Ugly American Moments...

You know, with as many rules and cultural issues as there are in Japan - sometimes it's quite hard to follow them all! Believe me, I try to be a good visitor and represent America well. I stand to the left on the escalator and I put my money in the little tray when I'm paying. I also try my best to separate my trash into the many different categories and take my shoes off upon entering a house or temple. However, some days it's just hard to not make a mistake - take today for example...

Today we ventured to Costco - clearly one of my favorite places in Japan. Where else can I get a gigantic sizes of items that I desperately need to survive? They certainly don't sell anything over a quart in the local grocery stores. So picture me, in the laundry detergent aisle, picking up a large bottle of laundry detergent, preparing to place it under my overstuffed card (clearly another problem since it should have been properly organized as I shopped), and suddenly the top popped off the container and detergent began to flow everywhere. The aisle was full of Japanese shoppers who all collectively heard the spill, and took in a giant gasp followed by a resounding "oooooooooh" - it seemed to go on for a full minute! No one came to my aid, they all just seemed to take 3 steps backwards in fear that this sudden mess might infect them in some way.

So I stood there, I quickly picked up the bottle and looked for a worker. There was a woman at the front of the aisle displaying samples and I got her attention and tried to explain that the bottle I was holding had spilled... pointing, gesturing, nothing. She understood nothing. SO - I motioned and said, Come with me and started walking to my overflowing cart. As she reached the cart, the worried face began, and she gasped and oooooohed. I thought to myself, I did what I could do, and then I handed her the broken container and moved as quickly from the scene as I could... mortified in my lack of cleanliness.

I made it through the check out and went for my favorite after-Costco shopping treat, a 250 yen ($2.50) hot dog and soda lunch. As I prepared my hot dog with the fixins I turned around and, yep, you guessed it, knocked my soda on the ground. Same scenario - people gasp, people ooooooh, and then they take 3 steps back. Then they make a concerned face, wondering how in the heck will we be able to maneuver around this mess - it truly makes one feel as if you have thrown the balance of the universe off. And by this time, I'd had enough - I simply walked away and left the mess on the floor - thought they could experience dirt and try to make the best of it.

Of course, I returned not 5 minutes later to refill my drink, and the spill had been completely cleaned. Just to make matters worse - I didn't return the cart - I left it in the middle of the parking lot. Take that -

I've simply decided I just can't do it all. Sometimes I"m going to walk down the road and drink my coffee and sometimes, I may even take it on the subway. I may even give my child a snack while riding the train - EEEK - but I will do my best to take care of my trash but I just can't do it all.