Habits formed in Japan that will never work in Your Home Country

A friend of mine recently posted an article on facebook, and after reading it, I felt compelled to share it, and perhaps talk about which ones I find are applicable to me and Australia, based on my experiences in Japan.

First of all, here's the article:
60 Habits You Formed In Japan That Will Never Work In Your Country (archive.org)

I won't comment on all of them, especially since there's 60 points, so I'll just comment on the ones I feel are most applicable to me.


2: Australia's a bit of a mixed bag in terms of police. Sometimes when I'm pulled over by police (random breath tests), some are completely humorless tight asses that just make them so damn unfriendly. On the other hand, I've come across some really nice police officers that are really upbeat and friendly. I had one police officer pull me over to tell me that one of my headlights wasn't working properly and that I should get it checked out as soon as possible. He didn't give me a fine or anything.

I haven't had too much experience with police officers in Japan, except that one time last year when I was in Yokohama and I left my ipod in a taxi. They seemed to be ok, though I got the feeling that they didn't want to deal with a foreigner, especially when they were referring to me as the "gaijin" and not the politer term "gaigokujin". My Japanese may not have been as proficient at that time, but I know rude when I hear it. For foreigners, I don't think #2 is entirely true.

7: This is pretty common wherever you go, whether it be any kind of shop or restaurant (even McDonalds), the staff will always bow when you complete a transaction and leave.

8: From my experience of buying second hand consoles and games, I find this to be true. Especially with second hand consoles, they're usually on display with a small chart next to it explaining its condition, and any peripherals, cables, etc that may or may not be included when you purchase the console. In terms of used games and CDs, when you're at the checkout, the staff will actually show the underside of the disc to allow you to inspect if there are any scratches or whatnot. Since people in Japan typically look after their things, I've never had any problems with the condition of used goods.

9: I still do this, though I guess this is a force of habit, considering I was born and raised in Australia, a country that relies on its cars just as much as America.

10: I do this in Australia too, so I don't find this out of the ordinary (though this is probably because of the way I was raised).

12: Some parts of Australia have made some attempt in getting people to recycle, but we still have a way to go yet. I know my home university does have separate bins for paper, and food scraps, and a shopping center near where I live has something similar, but it's not across the board yet.

14: I still don't have that mentality of piracy being illegal, even after all this time. Software in Japan is indeed a lot cheaper compared to Australia, but in Australia it's been revealed that companies are taking us for a ride by charging us with an "Australia tax." Despite this being exposed by the previous government's IT pricing inquiry, nothing has seemingly been done to address this by the current government.

15: If done in a dormitory full of international students, there's a good chance you will never see your umbrella again - this has happened to me twice. Now, I keep my umbrella in my room, and most students in my dorm do the same.

20: Yeah, this is pretty common when it comes to calling out the attention of strangers, or waiters/waitresses, etc.

21: This really depends on where you are in Japan. I find Kyoto to not be all that stressful, but then again its all hustle and bustle compared to Tokyo, so I think this is completely subjective.

23: I don't think this purely exclusive to Japan, as I know some people in Australia who do this too. I personally don't do this.

26: I find this to be true. Despite the small quantities that are purchased, it's offset by the fact that it's so damn cheap. However, I think this is due to the mentality of you're cooking for just the one meal, and not something that will last you a few days.

28: Littering is so rare around here, it's a nice change from Australia where people have no respect for that sort of thing. Unfortunately, spitting is not as rare. Unsurprisingly, it's usually them men that are spitting.

32: I agree that vending machines everywhere would be pretty cool, but I realised a long time ago that it wouldn't work in Australia for a few reasons. 1) It will most likely be expensive 2) People are too busy driving in their cars to actually utilize these vending machines 3) Australians have no respect for other people's property, and will definitely be trashed fairly quickly. That's right Australians, you're the reason Australians can't have nice things.

33: Yes. Yes. Yes. The 100 yen stores are so damn useful, especially for international students with a limited income. The other place that most students go to for cheap houseware stuff is Nitori. I can get pots and pans there for less that $10 easily.

38: This is certainly nice. You would never experience this kind of punctuality on Australian public transport - especially buses.

42: This depends on where I am in the train. If I am right by the door, I'll certainly get out and clear the way for everyone else. If I'm around the area by the door (but not close to the door itself), I'll usually work my towards the opposite end.

44: Yes and no, for this one. It's pretty common to hear cars sounding their horn around here for no apparent reason (I usually hear this around Marutamachi, and especially around Shijo). The thing about cyclists never ringing their bell is mostly true, and it's one of those things that pisses me off sometimes. Oh I'm sorry, I'm in your way, even though I'm all the way on the left side of the sidewalk? USE THE BELL NEXT TIME お願いします.

47: This is supposed to be the general rule. Unfortunately, you'll always have some idiot who decides to do exactly the opposite when everyone else is standing on the correct side. As a result, those who want to pass are unable to do so because of that one idiot. Usually, it's an elderly person who's the cause. I find this especially common around Kyoto Station

48: This is true, but only because there are usually no bins around (except for cans and bottles). The story that I had heard was that in Kyoto there used to be more bins around for throwing your rubbish and whatnot, but when it was found that someone put a bomb in one of those bins, they were all removed as a result. I don't know how much truth there is to that story, but the point remains, there are no bins around to put your rubbish in (except outside convenience stores)

50: This is true for most streets. However there is one street in Marutamachi where people just completely disregard this (much to the inconvenience of drivers). Also, quieter side streets that have traffic lights are not typically no subject to this rule.

51: Everyone lines up for everything here, even multiple lines just to get in to one exhibition.
Sometimes it can be infuriating, other times it's really useful. Either way, Australians have no concept of lining up. Get your shit together, Australians.

57: Japan is a country of smokers, and it doesn't look like that's going to change any time soon. However, it's nice that they still do the whole separate smoking sections at restaurants and game centers (in the form of little booths). However, at the Round 1 game center in Shijo/Sanjo area, the smoking booth has an open ceiling, so the smoke still makes it way around the rest of the game center *facepalm*
In Australia, smoking is being banned out of existence, which is commendable.

There you go, those are my thoughts on some of the things that were listed in that article, though I'm sure those that are living/have lived in Japan may have different opinions and/or experiences when comparing that list.

メリークリスマス！

Merry Christmas from Kyoto everyone. 京都からメリークリスマスみんな！

For me, Christmas is a bigger deal than usual this year for two reasons: 1) I'm celebrating in another country, and 2) I'm not celebrating it with the family this year (because, you know, they're back in Australia). However, I am fortunate enough to be celebrating it with my girlfriend.
From what I've learned, and from what my girlfriend has told me, the general impressions towards Christmas in Japan are significantly different compared to how it is celebrated in Australia. The main point I've found is that Christmas here isn't a time for being with family. In fact, it's a time for couples to be together and go out. Also, Christmas Eve is apparently a bigger deal than Christmas Day, in that presents are exchanged on Christmas Eve instead.
Another interesting point, is that fried chicken is the food to be eating during Christmas. While convenience stores and whatnot sell fried chicken, KFC is usually the preferred choice of Japanese people. Also, since there's only one KFC that I know of in Kyoto (located in Sanjo), it got really busy there - hell they even take advance orders, so you can go there later and just pick up your order immediately. When we went there, there was already a line forming outside, and some staff were going to waiting customers, giving out a menu so they can decide while waiting, and then taking their order when they were ready. The staff would write the order down on a docket, and give it to you, which you give to the cashier when you're next to make your payment. Luckily for us, a number of people decided to leave the line and go elsewhere, which made things go quicker. The staff also mentioned that because it was so busy, our order would probably take about 20 mins, which was no problem to us. Surprisingly, it only took about 10 mins between paying and receiving our meal.
The final thing I've found is that Christmas is not a national holiday here, so there are still plenty of people that will be working on Christmas Day today. In Australia, people everywhere would be making use of their annual leave to get this week off, and maybe a little bit in to next week, in preparation for the new year.

I wasn't expecting much in the way of presents this year, but I was really happy and surprised with what I received from my girlfriend. I got a pair of thermal earmuffs for the winter, some popcorn which we'll probably eat tonight, a framed photo of us when we went to see the autumn leaves a few weeks back, a shoulder bag (which I had been thinking about getting for some time, but didn't mention anything to my girlfriend, so this was a really pleasant surprise), and lastly a sketchbook - but not just any regular sketchbook: knowing that I like Gundam (especially Gundam Unicorn), she personally decorated it with a lot of Gundam images, especially the RX-0 Gundam Unicorn, and on the back were images of all the Universal Century Gundams. I was really impressed that she went to such great lengths, and they are all really awesome gifts (by the way, I did buy her presents too, in case anyone was wondering)

That's all for me from now, next post will hopefully cover the New Year in Japan.

Autumn leaves / 紅葉

So a week after going to Njio to see the Art Aquarium, I went to see the autumn leaves (紅葉）at Toufukuji and Kiyomizudera. During autumn, you can pretty much go anywhere to see the autumn leaves, but it's nice to see temples too, so not why not do both?
I went early in the morning, as I was told that the weekend I was going was actually a long weekend, and so people from all over Japan (and some foreigners too) were swarming to Kyoto that weekend. Despite getting to Toufukuji by around 9:30, it was already getting pretty busy. However, it was totally worth it to see the autumn leaves. For some people, it's not a big deal, but for me, I've never seen this in person before. In Australia, you don't have autumn leaves that turn a nice orange-red colour - they usually just turn brown before falling off the tree. Furthermore, Australia doesn't have temples with significant cultural or historical significance behind them (and I thought us Australians were supposed to be conservative). Anyway, despite the crowds, I was able to get plenty of good views and photos of the autumn leaves and the temples. As Toufukuji was a bit of walk from the station, I was trying various snacks and drinks - After leaving Toufukiji, I had some mitarashi dango, which I had not eaten in a little while (freshly made ones at least), and an interesting ginger drink. Normally I've had ginger drinks warm, so it was an interesting experience to have it cold for a change. Further along the way, I decided to buy some taiyaki from a small vendor.

Later, I made my way to Kiyomizudera, but before going to the temple, I had a look around the shops for souvenirs for the family, and even trying out a lot of samples (分かった、本当にけちけち（笑））. Again, also had some more mitarashi dango, but also went to one stall that I usually go to whenever I'm going to Kiyomizudera to try the Japanese sake flavoured ice cream (日本酒味）, and I also tried okonomiyaki steamed bun for the first time. It was nice, but I still prefer the real thing （笑）.
As expected, by the time I arrived at the temple, it was pretty busy with people trying to get spots wherever possible to get a good view of the autumn leaves. I was able to get a few good spots as well, but I also wanted to get some views of the city too. I was also planning to go to the fountain area and take a drink from there, but compared to the last time that I did it, the line was much longer, and I decided to give it a miss this time.

It was quite a fun and interesting experience, as I never witness this sort of thing in Australia. But now that it's winter here, all the autumn leaves have fallen off the trees. I'm not sure what to expect of winter, as I've not experienced these kind of temperatures before in Australia (オーストラリアだからこそ）. I've already gone though a bit of a fever this past week, but I'll save that story for another post.

アートアクアリウム城

On the 15th of November (遅いポストごめん,sorry for the delay), I went to a special exhibition called the Art Aquarium Castle at Nijo Castle. What is interesting about this exhibition is that it only runs at night, from 5pm - 10pm (last admissions are at 9:30). Despite getting to Nijo Castle around 8pm, It wasn't until after 9 that I finally got to see the exhibition. The lines were insane.
Yes. You read right. Lines. I had to wait in line outside of Nijo castle for about 30 mins, just to be able to enter the castle. Upon entering, I had to join another line to purchase a ticket. Finally, I had to join a third line just to be able to enter the exhibition! The last line was probably the one I had to had wait the most in. Fortunately, I went to a nearby convenience store and grabbed some food so that I wouldn't be starving while waiting.

Before you are able to freely explore the exhibit, you have to watch a fancy introduction-style presentation, which had a number of linked fish tanks with many goldfish, with a blank backdrop for projections (sorry, it's a little difficult to describe). Oh, and remember that big line I was waiting in? Well, this is the cause of it. What happens, is when the presentation has finished there's maybe a few minutes for the crowd to move on to the rest of the exhibition to allow those waiting to watch the introduction. The problem I had was that people were moving along soooo slowly, I ended up having to watch it a second time. Fortunately, I had a much better view to the presentation compared to the first time.

Anyway, after (finally) getting past the introduction, I explored the rest of the area. I will certainly say that there were plenty of varieties of goldfish, and plenty of fancy tanks. My personal favourite being a gem-like shaped fish tank, that gradually changes colour. It was very fascinating to look at. You know what, it might just be easier to load up some photos (sorry for the quality, ipodでこの写真取った。私のカメラを忘れちゃった）

 

The exhibition is running until the 14th of December. If you happen to be in Kyoto before that time, and you like goldfish, it's worth checking out.