Adapting to Japanese culture is necessary if one is to live here and participate in the JET Programme. I think I've done well, but there are some things to which I have failed to adapt.
1. Sushi. For me, a meal is something that is hot and cooked, and sushi is neither. God knows I have tried to enjoy all kinds of sushi, from the cheapest to the finest and freshest. I can definitively say that I am not a sushi fan and I never will be. If there is a grilled selection (aburi) on the menu, I can enjoy a sushi restaurant, but that isn't really sushi (as sushi fans, with maximum arrogance, will be quick to point out). For me, raw fish just don't taste of anything.
2. Masks. I want to see a person's face when I speak to them. I want to see how they are reacting to me. I especially dislike the students who wear masks all year round to hide their faces. Usually girls.
3. Doorway height. The old standard for doorway height is 180cm. I am 186.5cm tall.
4. Public gargling. Teachers routinely gargle in the staffroom and the sound is disgusting. Gargling is an act which takes place in the bathroom, along with pooing and weeing. I brush my teeth in the staffroom but only when it's too cold to stand in the toilet.
5. Squat toilets. They are said to be more hygienic, but people wouldn't say that if they'd seen what I've seen. Streaks of poo have lingered on outer rims for too long for me to believe that squat toilets are more hygienic. Plus, the actual physical act of using a squat toilet is too similar to pooing in a bowl.
6. Onsen. They're too hot. Are onsen actually an ancient game of perseverance for the Japanese, and no-one tells foreigners about it? Even though onsen are supposed to have healing powers, I actually feel worse being in one. It usually feels like the contents of my stomach are being forced up and out of my body.
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