like one big family with neighbors exchanging food, helping at funerals, and sharing gifts. With increased mobility and the rise in single households this neighborhood network has disintegrated, sometimes with tragic consequences, and efforts are being made by the government, local government agencies, individuals and self-help groups to find new ways for neighbors to look out for each other.
But some of the traditions live on. When you move to a new neighborhood or apartment you should introduce yourself to your immediate neighbors. At other times giving a few homemade cookies or sharing something from your country will be interpreted as a gesture of friendship. You will certainly receive something in return.
Addresses refer to blocks, not to streets: three numbers separated by a dash. The first is the local neighborhood block, the chōme. Within this are perhaps ten to twenty sub-blocks called banchi. If you look at a map, you’ll see these do follow some sort of order, but if you’re walking along a street the numbers are not in sequence. The last number in the address is the number of the house, again not in sequence along a street. Signs on lamp-posts indicate the name of the chōme and the numbers of the chōme and the banchi but Japanese addresses are notoriously difficult to find. Give good directions and send a good map if you invite someone to your home.
Living in a Japanese community entails certain responsibilities. Dues may have to be paid to the town association. Trash is to be put out only on certain days, and in some areas people take turns cleaning the collection point after the garbage truck has left. Neighbors may not look kindly on those who do not abide by these communal rules.
If you want to play an active part in your community, the town association (chōnaikai) will be only too happy to have your help. These bodies, linked both with the city or ward office and with the police and fire departments, are responsible primarily for disseminating information on health, sanitation and the environment. They also organize outings, local festivals and other community activities. You can join the Sunday morning weeding group or the pest-control squad, help supervise baseball practice for children, or participate in planning (and celebrating) the local festival.
You might find that your Japanese neighbors are more tolerant than you are. The prevailing attitude is one of give-and-take (otagai-sama). You put up with their noisy dog and they tolerate your noisy children; your guests can park in front of their gate if their guests can park in front of yours. If you will be the source of disturbance, you can smooth relations with a prior warning or, failing that, an explanation afterward.
If you are new to the area, ask your neighbors about nearby stores, schools, doctors and so forth. The police in the neighborhood police box (kōban) may be able to make recommendations. The Yakult lady who delivers sweet yogurt-type drinks by bicycle, the parcel delivery people, and others who pass through regularly know the entire area and are mines of information. Don’t be afraid to try local markets and family-run shops. You’ll be surprised how much even a little Japanese will make your day-to-day living in Japan more enjoyable.
2.01 Calling on the Neighbors
Your neighbors will probably be the group of five to ten houses around which notices are circulated; if you live in an apartment, they might be the tenants on your floor and perhaps those who share the same staircase. In Japan, a new arrival visits the neighbors, often distributing small gifts.
LIN:
Gomen kudasai. Tonari ni hikkoshimashita Rin desu. Dōzo yoroshiku.
ご免ください。隣に引っ越しました林です。どうぞよろしく。
Hello. My name is Lin and I’ve just moved in next door. Pleased to meet you.
WOMAN:
Kochira koso. Wazawaza arigato gozaimashita. Nihon wa nagai desu ka?
こちらこそ。わざわざありがどうございました。日本は長い ですか。
The pleasure’s mine. Thank you. Have you been in Japan long?
LIN:
Sangatsu kara desu.
三月からです。
Since March.
WOMAN:
Nihongo wa o-jōzu desu ne. Komatta koto ga attara, osshatte kudasai ne.
日本語はお上手ですね。困ったこどがあったら、 おっしゃってくださいね。
Your Japanese is very good. If you’re having trouble with anything, please ask.
LIN:
Arigatō gozaimasu. De wa, sassoku desu ga, gomi wa itsu daseba ii desu ka?
ありがとうございます。では、さっそくですが、ゴミはいつ出 せばいいですか。
Thank you. Well, for starters I was wondering when to put the trash out.
WOMAN:
Moeru-gomi wa getsu, kin. Petto bottoru, purasuchikku no risaikuru wa kayōbi desu. Karendā o sashiagmashō. Asa hachi-ji made ni kanrinin-shitsu no ura ni daseba ii desu.
燃えるゴミは月、金。ペットボットル、プラスチックのリサイ クルは火曜日です。カレンダーを差し上げましょう。朝八時 までに管理人室の裏に出せばいいです。
Burnable refuse is picked up on Mondays and Fridays. PET bottles and plastics for recycling are picked up on Tuesdays. You have to put it behind the caretaker’s apartment by 8:00 a.m.
LIN:
Arigatō gozaimasu. Ja, yoroshiku o-negai shimasu.
ありがとうございます。じゃ、よろしくお願します。
Thank you. Well, I look forward to seeing you again.
2.02 Buying Sweet Potatoes
On cold winter evenings, the potato seller drives around the neighborhood tempting customers with the melodic, plaintive song i-shi-ya-ki imo 石焼きいも (stone-baked potatoes). Why not try one?
KIM:
Konban wa. O-negai shimasu. Ikura desu ka?
こんばんは。お願、いします。いくらですか。
Good evening. Can I have one please? How much are they?
POTATO SELLER:
Sanbyaku-en to yonhyaku en.
300円ど400円。
Three hundred yen and four hundred yen.
KIM:
Sanbyaku-en no mono, ikko kudasai. Sen-en shika nai desu kedo.
300円のもの、一個ください。1,000円しかないですけど。
One at three hundred yen, please. I only have a thousand yen (note).
POTATO SELLER:
Hai. O-tsuri. Dōmo.
はい。おつり。どうも。
Here’s your change. Thanks.
2.03 Asking About Restaurants
In this dialogue, Max asks a neighbor to recommend a congenial watering hole.
MAX:
Konnichi wa.
しんにちは。
Hello.
NEIGHBOR:
Konnichi wa.
こんにちは。