Awkward Moments, Part 1

If you are ever bold enough or stupid enough to move to a foreign country be prepared for awkward moments.  They will happen.  They'll happen frequently.  Here is one such story.

A little background first.  I doubt any place on earth is much more culturally different from the US than Japan.  For instance, here it is polite to honk at someone.  A quick honk is like saying "please," or "thank you."  On top of that, people are polite drivers!  They always try to let you in, sometimes an oncoming car will flash its lights and slow down so you can make that right turn.

Last night I was driving home and the driver in front of me had left her trunk open.  I politely honked.  My horn said, "Please look in your rear view mirror and see the trunk bouncing around."  Or maybe it just said, "beep."  At the next stop light I gave to quick honks. No reaction.  I opened my door to jump out and....do what?  It would've been a huge breach of etiquette to touch her car, so I couldn't just shut it for her.  I couldn't run up to her window and tell her.  So far my Japanese doesn't cover words like "open" or "trunk" or "Don't call the cops, I'm not a mugger."  I'd have to jump out into the turn lane and Japanese roads are pretty narrow and this was a busy street.

So there I was.  I knew I had her attention.  My door was open.  One foot was out the door.  And then I did what any sane person would do.  I rationalized.  "It'll be fine," I thought, "She'll notice soon.  We're going so slow anyway it'll be alright."  I closed my door and waited for the light, figuring I'd just leave extra room between our cars just in case something fell out her trunk, like some trash or a dead body.

Less than half a block later, it started pouring rain.

I followed that car for ten miles.  She never did notice her trunk was bouncing around like a toddler on a sugar high.

I've resigned myself to these sorts of things.  What constitutes polite behavior and conversation in Japan is very different from back home.  Here's a little travel tip.  The first two phrases you should learn in any language are "Excuse me" and "I'm sorry."  In Japanese you say "Sumimasen," and "Gomennasai." So wherever you are, lady in the white Toyota with a wet spare tire, gomennasai.