Live from Japan!

One day, a few weeks ago Aaron and I went out to lunch with Aaron’s supervisor. Yes, it was that awesome lunch that I mentioned in a previous post. At that point, I hadn’t seen Aaron’s supervisor in a few weeks. Over the course of those few weeks I had gotten a lot of sun. Between the daily bike rides (over an hour) and walking around our city exploring, I had turned a brand-new-to-me shade of tan, and she noticed.

The first thing she said to me when she saw me was, “chotto brown.” Chotto means a little, and brown was referring to the color of my skin. I kind of chuckled and explained to her that I have been outside quite a bit lately and have gotten a little bit of color. She didn’t say anything else about it, but I could tell that she was a little concerned.

Skin color here is still associated with social status. Having pale skin, without any tan, is associated with having a higher status. Especially among women. If you have pale skin, it means that you have enough money and don’t need to labor or work outside. You are affluent enough to stay home, keeping house. Most women are not that affluent nor do they spend all their waking hours indoors keeping house, but they take great strides to protect that image. Many women take great measures to ensure that their skin stays a nice shade of pale.

Even in the middle of summer (and I am positive I have mentioned how hot, humid and miserable it is here in the summer), women will be found fully clothed from head to toe. They will wear sunhats, long sleeves, slacks and gloves. On top of that, they will carry a sun umbrella.

Even bicycling women will be fully protected. If they are wearing short sleeves, they will usually wear arm warmers and have their bicycles equipped with UV blockers. These are a sort of glove that attaches to the handlebars. When you ride the bicycle you put your hand/arm inside the UV blocker to prevent it from getting any sun.

Just looking at these women is enough to make me sweaty! Now, not all women are like this. I have noticed that it is more prevalent among middle-aged and older women, the younger women seem to be going for the sun-kissed tan look. So, who knows, perhaps this perception will disappear in coming years. But, for now, I will enjoy my tan and deal with the judgment. There is no way I am walking around this sweltering jungle with all my skin covered!