Back in Sweden!

Since coming back to Sweden I haven't really been writing on my blog, I really totally forgot about it.
But then again while being here I don't think I will write about anything special, instead I will take it up again when  I get back to Japan.

Some thoughts/updates:

Anyway, yesterday I met one of my friends who had applied for the scholarship I got to Japan on and they didn't get recommended for it which sucks. I really thought I would see them in Japan next year.

Started looking into going to university in Sweden  for when I come back to Japan. I think I have finally found what I want to study and work as when it's done. I have never really been sure before but this "new" field that I found seems very appealing to me - marketing! =P

Why I am looking into Swedish universities right now is because I don't think I have grades good enough to get an extended scholarship to continue my studies at a university in Japan.

Coming back here after almost 1.5 years is really nice, but since this years summer was very cold I have not been able to go swimming and much as I wanted!

I feel like I should take my chances in Japan as long as I can live on the scholarship but I know that in the ens my life is going to be in Sweden and there are things I can't/don't want to buy/do, etc in Japan cause I will not spend the rest of my life there. So in a way I feel like my life wont really start til I'm back in Sweden fulltime.
Though, I think these thoughts will fade once I am back in Japan.

Weird post. Anyway, cya soon Japan!

Fish in a bottle - in a vending machine - in Japan (bcuz where else)

When we went to visit a friend in Suminodou, Osaka we found this weird vending machine.
At first silly me thought it was a drink - with a fish in it!





But not quite, turns out it's actually a sauce and they have even written on the machine what foods you could use it for and it's actually not that expensive.

So if you wanna buy this weird fish sauce.. just go to Suminodou and you will probably find it if you take a walk straight forward from the station.

(It was dark outside so the pictures are pretty bad)

What I wanna know is - can you eat the fish once you are done with the sauce?? Will I ever know.. ?

Even more Pokémon!!

Third (?) visit to the Pokémon Center in Umeda. Just wanted to dump all of these pictures here for the future me's enjoyment!

Japanese people love touching? Well...

There is this stereotype that Japanese people do not like physical contact with other people, because in their culture you don't shake hands - you just bow.
We have this same stereotype about Swedish people too apparently, and to be honest I was kind of happy to be going somewhere where people wouldn't touch me.

But from different experiences I've come to realize that Japanese people really don't mind touching another person, even if they barely know them.

I went to Universal Studios alone one time and there I would get paired up with around 2-3 other people that hade come in a group, that I would go in the same ride as, and almost all these people started talking to me and were really nice.
One person acutally put their hand on my shoulder and asked me if I was half Japanese just because I could speak the language. Did they need to touch me? No. But they did I suppose out of habit, even though they didn't even know me and we had barely spoken. They just didn't mind, they were fine with it.

But what got me to think about this was really what happened yesterday in class. Our croquis teacher told us to measure our legs from the highest point of the inside of your thigh. So basically we were supposed to measure from very near where our "private parts" are. The teacher told us to do it in pairs but I was just like "Wtf, anyone could do that by themselves. Anyway, I don't want anyone else doing it!"

Before I could get my own measuring tape one of my classmate had already come up to me and said "Here, I will measure for you!" and they tried to start going from up to down but I quickly told them off, saying I could do it myself, haha.
So I measured it myself, while other people measured eachother without any problems. Especially one pair of two people that seem to have become good friends did not at all mind nearing eachothers "private parts" with both hands and measuring tape. One of them, that wore shorts pulled them up as high as possible so that the other one of them could measure more easily.

Next we were supposed to measure our thighs circumference, which you apparenly also measure very near that same area. Now the same classmate as before came up to me and asked if I could measure it for them, but I just told them that they could do it themselves. When I didn't do it they asked the teacher, who did it.

I really do not think this would've played out the same way with Swedish students. They would probably, like me, think that this is too close. Too much.

But yea, the Japanese seemed very comfortable with it!

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One of my classmates started after some weeks to touch me when I least expect it. They try to tickle me and stuff.
Several times when I have been wearing shortsleeved shirts they jump out and tickle my armpit and I really don't like it! (Especially not the armpit, that's gross xD)
Now I feel like I can't relax around them because if they see me dozing off or just look away for a moment they will come with a surprise attack and I don't want that!!

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Another instance was one lesson where that same person started touching my hair without even asking first and then told some of our other classmates to come touch it too. And suddenly I had a group of Japanese people touching my hair unannounced, lol.
Again, I don't think that would happen in Sweden, people would atleast ask for permission first unless it's someone you know really well, like, your very best friend!

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One last thing! If you have seen anime you probably know about the infamous "boob grab" that sometimes occur. One person sneaks up on another and grab their boobs from behind, sorta like that. Well I always see that and think "That is the most stupid thing I've ever seen! People don't do shit like this!". Buuut, one of my Japanese friends do do it to some of my none Japanese friends, and they also say that them and their friends do it to eachother for fun!
Still not sure if this is a common thing in Japan or not but it seems like it is in fact happening in real life and maybe that's why they use it so much in manga and anime too?


Anyway, did not expect this in Japan, but atleast now with my own experience I can look past what stereotypes say and get my own view of things, and I am very happy about that!

Japanese peoples hatred for the sun

In Sweden to be outside and get tanned is seen as a good thing. It makes you "look healthy" and such and if you have been outside of the country and don't come back tanned people will call you out on it. You will almost be made to feel ashamed that you aren't tanned. 
You had the chance to be out in the sun but you didnt take it?!
Of course you can get a tan in Sweden to if you really work it, and in the summer if you are not outside you are totally wasting your time. You are letting your summer run out in the sand. So to show that you've been outside enjoying the summer and sun you should allow yourself to get a tan.

But in Japan people hate tans. They want white skin at all costs! Why? Because as I think you know being white shows that you are rich because you don't have to be out all day in the sun to work. Sure but that doesn't really work in todays world I think. You can just walk around with your UV-umbrella that is a very cheap investment even the worst payed person around could afford.
Even so people hold on to this notion that white is beautiful.

Until just a few days ago I actually couldn't put my finger on why tanned skin is considered desireable in my country. I could only think of reasons like the ones above. But then I heard that it is because having a tan probably means that you have been traveling to another country, which means that you have money to travel which means that you are not poor!
So on both ends it all comes down to the money. Wow, what a world.

Anyway, I've probably mentioned before how a lot of Japanese people cover up during the summer. They buy special umbrellas that are supposed to protect them from UV rays. They wear long gloves that cover half their arms. They often wear long sleeved shirts and long pants even when it's hella hot.

Light version of what I was mentioning

But it's not just Japan. My Vietnamese friend showed my how motorbikecyclists wrapped up like they were going to a nuclear plant! My friend said that it's normal and it's to protect yourself but, no, that way of doing it is not to just protect yourself it is perposefully to keep your skin white.

Couldn't find the pictures my friend showed my so I got this one, which could also be considered a lighter version of what mentioned

Also you may have seen the face-kini's that some people from china (?) used to protect their skin with.

Facekini!

Honestly I think this is going too far and I really feel like you are ruining your summer by spending the whole time carrying an umbrella or wearing thick layers of clothing, or trying to get a facekini over your head.
Just put on some friggin sunscreen and get it over with! It's time to start caring about your skincolor wether you want it to be tanned or pale and just enjoy what you can of summer.

Japanese people staring at you

If you are a non-asian person in Japan you are going to get stared at a lot. Or are you? Maybe Japanese stare more at asian-looking foreigners?

Let's take a look at this!

I am a non-asian foreigner in Japan. I live in Osaka which is a big city where there are both tourists and foreigners living, working, studying etc. In short, people of Osaka have seen foreigners. They know what they look like, and therefore, most of the time, they wont stare at you.
Now say I lived in a tiny village in the middle of nowhere where foreigners are barely ever seen, yes people would stare at me. But here in the middle of it all I am, to most people, just another foreigner.

It's not to say I don't get stared at, it happens sometimes. Mostly it's children that take a stare at me. One time some children even started walking backwards after passing me just so they could get a bit more time to look at me. But even when it comes to the kids who have no shame in staring, most don't do it!

Now I have the tendency to look down on the ground when walking etc so it might be that I don't catch people staring at me. But even so, I think it has more to do with what kind of personality you have, rather than where you look.

Why?

Because I have a friend who actually is half Japanese and they look no different from any Japanese person. They fit in here like I never could, yet they constantly tell me about how people are staring at them.
They can just be walking down the street, standing around waiting etc and then tell me: "Did you see that person looking at me?" They are always very serious about this and tells me what they think the person was thinking about them when staring like that.

In all honesty I have never seen anyone stare at my friend. And the times when she tells me someone was staring at me I haven't noticed it either.

This friend always says to me: "If people stare at me here I can't imagine what it would feel like to be you!"
But if you were me, with my personality, you wouldn't see any stares!

So, do you get stared at in Japan as a non-asian foreigner, or as a foreigner in general? - Yes, but only as much as you lead yourself to believe ;)!

Japanese people think I'm cool??

It's been a while since I started my school life at Osaka Sougou Design Senmongakkou and I guess I am just starting to get used to things. I still forget what we are supposed to bring to lessons a lot of the time. Still haven't really figured out what I can eat for lunch that will acutally get me full (and the nearby convenience stores don't really have a wide selection of things to choose from). Still haven't talked to everyone in my class, but atleast I have memorized their names now and I can tell that they all are really nice people!

Even though I haven't spoken to everyone yet, there are some people I talk to and among them there is one, the first one that spoke to me during our first real school day. They said that day that they had seen me during our entrance ceremony and that they had thought I looked really cool.

Me?

Cool?

No,no, you got it all wrong. Anyone can see that I am not cool! Haha.

Still they kept telling me I was cool. I guess I thought that when they get to know me better they will realize that I am not cool, because anyone can see that I am not! And that's ok!

But no, this person is still telling me that I am cool. They have also said that my blue eye, blond hair and accent when I speak in English is cool.
Sometimes they have just told me I am cool several times in a row and I don't really know how to answer.
I guess it's just this persons personality, but maybe it is that in Japan people that are clearly foreigners look cool to Japanese people even if they would be seen as totally uncool in their home country?

In Sweden I have never been considered cool and I never will. Which is totally fine. It is not something that I am aiming for, ya know! But coming to Japan and getting these words thrown at me just isn't something I am used to and it gets me thinking about this stuff.

So if you want to be cool doesn't really matter how you look or what kind of personality you have, just come to Japan and you might just find some outgoing Japanese person that wants a foreign friend that will tell you how cool you are!