Shoes, Chopsticks, and Buddha – Adventures in Japan

Shoes must be taken off at the door, and chopsticks are used to eat food. Along with 200 other American teachers, I faced these cultural experiences while traveling Japan for three weeks as a guest of the Japanese government and a member of the Fulbright Teacher program. Our purpose on this trip was to be immersed in the culture and to learn about the Japanese educational system.

The "shoe cubby" at a Japanese junior high school

One of my first lessons upon arriving in Japan dealt with footwear. When entering particular Japanese buildings, such as schools, homes, and temples, outside shoes are exchanged for inside shoes. These inside shoes normally resembled slippers, and the slippers never went outside. Japanese people prefer to keep outside dirt out of their buildings. Zones at entryways provide a convenient place where shoes can be swapped.

Japanese students take off their shoes as soon as they enter their school buildings. Shoe cubbies are provided at entryways where their inside slippers wait. The shoe swap takes place, and then students head to class. When the students need to go outside, they switch their shoes again. It’s a never-ending process of taking shoes on and off. As a visitor, I was expected to do the same. Inside slippers were provided for visitors, but I brought my own. My large American feet were not easily accommodated by small Japanese slippers.

My school lunch, including the cuttlefish

Eating with chopsticks is another expectation of a visitor to Japan. I admit that before going to Japan, my ability to eat with chopsticks was poor. But, with nary a fork in sight, I had to quickly master the chopsticks. During a visit to an elementary school, I ate with a group of first grade students in their classroom. They all watched the “American sensei” to see if I could use my chopsticks. Thankfully, I managed the entire meal without a major faux pas, but oh, those kids just waited for me to stumble. Later I realized that I should’ve been more concerned about what was on the menu that day. I ate the school lunch, and the main item was cuttlefish. A Google search revealed that the cuttlefish is a mollusk related to squid and octopus. Thank goodness the cuttlefish on my lunch tray had been deep fried. I have a theory about eating on the road -- I can eat anything, no matter how scary, if it’s deep fried.



One of the many Buddha statues seen in Japan

One of the main religions in Japan is Buddhism. In my mind, I had a picture of what Buddha looked like, so I felt confused by the myriad of statues that I saw in Japan. Which one was Buddha? In time, and after asking questions through various tour guides and translators, I learned that the statues of Buddha do not always appear to look the same. His physical appearance varies from statue to statue. After gaining this bit of information, my sight-seeing in Japan was clearer.

And so, with my shoes off, my chopsticks in hand, and recognizing the Buddha a bit better, I felt more confident with every day I spent in Japan. As those three weeks continued on, I also began to understand and appreciate the people of Japan more.