This Is Japan
Explore everyday life in Japan
After we bought our first car in Japan, my wife started buying canisters of gum and keeping them in the molded cup holder of the driver’s side door. When I first opened one of these canisters, I was surprised to find a sheaf of miniature Post-it Notes inside. Why would anybody put Post-it Notes inside of a gum container, I thought to myself. But, this being Japan, I just assumed that the Post-it Notes were some kind of appreciation gift, a thank-you present from the company to its customers. It never occurred to me that these Post-it Note-like papers might have another use, one that goes beyond marking book pages and holding written notes.
It wasn’t until two years after we had bought the car that I found out the real purpose of these papers. I was driving north to Oga-Hantou, a beautiful peninsula deep in the countryside of Akita Prefecture. My wife’s father was sitting beside me in the passenger seat. He was drinking a shochu cocktail, watching the summer Olympics on the small TV in my car’s dashboard, and chewing gum (Yes, in Japan, it is legal for passengers to drink alcohol in moving cars.). When my father-in-law got tired of his gum’s taste, he reached down, pulled out his own canister of gum from the bag he had resting between his feet, took out the sheaf of Post-it Notes that was inside, peeled one of them off, stuck his gum to it, folded it over, and put it in the garbage can that is velcroed to the floor of my car.
Oooohhh! I thought as I watched him do this out of the corner of my eye. So that’s what those papers are for.
And then I thought, How did I never realize this before?
This is an ongoing series that will explore various aspects of daily life in Japan. My hope is that this series will not only reveal to its followers, image by image, what Japan looks like, but that it will also inform its followers about unique Japanese items and various cultural and societal practices. If you are interested in getting regular updates about life in Japan, please consider following me at @boxcarblue. If you have any questions about life in Japan, please don’t hesitate to ask. I will do my best to answer all of your questions.
Im saving up to go to Japan, all my life its been my dream and everytime I read your posts Im more motivated to do so. Thanks for sharing
That's great! I'm glad to hear it. Do you think you'll be coming here to work and live, or just do some traveling?
As a turist only, it fascinates me
Make sure to give yourself as much time as possible. There's a lot to do and see!
Traveling in SE Asia as an American made me feel like a barbarian.
That's interesting. What exactly made you feel barbaric?
They are much tidier!
I see. Where did you travel to?
Good post. It is a different way of looking at your role in society. It always surprises me that people do not realize that the people you see wearing surgical masks during flue epidemics in Japan, are wearing them to protect other people from the infection the wearer thinks he or she may have.
It definitely goes both ways. Yobou is a big thing over here. It means prevention. You are right, if a person thinks he/she is sick, he/she will often wear a mask out of courtesy to others, so as not to get other people sick. Likewise, when illnesses are going around, it's very common to see people wearing masks to protect themselves. Many places in Japan have dense populations and illnesses like Influenza spread very quickly. Thanks for all of your comments!
Haha, I did not know that! You learn something new everyday!
My wife even asked me once if I was using the papers to throw out my gum, but the meaning of what she said didn't register with me. I just thought, No. Why would I use Post-it Notes when I'm chewing gum. Then I lived with the mystery for another year or two. I guess I'm not the best listener:)
Lol me too!
So interesting!! i gould never imagine!!... but why not throwing iy awai in the garbage just like it is?
Without wrapping it in paper, it has a chance of sticking to the garbage can, or something else. Then you have to clean the garbage can at some point. That is, if the garbage can doesn't have a bag in it.
Thanks for reading and commenting!
XD i know, thats why im used to pud a bag on the can or thow the gum over something hahah its a curious thing