- Japan is made up of 47 prefectures or states.
- The people are so polite and friendly. All the train staff give you a big smile and thank you when you show your ticket. They even bow and announce themselves when they come into the carriage and bow and thank you as they leave.
- I can’t say enough about the people – they’re so considerate and want to help you and make sure you have what you need or get what you want. (Ok I’ll stop now!)
- The toilets – WOW!! They’ve got to be the best toilets in the world. Even your most basic public toilet has a heated seat and then when you get to nicer ones in hotels and restaurants they have options for privacy which means sounds or music playing and an array of bidet type functions…. front, back spray, soft pressure, strong pressure… some of them even have dryers! No wonder the Japanese spend a long time in the bathroom!! Toilet control panel:
- There’s a tradition for young kids to get a blessing at the temple when they are aged between three and six. They dress up in the beautiful traditional costumes and we saw quite a few on our travels
- Some women wear the traditional kimono dress and it’s really striking when you see them walking around the bustling cities.
- No one talks on their phone on the trains, it’s so lovely. There are actually announcements asking that you put your phone on silent and refrain from talking on them – love it! We did witness one lady answer a call while in her seat on the Shinkansen and the lady sitting beside politely tipped her and told her to go out in the hall between the carriages! 😲
- There’s a lot of smoking but at least it’s in dedicated areas. You won’t see people walking down the street smoking – they stop and smoke in designated areas like bus stops on the side of streets or in rooms if it’s inside a building or on the train. There is however still smoking in bars and some restaurants.. yuck!
- For such big cities with so many people it is oddly quiet.. cars don’t seem to beep their horns.
- You can drink the water… one of the few Asian countries where it’s safe for us to do so.
- Cat and owl cafes are a thing here. You actually pay to go into a “cafe” and play with a cat or rub an owl…yuck!
- There are also a lot of shops selling dogs and dog friendly restaurants where you see dogs sitting on the chairs while their owners have their meal!
- It’s considered rude to eat or drink while walking. All of our guides moved at a very relaxed pace and everyone seems to stop for coffee or tea – no drinking it on the go!
- You can get almost anything from a vending machine including a hot tea or coffee or a beer. We once got chips… not crisps…. chips! (Dodgy microwaved ones but still!)
- The window displays of plastic food to show you what you can order are amazing:
- In the train stations there’s often very sudden, loud announcements and it really does sound like the announcer is angrily shouting at everyone.
- Sometimes there’s a service charge built into your restaurant bill (mostly higher end restaurants) but not regularly. Tipping is not the norm and you’re expected to take all your change, even the coins.
- You cannot enter a home or temple or ryokan with your shoes on, they must be left outside. In the ryokans you’re given indoor slippers for getting to your room and these are not allowed to be worn in your room. There are also different slippers to be worn in the bathroom…. it’s a lot of on/off with footwear to remember!
- The taxis in Kyoto are distinguishable by what looks like a shamrock and I’m wondering if there’s an Irish connection but apparently it’s Japanese clover.
- Taxi doors open and close automatically. It’s hard to get used to. The door will automatically open to let you in and once inside you just sit there and the driver will hit a button for it to close. On arrival at your destination it’ll automatically open to let you out!
- There’s nowhere to put your rubbish… very few bins other than plastic bottles by the vending machines and yet there’s no litter.
- I was on roughly 25 trains and not once was there any delay. They are never late. The trick is to be lined up at the right carriage before you get on. If you’re not at the right reserved carriage or an unreserved carriage the trains move so fast it’s difficult to move with baggage to get through the carriages
- You will see swastikas on hills or on maps. They represent an area for a temple or holy site.. not anything fascist.
- The Japanese for yes is “hi” so you hear this a lot.
- I don’t think I’ll ever forget the following two dates which I heard and read so many times on this trip. 6th August 1945, the first atomic bomb dropped on the city of Hiroshima. 9th August 1945, the second and hopefully the last atomic bomb ever, dropped on the city of Nagasaki.
odohertyelaine 