Tokyo, Kanto, Japan- Japanese people have the cleanest bottoms and hands in the world: most western-style toilets are fitted with inbuilt bidet and spray systems and automatic flushing facilities, and most public facilities also have automatic taps for washing hands. The toilets at the airport even had built-in heated fans to dry one's derrière! And our friend's toilet actually had a hand basin above the cistern -- the tap turned on automatically and cleverly ran into the cistern, providing the water for the next flush. Japanese toilets have an option for switching on the sound of flushing water, for those who don't wish to their business to be audible! Many also have the option to heat the seat -- I wouldn't mind having that facility at home in winter.
- Japanese people are always polite and friendly - I never saw one angry or grumpy person. You'll never get lost in Japan -- within minutes of consulting your map (or just looking confused), someone will approach you to enquire whether you need assistance.
- You never check your change in Japan - shopkeepers, etc. carefully count your change in front of you before handing it over. (One always pays by putting ones money into a small dish on the counter.)
- Tipping is not only not customary, but it is so foreign to the Japanese that it confuses them. (We tried it telling a young girl to keep the few cents change, but she look perplexed and insisted we take it.)
- Even when performing their normal duties, such as hotel reception staff taking copies of passports, or security personnel patting you down at the airport, Japanese people always ask for your permission. (I'm not sure how they would react, if you declined!)
- Summer is incredibly hot and steamy -- and it's relentless! Go in the cherry blossom season or in Autumn -- the gardens would be magnificent then.
- Fruit is incredibly expensive, dare I say unaffordable, as it has to be imported. We saw rockmelons selling for about $20 each, and a slice of watermelon sold in one shop for close to $10 (I'd hate to estimate the cost of the whole watermelon -- $100? Japan has a sustainability rating of 37%, meaning that they need to import 63% of their food requirements. I imagine that would surely motivate them to remain on good terms with the countries that supply the produce. Like many Asian countries, the Japanese eat all parts of animals, but I'm afraid that rice with chicken gizzards is not a dish I'd be willing to try as long as that's the way it's described on the menu. Perhaps, if it had a more exotic name that disguised it's true identity, I could be tricked into giving it a go!
- Bowing is more common in Japan than shaking hands is in Australia.
- The population of Japan is over 126 million, with nearly 38 million people living in Tokyo (including metropolitan areas). Thank goodness they are such law-abiding and respectful people! It is considered bad manners to rush for the train, talk loudly on public transport, and to eat whilst walking. People line up in orderly queues to board the trains, and they patiently wait for passengers to disembark before boarding. (I confess that, towards the end of our holiday, I stopped worrying about the prohibition against eating whilst walking -- an ice cream is so much more enjoyable when you're strolling down the street!)
- When people inherit property in Japan, they have to pay 50% death taxes. Most people can't afford to hold on to the houses they inherit, and so many old traditional homes have been knocked down, and then half the land sold. A smaller home is built on the remaining half. What a terrible loss!
My Top 10 Interesting Discoveries About Japan
Friday, August 12, 2016
Tokyo, Kanto, Japan
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2025-05-22