Takarasagashi: Nose-Picking, Japanese-Style
Growing up in Southern California, in a predominantly Asian neighborhood, I was always shocked by the sight of Asian men picking their noses in public. Ok, I should say any grown men, but the vast majority were Asian. I mean, my mother would slap me across the back of my head if my finger ever even went near one of my nostrils. It’s just an itch, Ma, I promise. And that was in the privacy of our own home.
Don’t get me wrong, I did and still do indulge in a little insertion of the digits once in a while, but always in the privacy of my own room. And, I always clean up nicely.
But Asian guys…WTF?
How many times as a kid did I see a grown Asian man in a crowded public place dig deep, remove his pointer, and grind the nasty little findings into rubbery dust all over the floor, or even sometimes the seat he was sitting on. And, if he had a cold at the time… Oh, god, I’m gonna be sick just thinking about it.
Well, even though many Japanese men like to think they’re a cut above their Korean, Chinese, or Southeast Asian counterparts, one of the things they do have in common is the love of digging for nasal treasures.
If you’re a foreigner living in Tokyo, and you haven’t seen this on a crowded train before, either you’re not paying attention or I’m just one unlucky bastard.
Anyway, two recent cases:
Last week, while riding on a very crowded Toyoko Line express train, I found myself standing next to a high school boy, black uniform, Nintendo DS, the works…
Anyway, he’s snorting and sucking in as much snot as he can, but he must have not gotten it all because he proceeded to insert his index finger, up to the knuckle, and removed a slimy, drippy horror that could only have been the result of a bad cold.
He then wiped it off onto his school uniform coat, it remaining there a testament to his treasure-hunting perseverence.
And, he was standing right fucking next to me! He was grabbing the hand strap, but doing the rocking and weaving thing, bringing himself within a hair’s breadth of my arm. Oh god, the horror!
The next time he brought one of his little prizes out, after looking for an untainted part of his coat to paste it onto, he seemed to have thought better of it and promptly inserted it into his mouth, using his teeth to dig out the last remnants from under his fingernail. I wanted to scream at him, You disgusting motherfucker! You’re never gonna get laid! Hope you’re looking forward to a lifetime of manga masturbations, ’cause… I mean, maybe he would’ve realized something and I actually could have helped him with my tirade.
Nah.
A couple of days later, I was enjoying Morning Mac in a Yokohama Mickey D’s. Just as I was finishing up my McGriddle, I noticed that the oyaji sitting right across from me was going for the gold. In a fucking restaurant! Ok, a fast-food restaurant, but still an eating establishment, goddamnit! It was all I could do to keep from walking over and thanking him for helping me with my diet, as I was sure not to have an appetite for at least a couple of days.
Is it just me, or do Asian guys pick their noses prolificly?
An American living in Tokyo. Can be seen bounding through Shinjuku Station most mornings, teeth gnashing, eyes bulging, a cup of cheap coffee clenched in one fist and a satchel in the other. God help those who don't see him coming.
January 24th, 2010 at 4:55 am
This is definitely more common in Japan than the U.S. I have my own disgusting little story about this which I posted about as well:
http://1000thingsaboutjapan.blogspot.com/2010/01/wont-miss-103-nose-pickers-on-trains.html
I didn’t write about this in the post, but one of my husband’s former bosses used to sit as his desk and pick his nose very often. The secretaries were pretty grossed out because he did it in full view of the office staff. Can you imagine handling paperwork someone who did that offered you?
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January 24th, 2010 at 5:01 am
Haha. That is absolutely disgusting.
Thanks for the link!
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January 24th, 2010 at 5:52 am
Is it just me, or do Asian guys pick their noses prolificly?
It ain’t just you Billy. They are some NASTY mo fuckers! The old ones have no shame in taking a leak any damn place too and they got a bad habit of glancing over at the urinal trying to get a peak of my unit.
I usually oblige and then say “This is what your wife and daughter dream about” They just laugh and smile unknowingly or say “iii ne” .
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January 24th, 2010 at 6:33 am
Of all the nasty things I see salary-men doing on the trains here in Tokyo, nose-picking is the least offensive. Try riding the Saikyo-sen from Ikebukuro after 6pm, and you’ll see, smell, here and if you’re really lucky - FEEL - what I mean. Ugh!
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January 24th, 2010 at 10:26 am
They drill for oil like their alone… fucking animals…
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January 24th, 2010 at 10:28 am
BTW love the title…Takarasagashi = “find the treasure” right?
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January 24th, 2010 at 10:38 am
@Chris B:
Yeah, I saw one guy pissing on the side of a house during broad daylight, the residents were clearly home and moving about inside. I called him on it and asked if it was OK for me to follow him home and piss on his humble abode, and he just said “sorry” a bunch of times in English while continuing to relieve himself.
@Jen:
I almost want to say that’s what you get for living on the Saikyo line, especially if you also live in Saitama, but that’s too cruel.
I was actually groped by an obasan on the Saikyo a few years back. I still remember that one-tooth-gone smile. It haunts me to this day.
@Paul:
Yep. Treasure hunt, baby!
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January 24th, 2010 at 5:34 pm
That’s nasty. I feel sick now after reading this.
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January 25th, 2010 at 7:21 am
I saw a guy on the TX line pick his noise and then eat what he found. It was so sick I almost puked.
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January 25th, 2010 at 7:51 am
@Tornadoes:
Now you know how I felt
@freedom:
Should’ve spewed all over the guy.
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January 26th, 2010 at 1:44 am
I would have but there was an old lady sitting beside him so I held back.
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January 26th, 2010 at 8:16 am
You’d think with all this nasal mining going on, there wouldn’t be such an aversion to public nose-blowing, but it seems we are doomed to an unending cycle of snorting and picking.
I would also like to make an appeal for male citizens of these isles to keep their lips together while chewing, can’t be that difficult can it?
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January 28th, 2010 at 1:26 am
Joban Line is an express train to nose goblin and nerve gas hell. Some salaryman on the ride home scored a bench seat by with a stealth fart. Takarasagashi ojichan abound, smearing their kills on the benches (makes me queasy thinking about it), as do young dudes sucking flies. Now that I think about it, this combination of gross guys is a booger-bullseye accident waiting to happen.
No wonder the birth rate is so low with all this gross behaviour from dudes!
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January 28th, 2010 at 5:03 am
@Mr. Penguin:
Yeah, I don’t get it. How is it that blowing your nose into a tissue is worse than picking and flicking or picking and licking?!
@Erizabesu:
Yeah, it’s funny you say that about the birthrate because Japanese women absolutely detest the takarasagashi; it’s one of the complaints you’ll often hear from women about their husbands’ digusting habits. Never been to China, but I’ve heard and read that women over there do it in public quite a bit. And, we know about their birthrate. Maybe couples there pick each other’s honkers.
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January 30th, 2010 at 4:34 am
Just featured this post on my blog. I don’t remember the last time I both cracked up and dry heaved from the beginning of a story to the last comment… or the last time I was intrigued enough to read someone’s comments.
Thanks for the awesomeness.
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January 30th, 2010 at 9:33 am
Aww, shucks… Hugs
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February 3rd, 2010 at 2:06 am
not been around many Asian guys but this post is hilarious.
PS I voted for the treasure expedition option ^^
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February 3rd, 2010 at 4:17 pm
Fuck, had to comment: I mentioned the nose-picking epidemic to a student today and he was like, “Oh, yeah, I do that all the time.”
I need to quit my job.
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February 4th, 2010 at 5:56 am
@Jamaipanese:
Too sick. Haha.
@GTA:
I hope he’s not doing it in class when you’re not looking, and then swiping them onto the underside of his chair.
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February 14th, 2010 at 7:05 am
You are absolutely correct. But how can you expect them to be educated as to proper public manners when the parents are guilty of the same thing? How about all the snorting and spitting they do, too? I was going out with a Japanese man who has lived in the U.S. for close to 25 years, but still did not pick up any meaningful English or ANY proper etiquette. I still have to remind him not to pick up his restaurant napkin, blow his nose in it, then put it back on his lap. Eeeewwwwww. But then, I’m not going out with him “romantically” any more, either
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February 14th, 2010 at 7:06 am
It’s happened to me as well, on a dinky local train that was crowded to the max in the morning hours. I simply vomited. All. Over. That. Dude.
Sorry, but whenever I see stuff like that my gag reflex just goes into overdrive. LOL!
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March 4th, 2010 at 10:06 pm
I read this article before my recent trip to New York City. I thought it was funny, and I didn’t doubt it at all. However, while I was in Chinatown I really saw this phenomena first hand. So many asians picking their nose. One man stood outside of his shop with, I swear, his finger in it so high that all I saw was the first knuckle.
Also, on the ferry to liberty island I saw three Japanese tourists sitting together, all guys. The one on the very end, closest to me just sat there in a crowded ferry picking his nose…he then proceeded to wipe it on his pants.
Oh Dear.
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June 20th, 2010 at 2:40 am
hey I came across ur blog…its really funny….I live in Kyushu but I never had the opportunity to see the Jap picking their nose…..interesting….lol
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