My biggest cultural faux pas in Japan

Potato-selling car cultural faux pas(cultural misunderstanding).

Potato-selling cars in Japan

                                       Freshly roasted potato on wheels 

I don't know about you guys but there are some things in foreign countries that you just don't get it.

I came from a country that is predominantly Christian. Now, I know you might be asking, what does religion have to do with potato-selling cars in Japan. 

Well!, this is the interesting part, Back home I am so used to specific ways in which Christians' sermons are conducted like how the priests tone their voices to conduct their sermons in churches. This background of mine created the longest cultural faux pas for me with potato-selling cars in Japan.

I came to Japan at end of the winter of 2019. This is the time of the year when the cars that sell potatoes are very active. Every afternoon these cars usually drove very slowly by the street where I lived and there were always songs coming from them. No one at that time told me what they were, so I quickly came up with my own answer. 

At that time I had not a single clue about the Japanese language so when I listened to the songs coming from the cars. To me, it sounded exactly like how priests usually conducted their sermons every Sunday in churches back home.

At the same time, I lived next to a mosque, and where I lived there are many shrines and temples. These surroundings gave me a very strong impression that these cars definitely have to do with some kind of religious blessing ceremony that goes around blessing people. But it was just a big cultural misunderstanding.

Since the day I first saw the potato-selling cars and heard their songs  I  started believing that the potato-selling cars are a religious medium where Japanese temple priests go around carrying out their blessing rituals.  I started giving all my respect to these cars. 

Whenever I am in my room and these cars passed by I always stop whatever I'm doing and be still. Whenever  I am walking and these cars passed by I always stop and be still. I did not know at that time that I was wasting all my precious respect and good energy on potato-selling cars. 

At the same time, I always wondered why the Japanese are not respecting these religious cars. They say Japanese people are very respectful, but why are they not respecting these cars. In fact, they seem to be avoiding these religious cars. After all, these cars go around blessing their neighborhoods.

These potato-selling cars always played the same song on a loop and the songs usually sounded like prayers from Christian churches. At the same time, I always saw smoke coming out of the cars' jimmies. The smoke reminded me of the incense that priests burn on alters to bless people at Sunday's church service. So,  whenever I saw these cars,   heard their songs, and saw the smoke. Deep inside my heart I always felt so blessed. I truly felt that the lord has not forsaken me in this strange land and I am not alone. 

From 2019 to 2021 I was strongly convinced and believed these cars are religious cars going around blessing people. So I gave my full respect to them. I literary bowed to these cars and took off my cap whenever they passed by.

Then I moved to Fukushima at the end of 2021. That year my Japanese partner came from Hokkaido to spend her Christmas with me. One afternoon in snowy December while coming back from Benimaru supermarket in Hobara. Out of nowhere, one of the potato-selling cars droved past us. I said, stop! be still!.  My partner was shocked so she asked why?. I said,  don't you see it. It is a  religious car and we have to show our respect. I was already in my full respect mode.

She said what!. No way, it's not. It is a potato car. They sell potatoes in the cold months. I still did not believe her. So I asked her to explain further what she meant. I looked at her with so much shock after she finished explaining. I could not believe her. I said,  so you are telling me that for 2 years I have been bowing and respecting potatoes selling cars. She laughed the whole way back home.

Still to this day. I still can not comprehend my huge cultural faux pas with the potatoes selling cars in Japan for 2 years. Every time  I told my Japanese colleagues about it they always die out laughing.