日本の田舎に住みたくない

日本にきて以来、東京に住んでいた。温泉以外一回だけ田舎へ行ったことある。思ったとおり、きれいな景色しか何でもないところだった。外人も全然いない。英語を教えるために日本にきた若い外人で田舎に住まされたのは多い。田舎に住んでいるばかりに、たくさん英語教師は2ヶ月後で帰りたいほど寂しい。田舎へ行った前にその気持ちが分からなかったけど今良く分かると思う。

私の経験で忘れられないことは一つがある。妻の家族と一緒に公衆浴場へ行った。私はお風呂が大好きなんだけどこれほど恥ずかしいことはない。お風呂の室に入ったところに20日本人にじーと見られた。確か、皆でアメリカ人を見たことはなかった。宇宙人がきたような顔をしていた。大変恥ずかしかった。多分田舎に住んでいる外人でそれは毎日のことだからすぐ帰りたい感じにびっくりさせられない。

Ever since I came to Japan I've lived in Tokyo.  Except for onsens, I've only been to the country once.  As I thought, other than pretty scenery there's nothing there.  There are also no foreigners there.  A lot of the foreign kids who come to Japan to teach English get sent to live in the country.  Just because of that a lot of them end up so lonely that they want to go home after just 2 months.  Before I went to the country I didn't understand that feeling, but now I think I do.

Of my experience there is one that I will not be able to forget.  I went to a public bath house with my wife and her family.  I really love Japanese baths, but I've never been as embarrassed as I was then.  As I entered the room with the baths I am immediately being stared at by 20 Japanese guys.  Probably not one of them had ever seen an American before.  Their faces looked as if a space alien had just walked in.  It was extremely embarrassing.  As that is probably a daily thing for foreigners who live in the country, them quickly wanting to go home isn't surprising.