1. Food: I think the most popular question I've been asked is "How's the food?!" So it's top of my list of important difference between NYC and Sapporo/Japan. First of all, Japanese food is delicious. When we visited Hamamasu, a little seaside town, I almost cried because the seafood was so fresh. I could eat sushi and noodles and miso everyday...which is pretty much what exactly I do. EVERYTHING tastes like soy sauce. Can you see where I'm going here? Someone said that I've been spoiled growing up in NYC because I'm used to such a variety of foods. I guess they're right. Where is my pizza?! How can you get pizza wrong? I don't know. But it's wrong here. Where is my chili relleno?! We went to a Mexican place once. I got a shrimp burrito. It was delicious. But it wasn't Mexican!
Well, luckily, Sapporo does serve some really special stuff. My favorite Japanese food is currently something called soup curry. Basically it's a liquid curry served with vegetables and rice. You can adjust the spiciness on a scale of 1-5...and sometimes beyond. I usually get "san-ban" (3rd level). Wikipedia also tells me that Sapporo is the birthplace of "miso ramen." I have yet to try any ramen here actually. We once went to a ramen restaurant and our guide (my good friend Matthew- hi, Matt!) had to apologize vigorously after we realized that everything in the place had pork in it and Ryan wasn't eating pork. I hear there's some kind of theme park focused on ramen on the 10th floor of the Esta department store near Sapporo station...might have to check that out one day!
Also, there are lots of Indian food places. We live next to a really nice place called Mohan Dish. Inexpensive and delicious.
2. People: Well, you don't have to live in Japan to know this: in Sapporo, there are a lot of Japanese people and not much of anything else. Again, having grown up in NYC, I guess this should be something that causes shock to me. I don't find the homogeneity of the population that shocking. Maybe because they all look like me or because I've visited the Philippines a lot (where there are a lot of Filipinos!)...I don't know. I guess what gets me about the people here is the incredible politeness. I guess it's all the bowing and formal greeting I've been exposed to...or the random rides people give us when we're lost. People here are just nice and friendly!
I can't say that I'm not tired of being greeted every time I pass by a store worker though. And when one of them greets you, the whole lot of them echo him. I purposely avoid anyone who might work in the particular store I'm in just so I don't have to hear them all greet me. I guess that's the New Yorker in me. Whatever that means.
3. Climate: We are about 10 degrees colder than NYC right now and having some flurries!! Yesterday I saw that the mountains in the distance were powdered a bit. This morning they were back to brown though. So sad! I have heard that many of the central Hokkaido mountains are starting to get their first winter coat of snow! I can't wait to get my bindings fitted onto my skis.
Our apartment is still pretty cozy even without the heater on. Of course, we're wearing hoodies inside but c'mon it's winter! Also, I'm pretty sure I've figured out the secret to keeping trim in Japan- many women are still wearing skirts and shorts with tights underneath...they are shivering the fat off! I'm not about to test this hypothesis but I'm pretty sure it's true.
Still, I believe keeping warm is all about thinking warm and walking very fast. (Also a nice fleece layer can't hurt.)
And guess what! Ski season starts really soon- I even heard a place nearby is opening this week.
4. "Je ne sais quoi": I can't quite put my finger on it...that's why this post has been sitting unfinished on my computer for literally a week. Sapporo, despite being the 5th largest city in Japan (by population), is peaceful. I don't know what it is about it that makes it peaceful- definitely not the deafeningly loud pachinko parlors all over the place or the areas downtown that are lit up like daylight in the evening. Maybe because everyone else here just seems to be operating on a whole different level or maybe I'm just losing something in translation. Whatever the case may be, I think that the "je ne sais quoi" quality might be the biggest difference between Sapporo and New York for me (that and the wonderfully clean public bathrooms and super toilets!).
I venture to say that this peacefulness might extend to most of Japan- even Tokyo. When I arrived in Narita, after a 14 hour flight (BTW enjoyed my flight on Northwest in July more than my flight on American this past October), one of my first glimpses into the outside world was a view of a rock garden just across the street from the airport. Instant calm! Also, the 10 minutes I spent in the massage chair at the gate was helpful too. Now I know why people do this in department stores:
So, that's it...sayonara til next post!
(which will be soon...as soon as tomorrow!)
No comments:
Post a Comment