Japan Humbled Me

Hey there 👋🏻

I named this newsletter The Life of a Pain Management Pharmacist earlier this year because:

1. If you’re here to read about pain meds all the time, it gets dull

2. My life isn’t just about pain meds. There are perspectives and values I want to share too

I’ve used life stories before to spin on a clinical idea, but I rarely just write about my life. So here I am. I’m going to write about the vacation I took over the last few weeks.

Customer Service in Japan Is World Class

Whenever I was in shops or restaurants, people always expressed gratitude and bowed at least three times, even for the smallest gestures.

You enter a shop?

Irasshaimase x3 (welcome in Japanese) 🙇🏻🙇🏻🙇🏻

You grab the check?

Arigatou gozaimasu x3 (thank you in Japanese) 🙇🏻🙇🏻🙇🏻

The experience was so pleasant and inspiring. I found myself wondering what it’s like to stay in a hospital in Japan. Would it feel the same?

But one thing I know for sure is they’ve set the customer service bar very high now that I’ve experienced it.

I Felt Bad That They Felt Bad for Not Speaking English

Visiting Japan reminded me of when I first moved to America at 16 and could barely speak English. This time, I was the one who could barely speak Japanese.

In my early years in the States, I never had anyone apologize to me for not speaking my language. I mean, I was in a country that speaks English. Why would anyone feel bad for not speaking my language?

So when restaurant servers apologized for not speaking better English, I felt bad. As a visitor, I should expect people to speak Japanese. Any English communication is a bonus, not something to feel sorry about.

The only Japanese words I could really say were:

Watashi (I)

Daigaku (university)

Nihongo (Japanese)

Benkyoushimasu (I study)

I was blushing as I stumbled through the words, but they were so kind and encouraging. Thank you for showing me grace. 🙇🏻🙇🏻🙇🏻

Their Elevators Have Seats!!

I did a lot of walking in Japan, and whenever I saw a place to sit, I took it.

Out of all the places I would expect seats, elevators were not one of them.

But when I looked it up, those seats aren’t just seats. They can also function as toilets during emergencies or natural disasters.

I loved the elevator seats. It’s such a subtle way of showing care.

Imagine hospital elevators with seats. Would patients have a better experience and satisfaction? For hospital leaders who happen to stumble on this newsletter, maybe bring it up at your next committee meeting 😉

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I didn’t have a dull moment in Japan. There were so many things to see, so many dishes to try, and so many things to learn. I hope I get to visit again soon.

PS. I was lucky enough to see Mount Fuji.

See you next time,

SP