JAPANESE ARUARU
Small moments of Japanese people abroad, seen by the people around them.
ARUARU is Japanese for those familiar “that happens!” moments.
A Japanese friend answers a weekend invitation with “I’d love to, but that day is a little…” You suggest another date; the hesitation returns. What sounded like a scheduling discussion may already have been a gentle refusal.
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A Japanese friend presents some sweets as “nothing special.” The recipient looks from the box to the giver and back. Then comes a taste. Whatever the introduction suggested, the sweets themselves are not disappointing.
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You are about to discard a shopping bag when a Japanese roommate says it can line a bin. Open the cupboard and several bags are already waiting for that job. The shopping is finished, but the bags are not.
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After a snack in the park, a Japanese friend puts the wrappers in a small bag and packs them away. Back home, out they come beside the keys and wallet. Even the rubbish has made it safely home.
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On a sunny day, a Japanese friend arrives under an umbrella. “Was it raining?” you ask, looking up. “The sun is strong.” Under the same clear sky, one person needs an umbrella and the other does not.
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After washing your hands, you queue for the dryer. Beside you, a Japanese friend takes a small towel from their bag and is already drying theirs. At the next washroom, the same little towel makes another appearance.
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In a household that usually uses a dryer, a Japanese roommate carries the washing outside on a sunny day. The host points out the machine. “But it’s sunny.” The dryer is free, yet the garden is the busy part of the house.
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After a Japanese roommate’s bath, the tub may still be full. “I’ll drain it.” “Oh, you can use that water.” Standing beside the same bath, the roommates first need to agree on what happens between one bather and the next.
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After using the bathroom at a Japanese friend’s home, a guest may return still wearing its special slippers. The host’s gaze drops from face to feet. The conversation continues, but the feet need to make a return trip.
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Invited into a home where shoes stay on, a Japanese guest may still slip one heel out before hearing, “Come in as you are.” Permission is settled, but their feet seem to need one more moment at the door.
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In a home where iced sweet tea is usual, a Japanese guest may ask for no sugar. Next time the sugar comes separately, they ask whether hot tea is available too. The same word has been describing rather different cups.
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You go to warm last night’s pizza, but a Japanese friend says it is fine as it is. While the host wants a piping-hot slice, the guest starts eating theirs cold. Breakfast preferences part ways beside the microwave.
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