Smallness (2004-03-21)
When we first arrived in Japan, the biggest culture
shock for me was seeing how small so many things were. This culture
shock is pretty much gone with everyday passed, but the size of things
remain unchanged. People are small, cars are small, houses are small,
supermarket carts are small, just to name a few. Our apartment, which
is a decent size by Tokyo standard, is only slightly bigger than our
family room/kitchen area in Sydney. The low table in our tatami room is
just big enough for our cat to lie on, somewhat stretched. Our ironing
board is the size of a couple of large dinner plates. Living here takes
some time to get used to but you learn to adapt.
Even restaurant serving sizes are little, drinks in particular will
give you a true sense of what small is. A coffee from McDonalds or
Starbucks is tiny, don't expect to get your caffein fix from drinking
just one.
However I can think of one thing that escapes the rule of smallness.
Japanese farmers grow some of the world's largest fruits such as grapes
and peaches.
Now that I've been surrounded by cute little things for nearly five
years, I get reverse culture shock when I go to Sydney or the US where
smallness doesn't rule. Big people, big cars, big houses and big
supermarket carts, just to name a few.
Back to top
