J-mana: Pick ears, blow nose, clip finger nails

[Big Booger]

I was just sitting down after grading some papers, and look over at the guy sitting across from me. He had a stick in his hand and was actively digging in his ears. He was using a tissue to then wipe his new found ear wealth. He is doing this at his leisure in full view of everyone.

He wasn't just digging, it was more of a circular motion.. really getting in all those folds and crevices. It looked like he was trying to unclog a toliet or something. Then, with the same tissue, he blows his nose three of four times. I tried to look to see if any of the wax got on his nose but alas I was too far away to notice.

So I thought that was the end of it. But wait, not more than 3 minutes later, he gets the hankering to start clipping his finger nails at his desk, again in full view and with perfect auditory acrity of all in the surrounding 5 meter radius. I kept watching him the whole time. He would click click click, 3-4 times on each claw, neatly laying down his hard earned booty onto another tissue.

The sound alone was driving me nutts, and then to see him nonchalantly go right back to his work after doing this, and all the other co-workers in the room paying no heed to what just took place, sickens me to the vomitting threshold.

And to beat it all, this is not just a one time, one person incident. Indeed, it is quite a popular trend to do your grooming at your desk, at work, during work hours. It really reminded me of chimps that groom each other and themselves in the zoo. I know not everyone does it here in Japan. But the biggest difference I've seen from where I hail from, is that you're typically ostracized for doing any of that crap and people make comments to get you to stop.

But here, from the experiences I have seen, they say or do nothing, and let this vile behavior continue.

I also know of several teachers who brush their teeth at their desk. It makes me sick... They don't even use water. I think they swallow the toothpaste and teeth-grime... Makes me utterly disgusted.

Am I the only one to experience this?

[GuyJean]

all the other co-workers in the room paying no heed to what just took place, sickens me to the vomitting threshold.

Ha, ha.. I know. Strange: I was just riding on the train this morning, thinking, "It's cool to pick your nose, suck your teeth, and clean your ears in public, but Buddha forbid I use a toothpick in a restaurant.. " Things that make you go... "WTF!?... Oh. TIJ".

GJ

[Taro Toporific]

He wasn't just digging, it was more of a circular motion.. really getting in all those folds and crevices. It looked like he was trying to unclog a toliet or something.

As I was reading your ear-mining comment, I had a Pental ballpoint pen cap 3cm in my left ear going for the gold. OHHHHHH. I've been here too long.

[djgizmoe]

Well as long as we're on a "wtf" rant:
Noseblowing is an official no-no, but interminable sniffling is ok?
No paper napkins at most eateries (unless they're of the worse than useless non-absorbant MosBurger variety)?
You have to pick up and carry your dog's poop, but public urination is ok?

Can't bitch too much though, as it's crosscultural gaijin-hygeine differences that have been the most disturbing to me. My British pal was an unrepentant public farter and you should have seen the crap that the Chinese guy who used to live in our apartment left behind...

Nothing compared to the horror stories I used to hear from my ANA flight attendent ex-gf; on trips to India and the middle east, many older passengers didn't know how to use the western style airplane facilities. That meant poop-smeared toilet seats and mirrors and stinky, stinky flights...blech...

[AssKissinger]

I was just sitting down after grading some papers, and utterly disgusted

Sorry to call you on this but your name is Big Booger. Enjoy the show.

[Big Booger]

I was just sitting down after grading some papers, and utterly disgusted

Sorry to call you on this but your name is Big Booger. Enjoy the show.

"never judge a book by the cover"..

It is just sickening. I think in a country where group harmony is important, this kind of crap wouldn't be happening.... or maybe because of group harmony, no one says anything.

I have a farting co-worker too. He's about 60. And when he farts, he always says, "aaa~, gomen". It's rather comical, but disgusting.

I know these types of things happen in other cultures, disgusting people are everywhere. My major issue is the way everyone else responds or doesn't respond to it.

[AssKissinger]

Do you and your wife fart in front of each other?

[Taro Toporific]

[AssKissinger]

my Rice Ranch

You have a rice ranch?

[GomiGirl]

On each floor in the large multinational company where I spend my days (not my nights) there is a small kitchenette with a big sink etc for washing coffee cupts and they have put up a sign that says:

Please do not gargle here - use the bathroom...

Gross - the number of times I have walked in to pick up my coffee cut and some geezer is gargling and spitting into the sink is gruesome..

[Taro Toporific]

[Ol Dirty Gaijin]

The guy who sits opposite me does this "tch....hrrrr" all the freaking time.
Drives me nuts. If it was just a couple of times a day I wouldn't mind but he doesn't stop. Bout ready to glass him.

33 going on oji-san real quick...

[AssKissinger]

[Big Booger]

Do you and your wife fart in front of each other?

That has to be the question of the day. Make it a

hehehe
H: "Honey, what are we having for dinner tonight?"
W: "Daikon"
H: "oh yea!"

[DJEB]

Disgusting, BB, but as you know, other people don't exist in Japan. This has many advantages. For example, since others don't exist, it's apparently ok to run red lights any time you like.

[Big Booger]

Disgusting, BB, but as you know, other people don't exist in Japan. This has many advantages. For example, since others don't exist, it's apparently ok to run red lights any time you like.

You know, they should have some sort of spikes in the road. When the light turns red, the spikes jump up. That would stop that crap.

[DJEB]

You know, they should have some sort of spikes in the road. When the light turns red, the spikes jump up. That would stop that crap.

That'd do it!

Having the police do something other that sit around and smoke cigs might help too. Running a red light in Canada means that you're going to get a very hefty ticket or a suspended licence. Here it means you're one of the gang.

[cstaylor]

Here it means you're one of the gang.

But if you hit someone with your car, there's hell to pay.

[canman]

I thought I was going a little crazy recently watching car after car go through not orange caution lights but pure red lights. I complain each and every time to my wife, who finally said, why don't you do the same and then you won't have to complain about it. And you know what, I love it. I hardly ever sit for a traffic light. Now as CS said, there will be a time when there will be hell to pay, but for now, I'm one of the gang.
BB I have a story for you, last year I was on a flight from Detroit to Ottawa, a small commuter jet, and since this was after 9/11, I was sure that nobody would be foolish enough to carry any kind of devide considered dangerous, but here was this guy, sitting across the aisle from me, clipping his nails, half of the the trip. And the thing that killed me other than the incesant clicking sound, was that once or twice a nail piece flew over onto my side of the aisle. And nobody did a thing about it.