September 5, 2009

I have noticed a disturbing trend among most other travelogues or blogs written by tourists or travelers (yes, there IS a difference between a tourist and a traveler).　The disturbing trend is that while they are enthusiastic about what they love, i.e. omg the food iz amazing!1!11!!!!!!, they are usually silent about the negative aspects of the culture that they are exploring.

I have always tried to be different from the mainstream, as can be seen by my extensive collection of French New Wave films, Frank Zappa cds, and my insistence that Final Fantasy Nine is the best RPG ever made. So, I am going to write about a negative aspect of Japanese culture today.

But first, the setting.

Ladies and gentleman, I am somewhat discouraged to tell you that for the past three days I have been sick. Yes, sick. Sick with the dreaded SNAKE FLU!!!!!

Now, before my mother freaks out and catches the next plane to Tokyo, let me offer the following assurances:

1) I am fine
2) No, I do not need a doctor
3) No Dad, I will not be using the return trip ticket to come home
4) Yes, I will survive

Now, onto the question of the day, what is snake flu? Well, let me explain...

As many people now, Japan is home to a wide variety of exotic wildlife. On the ICU campus alone, there are raccoons, bats, cicadas, and gangs of cats. But there is another animal living on campus, the dreaded GARDEN SNAKE.

Well, on Wednesday or Thursday, I cannot remember which, I found a garden snake taking a siesta on our bikes. Oh yes, I forgot to mention, we all went bike shopping on Tuesday....

Wait, where was I? Oh yeah, snakes. Well, we found a snake on the bikes. An avid lover of all things reptilian, I captured the little bugger. Well, my new friend did not take very kindly to being in captivity, so it gave me a horrific bite. And by horrific I mean comical. Seriously, it felt like getting gummed by ninety year old chihuahua. Well, it did not phase me, but I did not appreciate my new friends poking it and aggravating it. So, I let it slither free in bushy meridian in the middle of one of ICU`s many sidewalks.

About 20 minutes later, my arm that had been bitten began to grow get sore. It only lasted about five minutes, but since I got sick the next day for no other apparent reason, I am going to to blame the snake for my illness and declare it snake flu.

Anyway, the following morn I awoke to sore joints, a nasty cough, and a tightening feeling in my upper back that was similar to the sensation one gets after lifting weights for a long time. I managed to get through the day before almost collapsing in my dorm. Following this, I witnessed a curious cultural phenomenon.

It has been said from many sources that Japan is a culture of contradictions: that a nation so obsessed with peace and harmony created one of the worlds most recognized warrior cultures, that such a repressive society can create some of the worlds most shocking and bizarre entertainment, and that a people so concerned with preserving their own cultural heritage can have such a pronouned love affair with foreign media and customs. Well, I have discovered another interesting contradiction：when someone is sick, they do everything they can to help you get better, but they do so while trying to stay the hell away from you.

I do not mean that as an insult or a critique on Japanese society. Indeed, the purpose of this blog is simply to provide a place where I can store my observations on Japanese society. When it comes to being sick, the Japanese face a curious catch-22. They do not want to get sick, so they cannot be around sick people. However, they know that if they leave a sick person alone, they might get worse and even get other people sick. Please understand, while this may seem callous, it is not some kind of judgement on the Japanese people. They want sick people to get better, but they want to do so without getting sick themselves.

For example, when I almost collapsed in my dorm, several of my dormmates helped me upstairs to get to bed. They gave me some medicine and a big jug of water and a glass to drink it with. I oblidged, then tried to hand it back. They stepped back, waved their hands, and said to keep it. I then slept for twenty four hours. No joke, I literally went to sleep on Thursday night and woke up on Friday night. It was not a constant sleep. I drifted in and out of consciousness the whole time. I noticed that my roommate Hiroshi did not sleep in our room that night. In fact, the night I woke up, I saw him for the first time ever wearing a mask as he came into the room, grabbed a few things, and quickly left. Afterwards, when I tried to talk to people, they would kindly oblidge, but not before placing a piece of paper in front of their faces if they did not have a mask. They were eager to offer advice on how to get better (including one curious suggestion to wipe off my neck sweat because if I left it there it would make me worse) but they would not come close to me while they did so.

It was later that I learned from our dorm president Joe Stockerman (who happened to be from Canada) as he kindly brought me some instant yakisoba to eat in bed that last semester they had a swine flu scare in the dorm.

So, there was the reason behind the caution. But a part of me wonders, how would they have acted if there had not been a swine flu scare last semester? I should not judge because I do not know all of the circumstances surrounding my dormmates actions. All that I can say is that they were incredibly kind, helpful, and concerned, even if it was from a safe distance.

This is Nate in Mitaka, signing off as just another gaijin.