Won't Miss #343 - the envelopes

A counter with forms and a glue dispenser at a post office. They know you're going to need it.

Back when I first came to Japan, I wrote to a lot of folks back home, and this was before home computers were cheap and accessible for all, let alone e-mail being the norm. At that time, I had ample experience with the frustration of Japanese envelopes and I was reminded of that recently when sending something by snail mail. The envelopes here come in three flavors - flaps with no glue on them, flaps with glue on them, and those with peel off strips that reveal sticky goo and allow you to seal the envelope. The last type is the most expensive and not particularly common. The first is most common and the second, which are the type you usually buy in the U.S. and lick the dried glue to seal, turn out to be one of the worst purchases one can make if one lives in Tokyo. I found this out when I stored a box of Christmas cards with envelopes which I bought from home. By the next year, every single envelope had self-sealed because of exposure to summer humidity. It was at that point in time that I understood why most envelopes have no glue on them at all and require you to fussily mess with a glue stick to seal them up. Glue sticks aren't hard to use, but envelopes aren't the type of thing you can slather glue on willy-nilly. You have to place the flap on a piece of scrap paper because you have to apply glue up to the edge and only apply glue to the outermost part (or you will glue the flap to the letter inside).

I won't miss the annoyance of having my envelopes seal themselves or carefully applying glue to Japanese envelopes.

Will Miss #245 - housing brochures

 Click to see a larger version.

I have a peculiar fascination with the types of housing brochures that litter my mailbox. At least once a week, I get a large flyer advertising condominiums in my area. I'm fascinated by them for a variety of reasons. First of all, I like to see the sizes and relative prices. Second, I like to see how they conceptualize the spaces and lay them out. Third, I'm amused by the sterile, minimalist furnished spaces they show which you know no one will live like. I think I find these so interesting because of the small spaces and outrageous prices. Many Japanese folks live in spaces the size of a college dorm room, and these condos reflect a culture which is accustomed to making do with far less space.

I realize this is a strange thing to miss, but I do enjoy looking at these and will miss them.

Won't Miss #159 - mail order limitations

One of the most frustrating things about living in Japan (or abroad in general) is that you can't order many items from the U.S. and have them shipped abroad. This is often so for computer and electronic items as well as software, but also clothing, packaged food items, and kitchenware. The electronics and sundry household items are limited because allowing goods sold more cheaply in the U.S. to be sent to Japan would undermine sales in domestic venues. The software, however, makes no sense. I want to buy it in English rather than Japanese. The chances that a Japanese person would choose English software that is cheaper over Japanese version which are more expensive are quite low, yet software cannot be shipped to Japan.

I won't miss the limitations on mail ordering certain types of items from Japan.

Won't Miss #25 - mailbox junkmail bombing

In America, it's illegal for people to walk up to your mailbox and just cram advertising in it. This is the reason why restaurants in big cities hang menus on your door handle rather than cram them in the mailbox. In Japan, anyone can cram anything they like into your mailbox. If you go away on vacation for a week, you're likely to return to a box that is bursting at the seams with advertising of all types.

I won't miss having to weed out the crap from my mailbox everyday or sorting through it all to find my real mail.