On Not Mincing Words and 100 Yen Shops

Growing up, confrontation, blunt talk, saying what one really means was simply not a part of daily life.  Subtlety, implications heavy with nuances, hidden intent not clearly spelled out, all this was normal in Japan.  Imagine my shock then, fast-forwarding several decades when it's now okay to say what until now was kept inside.  Don't get me wrong.  It's not that all polite talk has been replaced with directness.  Make no mistake.  For the most part, tact still rules.  There are, however, exceptions.  These are noticeable.  These stand out. 

There's this, for example.

It reads, "How many times I gotta say it?!  If you drink, don't drive."

This is blunt in Japan.  It's almost shocking.  It's the smack across the head to those stupid enough to break rules.

Then there's this.
"It's not that you can't.  It's that you don't."  Particularly applicable post-March 11th, for those Japanese (in particular) who are "too busy" and for whom "Tohoku is alright, right?"

I find this refreshing.  There are those here in Japan who will say this kind of frankness is the result of an educational system that promotes self-assertion, a no-no until several decades ago when group-think was the norm.  As an American, I know it's not my place to plug any one "norm" where it's not welcome.  No one culture is superior to another. 

Those subjects alone could turn into several dissertations, so I'll save them for another day.  This notepad, the one on the right was bought at one of Japan's many 100 yen stores.  My new Mecca, I pretty much decorated my entire apartment with items brought here.  Some stores are small "hole-in-the-wall" shops while others take up four floors of a department building.  The merchandise sold here is not high-end, and it's most certainly not fashionable.  It "passes" which isn't bad for someone on a budget.

After dinner one night, I passed one such store as I made my way back to the bus stop.  At first I kept going, but then turned around and made my way down into the basement.  I could afford 500 yen on items I didn't otherwise know I needed.  It's a short-term shopping fix. 

The notepad caught my eye.  I don't need it, of course.  It begged to be bought.  The notebook fairy called out, "Buy me.  Buy me."  I obliged.  If nothing else, a conversation piece it would be.  "Who do you think it's referring to?"  "It's true, don't you think?"  "It's okay to be that blunt if you're telling the truth.  Or no?"

I will pull it out of my bag at hopefully just the right moment and see the reactions both it and I receive.  Blunt talk and 100 yen shops.  An unlikely duo if there ever was one.