi), I saw hardly any foreigners, no less anyone identifiable as a JET. I started to get a little nervous, until I was right outside the Pacifico, and BAM - hundreds of us!

Two things that struck me during the conference:

After all of the presentations, there was Q&A time to ask the visiting professionals whatever we wanted. There were some intelligent questions, but there were many asked by young JETs that embarrassed me. They sounded like they came from people used to being guided and coddled through everything - like those stupid questions you might hear in a high school or university classroom from someone who wanted a good participation grade but couldn't think of anything useful to contribute. You know, like "Um, isn't the answer the same if you multiply by .1 instead of dividing by 10?" Yes. The end.

There were some JETs who have grown too used to the system by which they were taught. The girl sitting next to me in one of the lectures (and many others I saw) was fiercely scribbling notes that she would never, could never hope to need. I swear she copied the slide about the stages of reverse cultures shock and even drew the little "W-curve." I wanted to tell her this wouldn't be on the test.

Second, I noticed an amusing dietary stereotype go right out the window. At lunch time on Day 2, many JETs headed downstairs to the Queen's Court food court, which consisted of a McDonalds, Subway, KFC, and a sit-down place called American House, which had stuff like burgers and hot dogs. I am not kidding - 98% of the foreign crowd lined up at Subway. I saw one guy get KFC, and a group of 3 guys go into American House. The McDonald's queue was all Japanese people. And they imagine us as the burger-eaters.

As for the actual useful information...more on that tomorrow.

Don't ambulate in front of the ambulance!

There are many people who believe Japan to be a deeply polite society. I tend to agree that Japanese people tend to observe etiquette and courtesy to an extent that many Westerners don't. However I also think it's incredibly inaccurate to make such a categorical statement.

On one side, there are many green ex-pats who come over here with stars in their eyes and believe Japan can do no wrong. For some of these people, Japan remains a hidden paradise in a world of otherwise rude, uncultured, (barbaric?) people. They would tell you that in Japan, shop clerks are extremely polite and helpful; that Japanese government offices are way more efficient and friendly; and that bowing beats shaking hands any day!

On the other side, you have the jaded, reminding you that as soon as you get on the train, it's every man, woman, and child for himself; that Japanese people walk with their heads down so you have to move; that some Japanese are so insulated that they are surprised to learn that many foreigners not only can eat Japanese food but quite enjoy it.

What's important is to realize that both sides are right, and both sides are portraying just a part of the big picture. No matter where you go, people are people. Stereotypes are often based on shards of truth, and generalizations exist because in many cases they prove true. These days I find myself wrestling to control my urge to (mostly negatively) generalize, and I think it helps to remind myself of this.

What prompted this reflection?

Source: Wikipedia

Ambulances. Or most specifically, the behavior of people around them. It seems to me that many pedestrians in Japan feel that they exist inside a bubble. Not once, but twice this week I noticed an ambulance coming to an intersection with lights on and sirens blaring, only to have to slow down or stop at the crosswalk because someone was crossing at their own pace, paying no mind to the life-saving vehicle that may have been trying to bring an injured or dying person to the hospital. As soon as I hear an ambulance, it's almost reflex to stop and look around to see where it's coming from so that I don't accidentally saunter into its path. I haven't observed that kind of behavior in Japanese pedestrians.

That's a lot of pudding...

America has a reputation for being the country with all the unhealthy food. Forget France with its famously tantalizing desserts or its fatty croissants and cheeses - American food is either too greasy, too fatty, or too sugary. While it's true that there's plenty of unhealthy foods to be found in America, such consumables are bound to crop up wherever the demand develops. And though demand for such things may not be so great in Japan, it's on the rise. Don't try to deny it. If it weren't, you wouldn't see stuff like this for sale at Japanese convenience stores:

That's a 480-gram cup of pudding. That's about 17 ounces. For those without a basic grasp of amount, that's approximately a friggin lot of pudding. One cup of Jello pudding is about 1.15 ounces, the internet tells me. And look - it's not like this Japanese one is resealable. Who's being a pig now?

Japanese don't sweat or smell?

According to Amy Chavez, anyway. Add this to the pile of stereotypes I threw out long ago. While it's true that I haven't encountered as many smelly, sweaty people in this country as you might expect during a hot, humid, Japanese summer, to say that they don't sweat or smell is just absurd.

Anyone else care to weigh in?

この記事によると、日本人は汗かかなくてぜんぜんくさくない。まぁ、多分日本人より西洋人、でも基本的にはステレオタイプじゃない？

Take that, Mr. James!

Or rather, take that, McDonalds.

A friend of mine asked in a comment a while back what I think of the whole Mr. James thing. While I'm not so completely turned off that I'm going to boycott McDonalds, I think it was a stupid and insensitive move on their part, and an unwise marketing decision. Perhaps some Japanese find it funny, but I think the more publicity this campaign receives, the more negatively it will reflect on McDonalds. A large, multinational corporation such as McDonalds with such extensive experience should know better than to run a campaign based on a stereotype (especially a negative one).

The Daily Yo-ji just released a spoof of Mr. James promoting Mos Burger, one of Japan's leading burger chains. They also sent a letter with their proposal to Mos Burger. Pretty funny. I really hope someone from Mos decides to pick up this counter-marketing plan and run with it.

H/t to Japan Probe. Here's the link for the video, if you can't view it embedded.