KONNICHIWHAT!?: Only in Japan?

That's an expression you hear all too often amongst English-speaking groups whenever they start talking about...well, Japan. It usually pertains to things that are weird or something that couldn't take place in the States, but in most cases, it's both of these things. However, let's not focus so much on the weird this time around, but for the sake of this story, let's talk about red tape. Japan, in case you weren't aware, is the land of the rising sun and the land of red tape. I'm pretty sure that's why the circle in their flag is the color red. Everything the Japanese do, at least in terms of business, is by-the-book. Now this can be both a good thing and a bad thing. You always have a pretty good idea of what to expect when you're going to do business somewhere in Japan, whether it be at a bank or purchasing an item at the store. I personally like that. However, there are some small things that can start to get on your nerves after a while. For example, when I go to the bank (as I did today), to transfer money back to the States, there is a specific form that I need to bring in. In Japan, they often don't sign for things like we did in America, they use a inkan (a stamp), with their name on it and stamp that sucker on all sorts of documents to make it all legit. I didn't have an inkan when I first got my bank book so I was able to sign it the ol' Western way. Due to signing it, with my signature, back in the day when I first got that bank book, it's pretty much made my inkan (which I eventually got), worthless in the eyes of the bank. Instead of saying, "oh, you can either sign (Western-style), or use your inkan", for "signing" documents, I only have the option of signing them Western-style. All because of how I did it back in the day when I first got my first bank book. Is your head spinning yet?

I'm not saying that this by-the-book manner of doing things is terrible, but it certainly makes the Japanese seem very unwilling to be flexible. I guess, in many ways, they are...at least in the business world. Who know? Maybe they prefer it that way. Or maybe it's the only way they really know so it's hard to compare it to anything else. But when you try and introduce a new style of doing something into their tried-and-true method, it really just ends up freaking everybody out and tends to get shot down. Just so no one gets butt-hurt, I want to say that I'm only generalizing in my experience. We all perceives things differently. There is a certain level of panic that comes across a fast-food workers face whenever I try to make a special order. Something as simple as, "no onions please", has the employee confirming my request in their reply, albeit with a tone of confusion. I went to the post office today, having been delivered a piece of mail addressed to the person previously living here (by the way, that was almost 2 years ago), and the dude's mind was blown. He was like, "so, this is not you?" (pointing to the mail). I replied, "no. that isn't me. yes, that is my address, but he no longer lives at that address." This exchange was all in Japanese mind you. He then tells me to please wait, walks over to a group of employees to tell them what I just told him, I heard a bunch of Japanese acknowledging the situation, he then walks back over and asks me to write my name on a small slip of paper. I didn't even bother to question it. In times like these I just say, "this is how they roll." I ask him if that's all he needs, he nods and clips the name to this piece of mail. I think I just gave this guy a new story to tell around the water cooler. "Hey everyone! So, this white guy walks up to me today..."