Rainy Day Umbrella Etiquette That You Must Know

When it rains here in Japan, blogging ideas pour because there are so many rainy day customs here that may seem normal to a Nihonjin (Japanese) but entirely new to a Gaijin (foreigner) like me. Take for instance this rainy day addition that will greet you as you enter supermarkets, malls or most establishments in general.

Before you enter a store, it is a must that you have to bag your dripping umbrellas in specially-made plastic bags  to avoid wetting the floor and causing harm to other customers The phrase "Slippery when wet" might ring a bell. And these plastic bags, take note, are made especially for umbrellas and will most likely fit umbrellas of all sizes. I guess you can say that Japanese people have everything for anything (or maybe almost). 

Rainy  Day Umbrella Etiquette as demonstrated by my ever willing friend (Thanks yet again Joaqs)

Buying with an additional umbrella baggage

After your umbrella has been bagged and deemed safe for other people's shopping experience, you can then bring your bagged umbrella wherever you go, as you continue on your own shopping routines. Once done, you can remove the plastic bag and just throw it in appropriate trash bins (sometimes located in the same spot where you got the plastic bag in the first place). I just have a question though, If it is always like this when it rains and they do not reuse the plastic bags, where do all the plastic bags go?

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How to Bag Groceries in Japan (Meet the "Packers")

Typical Supermarket Counter is Manned by One Cashier (Photo credit)

I am used to having at least 2 regular figures behind the grocery counter- a CASHIER who takes your items one by one and inputs the prices/quantities of the goods you bought, and a BAGGER who then takes your goods and stuffs them into a box, plastic bag  or paper bag (whichever is applicable). And after your groceries have been "processed" the bagger hands you your items, and you are good to go.

Not in Japan though. Here, you have to BAG IT FIRST BEFORE YOU GO.  That is how it works.

So in a typical Japanese Supermarket, only one personnel cheerfully greets you at the counter. You place your basket on top of the counter and she/he will scan those items one by one and transfer them into another basket. This is actually quite different in my country. We have to take out the items from the basket/pushcart by ourselves and put them on the counter. I remember a friend who got it all mixed up when she went home, and the cashier got a little annoyed because she suddenly put her basket on the counter. @_@

My friend paying in the counter (Thanks Kuya Ronald!)

Anyway, the Japanese will then ask you if you want to have plastic bags  (in Japaneses of course, which I could not quite catch most of the time). I just answer "Hai" (Yes) or "Onegaishimasu" (Please). And after paying for what you bought, the responsibility of packing the goods is all yours.

everything you will ever need is on the bagging table

On a detached table after the cashier, you will find all the space and all the items you would possibly need for packing your groceries. Stuff like plastic bags, scissors, rope, and cutters are yours for the taking. Sometimes the cashier would bag one or two items for you, but for bulk purchases you have to bag them yourself. Once done, you are expected to return the basket and the pushcarts in their proper places. Nobody is actually exempted from this according to my observation, young and old people alike are responsible for themselves.

Meet the "Packers"

bagging groceries Japanese style

my friend posing for demonstration purposes (thanks Joaqs!)

Now is this a good or bad thing? Personally I find it okay. It adds a little physical activity to your otherwise sedentary routine. Also it teaches us to be responsible for whatever we choose to buy. We can control which items go together in one bag. We can divide the items according to how we will carry them/how we will arrange them bike baskets. But on a higher note, I find it a simple gesture to practice independence. We have to start doing what we can do by ourselves and not to depend so much on other people for simple things that we can actually do on our own.

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When Your Neighbor Throws A Pile of Manga, What Will You Do?

The pile

Welcoming me as I arrive home one long night from the lab is this PILE. At first, what they were did not sink in but when I came a little closer my eyes went bigger and then my heart raced and then my palms became sweaty and then... (just kidding..but indeed my eyes became bigger because it was a bit dark ). My neighbor just threw away his collection of Manga. Truly??? Why? How could he possibly?

The Mailbox with Promotional Flyer

 Just so you know, this spot in our apartment is the place where you put your paper trash. It is near the mailbox area. Usually a lot of promotional materials about restaurants, real estate and sale items are stuffed into our mailboxes which kinda makes you feel you receive mail each day. But usually most of these unwanted paper then find their way into the strategic trash bin below.On special occasions you may find other piles of paper in this spot such as the pile of manga above.

The common trash bin for paper trash

Times like these make you wish you could read Japanese. At least that was what I felt. I mean sayang! (A Filipino word for what a waste). Akin ka na lang sana!  Made me realize that you should always be prepared for opportunities. I may be lucky to find this pile but I am not prepared to react well enough and grab the chance. Seriously, if you plan to take someone's trash, you have to at least know what to do with it, and how to make good use of it.

But it also made me realize how it felt for the owner. Why would you keep trash in your room? Why will you hold on to something far longer than needed? Throw away the stuff that you don't  need anymore. Let go of the junk, free up your space to make room for new things...just like in life. Throw them away and move on.

Oh well neighbor...the next day your pile was already gone. I will start cleaning up my closet as well.

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