Some people do not have manners?

I grew up in the Japanese society.


I was taught that when calling friends on the phone and another person answers always greet them before asking the friend.  


If I am making a business phone call needless to say I used to tell my company's name and my mane as well.




However since I have lived with my husband , sometimes his coworkers would call our house as well as his friends.


Even I had met them before most of them just say "Is OO(my husband ' name) there?"
(without greeting me)



It makes me feel like a telephone operator !



Is this normal or are they rude?



When that happened I would always  say

"May I ask who"s calling?"  





In Japan even elementally children know telephone etiquette.

Although  these days there may be less opportunity to call somebody's house for them because of       texting and e mail.    



 

The differences between Japanese and American youth baseball practice.

We have  two teenage boys who played 3-4 years Japanese youth baseball leagues starting at age 10.

Upon returning to America , we noticed huge differences between American and Jpanese practices , games, and tournaments.

Mast club teams in Japan the couches and managers are not paid.

That is not the case in America Elite youth teams.


In Japan these managers and coaches are regarded almost as saints by the players parents.

The parents in Japan take rotate and turns during various support team year around from 8 am to 6 pm

Sat+Sundays and holidays.

Because they have to take care of ordering take out (BENTO) and water, umpire games and help  prepare and rake the field.

They serve coffee or tea  to the manager and couches.

Every parent is on a rotation schedule.

Other indirect support jobs are arranging practice games with other team , managing the teem money,
reserving fields , reserving hotel room the team travels to tournaments , etc.



Japanese managers and couches act like Army Drill Sergeants .

When they address players  the players have to take their baseball caps off and stand at attention.

When some japanese professional players say they they never thought baseball practice could be so much fun like it is in America.


Why is Japanese baseball practice like being in the military ?

One reason might be that during world war 2  the Japanese Government did not allow people have any
entertainment like sports.

People who loved baseball told the government that  baseball practice would make the children physically and mentally strong enough to become soldiers in future.

Though the war is over the army style of practice remains.

  

The stress of being a child

It seems the spa and beauty industry has now begun to focus their  marketing on young girls
(according to an article in The Seattle Times on  JAN 4 2015)

I was mildly surprised when that industry  started to target men a while ago, but this new campaign targeting children is outrageous.

On ad offered $50 for a 15 minute  '"princess facial massage"

Some old ladies would believe that facials to help their damaged skin,wrinkles,age spots,etc,but why do young girls need a facial???


Their skin  has no damage, just beautiful  !!        


The world does not need a generation of pampered princess.

The president of the SPA association made a statement recently saying "It is good for young girls to learn that beauty treatment  can reduce stress and promote health.
(I think children should  go out side and play ! That can reduce stress and promote health !)

I see it is an attempt by the spa and beauty industry to ensure a new generation of customers.

Getting a new generation of clientele strategy seems to be to get them "hooked".


The earlier , the better !


I feel real princesses are much more humble.



I have not seen children spas in Japan but it is probably coming soon.
I have to say it but Japan mindlessly follows nonsensical trends from the West,especially America.
      

Trash at Baseball game

When I went to see a professional baseball game in America for the first time I really enjoyed the atmosphere in the park.

The way the fans cheered the home team is a little different than Japan.

In Japan at the games the teams have an official cheering section including a pep band.

They wave flags and also sing team songs.


One thing the same is the concession people selling beer,food and soft drink etc.

But the beer selling are mostly girls with a tank of draft beer strapped to their back pouring fresh beer.



But one big difference is the way fans in America leave all their trash behind in the seats including uneaten food.


Last year at the Japan-America major league friendship games in Japan.

A japanese reporter pointed an article about how the American players left the dug out looking like a garbage dump (including spit all over the floor!)after they played.

He had never seen anything like it !

The Japanese players dugout was spotless.

Because players are expected to respect the game and park too.


Japanese youth baseball team bow towards the ground after the game.

That is the tradition.



The fans for the most part throw their trash away as well.



Maybe ticket prices would go down in America if the parks did not have to pay so many people to pick up trash after games !!



      

Just divorced

The other day in a  supermarket parking lot  I saw a car that had a big heart symbol on the back window with some writing.

I thought "somebody just got married and they were very happy to announce it."
I looked at the car window again very carefully.

It said "just divorced"    

It was written around the heart.

The gut opened the door of the car and put a lot of shopping bags in.


All the while he was happy and sang a song !


I was astonished !

I can appreciate american humor but who could be so happy with a divorce?

His (ex)wife must be very bad for him!



In Japan they never announced their marriage by decorating the car window.



Divorce??

TAHT IS OUT OF THE QUESTION !          

One day I overheard a lady talking to the meat manager at the local supermarket.


She asked him many questions.

"Is the beef organic or not?
Was the beef raised with hormones?
Is it from Australia,Canada or the US?"

After that she asked about a certain package of meat.

The manager told her "it is good for stew"

She said " I do not like cheap cuts of meat. I am a gourmet."

Then she told him  " Actually I am a vegetarian ."



I wondered "Why is she at the meat department?"



She told the manager "I try to find a nice cuts of meat for my dog.
Meat is not good for human."



I believe the manager has pride of his job.



I think she was pompous and rude.

She should feed vegetables her dog,too !

After all . if meat is so bad for her , then maybe it is bad for her dog ,too!


          

aggressive homeless

When I came to America I was most surprised to see the slogan that suggests people to donate food to children who are hungry .


America is the richest country in the world !

At the same time I see many diet businesses .

This reality is unbalanced .

I know there are many possible reasons .

I was also surprised to see many aggressive beggars wearing clean clothes and appearing well fed.

I saw 'real homeless people' in Tokyo.

They had not taken showering long time so they smelled bad and their clothes were filthy. But they did not ask for anything.


Recently in America I saw a young couple who held the sign that read "We are homeless . Anything will help us"

But they did not look homeless at all.

They looked very clean !

The other day my husband saw them accidentally.

 They came to the supermarket's parking lot in a nice newer model car !


Some homeless are very aggressive and great actors!!     

many presents will make children happy? wow Craiglist !

My family and I just moved from Japan.My first experience to live in America.

I would like to write about things that surprised me or things I felt were really different culturally.

I was looking at Craiglist one day and I was surprised that many people post lists of what they need    want at Xmas time.
Some one posted" I like to help my friend who lost her job and she has children and I would like to give them a real X mas experience."
What is a real Xmas experience ?
Why do not they go to church?

When I was little I received only one present at X mas.
That made me happy .    
 After we went church on X mas day.

Another person posted
 ''I have a 8 years old daughter .
I have low income but I would like to give my daughter Xmas presents."
She then posted a lists of many things.
 "Thing my daughter likes is: Frozen, Monster High, Lalaloopsy, Princess stuff, Board games, Electronic Games etc..
Thing she need new Winter Coat size 00/00, Winter Boots size 00, Any Pants or Shirts size 00/00, Winter hat/gloves and new TWIN Bed sheet set with comforter etc,,."

I know she does not expect to receive then all.

I am not a Grinch but  understand a child world when it comes to wants and needs .

This is America.

 Even if you can not afford things you still want things.  

Mean Black Kids

Especially so, with black kids, who are taught by their parents that they deserve extra respect because their ancestors were slaves, and if anybody says anything about black people in America, those people are racist.

 I picked my children up at school today as usual.

They were late coming to the car.

 I park at a place where I can see the entire playground.

 School ended, and my husband and I were standing, waiting and watching for our children.



My husband saw three black girls and one black boy, about in third grade, (8 years old),  holding a 1/2 white and Japanese girl on the ground, and they said "it is your turn to feel what it is like to be slave".

The school has a playground monitor, and today it was a Japanese woman who probably knows nothing about mean kids.

 The monitor was on the far side of the playground.

She was the only person to supervise about 35 children.
It was not the monitor's fault for not seeing this.

The black kids were standing and blocking her view.
The black kids went to a far place on the playground so they could be mean without any adult seeing.

But they didn't see us.

My husband yelled "what are you doing?"  The black kids said "we're playing".

The 1/2 girl was crying.

 My husband told them that it wasn't playing, and asked "why the 1/2 girl isn't holding any of them on the ground?".

 They said nothing and started to hang their heads in shame.

 They knew they were caught being mean and bullying.

  The playground monitor heard his loud voice and finally came over to see what the problem was.

 The 1/2 girl ran away crying.


My husband told me "that is how kids are mean in America".




It starts this early, and adults should know that kids can be this mean!!!



 Especially black kids.  In America, when a black person can't succeed, they say "discrimination".  More to follow on this topic.  

Wow ! Eastern and Western Culture shock. Pt. 1

I am from Japan, and I married an American man. 

 Before I married several people told me that they also married an American man, and they warned me about the culture shock I would soon face.  

 They wished me good luck.

 I became a little apprehensive.

  Now, I know some obvious differences between Americans and Asians. 

 Asian people, especially Japanese have complexes.  

Things that they think other people are thinking about them.

  One big  complex is how  Americans will think about their English pronunciation, and  grammar. 

  Sometimes my husband noticed that his Japanese coworkers didn't really start to feel loose, unwind, and speak freely, until they have an alcoholic drink or two.

   As far as body shape and features, I think (and many Japanese think) that Americans have long legs.  

When I was young, I remember people saying that they tried stretching their legs by having somebody pull on them, just to get taller.  

These days, I think Japanese people for the most part, are interested in changing  their appearance. 

 In Japan,you can see blue, green,and hazel eyes thanks to colored contact lenses.  Hair color is also changing. 
 Even old ladies can be seen with purple hair in Kyushu.

    When I was a teenager, I was a pen pal with an American girl about 13 years old. 

 She sent me a picture of her and I couldn't believe what I saw. 

 She had rings on her fingers, and make-up, and long manicured fingernails. Her name was Laura, and she was from Boston.  Her father was a surgeon.  We were introduced through my Grandmother who was friends with her Grandmother.  　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　All I remember is that if I had gone to school in Japan looking like her, there would be big trouble with my teachers, parents and the school principal.
....I did envy her a little for the freedom she had