As most of our friends and family know, we came back from our trip to Japan seven years ago raving about how amazing the country is. Originally, Japan was not even on our radar as a top vacation spot, but I decided to tag along with Jimmy on a business trip and absolutely fell in love with the country. On our world tour, we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to visit again and decided to spend six weeks in Tokyo just absorbing as much of the culture as we could. My guess is that we will be returning time and time again because there really is nowhere else like it in the world. I highly recommend that Japan be in the running for your next vacation destination. Here are the reasons (big and small) that make this country so unique and so great.
1) Polite, respectful, helpful culture
We just can’t get over how incredibly polite everybody is in Japan. Bowing, a gesture of welcome and appreciation, is repeated over and over again. Sometimes almost to a comical level, but very endearing. Trains will apologize if only a minute late. No matter where you are, if you are lost or confused, somebody will be there to help you. I’m not kidding. If we stared at a sign in the train station for longer than a minute, someone would offer their assistance. People go out of their way to be helpful. If you ask directions and the person can not speak English, he/she will personally escort you to the location. On one occasion, our bartender knew that the subway system was going to stop running so that we could not get back home. He also knew that the taxis were hard to flag down in the area. He was so worried that we would not be able to find the taxi stand that he personally walked us to the taxi stand a few blocks away…in the rain. Oh, and gave us two umbrellas even when we tried to tell him we would be just fine. Lastly, tipping is considered rude. Good service and hospitality are just a natural part of the culture in Japan.
2) Temples and Zen gardens
After 6 months in Asia and visiting hundreds of Buddhist and Hindu temples, we thought we would be burned out on temples by the time we got to Japan. But, the temples here have a unique style that we find fascinating.
The zen rock gardens are so simple, yet somehow completely mesmerizing.
The temples are actually quite small compared to others that we have seen, but the gardens and the overall landscaping are breathtaking.
“I learn only to be contented” is written on Tsukubai, the stone wash-basin at Ryoanji Temple.
3) Convenience store food
Okay, I understand this sounds crazy. When Jimmy told me that we had to eat certain foods from the convenience stores, I was skeptical. But, these aren’t your ordinary convenience stores. They truly stock delicious, fresh foods, including an amazing bakery section, and offerings rotate with the seasons. Onigiri, a type of portable, pre-packaged sushi, was one of our favorites. Onigiri are rice triangles filled with a wide assortment of deliciousness including tuna and mayo, salmon, or soft-boiled egg yolk. Brilliantly, the nori (seawood) is kept separate from the rice with a thin plastic wrapper to make sure it is crisp and fresh when eaten. Onigiri were invented as snacks for samurais. I’m no samurai, but on my walk home from the gym, these were great post-workout snacks.
And then there is the egg salad sandwich. I thought this was an American thing, but Japanese love their egg salad too. And, I have to admit that, for me, the Japanese version is way better. Actually, I don’t even like American egg salad sandwiches (sorry, mom). No onions or pickles to mess up the delicate flavor of the egg in the Japanese version. Just pillowy, mousse-like whipped yolks with small pieces of egg whites enclosed in perfectly soft, crustless white bread.
For late-night, post-drinking grub, you can’t beat the pizza steamed bun, a good substitute for Totino’s pizza rolls.
And then there are the pancakes…but they deserve their own section.
4) Pancakes
The Japanese have taken the pancake to a whole new delicious, portable level. Freshly made but in handy to-go packaging, these pancake “sandwiches” can be found in every convenience store. Inside two fluffy, moist pancakes is the perfect portion of maple syrup surrounded by margarine.
Oh my goodness! Absolute heaven. We seriously could have eaten these every day. But, the Japanese pancake does not stop there. Of course, they made a more traditional Japanese version called Dorayaki, the two pancakes stuffed with sweet red bean paste. These can be found at boutique bakeries as well as the convenience store.
Many other pancake flavors exist including green tea mousse
Custard
And of course, they would not forget the seasonal cherry blossom pancake.
5) KitKats
The Japanese have an almost cult-like following for KitKats. The Japanese word for “to win” kitto-kattso sounds similar, so KitKats became a good luck charm in Japan. Students often give them to their friends before exams in hopes of getting a better grade. Because of this fondness for KitKats, limited edition flavors are created all the time that are only available in Japan. To date, over 300 different flavors have been created, including, of course, a maple syrup (pancake) flavor. The current limited edition that we were most impressed with was the Japanese Sake. I could not believe how well the flavor mimicked the liquor. Kanpai!
Regional varieties also exist, so when we visited Kyoto, we found a regional edition of a special roasted tea that is well-known in that area. Other flavors that we tried included matcha (green tea), purple potato, flan, and strawberry cheesecake.
6) Baseball
America’s pastime has also become Japan’s pastime.
Japanese baseball games make American baseball games look boring. I have never seen a crowd at a baseball game cheer so loud and in-sync. They have organized songs and cheers led by a band and special cheering squad.
Everybody has cheering sticks that they can use to make noise, and they coordinate the motions of the sticks with their songs and chants.
They even stole the “terrible towel” idea from the Steelers.
They also have cheerleaders on the field. From the band to the cheerleaders, it felt more like a college sporting event.
Interestingly, you also see the other aspects of Japanese culture come out when you attend a baseball game. Politeness…each side takes turns cheering. When your team is up to bat, you sing and chant and cheer. But, the fans of the opposing team sit quietly waiting for their turn.
Traditional bento boxes are served at the game, and the players even recommend their favorites.
Lastly, if I haven’t already convinced you that Japanese baseball games are something special, the beer is brought to you by beautiful women with mini-kegs on their back.
7) Animal Cafes
Japanese people are always striving for perfection and work really hard, which leads to a bit of a lonely, stressed out population. In addition, small apartments with strict rules make having pets difficult in cities like Tokyo. So how do the Japanese address this dilemma…with “animal cafes” where you can pay by the hour to relax and pet fuzzy friends. Cat cafes started the trend, but now you can find bunny cafes, hedgehog cafes, and owl/bird cafes. We checked out one of the bunny/hedgehog cafes. We could not believe that on a Tuesday afternoon the place was packed. We were even asked if we made a reservation because it can get so busy! After waiting for about 10min, we were escorted to a couple chairs and given a blanket and protective cloth. Then, we were allowed to pick out whatever animal we wanted to play with. We started with hedgehogs that were a bit sleepy.
Then, I switched gears to a crazy chinchilla that was trying to run away from me the entire time. With one strong push with its hind legs, it managed to escape and run across the café, leaving me with a pile of poop in my lap.
After that chaos, we moved on to cuddle some sweet rabbits.
Jimmy must be the rabbit whisperer because his bunny completely passed out in his lap. Even the staff thought it was cute and asked if they could take pictures of him with the sleeping bunny.
Finally, we picked out a couple hedgehogs that were awake so that we could feed them some treats.
8) The Japanese super toilet
I have absolutely no idea why this has not caught on in the US or other countries. Japan has the best toilets ever! All I have to say is…heated seats.
They also come with multiple different bidet settings as demonstrated here by the panel in our apartment bathroom.
And if that wasn’t enough, throw in a button that you can press to spray some fragrance in the air and another button to play soothing rain/bubbling brook music. Oh, and I even found one that had a dry setting that gently blew warm air on your toosh.
9) Japanese fashion
Bold, crazy, sassy, unique, cute. Japanese fashion is something else. I wish I had more pictures, but we don’t feel comfortable taking pictures of random people on the street. But, here are two young girls that were out performing one day.
10) Water
Besides the United States, Japan is the only country that we have been to so far that gives free water at all meals. Always having to pay for bottled water at meals gets really old. Free flowing water is so simple yet somehow so rare. Water pitchers were either directly placed on our table or available at the counters to be able to help yourself.
11) Public announcement speakers
A city-wide speaker system is available to alert people in case of emergencies like typhoons. They are also used for daily reminders. We loved the cute song that was played every day at 5pm. At first, we thought it was the “happy hour” alert; however, that seemed a bit early given the long work hours common in Japan. We finally researched and discovered that the song is to alert the children that the sun is setting so it is time to go home for dinner.
12) Akihabara gaming culture
You never know what you are going to see in Tokyo, especially when you are living near the electronics/gaming/anime center of Japan, Akihabara.
It isn’t every day that you see a life-size Mario-kart race.
13) Elevator snacks
Many elevators come with a small box full of water, cookies, and other treats….just in case you happen to get stuck. Enough said.
13) Vending machines
In Japan, you are never more than 10 feet from a vending machine. The availability of sports drinks, coffee, and other beverages is amazing. We even saw one when we were on a two-hour hike on top of a mountain.
14) Sports drinks
Speaking of vending machines, we love the sports drinks in Japan. We were first drawn to them because of the funny names. Pocari Sweat, anyone? Sound appetizing? Kirin Love Sports, Thorpedo, Aquarius, Sport Water, MiracleBody, Aqtive, Calpis.
Pocari Sweat is our absolute favorite, but Kirin Love Sports and Aquarius come in a close 2nd and 3rd. They all have a light citrusy flavor, some with a hint of grapefruit. Compared to our sugary sports drinks like Gatorade, they are much lighter and not so sweet.
15) Japanese cocktail bars
Traditional Japanese cocktail bars take drinking to a new level. Dim lighting, sophisticated décor, quiet conversations, small space with minimal seating, and one cocktail master. Yes, just one person making all the drinks, and this individual is so much more than a bartender. Like all Japanese, they strive for perfection. Every movement has a purpose, and each ingredient is precisely added. Watching them is mesmerizing as it seems more like an elegant dance than just the making of a drink. You must be patient at these bars because making the perfect cocktail does take time. The master craftsman does get assistance from other staff with taking orders and setting out the necessary ingredients. But, the master craftsman is the only one who makes the drinks.
Sakura Sakura at Bar Hoshi
One of the bars we went to even required advance registration. Gen Yamamoto is so popular and only has 8 seats at the bar. His drinks are simple concoctions of one unique Japanese spirit and a fruit juice or single mixer. Simple. Elegant. Delicious.
16) Hidden neighborhoods
Tokyo offers endless surprises and opportunities for exploration. One spot that we thought was really cool could be found in the bustling, bright light district of Shinjuku.
A stroll down this quiet path off the main road
brings you to a tiny neighborhood of about 4-5 streets of low-rise buildings filled with small bars.
After strolling the narrow lanes, we picked this place…
with only enough space for us and the two Japanese businessmen who were there before us. The bars are casual with a different vibe compared to the traditional cocktail bars. Although the options are more limited, Jimmy could get a beer, and I could get one of my favorite Japanese liquors, Ume (plum). With a friendly bartender, a drink in one hand, and a couple chatty businessmen alongside us, we enjoyed our brief visit to the Golden Gai area.
17) Clean, spotless streets and subway
Walking the streets of Tokyo, you will be shocked how clean the streets are. No trash… rarely even a cigarette butt. We heard that there are crews that come out every morning to pick up any trash and scrub the sidewalks, all before the daily commuters take to the streets and the subway. And speaking of subway, I have never seen one so sparkling and clean. Respecting the environment and learning to keep things clean is instilled at a young age. Public elementary schools don’t even have janitors. Time is allotted every day for the children to help with cleaning up the school as well as picking up any trash in the streets and neighborhood to learn about community service.
18) Blending of old-world tradition and modern culture
We lived in the Kanda neighborhood, which has some of the best examples of traditional architecture mixed in amongst the skyscrapers.
This soba shop has been in business for over 100 years. Many buildings in this neighborhood, like this one, were fortunate to survive the bombings of WWII. This popular soba shop always has a long line as people flock here to remember the good old days.
The Imperial Palace was a short walk from our apartment and offered a great area to run around. Here, you can also see the mix of old and new as the palace grounds and moat are completely surrounded by modern architecture.
19) Plastic food displays
Even if you don’t know Japanese and the restaurant has no English menu, you can still survive by pointing at the plastic food display. Many restaurants proudly display their menu in life-sized, realistic-looking plastic models, so you always know exactly what you are going to get.
20) Repetitive, special words for noises or actions
Dokie, Dokie. Shaka, Shaka. Moshi, Moshi. Shabu, Shabu. Dokie dokie is the swift heart-rate that you get when you are nervous, so the word is a way to describe your feelings of nervousness. Shaka shaka is literally the sound that something makes when you shake it. We ordered Shaka shaka French fries at McDonald’s. The French fries came with a special shrimp salt seasoning and an extra bag for you to “shaka shaka” your fries.
Moshi moshi is the phrase used when Japanese answer the telephone, literally meaning speaking, speaking. And why say it twice? Has to do something with ghosts…seriously…google it.
Shabu Shabu is the swirling motion when cooking thin slices of meat in a hot broth. Shabu shabu is similar to fondue and a fun culinary experience in Japan.
And how have I already gotten to #20 without mentioning Japanese cuisine!?!? We love it so much and the variety is so impressive that the cuisine could really be #21-30! So, perhaps our love for Japanese cuisine deserves its own blog.
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