Hello! I'm Yutori Honda.
It's been about a month since I started living in Beijing. This time, I'd like to tell you about something that surprised me while living there. I expected it, but the air is really bad. There are days when the yellow sand is so strong that you can only see the buildings next door. In addition, the air is so dry that it immediately started to hurt my throat. However, you can dry your laundry by wringing it out by hand, and the day after a strong wind, the beautiful blue sky spreads out and you feel good. It's "Spring in Beijing." What I particularly feel is different from Japan is the difficulty of shopping with cash. Smartphone payments are very advanced in China, and you can pay for anything with your smartphone. To pay with your smartphone, you need a Chinese bank account, and I'm currently in the process of applying, so for now I pay with cash everywhere, even in restaurants, but in small stores, people make blatantly unpleasant faces or try to bargain with me for the change because they don't have any change... I find it very inconvenient. On the other hand, what's convenient is ordering delivery through an app called [外卖]. (This is also paid for with your smartphone, so I ask a friend to order it for me.) Recently, I've been using it for dinner on days when I'm late with classes. When the package arrives, the delivery person will call you and you will go to the bottom of the dormitory to pick it up. So, I'm gradually getting used to life here, so don't worry. See you next time!