Students often ask me about my first impression of Japan. I always give them an honest answer, and they really don't like it. The first thing I thought when I stepped off the plane in Narita was "I smell fish". When I sit at home teaching my students with the windows open, invariably, one of my neighbors will stink up the great outdoors with fish. Unfortunately, some of them seem to be horrible cooks who burn it or use old oil. One thing about living in Japan is that the odor of fish is much more present. This makes sense since this is a food culture which enjoys it some fish. Does anyone enjoy the smell of raw or burning fish? Even those who find it appetizing aren't lingering in the seafood sections, deeply inhaling and thinking, there's nothing better than this. Fresh baked bread scent, it certainly is not.
I won't miss the frequent experience of detecting the odor of fish in the air.
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