Differences

During all the JET orientations, we were told to stay at work past 5 o'clock. My work day starts at 8am so technically I can leave at 4pm. But over and over, orientation leaders emphasized the importance of your presence at school after hours. I followed this advice all summer and always stayed 30 minutes - 1 hour later than necessary. As the semester approached I stayed a little longer, because nobody else was going home. When the vice-principal noticed this, he approached me and told me I could go home when I wanted. I think in Japan this is a big deal, but I also thought he was simply being polite, and that I should still stay. The next day, the vice-principal came by again at 4pm on the dot and said, "You can go home." I told him okay, thank you, and a few minutes later I left. Did he want me to leave? In general our vice-principal is very strict, so I was confused about what to do. Was it impolite to stay at school when he told me I could leave? I wanted to show that I was willing to work hard, but I also wanted to acknowledge that he was being especially lenient with me. I couldn't decide what to do so I asked my friend Mayumi.

"I think he tells you that because he knows that in the West, people are very punctual about going home. He thinks it must be strange for you to stay past 4pm." The image of Americans hanging out at the office after 5pm is too funny and too bizarre. It would never happen.

But still, I'm in Japan, so I decided to stay.