10 Ways to Tell We've Adapted to Life in Japan

1. My orders to Expatexpress (ships American food from Wal-Mart to Japan) are much less in dollar amount and less frequent than they were a year ago.

2. When someone asks me a question...even in English, I will usually respond with, "Hai" which is Japanese for yes. And Bryce's new "pet name" is now Bowman-san...however, it is also used when he gets in trouble, too. :0)

3. I carry around an average of $300-400 in my wallet on a regular basis and don't even think twice about it. (Japan is still very much a cash based society) And we pay our tithing (donation to the church) in CASH!

4. Both Bryce and I forget to tip waiters/waitresses, hair stylists, etc. when we are outside of Japan since in Japan there is no tipping.

5. The gentlemen at the gas station and the ladies at the dry cleaners don't even need to ask me about whether I want the tank filled completely, what type of gasoline, pleats or starch, hangers or folded....they just know.

6. We accidentally turn onto the wrong side of the street at least a few times when we are driving while visiting in the U.S..

7. On those same lines....when we are driving in the U.S., we will inevitably flip our hand for the blinker when meaning to turn on the wipers and vice versa...MULTIPLE TIMES.

8. My children rattle off names like Haruki, Do Hyung, and Tetsuya like they are saying Jack and Jill.

9. The two older kids are as adept with chopsticks as they are a fork and knife. (Their poor uncoordinated mother can't say the same.)

And the top reason I know that we have adapted to life in Japan...
10. We have mastered the bow. We bow at the stores, we bow when in the US and other countries we visit (and get weird looks, too), we even bow when talking on the phone!