Coming out of the train station I pass by an elderly lady putting down her bags and starting to sit down in the shade at a corner of the building near the stairs. This is now the third or fourth time in about two weeks that I’ve seen an elderly person sitting on the floor somewhere. As the floor isn’t especially clean it seems strange to me that a Japanese person would do this. It’s summer and temperatures have been quite high for some time. Since I had heard that many elderly people die in Japan’s summer, I feel a bit worried about seeing some of them sitting on the floor.
Maybe this elderly lady needs help. Should I ask her whether she’s okay? Would that be impolite? Would I embarrass her? What should I do if she doesn’t understand me or if I don’t understand her? How would I get help for the lady if she needs it?
Part of being a ‘newbie’ in Japan is figuring out how to navigate social norms. Sometimes I manage quite well, but pondering what the right action is in a particular situation is part of my daily life. In the end I decided that the elderly lady’s well-being was more important than the possibility of breaking social norms and embarrassing her (or me), so I asked whether she was okay. At first I didn’t understand her very polite Japanese. But then she used less formal speech and told me that she’s okay and waiting for friends. She asked me where I came from and after chatting a bit she gave me one of the big oranges she had with her.
I still was a bit insecure about whether my actions were acceptable so I confirmed with one of my language teachers the following day. Learning how to navigate new situations in Japan is tedious, but it’s very rewarding when I feel I’m getting better at it.
By Julia—an OMF missionary
