My first impression of Japan

For many years, I never really thought about the question so seriously. I just said something like, “Oh! The streets are very small. The cars are very small. EVERYTHING is very small!” Being a big guy, people understand. Well, one day I decided to think really seriously about my very first experience in Japan that impressed me. Well, this happened just out of the airport. A Japanese friend picked me up and planned to drive me into downtown Tokyo. First, he asked me if I was hungry. I told him that I was, and he made a plan for us to go to a small, cheap shop right in the town of Narita, just near the airport.
He took me to what I later realized is a typical small Japanese restaurant that serves things like rice dishes called donburi or ramen noodles. At that time, I couldn't speak but a few words of Japanese, though, and was totally unprepared for what happened next.
Just inside the sliding door, there was a cash register to the right. Behind the register was a young lady wearing an apron, looking like she was operating the till between waiting tables. When she saw us come in, she looked up and yelled in a very loud voice directly at us, something that I could not understand.
Another waitress, who even though she was obviously taking somebody's order and had her back to us, swung around, looked at us, and yelled at us with the same sharp tone of the first lady.
Then, even from the back of the shop, poking his head out of a very small window, I noticed a man who was obviously preparing the food. He stretched to look at us, even though his hands were quite full with his work. And sure enough, he yelled at us, too. But he was even louder than the girls.
I noticed that there was no emotion on the faces of any of these people while they were yelling at us. They did not smile or even grin. They were most definitely yelling, though, and I have to admit that I was a bit frightened.
So, I kind of kept my head down and walked behind my friend to the table where we were to eat. As soon as I got the chance, I whispered to him, so as not to be overheard, "What were all of those people saying to us?" Quite frankly, after the third person, I was thinking that they didn't want us in their establishment.
My friend smiled at me and said, "Oh! They were just saying, 'welcome.'" I have to say I was relieved, but still in shock.
Anyone who visits Japan for even a short time will soon come to learn the word irashaimase (sometimes shortened to irashai), which really does mean welcome, and is often yelled out to show emotion, when there is none on their faces
I soon learned in the Ginza department stores to protect my ears because they will use megaphones, even though they are standing in the aisles, just centimeters away from you.
Still, it's the interesting thing is that the people themselves lack emotion and the whole thing is very mechanical nature of it that grabs you in the beginning. Nowadays, in the computer age, it is interesting how the sensors at the doors of shops will automatically notice someone walking in, and an obviously computer generated voice will say, "Irashaimase!" out of a speaker over your head.
The funny thing is that after a very short time staying here, you really get to used to it because it is EVERYWHERE. It’s all part of living in Japan.