The Good, The Bad and The Ugly...of the Japanese

While being here in Okinawa I have discoverd what the Japanese Culture is really like. It's almost like a dictatorship or even communist, why? Because, the Japanese government keeps the people under tight scrutiny, and everything and everyone at the same level. Examples:

First- To everyone everything unknown or new is "Dangerous"

Situation 1 -I am going on a ferry trip to Taiwan ANSWER- "It's dangerous"
Situation 2- I am going swimming ANSWER- "No, you can't its dangerous!"
Situation 3- I left my window open Answer- "Someone can enter, it's dangerous"
Situation 4- "Don't walk on close to the road, its dangerous."

These sound like normal dangers right?..... Well.....

Situation 1- They are not telling me "it's dangerous" because I a female traveling alone on a ship. No, they tell me for the fact that the ship itself is going to drown. Because, it is not the norm of traveling on boat since its cheaper than flying, the airlines need to stay in buisness, right? So what do they do? They scare the bejeezers out of you. You ask, how does the government play a role here you ask? Politics, everything is money. Television is a powerful tool to keep the masses informed. You know that little sailboat that went down in the south of Spain? We never heard about it back in the states, here in Japan, Titanic #2. Tactics, scare the public about traveling by sea, buy air tickets! Everyone flies.

Situation 2- Usually, swimming is dangerous right? Especially when jellyfish is involved. The thing is there are plenty of beaches here in Okinawa. So on the same exact beach, 300 feet apart are two sections, One with jellyfish, and the other without. The side with jelllyfish, there are signs of "danger, jellyfish." On the side with no jellyfish, it's ok to swim. The truth is, there are NO jellyfishes on this side of the island. There are nets to supposedly secure the area from those see through fish; but according to my close friend at the prefectural office, they only say that there are jellyfish, to keep the people all on one side of the beach, so they scare them off with signs of jellyfish posted all over the "danger side". Reason being? Not enough life guards to keep watch. Why? Not enough money to pay them. So they lie instead, instead of saying, KEEP OUT NO LIFEGUARDS. A weak Prefecture in Japan? NEVER!! One Prefecture more richer than the other.... NEVER!! SEE PICTURE OF SIGN.

Situation 3- I left my window open. Ok, enough AC, my bill is expensive. I live on the 2nd floor, with only one side of the apartment building with stairs to get you your door. On the back end of the complex there are windows, for example: my shower window with BARS. You can't get in. First, it's on the second floor, it's tiny,it has bars, and there is no access to the window. BUT it's dangerous! Someone might get in, like in America people break in all the time into houses. It's not safe. This leads to another situation. On television, everything is the way it is. So America is dangerous. When have you seen one or two Japanese travelers travel alone? Don't we always see them in flocks? uh, hum. It's dangerous to travel to America.

Situation 4- Speed limit on Okinawan roads: 45. MPH 30. You swear, these people drive so damn slow! And theys till can't drive. The sidewalks have metal little fences to outline them. Going at 35 MPH what are the chances of breaking through one of them and hitting you? But its dangerous to walk too close to the metal fence, you might get hit!

Ah! Yes, my favorite THE SUN
They are so afraid of the sun. It's hot, figure 90 somthing F. Humid, no wind. Ther are covered from head to toe. Literally. Tele-v's commercials galore on the dangers of sunbathing. Yet, they have old people that die from heatstroke. why? they wear gloves, hats, longsleeves, they wrap their heads in towels and tie them from the bottom of their chins. They are covered from head to toe. The sun is dangerous, but yet who gives a damn on heatstroke.

THE RULES OF JAPANESE CULTURE
1 Never say "Goodbye" when you leave a party.
2 Don't stick your chopsticks upright in rice, it means death.
3 Never whistle
4 Never pour yourself your own drink
5 Always take off your shoes when entering a home or school.
6 Never take "sick day" always vacation days. It looks bad....... (i do)
7 Never leave school before 6 pm for teachers, it means your not working hard enough.. ... (i do)
8 You must change schools every five years, to teach at. Never leaving one comfortable at a workplace, to keep you working hard.
9 After the age of 6 NEVER take your children to school, they have to walk. (seriously, there are first graders that always walk alone to school)
10 NEVER DISIPLINE a kid at school. Its a form of embaressment. Students don't have to do homework, if they don't want to. They can sleep in the class if they want. They yell at the teachers. You can't suspend students or take them out of class for bad behavior, why? Its the students right to be in school. So the case of the girl who stabbed a girl in the neck last year with a pen, came to school the very next day, as the victim lay in a hospital bed for 2 weeks. If you discipline, you are embarassing the student, a teacher can get fired. Me? I disiciplin all the time, i am a foreiner. Its ok. So the teachers just give me a sign to yell at the class. What do I know, I am only a foreigner?

So many more rules can't think anymore off the top of my head.

Ok, so Japan is not communist or under a dictatorship, but there are so many insane rules, and asking permission for everything, time here just gets really frustrating. I had to relieve stress somehow.......