Freelancette

First of all, I felt like there were more foreigners in Osaka in general (my friend Michelle, who’s lived there for ten years, confirmed this) and more ethnic people in particular. On the streets of Namba and Shinsaibashi, it wasn’t uncommon to spot Western faces, as well as Indian, Middle Eastern, and South American. Also, I felt much less conspicuous as a gaijin. People weren’t totally thrown for a loop when I spoke to them in my pidgin Japanese, and not a single soul asked me if I knew how to use chopsticks, or looked shocked when they realized I could. Sure, there were still a few drunken old men who “ha-ro!”-ed me in the shotengai, but most other people took no notice of me – even the little kids, who used to be so fascinated by my foreign presence in 2002. That felt doubly true in Tokyo, where gaijin (especially gaijin men) have practically created their own subculture.

It was inevitable that Japan would become more international over the past half-decade, and I definitely felt more of an openness to foreign culture, food, and ideas this trip. A couple examples of this: I noticed quite a few Indian restaurants in Osaka –-I only remember one or maybe two from last time-- and Myong and I had dinner at a popular new Brazilian restaurant. Everyone still chugs green tea, but they’re also sipping a lot of coffee, especially at breakfast. Even Myong, who used to never touch the brown stuff when I lived with here, now needs her morning coffee fix. There are way more independent cafes and coffee shops in Osaka and especially Tokyo. And I don't mean Japanese-style kisaten, which have been around for ages. I'm talking about real, Western-style coffee shops where people sip lattes and loiter. In one busy little place in Daikanyama, we saw shelves of books devoted exclusively to the city’s hottest cafes. While Japan still doesn’t quite "get" vegetarianism, they are embracing the organic food movement. Even the ubiquitous Lawson convenience store has gone organic! Finally, almost all of Myong’s friends and family were as curious as ever about how Americans view Japan and Japanese people, and asked me pretty pointed questions -- although interestingly, no one mentioned the war.

I got the sense that Japan was eagerly trying to attract foreign tourists, and there were a lot more signs in romanji than I remember from last time, but honestly, that country is still damn confusing to non-residents. There are “Yokoso Japan!” banners welcoming visitors to all the touristy areas, but many train, bus and city maps and schedules and restaurant signs and menus are still written only in difficult-to-decipher kanji. Even armed with English-language maps, signs and directions, it’s impossible to avoid getting lost. And without cracker-jack language skills (which I tried desperately to hone before my trip), it can be tough to ask directions: I thought that Japanese people might be a little more proficient in English now than when I was there, but that wasn’t really my experience in Osaka or Kyoto. Thankfully, most Japanese people are still wonderfully warm and helpful, and, just like the good old days, are still willing to walk far out of their way to help you find the store/station/street you’re looking for.

Despite opening their arms to foreign visitors, I hear that Japan still turns a cold shoulder to long-term foreign residents. While I was there last week, 300 people from all over the world staged a protest march in Tokyo for foreign worker’s rights. The marchers (including many Nova employees) claimed that non-Japanese earn less, are treated worse and have less job security than Japanese nationals (ain’t that the truth). Another big news story involved a controversy over a bigoted Japanese magazine that sensationalized crimes committed by foreigners, and basically accused foreigners of presenting a threat to public safety (the loud gaijin outcry eventually led to the magazine being pulled from convenience store shelves). Sounds like a lot of people there are resistant to too much change.

Like every other country in the world, Japan has become slightly more defensive and fearful since 2001. Subways, trains and shinkansen cars now have posters asking riders to immediately inform the conductor if they notice any suspicious activity, and the security precautions at Narita were intense. As in the US, liquids aren’t allowed on planes, but in Japan you get tiny, specially-marked plastic baggies in which to place your approved bottles.

Small changes…but then again, it’s only been five years. Perhaps in a decade, Japan will be nearly unrecognizable: everyone will be able to speak fluent English, Portuguese, Korean and Chinese; Nova will have gone bankrupt; the JET program will be obsolete; schools will be full of mixed-race kids; and all the rice will be organically farmed. I suppose it will be worth another visit to find out.