- Japan has about 1,500 earthquakes each year. (This is the site we check for regular updates: Japan Meteorological Agency)
- There is no insulation in Japanese homes' walls and there is no such thing as central heat.
- It is considered rude to show signs of affection toward a loved one in public. (Maybe that's why Dan got called a "spoiled American" after I kissed him after a game. It was a peck people, just a peck! haha)
- There is almost no vandalism in Japan.
- Gas station attendants will bow as the car pulls out of the station.
- Japan is about the size of California and has half the population of the entire United States.
- Snowmen in Japan are made of two large snowballs instead of three.
- Poorly written English can be found everywhere, including T-shirts and other fashion items. (Lost in Translation: The Japanese Edition is coming soon! We have been gathering pictures.)
- Restaurants in Japan (including many fast food places) give you moist towels or wipes before or with your meal.
- Never stick your chopsticks upright in your rice. This is an old Japanese custom and is what is done when food is offered to the dead.
- There is at least one vending machine on every corner. Vending machines in Japan sell beer, hot and cold canned coffee, cigarettes, and other items. (We need this in the States!)
- It is not uncommon to pay $2 for a single apple.
- For many Japanese couples, Christmas is celebrated like Valentine's Day in the western world. Christmas is the time to spend with your boyfriend/girlfriend and New Years Eve is spent with family.
- On Valentine's Day, it's only women that give presents (mainly chocolates) to men. Men are supposed to return the favor on a day called "White Day" (March 14th.)
- When you use the restroom in someone's home, you may need to put on special bathroom slippers so as not to contaminate the rest of the home.
- Noodles, especially soba (buckwheat), are slurped loudly when eaten. It is often said slurping symbolizes the food is delicious, but the slurping also serves to cool down the hot noodles for eating.
- Although whaling is banned by the IWC, Japan still hunts whales under the premise of research. The harvested whale meat ends up in restaurants and supermarkets. (Oops, we tried whale meat at a sushi restaurant.)
- Contrary to popular belief, whale meat is not a delicacy in Japan. Many Japanese dislike the taste and older Japanese are reminded of the post-World War II period when whale meat was one of the few economical sources of protein.
- Tokyo has had 24 recorded instances of people either killed or receiving serious skull fractures while bowing to each other with the traditional Japanese greeting.
- The term karaoke means "empty orchestra" in Japanese, which is very popular here.
- Raised floors help indicate when to take off shoes or slippers. At the entrance to a home in Japan, the floor will usually be raised about 6 inches indicating you should take off your shoes and put on slippers.
- Ovens are not common in Japanese households.
- The bathroom is not where the toilet is found in a Japanese home.
- There are very few public trash cans in Japan.
- A traditional Japanese toilet looks like a urinal lying on the floor.
- Japanese cars are mostly the same size as American cars.
- Everyone hangs their clothes outside to dry.
- Japan is divided into nine large regions and further divided into 47 smaller prefectures.
- Heated toilet seats!!! (This might make up for no central heat and no insulation!)
- There are no 24 hour ATMs in Japan, closed on holidays and many only open during normal bank hours. (I should have read this before finding myself stuck at the Tokyo train station on Sunday night.)
- One US dollar is approximately 130 yen.
- Japanese subways are very clean (5 second rules definitely applies here!)
- To gesture someone to "come here" you face your palm down and move your fingers back and forth. Not palm up. (When someone did that to us the first time we thought they were telling us to leave!)