A talk titled "Charms of the U.S." was very interesting. It was at a local international plaza with the attendance of around 50 people.
The speaker was an American man, 55, who has lived in Oita for as long as 25 years. He introduced himself in a detailed yet precise way, and then showed pictures of 10 American things that don't exist in Japan, both good and bad.
10: Showers - unfortunately when he came here, there was no shower at anywhere - just bath. At first he thought it was inconvenient to fill the bath tab and clean it afterwards, but he has found that style to be very refreshing. He now takes bath every day even after shower became available. Generally speaking, it's common to take a shower in the morning in the US probably because they have curly hair that will be messed up in the morning.
9: Guns - he doesn't miss them. He was used to the danger of guns around him since he was little, and has as memorable experience of hunting birds using guns with his father, he feels very safe in Japan, where gun control is quite strict.
Interestingly (and depressingly), although tragic massacres using firearms generate headlines, the most common accountings for gun deaths is suicide. Oh... The irony of guns being ubiquitous and available to anyone.
8: Mexican food - Though American Mexican food is sometimes not an authentic version of it (called Tex-Mex), it tastes very good. I agree with it. Nachos is so tasty. Bean pastes are delicious and healthy.
7: Thunderstorms - thunderstorms in the vast prairie are strong and noisy, but short-lasting. You can see huge dark gray clouds approaching from afar, bringing downpour to the towns below it.
6: Tornadoes
It's one of the most devastating natural disasters. If a house is hit by a tornado if decent size, nothing will be left after it passes. But the probability of being hit by it is so low. You should probably worry about becoming obese, since the likelihood of surpassing appropriate BMI level is much higher in that country.
5: Tough guys - Some, if not most, young guys are aggressive and are willing to pick a fight. You should make sure you don't stare at a girl who is with one of those guys if you don't want to be their victim.
On the contrary, Japanese guys are generally very polite and gentle. If you see the girlfriend of a Japanese man, he will shyly smile and say "She's cute, isn't she?" He says he feels safer in Japan in this aspect.
4: Big fish - Fishing in the U.S. is far more exciting because the fish are bigger and they fight back. It seems like fishing is not a calming, self-reflecting moment of solidarity, but a fierce tag-of-war against fish.
3: Live music
Though his university town had just 50,000-population, there were 4-5 places that plays all kinds of music from Thu-Sun night. He could choose which one to go, which music to listen to. In addition, there was a session with a music band and an armature singer performing together on Monday night. You could sing there too if you want to!
There aren't so many places where you can listen to live music. Maybe in Tokyo? But other cities have much less probably because people work for a long time and spend another hour or two on commuting. There's basically no time to enjoy music or anything else on weekdays... Sad to say. People do go to concerts and plays on holidays though.
2: Open spaces
So much land. I know. Very very big plains that goes all the way to the horizon, with no mountains nearby. So much open spaces that you can drive 100km/h and don't hit anything. That's indeed something very different from Japan's landscape. He recommended to rent a car and go for a drive across a few states. It'll feel so nice.
1: Pioneer spirit
The concept that the land of America was given by God and that early settlers are destined to explore it towards west is called Manifest Destiny. This mettlesome attitude has been passed on to the posterity. They take a risk, explore possibilities and dream big. That's really one of the very remarkable difference between Japan and the U.S. I don't think Japanese people have a strong notion that this country was conferred by spiritual good (or something like that). Rather, everything around them was already there well before they and their ancestors were born. Hence, they don't think it was them who established the country. True, it was there for a long long time. Those two different views to the world are interesting.
People seemed excited to listen to the talk. America is a popular tourist destination, after all. In the question time followed by the presentation, some were talking about their own travel experience in the US rather than asking questions to the speaker. Seemed like they need to have some more opportunities and places to have a chat about their common interest.. It's quite true that people are connected less and less, including me living in a remote area struggling to cope with loneliness. Among them, one woman was unstoppable, and it baffled all the others.
It was a very fun event! I'd like to add "Freedom" to his list since it only exists in the US, not here. :P
