Japan - more random facts

A lot of times Japanese say “sumimasen“ when saying hello. It means “excuse me“. Another indication of how polite this nation is (read more about the language in our post "on Japanese language")

Japanese sweets can be great. They usually feature soy or rice flour and some filling. A lot of times matcha is used, too. However, they can also have a random fishy taste. And it's not always obvious which ones do. So be careful when tasting things!

"Omiyage" (souvenir or gift, usually brought back from a holiday for friends, family and colleagues) is a thing. We watched people picking up countless boxes at ferry and train stations and were even given some ourselves when we passed on our bus tickets to two ladies. Who wouldn't like almonds with fried sardines as snack?

Lots of things are offered to the gods. Coins, alcohol, coffee and canned fruits. Seems like they're having a good time. (Cans of beer and coffee cups are also often put on graves)

Kids seem to go to school on Saturdays as well.

There are signs on the floor indicating where to board the train. Different trains have different symbols, a ° or a |>, and these are shown on the train schedule displays.

Cherry trees are apparently grown for their blossoms, not the fruit. The fruit stays tiny and fairly bitter and no one seems to harvest it.

Japan, just as the US doesn’t start with ground floor but with 1F then going to 2F and so forth.

There are different shoes to wear inside the house and the toilet. (Your street shoes are left at the door)

Restaurants are everywhere. Mostly tiny, serving delicious food. No idea how all of them survive in this competitive market though.

We've never seen large scale agriculture or a stock farm. There are lots of small urban patches where vegetables are grown and even the bigger agricultural areas outside of the cities are divided into small rectangular patches. We wonder where all the meat that the Japanese are consuming is coming from, a bit scary...

Japanese love to queue. At buses there’s usually a row of max 2 people next to each other with proper distance of course. Cutting the line doesn’t exist here.

The Japanese don’t blow their noses. Apparently, they find it quite disgusting.

In Japan you don’t eat while walking. Even if it’s a snack, better sit down for a second.

Sleeping on the subway is absolutely fine. It shows you worked hard.

If you see plastic bottles filled with water in front of houses, they are used to deter cats. No peeing on the plants, please!

English signage is quite common. Sometimes the translations seem a bit odd or funny (yet always clear). The "l" instead od an "r" (e.g. bal instead of bar) happened more often than you would think.Read more