13th July – 文月
Most people firstly think of Japan as Tokyo, Osaka views – huge buildings lined up and people tightly packed in the busy trains. However, if going some distance away from the metropolis, people might surprise there are many green nature views spread around.
Now in Japan it is trending to move to countryside (田舎: Inaka) – people who get tired of busy life in urban area (都会: Tokai) are willing to live in the slower, quieter place.
In today’s blog, I would like to introduce you common things that often be seen in the 田舎. I live in countryside so all those apply to my life in Japan. It can be both good and bad to live in the countryside!
Veggies and Fruits in front of your house
In 田舎, many people grow crops and they harvest so much at once, thus they kindly give them to the neighbors – all at the same time as the harvesting season is the same in the same area! If the neighbor is absent in the house, they just leave the veggies in front of the door, but most likely house owners know who left the veggies for them! Very strong connection between people in the same village.
Right now, many grandmother, grandfather around my village share cucumber to the neighbor houses…Not sure I can finish them all before they go bad!
Crazily exceptional-priced crops
Because the harvesting season is the same (planted at the same time), crops can be taken all at once. Thanks to that, we can get cropos at very very cheap cost in the countryside – For instance, you can get 3eggplants for $1 while in the city it might costs five times higher.
Or even you can have fresh seasonal crops for free as neighbors share them with you!
無人販売店 (Unattended shops) next to the crop fields
When you visit countryside, you should often come across the view with full of veggies and one piggy bank on tables, saying all 100yen ($1) – No sellers attended! This can only be done with high trust in the villagers, and it is normal for them to think others are conscience. So if you are a bad person, do not go there please!!!
You wake up because of the sounds of bugs / animals
This can be very annoying especially in the rainy season (right now), endless singing by frogs in the near rice field, puzzling over villagers! In the autumn, this is replaced by crickets… But thinking positively, it is very tasteful to hear the sounds, since this reminds people of the season each year and also the memories they have in the special time back then!
You definitely cannot miss a public transportation
This is a must to follow if you live in the countryside. BECAUSE THE PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION IS VERY, VERY LIMITED!!! If you miss the one you are supposed to take, you gotta wait for hour to catch the next one… or even worse, no more trains are available. So make sure to have enough time to be at the station in time!
Vending machine for brown rice?!
Looks like an ATM, public bathroom or small shelter but actually it is a place where has a machine to clean the brown rice to make white rice. This place is called コイン精米所 (Coin Seimai Jo) and it is like a definition that if there are コイン精米所 in your town, your place is defined as 田舎!
Inaka-Badasses tradition
Typical 田舎 badasses (called ヤンキー (Yankee) in Japan) have special style: wear school uniform pants very lower down the waist, wear short school vest (they cut their own uniform to make it short), raise the handle of the bicycle (Mantis-handle lol)! It is funny that there is a distinguishing difference between Yankee in the city and countryside (city Yankee often do not look like 田舎ヤンキー). …and when they grow up, they find out their cocky juvenile mistakes haha
Well, there are more common things across in 田舎, but I will stop now!
Those facts are very common in many 田舎 (＊might not apply to all 田舎).
It is mostly true that there are warm and close relationships between villagers in the countryside. Conversely, everybody in town knows about you, so you cannot do any bad!
Which life style would you choose: Convenient life in the metropolis, or friendly atmosphere in the countryside life?
Little Japan Dictionary 
Mantis Handle is cool.
I remember my brothers and I grew up in the capital of country rolling the ripped tire beside a barefoot which lead with a promise of freedom of something beautiful to where we crossed the rocky jasmine scented hill.
I prefer the countryside life Where You wake up because of the sounds of bugs/animals but here we wake up with complaints and high pitched undesired melody of Neighbour.
(P.S: Now I am getting Upset)
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You have such an amazing memory! nice:)
Now I can hear some frogs singing outside as it had been raining too much, but glad it is not so annoying. The thing I realized this evening was there are sounds of cicadas already! Summer is coming soon…!
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