- You bow when talking on the phone.
- You've figured out kanji for your name.
- You have a personal inkan and a koseki, and you know what those are.
- You've accidentally said 「お疲れ様です」 to a friend from your native country.
- You take your shoes off when visiting your native country.
- You get upset when having to use a toilet without a heated seat and butt spray.
- You forget to tip when visiting your native country.
- You've gotten stuck in the door when rushing for the train on multiple occasions
- You've been scolded by train station staff for rushing into the train on multiple occasions.
- The first thing that pops into your head on a cold day is 「寒いですね!」
- You freak out when you see people wearing shoes in the house.
- You know the names of all 48 members of AKB48.
- You like natto.
- You're so good with chopsticks you can catch flies.
- You've corrected a Japanese person's kanji stroke order on multiple occasions.
- You feel guilty about leaving work on time.
- When someone asks you how long you've lived in Japan, you simply reply, "Too long."
- When someone compliments you, you deny it replying 「いいえ、いいえ」.
- You make that chopping hand motion when moving through a crowd of people.
- You say etto and ano when thinking or pausing.
- You make that sucking sound some Japanese men make.
- You slurp noodles like a pro.
- You're sitting on the floor when everyone else is in chairs.
- Visiting your native country feels like visiting a foreign country, and returning to Japan feels like coming home.
- You have more point cards than blood cells.
- People tell you you've been in Japan too long.
- Japanese people think you're Japanese.
- You say eeeeeeeeh when surprised.
- You've driven one of those black vans demanding all foreigners leave.
- You no longer suck at math.
- You're 20 kg lighter than you were when you moved to Japan.
- You think Disneyland is the awesomest place in the freakin' universe.
- You own over 5 Louis Vuitton products.
- When you first came to Japan you had blonde hair and blue eyes, but now you have dark hair and brown eyes.
- You smell like cigarettes and soy sauce.
- You've forgotten your native language.
- People call you Tanaka-san.
- You teach Japanese people Japanese.
- You fold plastic bags into 2 cm triangles.
- You wear jeans and a skirt in the same outfit.
- You use both hands when handing another person something.
- You've appeared on television saying 「おいしい!」
- You've forgotten when the 4th of July is.
- You can no longer pronounce "r" or "th."
- You're a ninja.
- You flash the peace sign when posing for a picture.
- You wear a surgical mask during hay-fever season.
- The novel you're reading has a paper cover on it.
- You ignore phone calls on the train, but get off at the next platform and call back.
- You drink those vitamin energy drinks while working overtime.
- You eat noodles at a standing bar-type noodle shop, and you drink all the soup.
- You love the Eagles and Bae Yong Joon.
- You cover your mouth when you laugh.
- You can sleep standing up on the train.
- Your chihuahua gives you fashion tips.
Related Articles
Which Japanese Bank Do You Rec...
I get this question a lot: "I just moved to Japan and need to open a bank account. Which bank do you recommend?" While many Japanese people would likely recom...
Mobile Phones in Japan
I'm "the" IT guy for the Tokyo branch office of a much larger European firm, so I often have to assist visitors from overseas offices with their Japan mobile ph...
Life in Japan - Streaming USA...
After conquering the challenge of watching USA Netflix in Japan (explained here: How to Watch Netflix in Japan), there unfortunately still remained a minor dent...
Attention-Hungry America and S...
The What I'll just go ahead and say it from the get-go: American culture just doesn't have as many privacy or modesty provisions built into it as Japan does...