Through the Eyes of a Vagrant

I have been in Japan now for a year and a half. Since I arrived, there have been many things that have surprised me. A lot of these things I actually knew before coming to Japan, but was still surprised by them all the same. Some of these things that I knew about, I still had to see with my own eyes to truly understand them. I am often asked the question, “What has been the thing that surprised you the most since you came to Japan?” and that question has actually been one of the hardest to answer on the spot. So, I have compiled a list of things that surprised me for your viewing pleasure, and also, to consolidate my thoughts so that one day I may effectively answer that question properly. Perhaps some of these things you have also heard of, or noticed yourself, but I guarantee you there will be something in here you didn’t know as well. Some of these things I have already mentioned in previous posts, and some I have yet to fully explain. So, if anything, this can act as a kind of summary, or perhaps a taste of things to come. Feel free to add your own in the comments! Red entries are the things that surprised me the most.

1. People at gasoline stands wipe down all the windows on your car as they fill up your tank, but they don’t ask you if you need more oil or washer fluid.
2. Everyone must pay for health insurance in Japan.
3. You can flag anyone down in a restaurant with “Sumimasen!” and they won’t get annoyed.
4. A lot of English teachers can’t speak English properly.
5. Farmers light their fields on fire after they are done harvesting their rice to prevent weeds from growing or to plant wheat after. This creates white smoke so thick that roads are whited-out and it hurts your eyes and throat if you have your windows open in your car or in a building.
6. People wear facemasks in public to stop the spread of their germs or to protect themselves from the germs of others.
7. Librarians wear pink aprons and look more like housewives than librarians.
8. ATMs aren’t open 24 hours and most close before 8pm.
9. You can pay your bills at a convenience store.
10. There are very few kinds of cereal.
11. There are entire aisles dedicated to soy sauce, miso (fermented soy bean paste), mayonnaise, and seaweed.
12. Most of the vegetables in supermarkets are wrapped in plastic. All of the ones in the convenience stores are wrapped.
13. A medium pizza costs about $30 in Japan.
14. Shipping within Japan is dirt cheap.
15. Apples cost over a dollar each.
16. When someone invites you out, they don’t usually really mean it.
17. Roads without speed limits posted are 60 km/hr.
18. There are more types of tea than soft drinks.
19. Tea can be made from wheat (mugicha).
20. Japanese people prefer squatters to western-style toilets.
21. There are buttons in most public washrooms that allow you to create the sound of running water to cover up the noises you make on the toilet.
22. Curry is one of the most popular foods in Japan.
23. Drivers turn on their four-way lights briefly and bow to thank you for letting them in.
24. Most times, the red is the only time you can successfully make a right hand turn.
25. Often four more cars end up driving through an intersection after the light turns red.
26. Police officers do not hide just anywhere to catch you in a speed trap; they set up sand bags and crouch down behind them with their radar guns.
27. Police cars often drive around with their lights flashing. If you see a police car with its lights flashing, it does not mean pull over.
28. You are not allowed to make a left on a red light.
29. Scooters and motorcycles all weave in and out of traffic or pass you on the left.
30. All major expressways are raised above ground.
31. There are no four-way stops.
32. There are no guardrails to protect your car from falling off a cliff, into a ditch, or into a rice field.
33. There are two types of cars: Light cars (kei cars), with yellow licence plates, and full-size cars, with white licence plates.
34. Most people get rid of their older cars, even if they work well, because paying for the bi-yearly car exam (shaken) is too expensive.
35. Honda is not as popular here as it is in Canada.
36. The Japanese think that their rice is the best tasting in the world and only like to eat their own rice.
37. Japan cannot produce enough food to feed its own population.
38. Japan has no natural resources.
39. Tatami mats and kimonos are not rarities, nor are they exotic.
40. Daikon, apples, and leeks in the grocery stores are huge.
41. Japanese teachers work on holidays and on the weekends and often don’t go home until 10pm.
42. Japanese students cannot be expelled, suspended, or kicked out of the classroom for anything that they do.
43. Teachers don’t put their hands in their pockets, nor do they sit on the tops of desks.
44. The school halls are not heated in winter.
45. Japanese turn on the heat or air conditioning according to the day of the year, not according to the temperature.
46. High school and university baseball are more popular than professional baseball.
47. It is very rare to see kissing or hugging in public.
48. Japanese aren’t allowed to unionise and protests are rare.
49. Non-decorated bras, bras that are larger than A-cups without padding, socks or shoes bigger than 27cm, shirts bigger than an American medium, and pants with a waist bigger than 87 cm are very difficult to find.
50. People in stores and restaurants shout “Irasshaimase!” (“How may I serve you?” or “Welcome!”) to you and you are supposed to ignore them.
51. Guys are just as fashionable, if not more, than the women.
52. Anime is not popular in Japan.
53. Crosswalk buttons say if they have been pushed or not.
54. There is yellow rubber on all of the sidewalks, and its purpose is to help lead blind people.
55. Most Japanese have crooked teeth.
56. Any teacher can wear gym clothes to work.
57. Japanese people jog lightly or sometimes run around the room to give the appearance that they are working harder.
58. Japanese variety shows subtitle most of the dialogue across the screen for everyone. In other words, you can’t turn it off. But I like it.
59. There are no general practitioners in Japan. You go immediately to a specialist if you need to see one.
60. If you take a sick day, all Japanese people need a receipt from the doctor. No exceptions.
61. Most women shave their arms. They also shave their eyebrows and then draw them on after.
62. Almost every show on Japanese TV has a segment where they eat and critique food. When they critique the food they never say that it tastes bad.
63. Dieting is a hobby in Japan.
64. Love hotels are not rare, and you wouldn’t be able to tell that they were love hotels unless you knew what they were.
65. There are DVDs of girls as young as eight years old sold in adult stores. They are not naked, nor are they having sex, but they are often wearing bikinis made of something akin to dental floss.
66. Most water is heated by gas, and you have to turn on the gas heater every time you want hot water. Hokkaido is often an exception to this. I actually had no idea how to turn on the ones that sit over the sink the first time I saw them.
67. Most couches are very low to the ground. More often than not, when sitting on them, your legs are almost parallel to the ground.
68. Japanese resumes all follow the same format, and you must include a picture of yourself. They also prefer them to be handwritten to see your ability to write kanji.
69. Everyone studies English for at least six years in Japan. Most can barely say hello to you in English.
70. You are allowed to drive around in a van early in the morning, or late at night, and blare an advertisement through loudspeakers.
71. Instead of seeing a “face” on the moon, the Japanese see a rabbit making mochi.
72. How freaking hard it is to transfer money (furikomi) to someone to pay for a bill through an ATM for the first time.
73. Most sumo eat chanko nabe to get big.
74. Ovens are not standard in houses or apartments, and most have a gas burner with two burners.
75. Things in the supermarkets are not sold in fours because four in Japanese (shi) is a homonym for death.
76. Bread comes in loaves with 5 or 6 slices.
77. Japanese use many English words regularly that have entirely different meanings from the original English.
78. An insult towards you is actually usually an act of kindness.
79. The Japanese large size of potato chips is nearly the same size is an American small.
80. In a Japanese theatre you can choose your seat, and whether you want Japanese subtitles or Japanese dubbing.
81. Japanese English teachers often know grammar better than I do. I sometimes know Japanese grammar better than they do.
82. Only half of the things in a 100 yen store are 100 yen.
83. Most Japanese do not dry their clothes in a dryer.
84. Most Japanese shower and bathe before bed and not in the morning.
85. When Japanese take a bath, the entire family uses the same bath water. The father always goes first.
86. Streets do not have names. Blocks do.
87. Japanese people are much faster at putting their shoes on than I am.
88. Japanese will say your Japanese is good even if you can barely manage a word.
89. How expensive CDs and DVDs are here.
90. Everything from cookies to candies are individually wrapped.
91. Toilets have a setting for small flush or large flush.
92. Izakayas give you an oshibori, a kind of facecloth to wash your hands and face for free, before serving you. I had no idea what to do with it the first time it was given to me.
93. It is not strange to see a girl walking around shopping in a French maid’s outfit just because she feels like it.
94. The Japanese think roman letters have a stroke order.
95. Japanese maps have Japan in the direct centre of the map.
96. Most public places, such as bars, play English music rather than Japanese music.