Different Country, Different Purse Contents

Now that I've been in Japan for about a month, my general lifestyle has changed in many ways, as was expected. However, one thing in particular I found (and still find) interesting is just how much the contents of my purse has changed. My purse directly reflects my day-to-day life! Since I've been in Japan, many things have found their way into my purse that I would have no use for at home, and several things have come out because I simply don't need them anymore. So, I'd like to share a sneek-peek at (my) Japanese purse.

1. My Wallet. I should first note that the wallet I'm using is the same wallet I used at home, but here I use it differently. My wallet now functions as a coin purse as well as a tissue holder, (as well as a regular wallet) where at home, it did not. If I had a different kind of wallet, or no wallet at all, both a Japanese-style coin purse and a fabric tissue holder would also be in my bag. The coin purse is necessary because it needs to hold the huge amount of coin one inevitably ends up with in a cash-prominent society, and the tissue holder, of course, holds tissue, which I use to clear my sinuses thanks to the constant cold. For some reason, my nose can't handle being taken from a warm room into a cold room several times a day.

2. Facecloth. "Why, Sarah!" One may ask, "Why do you have a facecloth in your purse?" At first, I thought, if I have tissues, why would I also need one of these little cloths as well? As it turns out, most Japanese public toilets do not have paper towels for drying your hands, and few have electric hand dryers. Also, at most shrines, the purification ritual involves washing one's hands. This towel becomes very useful any time I'm out doing anything.

3. Slippers. I originally bought these black fold-able slippers at home, to use as back-up footwear when wearing heels. Here, they have another purpose. Japanese homes require one to wear slippers most of the time. Not only do they make one's feet warm, but it's just polite to wear them as well, especially if one is not wearing socks. Generally, many Japanese homeowners would have a couple of pairs of guest-slippers kicking around, but I like to carry these just in case.

4. Travel Chopsticks. This one might seem obvious, (oh, she's in Japan, she needs to have chopsticks!) however, these have not been particularly useful to me yet. If I usually ate lunch in an office, then they would be more useful, but as it is, when one buys a pre-made lunch, be it at a supermarket or a restaurant, disposable chopsticks come with the food regardless. I might try cutting down on the wastage by simply asking for the chopsticks to be left out in the future so I can use my own.

Apart from those things, my purse hasn't changed too much more. A couple of things I used to keep in my purse at home that I don't keep now include a bulky make-up bag, a smaller wallet that contained important cards, and off and on, I would even carry around an extra shirt or pair of socks. Here, for various reasons, I've found that I just don't need these things like I did at home.

It's amazing the things that will surprise you when you move to a different country. I would never have thought that my purse contents would change so much, but it's been fun picking out new things to carry around!