Culture shock: it can bite you in your passport country too

Maybe you're wondering if I've had a hard time re-entering into Australia, in terms of culture shock. On Saturday we attended a half-day gathering held by our organisation for people in our state interested in mission. It was very full-on. But it was part-reunion—many of the people there have known us since we went to Indonesia as young adults in 1993). There were also fellow cross-cultural workers that we'd heard of, but never met. There was one missionary couple whose lives have paralleled ours in many ways: we left for Asia in the same year, but our lives have rarely cross as we've worked in different countries and come back to Australia at different times.

Someone on Saturday asked if I'd had re-entry shock. But it wasn't easy to come up with many instances of significant shock. Perhaps because I'd been back last year for a couple of months?

I have to say it's been pleasant to be free from the social pressure surrounding masks in Japan, though that had diminished significantly in the last couple of months. 

It has been a little bit of surprise to see signs everywhere in shops and other public service areas telling Australians that there is “zero tolerance of bad behaviour”. In general Australians seem to be conforming to the signs. From what I've heard, though, teachers would be hoping similar signs could be posted in their classrooms! It's really a pity that any signs are needed at all, anywhere! But it did get me thinking about how I'm used to the Japanese value of being considerate of others. It's one of those things that makes foreigners think Japan is such an amazing place (think about the press they've gotten for tidying up stands after big games).

Our street is really quiet, far quieter than you would believe possible, considering there are some really busy roads very close by. However, sometimes we’ve had loud music (during the day so far only). There was a guy building a wall across the street for several days, and he usually played loud music. Then one day last week a neighbour played very loud music mid-morning for an hour or two, loud enough for me to want to keep the doors shut. I can’t work well with non-instrumental music in the background and this music was intrusive. 

These major road works are happening only about 
300m from our house. We don’t hear them. 

Culture shock: this type of thing rarely happens in Japan. People are generally very cautious about doing anything that will cause discomfort to others. Japanese tradies, or others working on people’s houses never seem to play loud music while they work.

The only loud music we encountered at home during the last decade or so was from the kindergarten just down the road. They played it outside occasionally for the kids to perform to, or during sports events. The nearby elementary school did similarly, but less often. Occasionally we’d hear pianos, but never loud recorded music.

It’s this sort of thing (first considering how your actions will affect others, and being very concerned about what others think of you) that marks Japan as much more group orientated than Australia.

Yesterday we went to one of Brisbane's largest shopping centres to meet with our organisation's national director and another worker from Japan who is also on home assignment. As we walked from the car park to the place we were meeting, we travelled on escalators and I briefly wondered if I should adhere to the "stand on left, walk on right" rule that is standard on Tokyo escalators. The difference between the two countries is that if I break an understood rule here in Australia, I'm more likely to be yelled at. That kind of direct confrontation is much less common in Japan, though I have been told off in a train before: for talking too loudly. Last year in Tokyo I was told off in my local grocery store for coughing (into my mask), and no, I wasn't out while sick, I had asthma post-cold.

When you consider that we left Australia in 2000 our late 20s and have only been here for a total of less than four years in the last 22 ½ years, you'd expect that we'd experience some shock. But I guess we've been back every now and then during that period, so have somewhat recalibrated each time. Thankfully I've been spared any dramatic instances of re-entry culture shock so far this year. The difficult thing about it, though, is that it can sneak up on you in the most unexpected moments and really throw you. When that happens you can suddenly feel very disorientated and shaky, especially if it happens in a situation where an immediate response is required by someone who doesn't know anything about you.