Japan - Final Thoughts…

 Japan Observations & Sentiments

Japan is fascinating.  To sum up the Japanese culture in one word - I would say, for me, it would be: respect. That equates to all things, including people. What I learned from our tour guide, Sho, was that Shintoism was born in Japan and is the belief that all ‘things’ have a ‘soul.’ That includes everything in nature (e.g., rocks, trees, fish, etc.), and people. This seems to directly translate to how the Japanese relate to people and their environment. That is why everything is clean and why everyone is made to feel accepted and in need of being taken care of…

General observations from our trip:  

• Abundant vending machines sell most anything including food, sake, beer, and hot and cold coffee (from the same machine).
• Escalators go up, down, and level on the same escalator. Only saw one out of order and it was being worked on…
• Public restrooms (in train stations, parks, airports, temples) were exceptionally clean (as were elevators in train stations).
  
• Many toilets have a ‘privacy’ option, (much appreciated!!!) where it makes noise to lessen your anxiety…
• The vast majority of toilets, even those in public areas, had heated seats. Toto toilets….
• We still did find many opportunities for Eastern (squat - no chance for heat) toilets.  
• Many toilet stalls had a high chair device secured to the wall so you can put your child in the secured seat while you took care of business.
• Many toilets also had a fold down platform where you could change your clothes without worrying about what you were dragging your clothes through…
• The trains play soothing music to alert you to an upcoming stop.
• Some subway trains had signs identifying which cars had air conditioning.
• Some subway cars are designated as ‘Women Only’ for early morning hours?!?
• There is a whole underground world for shopping and food experiences. It is hard to fathom that there is a whole variety of products, and the thousands of people walking by may stop to buy something…
• Women’s restrooms are always labeled in red; men’s are labeled in blue.
• Generally, there are no trash cans in public areas - even restrooms. But, there is very little trash. People carry little trash bags with them. This is due to a bombing several years ago where a bomb was planted in a trash can. Those trash cans you do see in public areas are transparent.
• Many public restrooms don’t have soap or hand dryers/paper towels. Locals carry a handkerchief to dry their hands.
• Japan has a lot of food we’ve not seen or heard of. Very interesting. What they call Western breakfast is not what we are used to. The scrambled eggs and omelets are barely cooked. Japan eggs have orange yolks due to the chicken feed. Japanese often eat raw eggs mixed with rice.
  
• Train workers bowed when they entered and exited each car on the train.
• All hotels we stayed in provided pajamas with a clean pair delivered daily. Also, toothbrushes and toothpaste were delivered daily. All hotels had slippers and some had special slippers to use in the toilet area. All toilets were separate from the rest of the bathroom.
• Those with tattoos are generally not allowed in public baths (onsens) or hotel pools. They are required to cover the tattoos with bandages or clothing.
• Japanese seem to be long term thinkers; spending funds for the common good (bullet trains, subways, personnel to maintain and service public areas).
• Washing machines we used at hotels had detergent pre-loaded. So, no need to purchase or add detergent prior to washing clothes.
• Most public and hotel elevators had two sets of buttons. One at standing level; the other for wheelchair users.
• The sun rises early; before 5am.
• Japan was less expensive than we expected. Food, hotels, transportation was all less than we thought it would be. Maybe due to the high dollar to yen value and that tipping is not part of the culture.
• Mostly Japanese cars, with Toyota being most prominent. But also many Hondas, Lexus, and Suzukis, etc…. There were a fair number of German cars (Porsche, Mercedes, Volkswagen, BMW) and a few Peugeots and Fiats. Only saw one Ford and one Cadillac and a handful of Teslas. No full-size or large pickup trucks. There were a few mini trucks. Most cars and vans are smaller than what you see in the U.S.
• Many people rode bikes or small scooters to work or wherever.
• Most dogs were dressed.
• If you are used to stopping at a cafe and having a drink while taking a break from touring, you can’t do that in Japan. We saw very little sidewalk cafes or places to sit and enjoy a beer or glass of wine outdoors.
• Although there are many food markets to buy food on a stick or bento boxes, etc…Japanese don’t eat while walking. They make their purchase, find a sitting place in the market area and eat. Or they take their food purchase on the train and eat on the train.  
• 
  
• Also, maybe the coolest thing in Japan…
•