Wear masks, eat coldly, and maintain social distancing before the epidemic
The Japanese starvation is small, but the loss of "cleanness" is big?
◎Lingyun
At the time when winter and spring are warm and cold, the prevention and control of the new crown epidemic still cannot be relaxed. Maintaining good living habits can help us to fight against the virus to a certain extent. Among them, "hygiene" can be said to be the primary line of defense for maintaining health.
The Japanese habit of paying attention to cleanliness and tidiness is obvious to all. Ever since I came to live in Japan, the behavior of Japanese people who love to be clean and "perverted" has often made me "amazed".
The global outbreak of the new crown epidemic forced everyone to wear masks, implement a meal-sharing system, maintain social distancing, wash hands and disinfect frequently. In fact, Japanese people have been practicing these good living habits in daily life long before the epidemic, a scientific garbage classification system and People's meticulous waste disposal habits are the last line of defense for a clean life.
The Japanese have received health education since childhood, and the awareness of paying attention to hygiene and caring for the environment can be said to have been integrated into their blood.
Japanese are not sick and they are used to wearing masks
In the more than a year that the new crown epidemic has swept the world, wearing masks has become a standard for everyone to go out, but Japan has been popular to wear masks long before the new crown epidemic spreads, and Japanese people are accustomed to wearing masks without getting sick.
Masks can be bought in all convenience stores in Japan, and the masks in supermarkets and drugstores can occupy a large shelf alone, with various styles and functions.
The popularity of masks worn by Japanese people is largely due to the fact that there are so many people suffering from hay fever, which is caused by stress and is also related to the types of vegetation.
The tall and straight cedar trees are good materials for building houses, and Japan planted a lot after World War II.
The cedar trees are dioecious, and the pollen mist formed by the pollen explosion of male cedar trees in spring resembles the smoke from a fire and is the main killer of hay fever.
Hay fever is called allergic rhinitis in China, and the number of patients is very large. Sneezing and runny nose are painful.
For Japanese people who pay attention to etiquette, snorting and blowing their noses in public places will make them feel ashamed of disturbing others. Therefore, wearing a mask to prevent inhalation of pollen is for themselves and others.
People in Japan wear masks when they are sick to consciously prevent the virus from spreading to others.
Some special industries also have strict requirements for wearing masks. For example, before the new crown, the nursing home where my lover Kawaguchi-kun worked has required all employees to wear masks all the time from the beginning of the fall to work until the end of the spring of the second year to minimize the infection of germs. Possibility for the elderly.
In addition, wearing a mask can also isolate the breath and prevent bad mouth odor from affecting others during close conversations.
When it comes to "smell", this is another aspect that Japanese people pay attention to.
"Smelly" is an enemy that must be eliminated
Xu Jingbo has done an audio program: Why do Japanese men's feet not smelly?
This is of course related to frequent bathing and changing clothes, because most Japanese bathe every day.
In Japan, high-tech shower heads with ultra-fine water flow are popular in recent years, which are said to clean every pore.
However, Chinese people like to take a bath before going to bed at night, and go to bed refreshingly, while Japanese people like to take a bath before going to work in the morning, showing a clean face.
In addition, Japanese people brush their teeth in the morning after eating breakfast, because they are going to go to work next, and it feels that their personal hygiene is largely for others.
Except for the jacket, Kawaguchi-kun changes all clothes every day.
I said that I have to open the washing machine once a day for one or two pieces. Can’t I save a few more days?
He found it incredible, saying that most Japanese people wash every day.
Because Japanese people often encounter situations where they take off their shoes and sit on the tatami, the smelly feet is a disaster.
In addition to changing socks every day, there are also many anti-sweat products in the drugstore.
The Japanese are also tireless in the development of antibacterial and deodorant products. Laundry detergent and shower gel will sell very well as long as the words "antibacterial and deodorant" are marked.
Japanese people always have anti-bacterial and deodorizing sprays in their homes, and they can be sprayed everywhere in the air on the bed and table.
After the outbreak, the Japanese people have been using the disinfection and sterilization items we sprayed.
In some Japanese dramas, the otaku who loves cleanliness will desperately spray deodorant spray on the sofa where a friend sat, although he may not smell much.
Eliminate the "stinky", but also to pursue "scent".
In Japanese supermarkets, in addition to various fragrance household sprays, indoor car diffusers, there are smelling samples like perfume counters, and many washing products on household lotion shelves also have smelling samples. Housewives can choose to wash according to their favorite scent. liquid.
Speaking of here, there is an interesting episode.
One day Kawaguchi-kun came back from get off work and I smelled an unfamiliar perfume on him, and I was suspicious.
I secretly went to the bathroom and smelled all kinds of shampoos, body washes and body lotions in my house, but they did not smell the same.
The answer was automatically announced the next day when I changed into freshly washed clothes. It turned out that my house used another brand of laundry detergent newly bought by Mr. Kawaguchi from the day before.
What I didn't expect was that laundry detergent could achieve a perfume-like fragrance, and the fragrance lasted so long.
But I don't like this perfumed laundry detergent at all, I prefer "tasteless".
In fact, Japan also pursues "tasteless" in such "tasteless" occasions. For example, go to higher-end restaurants, kapok, kiosks, etc. You must not have perfume on your body that will affect your perception of the taste of food. Of course, sweat smells and smokes. There should be no bad taste.
The Japanese eat lightly. As for raw onions and garlic, they will try not to eat them to avoid bad breath.
Once I went to Tokyo with Kawaguchi-kun, and a junior asked us to eat Chongqing hot pot. I dipped the garlic sesame oil dish and it was naturally full of garlic after eating.
I took out the chewing gum I was carrying with me. Kawaguchi-kun smiled and shook his head, and dragged me into the convenience store. It turned out that there was a chewing gum specially designed to relieve my breath.
There is the God of Wealth in the bathroom, of course it must be absolutely clean
The cleanliness of Japanese public toilets is obvious to all, not only is there no smell and spotless.
The toilets in some big shopping malls are comparable to the living room. There is a large makeup area and rest area outside the toilet area. Many people will sit in it for a nap, because it is surrounded by flowers and aromas, there are also soft music and floor-to-ceiling glass. The passing sunlight, tree shadows, and even some bathrooms have one or two beautiful photo backgrounds.
The toilets in ordinary places, although not so luxurious, are still absolutely tidy and clean, whether it is a simple mobile toilet on the street, a toilet at a tram station with a crowd of people, or even a toilet that is inaccessible on a rural road.
I was surprised when I saw fresh cut flowers on the washbasin in the toilet of the expressway service area for the first time, and I touched it. They are indeed real flowers, very fresh, and they must be replaced in time.
Later, it was discovered that there are toilets in every highway service area, and a carefully matched bouquet of flowers was brilliantly placed on the sink, which refreshed the spirit of the journey.
It is conceivable that the washbasin with beautiful flowers will not be stained with water, and every toilet is also very clean. In addition to the meticulous and frequent cleaning by the staff, the users must also pay attention.
Indeed, the most important thing for the Japanese is the cleanliness of the bathroom. They think the God of Wealth lives in the bathroom. If it is not clean, the God of Wealth will not come.
This is true in public places, and even more so in the family.
After living in Japan for a period of time, I found that my toilet has always been as clean as ever. I asked Mr. Kawaguchi: "What high-tech materials are used in Japanese toilets, and how can they not get dirty?" Mr. Kawaguchi smiled again: "Where can there be such materials? It’s me who cleans the toilet every day.” I just learned that my husband used the toilet for a long time, not because of constipation, but because he was working hard to clean the toilet.
According to the legend, the Japanese will clean the toilet to the extent that the water in it can be drunk. I will not drink it anyway, so I can’t help you verify it.
Toilets in Japan are made from washes, even in the most common public places. They think how can they be wiped clean with paper, so they have to wash the body.
In addition, their toilet paper is water-soluble and can be thrown directly into the toilet to flush away, so the toilet generally does not put waste paper baskets.
When the epidemic first broke out in Japan, there was a phenomenon of looting toilet paper. It probably shows from a certain aspect that for Japanese people, starvation is a small matter, and loss of "cleanness" is a big deal.
Women’s hair loss is probably the nightmare of every Japanese man
Many Chinese people admire Japan's cleanliness when they travel to Japan.
Not only can there be no traces of peel, confetti, sputum, but also less dust, the little white shoes will basically not get dirty even after walking for a week.
That kind of smoking while walking does not happen in Japan. Smoking should be done in fixed smoking spots-glass houses set up on streets, stations and other places. Not only will soot not be emitted, but the smell of smoke will be blocked.
Talking about hygiene is also a way to welcome the Japanese. When driving to the gas station to refuel, the staff will enthusiastically come over to clean the car for free. Even if the car is not dirty at all, he has to wipe it hard. This It is to attract car owners to come back next time.
The small gifts for street hair are usually paper towels, but in fact, most Japanese people still retain the habit of carrying handkerchiefs with them. They will use their own handkerchiefs for wiping sweat and mouth. I don’t know if this habit is true. It is unique in the world.
At the beginning of my relationship with Kawaguchi-kun, his cleanliness made me feel great-I have never seen a single man's home so clean.
I asked him, do Japanese men love cleanliness so much?
He said it is normal under normal circumstances.
Once an alumnus came to my house to play and asked Kawaguchi-kun if he never cooks, why the stove is new?
In fact, it is the kitchen he has used frequently for half a year, and there is no trace of using it at all because he will wash the dishes and wipe the stove as soon as he finishes eating. No matter how tired he is, he will never delay, even if I am away. Calling him is just in time for him to clean up the kitchen, and I have to hang up to make way.
He used to wipe the kitchen with alcohol-based disinfectant wipes. This kind of thing we rushed to buy after the outbreak is the daily standard of Japanese families.
After I lived in Japan, he was awkward because of his pursuit of the ultimate cleanliness of the kitchen. He even asked to keep it clean and tidy during the cooking process. The dry and wet areas in the kitchen are clear, and the kitchen waste is immediately cleaned up. The tools are also cleaned the first time.
If according to his standards, after cooking, the kitchen should be as clean as ever before eating. This makes it difficult for me to adapt to the habit of tidying up the kitchen after eating.
Kawaguchi-kun would also pick up every scum that fell on the ground and wipe off every drop of water.
After I came, he started to struggle with my hair loss again, always trying to pick up every hair on the bed and floor, and while picking it up, he said, "Will you become bald in 5 years, my wife?" In fact, I definitely count. The person who had lost less hair had to pick up his short hair to fight back.
Once I had been back to Beijing for more than half a month, he called and told me that he had picked up my hair again.
One day at dinner with his friend, the Japanese man vomited the horror scene of his wife, three daughters and four women losing their hair together-a woman's hair loss is probably a nightmare in every Japanese man's heart.
Except for the crowded housing in big cities such as Tokyo and Osaka, people in many parts of Japan have "one-family-built" homes. Everyone will clean the yard and the entrance of the yard without exception.
Kawaguchi-kun also likes to sweep the yard. In autumn, the leaves of maple leaves and four photoshop flowers are scattered in front of the doorstep, which is very natural. He wants to sweep it clean. He said that in Japan, if the garden is full of fallen leaves and is seen by passers-by , Would say that this family is lazy.
The Japanese also pay special attention to the cleanliness of the entrance, and there must be no dust on the ground.
Sometimes I stepped on the soil from the garden and brought it back to the entrance. He was like an enemy, and he would be swept away in seconds.
Japanese people do household sanitation by themselves, and rarely hire housekeeping services. On the one hand, because Japan’s labor costs are really high, on the other hand, hiring housekeepers will also be regarded as lazy.
"Hygiene" also comes from social with a sense of distance
Some Japanese etiquette traditions objectively guarantee "hygiene", such as their seemingly "conservative" and "cold" social habits.
Not only do Europeans and Americans stick their faces and kisses in Japan, they also basically do not shake hands or make physical contact.
They all rely on bowing when they meet and say hello and farewell, and the more respectable people will be, the farther away they will be, causing foreigners to misunderstand them and be cold.
The Chinese people’s affection for their friends is sometimes expressed by hooks and shoulders, while the Japanese are expressed by non-stop bowing.
The 1 meter social distance that we emphasized after the outbreak of the new crown epidemic is actually a daily habit of the Japanese, and the non-contact social method is obviously more suitable for the epidemic era than the cuddling in Europe and the United States.
The performance of the Japanese at the table is also very "cold"-they are strictly divided meals, and almost never go to the same plate when eating together, because all food is divided by head.
In addition, each family member has his own special tableware and disposable chopsticks for the guests. The guests will never use the tableware of the owner.
However, in general, Japanese people do not like to entertain friends to have dinner at home.
Contrary to what we like to talk about while eating, Japanese dining tables are very quiet, and if we chat, we talk softly.
Their table manners are not to talk when there is something in your mouth. Even if the other person asks you something, you have to swallow the thing in your mouth before answering.
This kind of chat that cannot be asked and answered is obviously meaningless, so it is easy to understand that it is easy to talk less when eating.
In addition, the Japanese do not have the habit of picking up food for others, no matter how close they are, let alone strangers.
These "cold" habits have become benefits in the epidemic era, reducing the chance of spreading the virus on the dinner table.
Garbage classification is the last line of defense for a clean life
Those who have traveled to Japan must have seen the rows of garbage bins in front of the convenience store. Not only do they clearly distinguish the types of garbage, but the outer walls and surroundings of the garbage bins are also clean.
In Japan, even if you throw out garbage, you will never be sloppy. The scientific garbage classification system and people's careful and meticulous waste disposal habits keep the last line of defense for a clean life.
Japan has established a complete garbage classification system since the 1990s. The municipal government is responsible for recycling garbage. The system of each place is different. Japanese people have to learn a little bit when they go to other areas.
Take the city of Heshui, Toyama Prefecture, where I live as an example. We dispose of garbage according to the garbage collection calendar issued by the city government every year. Kawaguchi-kun posted it on the side of the refrigerator and it was easy to see, although he had already memorized it.
General garbage is divided into three types: combustible garbage, non-burnable garbage and resource garbage.
Combustible garbage is the so-called wet garbage and dry garbage in Shanghai. Waste food, paper, some plastics, clothes, carpets, tree branches, etc. are all combustible garbage.
Combustible garbage can not be put in any garbage bag. Our city requires that it must be put in garbage bags designated by the government. It is sold in supermarkets and drugstores in the city. It is slightly more expensive than ordinary plastic bags. Part of the cost is actually equivalent to garbage disposal fees.
However, Kawaguchi-kun’s hometown, Atsugi, Kanagawa Prefecture, does not have designated garbage bags, but transparent bags are required.
More importantly, garbage can not be thrown out every day. The burnable garbage collection days in half of the communities in Sheshui City are every Monday and Thursday, and the other half are on Tuesday and Friday.
Each community is divided into "classes", and each class has a fixed combustible garbage recycling station.
There is a silver trash bin at the back of my house. The bins are usually locked and unlocked only on recycling days to prevent crows, flies, cockroaches and other pests from being thrown away on non-recycling days.
The first time I passed by the trash can, I was amazed at how clean it was. Not only was the surface polished silver, but the surrounding ground was also free of stains.
It turned out that each family in the class had to take turns to take the role of "garbage duty", opening the lock twice a week on the morning of each recycling day. After the recycling truck collects the garbage, it is also responsible for washing the inside and outside of the box and locking it. Put the key into the mailbox of the next person in charge.
There are more than 20 households in our class, and each household is on duty twice a year.
The non-combustible garbage and resource garbage collection days are based on the dates on the garbage collection calendar, and there are only twice a month.
Taking the community as a unit, people in the whole community take turns as the resource garbage, and only once in a few years, the person in charge will place a recycling bin for each resource garbage in the recycling station.
Many Japanese families, like mine, put two large trash cans in the kitchen, one for combustible garbage and the other for resource garbage.
Even if it is garbage, it must be cleaned up before throwing away. For example, beverage bottles and food packaging must be washed and dried or folded flat before throwing into the trash can.
When I first arrived in Japan, I always cleaned it briefly, but Kawaguchi-kun had to pick it out and smell it. He only passed the test when there was no smell. He said that otherwise it would attract insects and mice. The meticulousness really made me sigh.
Kawaguchi-kun will also specially save packaging bags like potato chips that can isolate the taste. The kitchen waste when eating seafood at home will be put in and sealed before being thrown away to prevent attracting wild cats.
In fact, I have lived in Japan for more than half a year, and I have never seen a stray cat or dog. The owner will always carry tools for picking up feces when walking the dog, and clean up the pet's excrement as soon as possible.
My family does not have pets, but I have planted a lot of plants. Kawaguchi-kun told me that I must not allow plants to extend beyond their own boundaries to neighbors. It is impolite for leaves to fall on someone else’s land.
Nowadays, I have gradually learned better hygiene habits from Kawaguchi. I asked him "Is every Japanese hygienic-conscious like you?" He said that most people are like this. Japanese people have received hygiene education since childhood. The awareness of paying attention to hygiene and caring for the environment has long been integrated into their blood.