If You Like New Orleans, You'll Like Japan Pt.2

So a long while ago when I first started blogging I did a really popular topic called "If You Like New Orleans, You'll Like Japan." If you haven't checked it out yet click here. This article drove it home for me because I consider New Orleans and Japan my homes. They are places that I hold dear to my heart. New Orleans is my physical home, it's where I live and build my life. Japan is my emotional home, where I connect well with society and the way of life (this will be another topic I'll talk about in the future).

I wrote the first part of "If You Like New Orleans, You'll Like Japan" as therapy, this is called Japan Therapy after all. I miss Japan all the time, so I decided to write a blog post for myself in order to cope with not being in Japan. I figured that writing similarities about Japan and New Orleans would help, and it did.

Now, I'm writing this part two for a lot more people than myself. I'm writing to those of you who went to Japan to visit and are missing it like I am. I'm writing to those who aren't knowledgeable enough about Japan to realize how amazing of a place it is. I'm writing to those of you who live in New Orleans like I do but don't know just how close your city is in relation to Japan. I started this blog as therapy for myself, but now I've been on this mission to educate people about Japan. And if you don't live in New Orleans but love Japan, maybe this will give you a reason to visit New Orleans sometimes. Both are very unique places.

Let's get down to business.

Language

Yes, both New Orleans and Japan speak two different languages, English and Japanese. But New Orleans has its own distinct language. You could piggyback New Orleans with the whole southern United States, but even then some words are unique to New Orleans such as city and street names. We use words like "y'all" and pronounce words differently like pecan as puh-cawn not pee-can. Not only do Japanese speak Japanese but they also say words differently depending on what region they're in. People in Tokyo will say words differently than people in Kyoto, it's all in the dialect.

Cooking Ingredients

In my last "If You Like New Orleans, You'll Like Japan" post I talked about New Orleans and Japan having their own food from the rest of the world. Now, I'll be talking about their seasonings and cooking ingredients. New Orleans has so many spices to be used in cooking that I wouldn't be able to name them all. One thing really popular in New Orleans is a boil. You can boil seafood such as shrimp, crabs, and crawfish (mud bugs). Their are so many seasonings and spices that not one person in New Orleans does their boil the same way. Japan is also quite unique in that way. They have their own ingredients such as mirin, cooking sake,and other various seasoning. These cooking ingredients help make the food different from anywhere else.

Sports

Both New Orleans and Japan are very enthusiastic about sports. In New Orleans popular sports are football and basketball. Here, we have interest in all levels of football and basketball, from high school level to a professional level and everything in between. We have some of the most recognizable teams such as our college sports from LSU, our professional basketball team the New Orleans Pelicans, and our professional football team the New Orleans Saints. Japan is just as centered on sports as New Orleans. Their national sport is Sumo Wresting but they have really popular modern sports such as baseball and professional wrestling. If you watch the WWE you've probably heard the wrestlers talk about coming from Japan before making their debut in the United Sates. Japan loves wrestling, just as much as they love their baseball. Baseball is known as America's pastime, but Japan has made it their own. A Japanese baseball game is ten times more entertaining than a baseball game in the US. If you're interested in learning more about Japanese baseball games you can click here to read my freelance article on the subject.

Hospitality

And last but not least, hospitality! Now, of course people have their own personalities so this is just a generalization. New Orleans, being a part of the south, is best known for its southern hospitality. New Orleanians aren't hesitant to stop what they're doing to talk to tourists or helping them out. My husband and I have even offered the southern hospitality to a tourist looking for his hotel. We let him follow us in his car as we drove to his hotel. Japan is that kind of place to. The Japanese are very kind and will go out of their way to help you. I remember going for my honeymoon and being helped so many times. One instance was when my husband accidentally left his Nintendo 3DS at a restaurant we just finished eating at and the waitress ran out of the place with his 3DS in hand, chasing after us. We were so thankful to her. Another instance was at the Osaka Umeda station. We were trying to find the right platform for a train and this Japanese couple with their small child helped us find the platform and stayed with us until we were on the train and waving goodbye. Japan is a pro at hospitality.

I hope you enjoyed these similarities between my two homes. Thank you for reading. Definitely travel to New Orleans and Japan when you have the opportunity.

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