to japan - part 2 - quirks

For my Japan trip photos, click here.

Alright, before going into the whole trip, I’d just like to point out some facts and quirks which you might not be able to find in any other countries. Here goes.

Locker coins at train stations

I’m not sure if other countries have this kind of facility. I know Asia probably don’t. Australia definitely doesn’t. Not sure about European countries though. You’d just put whatever things you don’t need to carry if you know you’ll be going back to the station where you put your stuff is. Not sure if the coin is refundable though.

Rubbish bins, where are they?

If you’ve ever tried to dispose of any kind of rubbish you have in Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka or Hiroshima (these are the cities I visited) then you’d probably notice the same thing, that it’s really hard to find rubbish bins. And when you actually find one, you’d probably had to differentiate your rubbish from cans, papers, bottles and plastic, or in the more lenient rubbish bins, burnable garbage and non-burnable garbage.

I did a google search on this and (since I’m so lazy) apparently the Japanese used to litter all household rubbish in public rubbish bins. I believe it. But these days the city is so clean it’s crazy. Maybe it’s a good thing that you can’t find rubbish bins since it forces people to carry their rubbish with them and dispose it accordingly.

Vending machines galore

Even on small streets and alleys you’ll find them. Most of the vending machines sell drinks but in some places, they’ve got vending machines selling ice cream, newspapers, books, memory cards, batteries, cup noodles, flowers (I didn’t actually find one) and in a lot of fast serve restaurants you don’t order from the guys at the counter. Yup, you go to the vending machine inside the restaurant, insert your money and choose what you want to eat. You’d get a ticket, give it to the person at the counter and you just sit and wait.

Eating while standing

Have you ever went to a restaurant where you’re standing while you’re eating? I happen to see a lot of these restaurants in Japan, unfortunately I didn’t get to try any one of these. My legs were always killing me so I always want to sit when I’m eating. Helps me ease the pain.

Every train station has their own theme song

Does that calm the soul? Does it make people walk a bit more slowly? Anyway, every train station does have their own theme song.

Super packed train carriages

I thought I’ve experienced ‘packed’ during peak hours in Melbourne, apparently I was wrong. I’ve now experienced what it’s like being pushed into a crowd of people when I thought they couldn’t fit more in. I was standing next to the door inside a carriage until the announcement was saying that the door was about to close and it felt like my first metal concert when the headliner was on. I was pushed into the middle of the carriage, stuck there and couldn’t move an inch.

Can’t talk on your mobile phone in trains

There’s always that announcement telling you to turn off your mobile phone if you’re standing next to designated seats (for elderlies etc etc) and to not talk on your mobile phone. And in trains, people only seem to do a few things; play games on their phones, watch TV on their phones, play a Nintendo DS, or sleep.

Tissue packs as promotional materials

Everywhere I go it seems like people are always handing out small tissue packs as promotional materials to whatever kinds of things. Brochures just aren’t enough anymore.

Heated toilet seat and bidet

Love em! I can’t say that enough. Love em! It was cold when we were there. So when it comes down to me doing my business, that’s a no brainer.

They love to push

Seriously, and they don’t think it’s rude…at least that’s the impression I got over there. I’m not sure if they’re like that to other Japanese too but in a society where people seem to be so very polite compared to other countries I’ve been, pushing each other seem contradictive.

Maid cafés and butler cafés

Seriously, I felt awkward when I went into one of the maid cafes in Akihabara. It’s like a whole different world. The waitresses in maid cafes dress up as French maids and will serve you like you’re their..masters? I felt weird, seriously.

Fashion

If you’ve been to Japan, you’d definitely see what you’d probably think a wacky sense of fashion, especially if you hang around Harajuku. Takeshita dori comes to mind straight away. Go and see for yourself.

To be continued…