Hummingbird and Sparrow

Recently hummingbirds have been coming to my backyard every day. I hung a hummingbird feeder on my terrace two months ago. One month after I hung it, hummingbirds became guests of my backyard. They are kind of like pet hummingbirds. If the artificial nectar runs out, they fly and chirp above my head. I make nectar for them once a week. They are so cute. I love them.

Hummingbirds live in South America and North America including Alaska. I had never seen a hummingbird before I came to the U.S. However, I knew the name “Hummingbird” from my early years. I learned the term in English class at my junior high school. On the other hand, I didn’t know the English term “sparrow” until recently.

Sparrows are commonly seen everywhere in Japan. Even though it’s a popular bird in Japan, I didn’t know its English name because I had not had an opportunity to talk about sparrows in English until recently. I never learned the word “sparrow” during my school days.

I have many experiences like this. I know a lot of English words for things I have never seen. Here are animals I can name in English, but have never seen:

Anteater, hippopotamus, platypus and so on…

Here are animals I saw often in Japan, but couldn’t name in English before I moved to the U.S:

Wild boar, raccoon dog, flying Squirrel, mole, and so on….

When I explain Japan or Japanese culture, I sometimes stumble over English words. “Sparrow” is one of typical example. I think that most Japanese people who are acquiring English skills are probably like me. During my school days, I studied English more than 8 years. I focused on reading articles because reading skills were the most important for passing the university examination. These days, I really think that I should have interacted with native English speakers wherever possible in Japan and tried to explain something by myself. To me, English was just a subject needed for getting a good score on entrance examinations and regular examinations. If I had kids, I would give them an English education as a communication tool.

Extremely Thick Ramen Soup

If someone asked me what I would like to eat first when I go back to Japan, I would answer ramen. When visitors from Japan ask me what I would want if they brought something from Japan, I would say ramen. In the beginning of August, a friend of mine visited from Japan to California. He brought some vacuum-packed ramen.

There is a unique and famous Japanese ramen chain restaurant. The name is “Tenkaippin.” This name means “out of this world.” He brought Tenkaippin’s vacuum-packed ramen. It was really great.

The reputation of this ramen is quite controversial. This is one of those “love it or hate it” items. Of course, the reason is its taste. The soup, which is made from a strong chicken broth, is extremely thick. The texture and viscosity are like turkey gravy. The company’s ad says its thickness is from the natural collagen that comes out after chicken bones are boiled for more than 14 hours.

Among my friends, the reputations are literally “love it or hate it.” Many of my friends are hooked on the soup. Also many of my friends never want to eat it again. Can you imagine this taste? What does it taste like to me? It’s like potage. Try it! There is a branch in Oahu, Hawaii.

I tried the packed ramen and soup at home. The taste was almost the same as at the restaurant in Japan. It was amazing. I crave this packed ramen pretty much on a weekly basis. Unfortunately, it’s not exported to the U.S. I had not eaten this for about 2 years. Once I have this after a long time, I am increasingly eager to eat it. I think I should take a vacation to Hawaii or Japan to eat this ramen. Hawaii sounds great!

Tipping at Restaurants

Tipping is one of the most difficult customs in the U.S. for Japanese people. In Japan, service fees are included in bills or are free. In America, tipping is confusing. For example, I’m confused about what percentage I should tip at restaurants. Also, where should I leave my tip, on the table or at the register?

One day, I discussed tipping with colleagues while we went for lunch because one of them recently had a bad experience in Orlando, Florida. He said that the restaurant had charged him 30% gratuity even though he was in a small party. The service there wasn’t great, and he didn’t want to pay 30% gratuity, but he paid it. He also said that he was asked for gratuity when he left a buffet restaurant even though no waiter/waitress served him.

Another guy said he still doesn’t have the right answer to tipping at Sizzler. Sizzler customers order and pay first at the register at Sizzler. Sizzler is a kind of buffet. Customers take their meal from the salad bar by themselves. If they order meals, waiter/waitress will bring them to the table, but if they order only the salad bar, customers will not be served by a waiter/ waitress.

From our conversation, I found that tipping is sometimes difficult even for Americans. It was an interesting discussion because everybody in my office had his/her own idea about tipping. One person said 7% was for beverages and 8% for the meal. Another said 10% for bad service, 15% for normal service, and 20% for good service. In my case, I always pay 15% for gratuity when I sit down at a table and someone comes to take my order.

I know more about tipping at restaurants now than I did last year, but I’m still confused about what to do at a hotel, for example what do I tip housekeeping, room service and the porter service. I don’t have exact criteria for what kinds of situations I should tip. In addition, I’m not familiar with face-to-face tipping. From my Japanese cultural background, I feel that handing money directly is not polite.

I have heard a lot of opinions about tipping at restaurants from colleagues. Next time we go to lunch, I should ask them about tipping at hotels or airports.

Are Japanese Kanji Characters Cool?

I often see young people wearing “Superdry” clothes in California. Superdry is a fashion apparel brand from the U.K. Japanese Kanji characters are often used in their designs. The company’s logo is “Superdry (極度乾燥しなさい) .“

For many Japanese, the term “Superdry” reminds us of one of the most famous beers in Japan, “Asahi Super Dry.” When I saw a guy wearing a Superdry T-shirt at the Los Angeles International Airport, I thought he worked for the Asahi Beer Company. “極度” means “super,” “乾燥” means “dry,” and”しなさい” is the imperative form of do. If I translate it into English literally, it means that you should “dry it extremely.” The sentence doesn’t make sense, but Japanese people can imagine that it’s a play on words related to Asahi Super Dry, which is the name of a Japanese beer.

Several days after I saw this guy, I learned that Superdry was a brand. I also found a retail store near my house and took a look at their products. They looked funny to me. To be honest, I didn’t think this brand looked cool because many strange Japanese Kanji characters were used in their designs. I asked some of my Japanese friends for their opinion of these products. All of them had the same idea as me. They said that the designs were funny. I have no idea how it looks to non-Japanese speakers.

I sometimes see tattoo designs with strange Japanese characters in California. For example, on the street in Berkeley, I saw a lady who had a Japanese Kanji character tattoo which was spelled wrong. I think she wanted to get a tattoo meaning “love.” “Love” in Japanese is "愛," but her character was backwards. That was awful.

I think Japanese Kanji characters look exotic to Westerners, but Japanese people don’t often use it in fashion design. Meanwhile, Japanese people like to use English in their designs. I guess native English speakers might find a lot of strange English characters in Japanese apparel. I’ll post some examples in another blog post.

A Delivery Person

I don’t expect excellent service from delivery companies. Recently, on-line tracking services have been better, but I still experience delivery delays and losses.

One evening, a delivery person came to my house and pressed the doorbell. He had a big package and asked me if the package was for me. I checked name and address. The name which was printed on the label was not mine or the previous resident’s. The shipping address was correct, but Apt C was written on the label as well. My place is not an apartment. I told him that it might be wrong. He took it back.

I was surprised at his work. He thought that something was wrong with the address of the package. Most delivery companies leave packages on the porch or in the mail box and basically don’t request the customer’s signature. I have received packages with incorrect shipping addresses and names. In his case, he thought the second part of the address Apt C, might be the wrong. I can’t help thinking that even this small thing is excellent, and that he is smart. A mistaken delivery might be a small thing in the U.S. However I really want to avoid getting into delivery trouble because a third person has gotten involved in the realignment of the delivery. I don’t know the delivery person, the sender or the receiver, so it’s hard to communicate with these people on the phone.

I told my landlord about this. He joked that someone might live in the loft or the basement as Apt C. One day after that event, I was able to figure out what the package was. A lady came to my house. She asked if I had mistakenly received package. She lives across the road from my complex. Her address is quite similar to mine.

I’m not sure she will be able to get her package, but I hope she will be able to get it quickly.

Do You Support a Team or a Player?

My favorite Sharks hockey player Devin Setoguchi was traded to the Minnesota Wild. I didn’t imagine that he would be traded because he was awesome, especially during the 2010-2011 playoff games. This happened one day after the Sharks announced a three-year contract extension for Setoguchi!  I can’t understand what the contract meant.

Facts are facts. I’m still a fan of the Sharks, so I’m wondering what I should wear when I go to the Sharks games next season because I own a Setoguchi Sharks jersey. Should I buy a new one or wear the Setoguchi Jersey?

Question 1: What is my favorite team?

Of course, the San Jose Sharks.

Question 2: Who is my favorite player?

Of course, Devin Setoguchi.

Question 3: Do I like the Minnesota Wild?

Not so much, but I don’t hate them.

If the answer to the above question #3 were yes, it would be pretty easy to answer. I would become a fan of the Minnesota Wild. If I had another favorite Sharks player, the answer would be easy. I would buy a new Sharks jersey that had name and number on it.

Setoguchi is a special hockey player to me. He is Canadian Japanese. I cheer for him because we have a common heritage. For now, there are no Sharks players who are Japanese or part Japanese. From the perspective of my identity as a Japanese person, Setoguchi is the only player who I really want to support.

My wife said she would buy a Minnesota Wild Setoguchi jersey and go to Sharks home games wearing it. She is more likely to support a player than a team.

In one colleague’s case, his favorite player was traded from the Sharks several years ago. He wears the Sharks jersey with the ex-Sharks player’s name when he goes to the games. He said that he liked both the Sharks and the player and would not buy a new the Sharks jersey.

I don’t have my answer yet. Honestly, compared to last season, I have lost my enthusiasm for the Sharks. I have mixed feelings about the Sharks. Of course I love the city of San Jose, but I’m not a real San Jose local. I guess my desire to cheer for a player who is connected to Japan is stronger than my love for the San Jose Sharks. I think I will be able to figure out my answer while I’m watching the Sharks play the Wild next season.

By the way, products with Setoguchi’s name were being sold at half-price at the Sharks store. My wife and I bought more than 20 T-shirts. My new year’s resolution was to avoid buying things on impulse…

Car Wash

My wife’s relatives recently stayed our home for a week. They came here for vacation. We took them to Yosemite, San Francisco, Santa Cruz and a few other places. They enjoyed their visit in California. One day, my wife took them to the car wash. This is what impressed them the most during the trip.
They were amazed by the car wash shop system. The car wash process was efficiently divided into several stages. Different staff were assigned to each stage:

- Take the order
- Clean up the interior
- Collect payment

- Wax the car

- Wipe the car

They said that they would like to get this service in Japan, but I don’t think this business will work in Japan. There are 2 reasons.

The first reason is quality of car wash. In this car wash system, many people are involved in the car wash process. This system helps work simplify the work and increase simplicity, but I don’t think that this system keeps high quality finish. In addition, automatic car-wash machines are used in the car wash process. These are likely to make scratches on the car. To many Japanese, a car is a kind of luxury, so they are likely to be nervous about scratches on their cars. Some people are extremely obsessive about hand car washes. Quality is the first priority for Japanese car lovers.

Washing a car by hand is definitely hard work, so a new automatic car wash machine has been popular in Japan recently. It’s called a brushless car wash. It uses extremely high pressure water, strong blowers and forming cleanser. During the car wash, no one touches the car including the machine. After the automatic brushless car wash has finished, owners wipe and polish their car as they like.

The second reason is weather. During the dry season, we don’t have rain in California. Once we wash our car, we can keep our car clean at least 2 weeks, so we don’t need to wash our car very often. I don’t feel that it’s expensive to pay about $20 for a car wash every 2 weeks.

In Japan, they have rain frequently throughout the entire year. It’s hard to keep cars clean for a long time. I guess many people can’t afford to have their car washed regularly. In order to keep their car clean for a reasonable cost, they have to wash out the car by themselves or use a self-service automatic car wash.

I think the car-care business is closely related to climate and culture. I haven’t seen the same kind of store in Hawaii. It’s one of the interesting business models in California.

By the way, I’m very curious what kind of work the car wash staff doing during the rainy season in California.