How did my Japanese life change in America ? What are the difference of daily life between the two?

In Japanese/日本語？

 

Hello, it is Golden Euglena!

Today I would like to share my point of view on the difference, how I made my Japanese life changes in America.

Additionally, I want to give you some advices if you live in Japan.

 

 

 

One Japanese in Texas, San Antonio, How does she/he go out? 

 

①Barhopping, eating in the restaurant, going out at nighttime more in Japan compared to the USA

 

I find the American price for eating in the restaurant too expensive.

We paid $17 for two M size combos in Wendy’s… Is it normal?

 

 

In Japan?

 

It is easy to go out.

There are so many cheap restaurants in Japan. If you are going in  ”Izakaya”, Japanese bar restaurant, you can find unlimited alcohol for a certain limited time, for example 90min. You will find also many small price dishes there.

 

In addition, the Japanese people, especially the young, prefer to live near a train station, and these stations are sort of commercial center.

You can find some izakayas there, and you can take a train to go to a larger station. You will find more restaurants there, which is cheap or exotic, etc…

If you miss the train from the big station to return to the station near your house, you will find ”24h Internet Cafe” or ” Karaoke” to spend the night and you can retake the first train to return to your house. 

 

Can I settle this difficulty about the night out in the USA if I live in downtown?

 

 

 

But we are happy in our house with American wine!

 

 

We love wine, we love Californian wine!

My husband is French but he also likes American wine!

 

And there so many types of wine…It made me surprised.

We can not find so many wines in a normal supermarket because Japanese supermarket are not as spacious as the American’s one, there is not enough space for a lot of wine varieties like in America.

 

 

 

②We went to convenience stores in Japan, but we don’t go to American convenience store

 

 

We do not go to convenience stores in America, because we do not find one near our home and we do not own a car. 

Another surprise is that the convenience stores in the US are at the gas stand.

We do not have any gas stand near here,  so we do not go there. If I have any special occasion… I will go, maybe.

 

But I find the pharmacies, like Walgreen and CVS, are very similar to the Japanese convenience stores.

 

Why did I go to a convenience store in Japan? 

 

In Japan there are many convenience stores here and there, you do not need to seek a gas stand.

And normally you can find small size commodities like for one personn portion, for example, a can of beer, small size snacks, and 500ml drinks etc…

So you can buy the stuff just for you, not family size one.

 

However, everything is normally a little more expensive in Japanese convenience stores, so my recommendation is that if you go in Japan, avoid to buy at a convenience store, except if you are in an emergency.

 

 

About healthcare in San Antonio, TX

 

① I cut hair myself 

 

It is difficult to find a nice hair salon that is used to cut Asiatic hair in San Antonio. 

In fact, our Asiatic hair are not the same as an American one, they say that ours are thicker, and if you find some haire salon, it is too much expensive to go once every tree month. 

 

 

How about hair salons in Japan?

 

If you do not care about the high skills, about whether he/she is a famous hair artiste or not, you can find the hair salon about￥1500( just cut).

Of course you can also find expensive salons, it will costs between￥3000 ~￥5000 for just the cut. 

 

 

 

 

② I do not put on make-up… At least less than in Japan.

 

I do not know why, but many Japanese women say the same things!

” I do not put on make-up anymore…”

” My style is now more relax than when I was in Japan…”

 

On the other side, I would like to buy more mak-eup items because there are many the American make-up brands which have not come in Japan yet. 

 

 

 

Why did I put on make-up?

 

In my opinion, Japanese women feel some kind of social pressures.

When I was working in a Japanese company, I thought that I HAVE TO put on make-up, and this thinking or,  I would like to call it self-pressure, is normal. 

This company did not have the rule: ” Women have to put on make-up every day”  but I thought it as a duty. 

 

 

 

③ I use so much moisturizer in the USA

 

 

How much moisturizer do you use in a month?

I completly use 16oz (450g) moisturizer by month and I also use some creme of vaseline.  Is it a lot? 

 

I feel now the intense weather of a dry continent.

Here in San Antonio, during Fall and Winter, the average humidity is 30% and a temperature of 25℃ in sunny day, but when it is cold, the temperature may fall to 10℃.

Additionally these weather conditions can drasticly change day by day… So easy to change…!!! 

 

I could not stay here without moisturizer.

 

Do you need moisturizer in the Japanese humidity?

 

I think you do not need any moisturizer without having extra dry skin. 

Normally, Japanese weather is more humid compared to America, it is about 70% of humidity all year around. They are generally no sudden change in temperature or humidity in Japan. Or at least, lot less than America!

 

We say, if we are in 50％ of humidity in a daytime, ” Today is dry!”  

 

 

 

 

④ Stop using shampoo every day in the USA

 

Do you use shampoo every day? 

I have no necessity to shampoo my hair every day because of the dry air and hard water.  I actually do not like the hard water, it is not so good for my hair, but I love the shampoo that I can buy in the USA. 

We have many choices, for example, Sulfate free, with Avocado Oil, and Coconuts Oil etc… it is not so expensive and we can find at the usual supermarket, you do not need to go in a specialty store. 

 

 

Can you find good shampoo in Japan?

 

Yes, you can find it in Japan, but it is a little more expensive than in the USA. 

If you need a shampoo with mild effect, it cost about ￥2000, that you can find mainly in drugstores, and not in supermarkets. 

 

 

 

 

 

One Japanese in Texas, What he/she eats every day?

 

① I eat less fish than in Japan…

 

You know, I am a Japanese, I love fish, especially Sashimi, but it is difficult to find reasonable and fresh fish that I can eat raw. 

Of course, there are fishes in San Antonio, but it is soooo expensive…!!!

So, now I buy a pack of freezing tilapia for deep-fry, and I have stopped eating raw fish for 6 months…  

 

But I am good because my sorrow for the lack of fish is cheered up by the Texas beef!!

 

 

 

You can find raw fish for sashimi at supermarkets!

 

If you want to find fish that you can eat in raw, of course you can go to an izakaya and make an order. 

But you can also eat raw fish at your home! 

You can find on the price tag of certain raw fishes  ” 刺身用(Sashimi you)” or ”生食用(Namashoku you)”. It means ” you can eat it raw”. 

After you have known these Japanese words, you can make homemade sushi! 

 

 

② I do not buy beer anymore

 

I love beer, I love alcohol like a cocktail, but I do not want to buy them in America. 

Because they are too much!

In American supermarket, we find 6 or more bottles beer in one pack. It is usual in America but not for me. 

I would just like to try and test one beer that I have not tried yet. 

However, if once I buy 6 bottles beer, I could not try another one after having finished 6 bottles…

 

But It is OK, no problem!

Because I found another favorite alcohol, and this is the California wine!

 

 

In Japan, you can buy just beer as a single bottle or a can

 

On the other hand in Japan, you can buy a can of beer or Chu-hai(チューハイ),  it is flavored alcohol with soda.

So you can try almost all every type of beer and Chu-hai during you stay in Japan. You can choose it as you like and change the type every day.

 

 

Conclusion about the change of life

 

Thank you for reading my first article in English!

There are so many difference between America and Japan, and I love both.