Another list post

I've been scribbling in my notebook since last time, and I'm ready with another list of 10 things that I've learned since I've been in Japan.

1. While Americans start speeches with a joke and state why they're an expert in the subject that they are speaking about, Japanese speakers start with an apology and explain why others would be more qualified to give the speech.

2. The Japanese rarely use their horns. (In Bradenton, it seems like drivers are ready with their horns if you don't start driving the second that the light turns green, and they also love to honk at runners.)

3. The Japanese drive (and walk/run) on the opposite side or the road. On busy pedestrian streets, this means it's less intuitive than it would seem to get out of the way.

3. "Ko" (Aiko, Keiko, Sadako), meaning "child," used to be a common ending to a daughter's name. Now it's considered old fashioned. As with Western girls, it is now more fashionable to give Japanese girls a name ending in "y."

4. The Japanese birth rate is very low. I've only seen 4 pregnant women, and none was more than 4 or 5 months along.

5. Over a quarter of the Japanese population is over 60 years of age.

6. The Japanese people are also worried about children, privacy, and Internet safety. The country just passed a law requiring oral permission before taking photographs of children in school and written permission before posting the pictures online. (Hopefully, I'll be able to get written permission to post some on this site.)

7. You can bring water on Japanese flights, but they have to test the bottle for explosive material before allowing it on the flight. You sit the bottle on this little machine and push a button. It then gives you a green or red light depending on the contents of the bottle.

8. Cigarettes and beer are still sold in vending machines. Teens are trusted not to buy from the machines before they are legal.

9. When you order coffee, it's just as likely to come with gum syrup as sweetener as it is to come with sugar.

10. It's not a good idea to generalize about the Japanese people. You always hear that Japanese people are helpful and cooperative. When looking for a temple map, another teacher decided to ask a nearby man after being told, "The Japanese are so nice. They always help when you ask." So, she started with, "Do you speak English?" The man's response? "Yes, but I don't want to talk to you."