When in Japan, Do as the Japanese Do

 

A rainy visit to Ginza reminded me how clean and orderly Tokyo is—and how international the city has become. Watching tourists from around the world, I found myself thinking about the old saying, "When in Rome, do as the Romans do."

My wife and I went to Ginza to buy a gift for my mother's 88th birthday, a special milestone in Japan known as beiju.

I pass through Tokyo's major railway terminals every day, but it had been quite a while since I last got off a train and walked around one of the city's busy shopping districts.

Or so I thought. Come to think of it, I had been to Shinjuku just the other day.

Anyway, despite the heavy showers that kept coming and going under the influence of Typhoon No. 30, Ginza was packed with people.

As I had noticed in Shinjuku, what seemed like 70 percent of the people walking around were foreign tourists. I was particularly struck by the variety of nationalities represented.

Tokyo has truly become an international city.

 

And yet, what impresses me most about Tokyo is how clean it is.

There is hardly any graffiti, the subway stations and trains are clean, and above all, there are plenty of public restrooms.

I remembered my recent visit to New York, when I had a hard time finding a public restroom. When I finally found one, I was astonished by how dirty it was.

Apparently, one of the things that makes foreign visitors nervous about coming to Japan is wondering whether they are following all the local rules and customs.

But watching these tourists behaving so politely and considerately, I felt that they, too, were helping to maintain the beauty and cleanliness of the city.

They seemed to be putting the old saying, "When in Rome, do as the Romans do," into practice.

Or perhaps, in this case, I should say, "When in Japan, do as the Japanese do."

Somehow, I found that rather satisfying.

A beautiful city stays beautiful when everyone, residents and visitors alike, does their part.

・・・

• beiju (米寿) — The traditional Japanese celebration of a person's 88th birthday. The character 米 (rice) can be broken down into elements resembling the characters for eighty-eight (八十八).

• railway terminal — A major train station where multiple lines or services connect.

• shopping district — An area with many shops, department stores, and restaurants.

• be packed with people — To be extremely crowded.

• be struck by — To be strongly impressed or surprised by something.

• graffiti — Writing or drawings on walls and other public surfaces, often without permission.

• local rules and customs — The social expectations and accepted ways of behaving in a particular place.

• When in Rome, do as the Romans do — An English proverb meaning that visitors should respect and follow the customs of the place they are visiting. The Japanese equivalent is 「郷に入っては郷に従え」.

• do one's part — To contribute one's share of effort toward a common goal.

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