6 April 2007, 14:11 in Travels
Some observations about Japan
Here is a list of some random observations, and things I’ve learned about Japan from my trip.
- There are vending machines everywhere, which sell almost anything. Most sell drinks, including soft drinks (such as Grape Fanta), varieties of green tea, beer (often big 500mL cans), coffee (hot or cold), energy drinks, and so on.
- It is a very cash-based society. Most places prefer you to pay cash although major credit cards seem to be accepted at a lot of places too. It is considered normal to walk around carrying large amounts of cash. I was able to cash out from my ATM card at post offices.
- Shoes, and the floor in general, are considered very dirty. In clothing shops, you are expected to take off your shoes before entering the cubicle. In any traditional place, such as an onsen or ryokan, there is usually a certain point (designated by a step or line on the floor) where you take off your shoes and put on some sort of house slipper instead.
- There are very few bins in public. I don’t know what people do with their rubbish, but I found it really annoying to buy some food or drink and then have to hold onto the wrapper for half an hour while walking around before finding a bin.
- The food is amazing. There are awesome little restaurants everywhere and the prices are very reasonable too. Most restaurants have models of their food on display in the windows, along with prices, which is useful. A lot of restaurants specialise in one type of dish (such as ramen or okonimyake) and most regions also have a typical dish so you will find lots of that type of shop there.
- You can buy beer almost anywhere from vending machines or little shops. Most restaurants sell beer on tap.
- I came across both western-style toilets and traditional squat toilets. All the western style toilets have a panel with several buttons, with features such as water spray and heated seats. It is useful to know that the flush is usually not located on the panel, instead being a physical lever of some sort mounted elsewhere.
- Despite the high-tech toilet gadgetry, many of the public toilets (such as in train stations) lack any form of soap to wash your hands, and also lack a hand-dryer or paper towels. Apparently a lot of people carry around a little towel and a bit of hand wash.
- The level of service at shops and hotels is really high. Staff are very alert, polite, and formal, and seem to take their jobs very seriously. There is none of the disgruntled or bored attitude that you often get from shop assistants in Australia.
- People seem very quiet and reserved. No one seems to be loud or boisterous. Apparently it is considered rude to talk on trains and buses; everyone is in their own little private world playing with their mobile phone, reading a magazine or book, or sleeping. No one seems to show public affection; couples don’t hold hands or kiss in public. Despite alcohol being available almost everywhere, I didn’t see any people abusing it.
- Most of the cars I saw were of the practical variety, such as little hatches or big people movers. I saw quite a few Toyota Chasers/Mark IIs/Tourer Vs/Aristos, and Nissan Stageas. There was a lot of other cool cars such as the Nissan BB (a cute boxy hatch), and the Nissan Gloria. I did see Skylines, RX-7s, Supras, and so on, but not as many as I would have thought.
- There is some really cool guys fashion but the sizes are very small, so a lot of larger guys will have trouble finding stuff that fits.
- There are a lot of taxis everywhere. Almost all the taxis are black Toyota Crown sedans. They have their rear-vision mirrors mounted forward above the wheel arches, and they have automatic doors for the rear. It seems customary to sit only in the back of the taxi, and not in the passenger seat next to the driver.
- There are a lot of people employed in strange little jobs. At some of the major tourist attractions in Kyoto, they are two police officers (or similar) regulating traffic and helping people cross the road safely.
That is about all I can think of at the moment.
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