Our Experience in Japan
During our first month in Japan, we have been blessed to experience many parts of the Japanese culture. We hope the following sections will give you a taste of what life in Japan is like.
Travel
Transit in Tokyo and Okinawa are quite different experiences!
Tokyo:
Most travel is done by electric trains
Okinawa:
Main public transportation is a single monorail line. Bus or taxi covers other travel
Both places:
Tickets are charged based on the distance to destination
No making phone calls on trains
Trains/monorail are frequent and punctual
For escalators and stairs you stand on the left side single file so people in a hurry can pass on the right
Backpacks are worn on your frontside when on a train/monorail
Food & Drink
Food in Japan is delicious and affordable for the most part. The exception is that produce can be quite expensive. Some interesting food highlights are as follows:
Breakfast is an assortment of food as shown below
Conveyer belt sushi is a cool experience
Ramen is common and delicious. You select what you want to eat at a machine near the entrance of the restaurant and pay there
There are drink vending machines everywhere. So much so we developed a song about the “jidohanbaiki” (vending machine)
Green tea is very common in bottles
It is very common to be given hand wipes with your meal
There is no tipping in Japan
Breakfast in Japan
Religious Aspects
There are quite a lot of shrines and temples in Japan. Shinto and Buddhism are the 2 most present religions.
Additionally, we see many shisa (“lion-dogs”) in Okinawa. Shisa are always done in pairs with one having an open mouth (to keep bad spirits out) and one with a closed mouth (keep good spirits in).
Two shisa at an entrance in Okinawa
The Christian churches we have been to which are attended & run by Japanese people are more traditional. Here we join in singing hymns usually led by a single singer and organ/piano.
Cities
The Japanese cityscape is quite lively and vibrant along popular areas. There are always lots of posters, signs and things with lights. It can seem like a bit of sensory overload at times.
Interestingly, it is rare to find garbage or recycling bins available on street - instead it is common to carry recycling or garbage around. The cities in general are tidy and remain free from litter.
There are many convenience stores, almost one at every corner. The following 3 are the most common:
Familymart
711
Lawson
Our running joke is that if we see a Familymart, we are headed in the right direction.
There are also a lot of karaoke places & stray cats.
There is not a lot of homelessness in the cities.
Washrooms
A lot of washrooms do not have a hand drying method. Instead you either air dry or use your clothes. Often toilets are really fancy: heated seats, sound playing while using washroom, bum water wash, and more. Japanese toilets are so notable, there is a Wikipedia page about them.
