Bikes parked in public areas are not chained – apparently petty crime in Japan is non-existent.
By 2025 there will be a new bullet train that can go as fast as 500ks an hour (the fastest in Japan now runs at 300ks an hour.
In Ginza Tokyo, 1sq meter of property costs US$300,000.
Traffic lights (at the top of the pole) are placed horizontally.
There are very few rubbish bins in the streets – rubbish is disposed of at home. The streets are very very clean.
No-one wears sunglasses (except for the young generation).
Gardens and parks are immaculately maintained.
People are very very polite, no-one complains at bad service etc.
Public places (museums etc.) are closed the day after a Public Holiday (and this is very annoying for tourists).
They love flora – there are pots of flowers everywhere.
I was surprised at the number of imported cars.
People go out of their way to help, they are very kind.
There is no talking on mobile phones on the trains, and in fact you are asked to turn your phone to silent on the shinkansen (bullet train).
They cut the crusts off sandwiches (and not just for toddlers).
They appear to love eggs….cooked or raw….
I was surprised to find the Japanese can bake.
They also love their pickled vegetables.
For all the cleanliness, the Japanese have an apparently primitive attitude to smoking. In fact smoking is still allowed in restaurants.
Turns out heated toilet seats are a necessity. And who knew one needed instructions to operate a toilet seat?
Even though you clearly don’t speak a word of Japanese, the Japanese continue to talk to you in their native tongue. This is very amusing.
The Japanese are so respectful, they even bow to inanimate objects, like the bus as it leaves the station. (I think I even saw someone bow to an escalator…)
Packaging is an art form.
Slurping food is expected.
Plastic food is everywhere, so don’t worry if you can’t understand the menu, just point to the plastic meal in the restaurant window.
Tokyo is a sea of black suits, they are more conservative than I thought.
There are vending machines on virtually every street corner. In fact, one small town I swear I saw about 6 vending machines on the same street on one block alone.
Icecream from a vending machine!
Hot coffee from a vending machine – would you like milk with that?
I was astounded at the number of Italian restaurants, and pleasantly, they can make a pretty good pizza!
I never got used to seeing books and magazines read from the back.
Food is everywhere. I kid you not, restaurants are everywhere you look.
127 Million people, 10% live in Tokyo and the entire nation runs on time!
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