Japan is a wonderfully unique place, and I very much hope to return one day to explore more. But I’m already technically continuing to explore, albeit from afar, as I watch countless YouTube videos (especially from Abroad in Japan and Paolo from TOKYO) about Japanese culture and days in the lives of Japanese workers of various professions, along with reading the must-read book Geek in Japan and watching the engaging TV series Shōgun (the recent version, and 8.6 on IMDb!). I can’t get enough!
This is the second post about surprises we encountered in Japan, but before providing these, I want to express my appreciation for the opportunity to spend over three quality weeks with my son, whose enthusiasm and love of all things Japan is contagious and motivated me to want to visit this spectacular country. I’m honored and pleased that he wanted to share this experience with me – it was so much fun! I’m also grateful for Ben’s impressive Japanese language skills, and I’m thankful for his logistical research and guidance – it was really nice to just follow someone else around for a change, haha! And Ben was superb at finding delicious and affordable restaurants in all the Japanese cities we explored. Thanks, Ben!! Where to next??
There are actually just too many Japanese surprises to write about, such that I could create several additional posts. I mean, there are entire YouTube channels dedicated to showing all the unique stuff there, so I clearly can’t hope to capture it all. So instead, I’m just going to give a brief blurb about each of some highlighted surprises, some with a photo. If you’re interested in learning more about any one of these, I suggest searching online and be prepared to go down many rabbit holes!
Not only are there cat cafes, but we also ran across cafes with other cute animals, including puppies, hedgehogs, and even mini pigs.
When Ben told me about the following, I was dubious at first, but it is true! Most East Asians, including Japanese, have a genetic mutation such that their armpits don’t get smelly, and so they don’t need deodorant!
Businesses, such as restaurants, often have at least one statue of a tanuki (it looks sort of like a raccoon), with this statue including gigantic testicles which represent good financial fortune.
Crane games, where you pay to move a top-mounted gripper to attempt to grab an item and drop it into the output chute, are extremely popular in Japan. Often, half of the floors in a multi-floor arcade are dedicated to crane games alone, with the products offered in the games changing frequently, driving some people to try their luck regularly.
In restaurants, it’s common to order your meal through a tablet provided at your table or counter. This is quite helpful because these tablets usually offer English as a language option. However, through none of these were we also able to pay — either we paid via a shared kiosk, or we paid via a cashier.
Tasty food is surprisingly affordable in Japan, even in major cities like Tokyo. Tipping isn’t a thing in Japan, and prices normally include tax. It was straightforward to purchase delicious meals for under $10 total each, and breakfast is especially inexpensive.
That said, even just ordinary fruits can be in short supply, and are normally quite pricey, other than the bananas at 7-Eleven. We ate almost no fruit while touring the country, and pickled plum is not something one should ever eat anyway. The Japanese have decided to embrace the expensive fruit situation, creating unique options that can fetch up into the tens of thousands of dollars, like $27,000 melons!
Spam nigiri is very tasty, and I’d eat it again if given the opportunity.
Horse sushi and sashimi are surprising options at many restaurants, and we even saw some beef tongue Jenga. No thank you.
Here’s a collection of food photos to give you some sense of the variety on offer:
Despite all the eating we did across Japan, Ben and I both lost weight while there. Probably the 10 miles per day of walking contributed, and maybe the green tea. But perhaps there were other factors, like those that allow the vast majority of Japanese people to remain slim.
People between the ages of 40 and 74 are required to get their waistline measured annually, and are given a talking to if they exceed defined maximums.
I wonder if that includes former sumo wrestlers?
Ben and I knew that we’d probably stand out as being taller than most, and we were, but many younger Japanese men are quite tall too. And boy, there was a lot of ducking required for us, Ben especially – some doorways and gateways were ridiculously low, like this one, haha!:
Given Japanese baseball player Shohei Ohtani’s prowess and popularity, more people in Japan were watching the US’s World Series than those watching in the US itself!
There are many poorly translated signs in Japan, leading to confusing and/or hilarious results.
I was amazed by how quiet the residential neighborhoods in Japanese cities can be. For example, in the neighborhood where our first Airbnb in Tokyo was, in the evening one hears mainly crickets! In the middle of the world’s most populated metro area, this was so surprising, and welcomed!
There are literally dozens more surprising Japanese things that I noted during our visit, but I can’t share them all in this single post! I’ll be happy to tell you about some of these in person when I see you next! Just tell me when to stop, hahaha.
Not too surprising, but boy, the vending machines didn’t disappoint. Here’s a collage of some of the countless vending machines we encountered.
Today’s music video: Tokyo is calling, indeed…
Major Meander 