What's good in Japan

While we were going through Japan we noticed many things that were different than we are used to. Sort of the point of traveling I guess, right? After about the 10th time of pointing out weird trends we decided to make a blog post saying what is "Good and Bad" about Japan. And since we're going to a bunch of countries, maybe we could make such a list for every country we go to.

I think that rather than a "good/bad" list we should just make a "things that are different". Who are we to say that something is wrong or right? Anyway, here goes.

Things in Japan that are different than what we're used to::
* Pup fashion. It was rare to see a poorly dressed dog out for a walk. From barrettes, to braids, to dyed hair... dressed up dogs are more common than the naked kind. I couldn't really tell how the dogs felt about this.
* Drinking anywhere. We are far from lushes, but in Japan you are allowed to walk down the street or ride the train while enjoying whatever beverage you please. Strangely, we didn't see hoards of drunk people terrorizing the streets. As a matter of fact I don't think we saw anyone drinking out in public. Go figure.
* Liquor Juice boxes. In just about any store you go to they sell sake in juice boxes (with a straw and everything). We discovered these late in our trip and really enjoyed the novelty. I think MADD would shut these down in a hurry in the states, though I think there may be a strong environmental case for using paper over glass or plastic bottles.
* Onsen. Onsen are chlorine free, mineral loaded, volcanic hot springs. We only got to go to one, and then only for a night. But we were inspired and relaxed.
* Deer. Nara with it's friendly deer population is worth another mention. I would love to see a transcript of the city council meetings. The deer were downgraded from "sacred" to "protected" at about the time when cars became popular. Coincidence? I have no idea.
* Transportation. The transportation in Japan was ridiculously easy. We got a one week rail pass and had no trouble going anywhere in the country at very high speed and comfort. We didn't even have to take off our shoes or put our liquids in three ounce containers.
* Density of sights. It seemed that every part of Japan had more to see than we had time for. We only saw 1/10th of Tokyo. About the same for Kyoto. In a super densely populated area like Japan, the things to do are super densely located too. Makes it easy for a tourist to see a lot in one area.
* Zen Gardens. Something that I didn't think I'd care about too much, but actually enjoyed quite a bit was the landscaping and zen type gardens. It is definitely an art. In sometimes tiny areas a few well placed rocks or plants can really have a nice effect. One place we stayed actually made a garden out of an area that was less than 3 square feet (fenced outside a door of our room). Something that is a constant theme in Japanese design (not just in landscaping, but architecture too) is the idea of Feng Shui. We've all heard the term before, but I never realized it has very spiritual roots. I always just assumed it started as a Buddhist "simplification of life" type thing. Live and learn, huh?
* Sleeping. In almost every place we stayed in Japan we slept on floors on Tatami mats. This is another artifact that stems from having low amounts of space. Bed goes in the closet during the day so that your mat can be the living room or dining room. We all (Jenn, John, I) found them to be comfortable, although getting up in the middle of the night is just that much harder than in a "western bed".
* Food. Our Korean friend who lives in Tokyo says that Japanese food is rather underdeveloped because the country was constantly at war with itself and others up until relatively recently. He says it shows in the cuisine. Japanese food is small and mobile (perfect to pack for a plundering picnic). Wrap some rice and something else in some seaweed and you're good to go. Or just dry some fish, or eat it raw. Even when we had top notch "authentic" Japanese food it was just ornate versions of the same kinds of things. I don't know if Yuju's explanation is the real reason, but it seems to hold water. As for preference, I still like (safe) sushi, but I didn't leave Japan with any new favorite dishes. Well... we did try some Korean dishes that were outstanding. Something else of note in this department: the Japanese don't use spoons. They can give you one if you ask, but they seem to prefer to drink from bowls. Other Asian countries use spoons for soup, but maybe that was just one tool too many for Japan.
* Politeness. One of our guidebooks explained it this way: Japan developed as a feudal area that was very densely populated. Rather than let any little thing spark a death duel or some such thing, Japanese society evolved to be super polite. Their word for "I'm sorry" is used for an amazing array of circumstances. Anytime anyone thinks there is any chance that they may have someone inconvenienced someone, you hear "Sumimasen" (I'm sorry). Often times you'll hear it from both involved parties. Everyone goes to great extent to show that there was no harm intended. Kind of nice I think. Easier than getting stabbed anyway.
* Cost. Japan is a bit rough for a traveler as it's a bit expensive. We've met a bunch of people in China that have been around the world, but they're skipping Japan because of costs. I think that costs are only high for Asia. They are about on par (maybe a bit higher) than what you would expect to pay in the USA.
* Bathroom facilities. Most public bathrooms in Japan didn't have soap or towels. We found this to be annoying and rather unsanitary until we realized that everyone just carries their own supplies. This is one of those instances where you think they have it wrong, but it is just different. You buy some hand sanitizer and deal with it. On the topic of bathrooms you have about a 50/50 shot of finding yourself in a squat toilet. You may want to work on your quads before you come. On a brighter note, you have about a 25% chance of catching a built in bidet.
* Napkins. Restaurants in Japan don't normally have napkins. Jenn later found out that this is because sophisticated people shouldn't need them. We did though... go figure.
* Vending machines. They are everywhere. They serve hot drinks (in cans) as well as cold drinks. They serve everything from beer to cigarettes to soup. We used a bunch of them and never once did we get an "out of order" and we were never shorted change. Very nice.
* Trash cans. If you finish your hot coffee, you will probably end up walking around with an empty can for a long time. Trash cans are very uncommon around the streets. A few times I would carry trash all the way back to our hotel (not for lack of looking either). I read that the trash cans were pulled from train stations after the Sarin attacks in 1995. I don't know if that's why there are no trash cans around cities. I imagine it cuts costs though.

-Jim