You Know You've Lived in Japan Too Long When...

Japan is a country full of tradition and breath-taking beauty but with that beauty comes an infinite number of idiosyncrasies that can make you scratch your head at the very least. Sometimes these quirks make foreigners want to run for the cherry blossom-covered hills but for a select few, the silliness and/or eccentricity rubs off and it's what makes us want to return again and again.

1. You once winced at the incessant amount of vending machines littering every street but one night you wake up all sweaty after having a nightmare about being stranded somewhere without them.

2. When ordering food in English for once instead of Japanese, you ask for lice instead of rice. This is especially embarrassing when eating out with your fellow English-speaking co-workers, who will never ever let you live it down.

3. You can't help but stare at foreigners in wonder as if they have two heads as if you are somehow not in the same category.

4. You think, "It's okay just this once to pay $80 for a full tank of gas," when you are only minutes away from cheap gas on an American military base.

5. You master the art of eating corn with chopsticks and are complimented by natives.

6. You and your entire office unconsciously whistle the garbage truck tune when it drives by.

7. You learn Japanese only to realize that nationals love to make fun of how pale you are out loud.

8. You've encountered vending machines containing adult toys and videos right next to vending machines with noodles and canned bread on a country road.

9. You can differentiate and correctly use wa and ga in your sentences.

10. Upon returning to your respective country, you go through bento withdrawals (which don't go away with time).

11. You master the art of not noticing people when you walk by them.

12. You relent to the policy of, "Shou ga nai," and truly feel at peace with that which can not be helped (such as that $80 tank of gas or $10 pack of gum).

13. You've been casted as the goofy gaijin (foreigner) in a Japanese commercial at least once and was okay with the "experience" despite being previously appalled at the stereotype.

14. You've belted out the song Yatta by heart many times at karaoke parties but save the little Yatta dance for the privacy of your own home. (Go here to see what I'm talking about)

15. You think whipped sea urchin innards make a great (huge understatement) mayonnaise substitute.

16. You get that cuteness (kawaii) is a way of life - almost a religion.

17. You're starting to enjoy discussing the intricacies of something pretty like a flower or a single decoration for fifteen minutes straight.

18. Watching five people assist in cutting a birthday cake is not unusual. Not becoming the 6^th person is.

19. You've purchased a purple or pink tool set or refrigerator and you are a man.

20. You've been to the penis festival, sent pictures of the highlights to your parents, and thought nothing of it.