And the list continues... :)
16. Japan loves flowers! Or, maybe I just pay attention to them more. However, I have seen more flowers outside here than I ever remember seeing in the US. It almost seems as though just as one flower disappears, another grows in its place. Maybe this makes up for the lack of grass. Other than at parks...you don't see grass!
16. Japan loves flowers! Or, maybe I just pay attention to them more. However, I have seen more flowers outside here than I ever remember seeing in the US. It almost seems as though just as one flower disappears, another grows in its place. Maybe this makes up for the lack of grass. Other than at parks...you don't see grass!
17. Japan LOVES carbs! Maybe it's just me - but before coming to Japan - I was under the impression that people here eat VERY healthy. Lots of veggies and fish...rather low carb. However, I can't believe the amount of carbs that fill the Japanese diet - white bread (much thicker and more delicious than US bread), pastries, cakes of all sorts, beer, noodles, and of course rice! At a lot of ramen restaurants - people will eat a huge bowl of noodles and then follow that up with a bowl of rice...while drinking beer!Kaz's argument is that carbs are "free" for Japanese people...and they must be...seeing as so many of them are rather thin. My body doesn't seem to view carbs as "free" - so I've had to modify what I eat since arriving here!
I have to say, though, foods here are much fresher than in the US - and preservatives don't really exist!
18. Vending machines are the best! There are vending machines EVERYWHERE in Japan...on the side of the road, in random parking lots...at any moment, you are probably less than a five minute walk to a vending machine. The most recent statistic I came across was that there are currently about 5.52 million vending machines nationwide.
Vending machines contain many things - but I would say drinks are the most popular. In the winter - many of the drinks are even hot (which is amazing)! I've also seen some vending machines which serve only beer. 
Also, Japan has a lot of pet cafes where you can go to hang out with bunnies, cats, dogs, birds, and even owls.
20. Stores may - and probably will - give you sensory overload. Usually stores in Japan have bright lights, florescent signs, crowds of people, music blaring, people yelling things in Japanese, and stuff everywhere. Not to mention that determining what a product is often requires being able to read...Japanese! I have quickly learned that spreading shopping out can help lessen overstimulation...slightly!
21. Small children often travel on their own. It's not rare to see a four or five year old walking somewhere on their own - or taking the subway to school. The children often wear brightly colored hats (so that they are easily identifiable) and often wear cellphones around their necks (that are only able to call one or two pre-programed numbers). This is an excellent example of Japan's collective nature - it's everyone's responsibility to look out for the kids.
22. You can never have enough point cards. Almost every store you go into asks you if you want a point card - and the process of actually filling out the paperwork for one can be complicated. I have to admit that Kaz did the signing up for the ones he thought would be useful. I just had to struggle through learning that the several sentences of dialogue every sales clerk said to me at the check out usually involved asking me if I had or wanted to sign up for a point card. Now I just smile and say "ie" (no). I'm not sure if the point cards we actually use have ever "saved" us any money either!
23. The entire country of Japan smells like food. Literally!!
24. Japan has a huge "gift giving" culture...you give people gifts for just about everything. And, the stores are set up to cater to this culture. If you walk into the basement of any department store - it is filled with cakes, cookies, tea...any type of gift you would need. And, if you tell them what you buy is going to a gift - they will wrap it for you - free of charge. And the wrapping is always beautiful!
25. No one wears sunglasses. It took me less than a month to realize that no one in Japan wears sunglasses. This surprises me - given the intensity of the sun and also the general fear of sun exposure. Apparently wearing sunglasses gives off the message that you are up to no good. I guess that would explain the looks I get when I wear mine daily!
26. Crows are WAY smarter than you would think! In Japan - garbage sorting is a HUGE process. We have several trash cans in our kitchen and then we have to sort what goes in each...which often results in taking apart every container. Then there are certain days that each type of garbage is collected. We are VERY lucky that all we have to do is sort our trash - and our apartment worries about putting it out on the right days.
The crows LOVE the garbage - and are able to get into it - no matter how hard a person tries to outsmart them. They really are like a six or seven year old child! Plus they are huge, loud, and vicious...their caws literally send chills down my spine!
27. There are a lot of bags in Japan! You see people carrying bags of all types - all the time. Which makes sense since most people walk places to do their shopping. I have learned that when you buy a gift - they will give you two or three extra bags so you can use them to deliver the gifts. Also, when it's raining - they will give you a plastic bag to cover your paper bag - so it won't get wet. And on rainy days you'll also find bags for your wet umbrellas at the entrance of every store...so that you don't drip in the store. 
28. Japan is a country that prides themselves on professionalism. People take their jobs seriously - even if it may seem to others like an unimportant job. At most jobs, people wear uniforms - and tend to follow the same scripts. So, you will likely hear the same words from a waitress no matter what restaurant you go to. This helps me to better understand what to expect when I go somewhere - and it also gives the customer a better experience. The only down sides are that it takes away some of the "individuality"and sometimes you don't know if the person is being nice just because they have to be.
29. Crowds and lack of personal space take on a whole new meaning once you've been on a train in which a person with white gloves actually pushed people on to make more fit!
Phew - and that's wrap! I hope this makes you want to visit Japan even more - we'd love visitors! :)
Sunny Moments: I think I've learned more about Japan in 6 months than I thought...
Cloudy Moments: Getting stuffed into a train...CROWS! ;)
16. I would definitely be on board if the U.S. replaced its grass with flowers!
ReplyDelete19. I had to finally put our stroller in the closet because Squishface kept hanging out in it. Do you think he'll share it well with Charlie?
21. That's amazing. Maybe I should start doing that with Kris. Or the cats?
25. I use to not wear sunglasses for similar reasons (I like to see the eyes of the person I'm talking to), but then I got old and my poor eyes couldn't handle the intensity of the sun anymore. Sunny day + no sunglasses = a headache waiting to happen!
Great pictures of the square watermelon. Also nice to hear that food is so fresh without preserveratives. I had a questions about #26, are there cows in your neighborhood eating your garbage?
ReplyDeleteNeat post!