I heard a lot about people experiencing culture shocks in reverse when they return to their home countries. Well, I had the opportunity of gathering some first-hand experience on my return. Here are some of the things I noticed.
Toilet paper
I first noticed in the plane that the toilet paper was a lot narrower than I was used to. Half asleep, I thought, "interesting, they even have smaller toilet paper to save space in the plane." Then, at the airport in Frankfurt, I noticed it again and thought, "hmm, Lufthansa must have a pretty good deal for this narrow toilet paper so they put it all over the airport too." And then I got home... and my mom also has narrow toilet paper. And then, finally, it occurred to me that maybe German toilet paper has a different size than Japanese toilet paper. Funny how I failed to notice that when I came to Japan!
Greenery
One thing that really struck me - especially during the first few days - is how green everything was. Everything was violently green, and what wasn't was dotted with white and yellow flowers. Sure, I came back in spring, the very best time for greenery. And sure, I went from living in a multi-million city to a rural village, so the amount of greenery is naturally different. But I guess I had never really noticed before that the landscape in Germany can actually be quite beautiful.
Multi-million city vs. rural village
Maybe the biggest change of all is that I went from living in my own apartment in a multi-million city to living with my family in a rural village with precisely 516 (now 517) inhabitants. Let me tell you something: villages suck. Or, more precisely, they still suck, because I had arrived at that conclusion when I originally moved out... many years ago.
Staring
While in Japan, I heard from several other foreigners that they thought Japanese people stared at them. I never really noticed people staring at me, and I think I now know the reason why: Germans stare. Big time. Especially if you carry oversize luggage, or a backpack, or have an unusual haircut or piece of jewellery, or wear unusual clothing. Or for any other reason. People will stare at others for no apparent reason at all. And many don't look away if you stare back. In comparison to that, the Japanese people are very modest stare-wise - at least they look away quickly if you make eye contact. I think that's why I never thought I was stared at by the Japanese. I was already used to being stared at...
