So now that I’m back in Toronto I thought I’d finish off this blog with one last entry. One that talks about all the interesting things I’ve learned about Japan, but more specifically: the Japanese people and the interesting things that they do that are a bit different than I was used to. In addition, I’d like to share a few things that I learned about myself during this trip.
I learned many many things about Japan and the Japanese culture, as well as everyday simple things. Most of them I’ve already talked about in previous blogs, but some things didn’t seem to have a place in any of the other blog entries.
So, here are a few things I learned about Japan:
1. They have very interesting toilets! I would like to describe 4 different aspects of their toilets, the first one being the two different types: Japanese style and Western style. A Japanese style toilet is basically a hole in the ground where you must squat and hover over while “doing you business”. It usually has a normal flushing mechanisms and toilet paper etc.
A Western style toilet is one we are all more used to seeing. It is a toilet with a seat. Normally in public bathrooms you have a choice, half the toilets are Western and the other half are Japanese. I personally enjoyed the Japanese style toilets, I found them to be a lot cleaner than the Western toilets, and I really do think I’ll miss them now that I’m back in Canada!
The second aspect I would like to describe is the fancy buttons attached to some (Western) toilets. These fancy toilets are not found in all public bathrooms. They are usually found in smaller restaurants, hostels/hotels and people’s houses (they could be found in other places, but I didn’t come across them everywhere). On the side of the toilet, attached to the seat is a panel of buttons, each containing Japanese writing on it.
I never pressed the buttons for fear of what might happen, but one night while sitting on the toilet of my own personal hotel room, I thought I’d do some experimenting. I learned that among other buttons, one button is a seat warmer and another one is (oh the horror) a bum cleaner, similar to a bidet. I learned this last fact by accident, and it caused me to jump off the seat in surprise while it continued spraying water all over the hotel bathroom.
Another popular button on toilets, which are actually often seen on public toilets here, is a “flushing sound” button. The button does not actually cause the toilet to flush, but it causes a sound, similar to flushing, which I can only assume is used to cover up any “personal bathroom noises”.
The third aspect I’d like to discuss is the way personal toilets (which I only saw in houses) are set up. On top of the water basin is a small tap, which has a double purpose of filling the basin and washing your hands! It is genius because you can wash your hands, and your dirty hand water is used to fill the water basin of the toilet, so no water is wasted. Many people put nice rock gardens in the mini sink on top of toilets to add some decorative flair to their bathrooms.
The last aspect I’d like to discuss isn’t actually too uncommon around the world, but I haven’t seen this aspect in many places around Toronto: a big and little flush button. I believe these buttons are self explanatory, but just in case I’ll add a little explanation. The little flush button only uses a little bit of water, for “little” bathroom jobs, while the big flush button is more powerful and uses more water for “larger” bathroom jobs. These buttons are also genius in terms of conserving water!
2. They play musical songs at convenience stores and traffic lights. This was one interesting thing we found out while in Japan and we are defiantly going to miss it!! Every time you shop at a convenience store (Lawsons, 7 Eleven, etc) they play a very happy sounding, cartoon song. I’m not sure what the purpose of the song is, but generally keeps the mood light and happy!
At some traffic lights they also play songs. There is a different song for when the light indicates north/south and east/west, to help blind people when crossing the street. We did not see this in every intersection, but we found them to be very popular while visiting the city of Fukuoka.
3. Japanese people love their cartoons! They use cartoons in most of their warning/information signs.
4. There are no garbage cans. Anywhere. Except for tourist spots. This is because Japanese people carry their own garbage with them. They find it disrespectful to litter. We found this a little annoying, as we always needed to carry a garbage bag with us, but we got used to it in the end. 5. Japanese people are very very polite and well mannered. I will use the example of the subways and trains. People do not stand freely on the platforms, they will always form a line. They will not push and shove, they just follow the line into the train. And while standing in the train with them, they will generally not touch you or brush up against you. In addition, people do not talk loudly on trains, or keep their cell phones turned on. This is to not disrupt the other passengers. I will definitely miss these polite ways while riding the Toronto subway cars!!
6. Japanese people do not steal. If you leave your camera sitting outside and come back an hour later, chances are that the camera will be sitting in the same spot it was when you left it. I met only a few people while visiting Japan who lock their doors. Ken’s house for example doesn’t have full doors, most of them are screen doors, which can not be locked. We left all our belongings, including laptop computers, at his unlocked house while backpacking around the country, only to find all our stuff untouched at the end of the trip. It’s incredible how honest and safe Japan is!
7. Every restaurant has a plastic food display outside. We found this extremely useful as we never understood the menu, and the plastic food was an excellent way for us to see the selection of food. We frequently took brought the waiters outside with us to point to items we wanted to order.
8. Japanese people have amazing cell phones, and cell phone accessories! The Japanese cell phone networks do not support cell phones from anywhere else in the world. This is because they are so advanced that no other technology can support them! Maybe I’m giving them a bit too much credit, but I shall give you an example. Each cell phone has access to the internet, email AND television!! Many people watch tv shows on their cell phones while riding the trains! 
Their accessories, on the other hand, are a little overboard and excessive in my opinion. Almost every cell phone has charms attached to it. But I’m not talking just a single charm, many cell phones have at least 5 different accessories dangling off the phone including small stuffed animals, beads, and Hello Kitty figurines. We saw some cell phones with accessories larger than the actual phone!
9. Many Japanese people walk around with medical face masks on, the kind used to prevent germs from escaping or entering. This is because they do not want to get sick, or if they are sick they do not want to pass on their sickness to others. They are extremely common, so common in fact that it is very unlikely for you to leave the house without seeing at least one person wearing a face mask!
10. Umbrellas are one of the most common items stolen in Japan. I know I just told you above that people do not steal, but umbrellas are an exception. And it is not even considered stealing because they have every intention of returning the umbrella, but by the time they do return it, the owner is probably long gone. To fix this trend, at the entrance to many stores they have umbrella locks, where you can safely lock your umbrella without the fear of having it stolen. Other stores offer umbrella bags, which are long, clear, plastic bags used so the owner can walk around indoors with their umbrella without getting wet from dripping water.
11. Japanese people are very clean. There are three aspects I’d like to discuss. One is their shoe policy, the second is their bathing policy and the third is how you clean yourself before entering temples and shrines.
To enter any house/temple/hostel/etc you must remove your shoes at the entrance. Depending on the location you will either have to leave your shoes on a shoe rack, in a locked locker, or carry them with you in a plastic bag. This is because Japanese people are very clean, and do not like the idea of dragging outside dirt into their homes. Normally you will be given another pair of shoes for indoor use. When you enter the bathroom your indoor shoes must be taken off, and another bathroom pair of shoes must be worn.
For public baths, shoes must also be removed at the entrance, and clothing must also be removed and placed in a locker. You enter the bathing area naked and must go directly to the showers. Everyone must wash their entire bodies (including your hair) thoroughly with soap before entering the baths. Understandably, Japanese people find bathing in their own dirt disgusting.
At the entrance to every temple and shrine in Japan there is a basin of running water, which you must use to wash your hands and your mouth.
12. Japanese people love vending machines! You can find vending machines everywhere, selling everything!! The most common of course are drink vending machines used for both hot and cold drinks. In addition, vending machines can be found in tourist locations, such as the Osaka Aquarium and many thermal baths, where you buy your entrance ticket at a vending machine before entering the establishment. Vending machines can also be found inside clubs and bars, where they sell beer and other drinks. At bowling alleys vending machines are used to dispense bowling shoes.
13. They are very wasteful in terms of packaging. It is not uncommon to buy a box of cookies, and find each one individually wrapped in plastic, inside a plastic container, which is also wrapped in plastic, inside a small plastic bag (wrapped by the sales clerk), and then inside one more larger plastic bag used to carry the cookies. Almost everything is individually wrapped in plastic, at least once, and then wrapped many more times on top of it. We kept telling sales clerks to stop wrapping things, but it was almost impossible to stop the extremely excessive wrapping practices in Japan.
14. Fellow Gaijin (Foreigners) are very uncommon. We could go days without seeing another foreigner, and when we saw one we would all get excited and exclaim “Look!! A Gaijin!! Look!! Over there!!”. We became so used to not seeing or hearing English (other than through talking to each other), that whenever we heard someone else speaking English we were amazed!
15. Japanese bathrooms are very people friendly. Many stalls contain baby holders, so mothers can do their business while their baby sits safely in a holder. Other bathrooms have “multi-purpose” rooms, containing a toilet, and a bed!!
In addition to learning so much about the Japanese culture, I also learned a great deal about myself. I learned that:
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Even under the most difficult circumstances I can still think clearly.
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I can be spontaneous and a planner at the same time.
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I can adjust to any situation and manage under totally unknown and difficult circumstances.
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No matter how much I am hurting I can still manage to enjoy life and see positive aspects in everything.
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You can find kind, good human beings in any parts of the world.
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Communication is the key to any new and old relationship.
I wanted to thank everyone for following me in my Japan adventures through my blog. During the past month I’ve had over 1290 hits. I am amazed that so many people have continued reading and enjoying my blog. Sharing my experiences through this blog has been extremely enjoyable for me, and I hope that I was able to share some insightful information about Japan with all of you.
Thank you for your support.
Love,
Gaby
