Is It Rude to Ask Strangers in Japan for Their Photo?
When I was planning this blog, a friend got excited about all the photos I could take of the strangers I talked to. “They’ll read your blog and they’ll share it with their friends if they’re featured! It’s a natural way to grow your readership.” I loved the idea, but I worried about turning a natural conversation into something awkward. I find myself having really interesting conversations, and then thinking about a photo when it’s too late.
When I returned from France, I stayed for a while in Cypress, Texas. I spent time with grandchildren, worked on my writing project, and checked out neighborhoods to see if I wanted to live there. I had some nice conversations.
Bobby was a sweet guy who served me pizza with an Indian twist at Curry Pizza. He said he’d lived in the Houston area for 37 years. I told him I worried about hurricanes and floods. He said he’d never had a problem until the one storm when he had four feet of water in his house and his mother had just passed away. It’s funny how everyone in Houston tells me not to worry about the weather, and then they describe some disaster. Bobby and I talked about properties in the area – he’d worked for a contractor for a while. He told me about his interview process at Curry Pizza, and he told me how much he liked working there. I remembered to ask if I could take his photo.
I caught Bobby during a slow spell at Curry Pizza.
At the local CBD store, the girl at the cash register was full of advice on CBD oils, varieties of edibles, and which Houston neighborhoods were crime-ridden. I left the store with a generous selection of sample lotions, chocolates, and gummies. I didn’t think about asking her for her photo.
At the beginning of December, I turned my attention to the trip I’d planned with my sister and brothers. I had to get my car to Pittsburgh so I’d have it when I visited my dad after two weeks in Japan. So off I went on another big road trip. Houston to Texarkana, TX, to Jonesboro, AR, to Wentzville, MO, to Richmond, IN, to Pittsburgh. I stopped to see my dad before driving to an airport hotel in Pittsburgh. I’d booked the “Park & Fly” deal so no one would have to pick me up when I returned.
During the shuttle ride to the airport, I learned a lot about the driver. She’d grown up in Pittsburgh and married a fire fighter. He died a few years ago, but I couldn’t bring myself to ask if he’d died in the line of duty. His father had been a firefighter as well, and they’d always lived in the city. After his death, she moved outside the city, but she was making plans to move back. She has a boyfriend now. They drove to Oglebay Park to see the Christmas lights over the weekend, and she said it had been beautiful weather. I didn’t think about asking her for her photo.
Tomorrow I’ll board a plane at JFK for Tokyo. I really want to share the Japan trip in this blog, but it may be even more difficult to ask strangers for their photo. Maybe I should have called this blog “Hillen Sees a Lot of Pretty Scenery.” I did a little research on photo etiquette in Japan, and it looks like I will need to be extra cautious and considerate. One article provided this helpful phrase: "Watashi no burogu de shasshin o kokai shite iidesuka?" (May I publish this photo on my blog?) I can’t imagine bumbling through that pronunciation. Fortunately, my sister-in-law is Japanese.
I’ll let you know if I talk to any strangers in Japan.
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In June 2024, I sold my house, put my belongings in storage, and became a temporary nomad. So far, I’ve had stays in West Virginia, Maine, New Orleans, and Nice, France.