Let's get started!
Weather
Yes, Japan and New Orleans have similar climates. I'm not sure how true this is, but I heard recently from someone that southern Americans were assigned to Japan during WWII because it was more likely that the southerns could handle the weather in Japan more than in Europe. This would totally make sense because I've noticed that Japan (specifically central Japan) has the same weather conditions as New Orleans. I always hear people talk about how humid and rainy Japan can get during the appropriate seasons, and I can't help but to think of my own city. New Orleans can be very rainy and humid too (my hair can vouch for that). And not only do we have the same typical weather, but we also sadly share the bad weather such as hurricanes/typhoons. Both New Orleans and Japan have seen its fair share of disasters because of mother nature.
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| Cherry Blossom season is still pretty even if it rains. |
Obvious Tourists
No offense to visitors of these to places, but it is very noticeable that you're not from there. Japan has the super obvious because if you don't look Japanese then they automatically know. In New Orleans, it's a little harder to tell but over the years I've noticed the signs. It's hard to tell in New Orleans because the city is just one "melting pot" full of all kinds of different people. The things that mostly give it away the interaction they have with people and their surroundings. Locals are going to know the do's and don't's of the city while tourists will have to learn by observation or from what they hear on the internet. Another difference is when tourists start talking. New Orleans has it's own accent in their speech when talking and if there is another accent coming out of a person's mouth, then they must be a tourist or someone playing a trick on you (my friend and I were guilty of this once).
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| Asakusa, Tokyo. One of the most touristy places in Japan. |
Being Known for Something
When you think of Japan, what stereotypical things do you think of? Sushi, Mt. Fuji, Geisha, Anime, Robots, Godzilla, etc. The list could go on. New Orleans has this same thing going or it. When people think of New Orleans they think of gumbo, Mardi Gras, Bourbon Street, and alligators. The list is very long. Now some of these things have people misinformed. Like for example in Japan, some people actually think that there are robots everywhere. This is so wrong, as many parts of Japan are still rural. For New Orleans, an example is how people think alligators are just running around everywhere. This is also not true, as the alligators will typically stay by swampy areas (not to say that some parts of the city aren't swampy, but you get the idea).
Distinct Names
Japanese is obviously going to use Japanese names that people with no prior knowledge of Japanese will not be able to pronounce. Even people with some knowledge of Japanese, the pronunciations can get difficult. An example is the Japanese word for parking lot, chuushajou, ちゅうしゃじょう. If I had to get someone to try and say this word I'd probably get them to say it like "chew-sha-joe." It wouldn't be perfect, but it would be pretty close.
In New Orleans, we've got that kind of hard to tell names too. I think ours is way trickier though. An example is the name tchoupitoulas. It's a pretty well known street in New Orleans. The way to pronounce this name is "chop-a-two-liss." Looks nothing like the way it sounds, but that's how a lot of New Orleans names go. Our radio commercials often poke fun at how people not from New Orleans pronounce our names.
Those are your additional similarities between New Orleans and Japan. I hope you enjoyed this one as well and my past blog posts on this topic. I enjoy thinking of these as it gives people from both places a chance to learn about the other. We may be on opposite sides of the world but we have more in common than you may think.
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Until next time!