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Stray animals, trash cans and national dress: 10 things you probably never realised about Japan

12 Comments
By Fran Wrigley

Last summer, I was riding the subway with some friends from home who were visiting me here in Nagoya. Suddenly, my friend pointed at a sticker on the window behind us. “What’s that?” he asked, staring wide-eyed at the image of a smiling cartoon golden dragon wearing a train conductor’s uniform. “That’s the mascot of the Nagoya Transportation Bureau,” I replied, happy to be imparting local knowledge. “Oh,” he said. “And why does the Transportation Bureau need a mascot?”

You see, it’s the little things that can be most surprising about a culture that’s not your own. Today, we bring you a list of 10 quirky things that you probably didn’t know – or may not have realised – about everyday life in Japan.

1) Sometimes people just wear kimono out and about for no reason

People in Japan wear traditional kimono for special occasions: weddings, festivals, graduation, visiting a shrine. But sometimes they just wear them because they feel like it, or want to take a lot of cute pictures that day. Some older women still wear kimono every day. In how many other countries do people wear traditional national dress just for kicks?

2) You have to pay to have oversize waste picked up…so some people don’t bother

Japan’s trash collection system is a masterpiece of complication that baffles foreign residents and Japanese alike. If you have trash that’s bigger than a regulation-sized bag, you have to pay for a special sticker to put on it, and then have call the local council to make an appointment to have it picked up since, particularly in urban centres, there are so few dumps, and even if there are, few people own cars to carry their unwanted junk there in.

It’s not surprising, then, that some people choose to quietly ignore this rule, instead slapping a “HELP YOURSELF” sign on usable items and leaving them by the side of the road for anyone to take. And, more often than not, it just sits there until someone else begrudgingly deals with it.

3) Japanese school teachers eat the exact same lunch as the students

In fact, teachers even take it in turns to taste-test the school lunch before the students, to check it’s safe to eat (that’s their excuse, anyway). Japanese kids are expected to eat everything they’re served without being picky eaters – no leaving your vegetables – and school lunches are credited with helping to keep Japanese kids from succumbing to the obesity epidemic gripping the Western world. Plus, as we recently learned, that daily bowl of miso soup might actually be incredibly good for you.

4) There are stray cats everywhere

In Japan’s urban parks it’s common to see feral cats, often being petted or fed by visitors who come every day to hang out with them. And that’s not to mention the cat island.

5) And branded goods EVERYWHERE

A staggering 92% of women in their 20s living in Tokyo own at least one item by Louis Vuitton; 58% have something by Prada, and 44% own a Christian Dior piece. Surely they don’t go well with a kimono though, girls?

6) …and it’s near-impossible to buy fake designer goods

Although the demand for counterfeit goods is high, the rates of seizure of these fake goods at airports also reached a record high in 2013, with over 20,000 items seized at customs. With Japan’s economy heavily dependent on intellectual property rights, the government is keen to keep Chinese-made fakes out of Japan.

(It’s worth noting at this point that these surprising things about Japan were sourced from a survey of Chinese people – so perhaps a better title for this section would be “it’s not insanely easy to buy counterfeit goods like it is back home”?)

7) Everything has a character mascot

Everything. EVERYTHING. Not only companies and major organisations, but also every public service imaginable.

8) There are random detached houses in the centre of town

This is one of my favourite things about living in the city in Japan. You’ll be walking along, surrounded by high-rise buildings, when you suddenly come across a beautiful, traditional Japanese house, often surrounded by stately tiled walls.

9) No trash cans anywhere

Well, no public trash cans, anyway. Japan is very much a take-your-litter-home society, so get used to carrying a little stinky bag of garbage around with you wherever you go. What’s kind of cool, though, is that people actually do take their rubbish home with them, confirming once and for all that a lack of trash cans does not automatically have to mean more trash in the streets.

10) And Buddhist monks just hangin’ out

Traditionally, Buddhist monks live on donated food or money. So if you’re near a temple in Japan, chances are there will be a monk or two walking around, or sitting or standing with a collection bowl. This is also intended to bring the monks into contact with lay people on a daily basis.

Source: Yahoo! Japan

Read more stories from RocketNews24. -- 10 simple ways to ruin a Japanese wife’s day -- 10 things Japan gets awesomely right -- Too lazy to get up and go to the trash can? Robots garbage collectors will come to you

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12 Comments
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Actually, that was a list of ten things I did know about Japan.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

people wear traditional clothes in other cultures. Amish? hello 2.trash system is complicated = agreed have you taught before? it's not uncommon for teachers to eat the school lunch 4.. stray dogs/cats everywhere in America (assuming that's where you're from) Foreigners love branded items too. 6.online shopping, nuff said 7.yeah, ok 8.that could be anywhere 9.Not as common as in America, but there are sorted trash bins at nearly every train station/convenient store the 2 main religions are Buddhism and Shintoism. Is this really a surprise?
1 ( +2 / -1 )

have you taught before? it's not uncommon for teachers to eat the school lunch

Maybe where you're from, but I've never once seen any teacher eat the school lunch. In fact, I don't know anyone who can say the same. They usually bring lunch from home, or else nip to the shops to buy something for lunch.

I have to say, I didn't really know any of these. Except for the mascots. But they're quirky so...

A good article, and very interesting. I don't think I'd have any trouble with the trash system, and I usually take my own rubbish home with me anyway, so that's not a problem. Stray cats, well, I don't mind cats, so long as they're not sitting under my window meowing from 0600 to 2300, like my neighbour's noisy neko.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Maybe where you're from, but I've never once seen any teacher eat the school lunch. In fact, I don't know anyone who can say the same.

Japanese teachers eat the school lunch. This is the norm. In fact, I've never heard of a school where the Japanese teachers don't eat the school lunch.

Foreign teachers may not always eat the school lunch, but I've known enough ALTs over the years who have been on the school lunch program to be able to say that if it's not the norm, it's most definitely not uncommon.

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

Before Japanese students and teachers (maybe) eat the school lunch, At least principal generally have to eat it first everyday. He/she has to taste the food 30 minutes in office before students eat. this is a school rule to prevent food poisonings.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Locations likely to attract illegal dumpers - turnouts on mountain roads or cul-de-sacs in agricultural areas, say - you'll often see small, handmade torii placed there to discourage dumping. Something about being watched by the gods, perhaps.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

No trash cans anywhere

There used to be plenty of rubbish bins. I think it was the Aum sarin attack that cleared them off the streets.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

Before Japanese students and teachers (maybe) eat the school lunch, At least principal generally have to eat it first everyday. He/she has to taste the food 30 minutes in office before students eat. this is a school rule to prevent food poisonings.

I can't imagine what kind of food poisoning's going to show up after 30 minutes.

Strychnine maybe?

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

There are stray cats everywhere, but did you notice there are no stray dogs? Why? Because they are caught and euthanized the same day, no chance for adoption or reuniting them with their families.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

StrangerlandAPR. 10, 2014 - 10:55AM JST Japanese teachers eat the school lunch. This is the norm. In fact, I've never heard of a school where the Japanese teachers don't eat the school lunch.

Some do, some don't. Like many of their students, they bring bentos made at home, too.

Next you'll be insisting that all Japanese look alike.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

I think it also varies between private and public schools.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Some do, some don't. Like many of their students, they bring bentos made at home, too. Next you'll be insisting that all Japanese look alike.

Are we talking about Elementary, Kindergarten, High, Jr High or College here? In public elementary, I have never seen a kid or teacher bring a bento from home. If they have allergies, the school switches up their lunch. Kindergartens, I have seen bentos.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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