Be The Jam

I commented to a Japanese colleague today that I sometimes find myself doing things that are considered horribly rude in Japan, like eating rice balls on the street or blowing my nose in public. I sometimes feel a bit naughty, but I still do it. I suppose I wanted to know exactly how rude I really am being in the eyes of the Japanese.. She told me that more and more Japanese women are doing the same because it’s regarded as cool for girls to break the rules like foreign women. She told me that her mother used to tell her she shouldn’t even speak to her friends on the street, for fear of what the neighbours would say. I felt guilty for encouraging bad habits and proud that I’m doing my bit, however trivial, for women’s lib!