I wanted to see what special quirks other people have noticed about Japan, the way things are, societal rules etc. and their experiences with it in Japan.

My favorite is how anyone can get a business card, but if the foreigner has one, people look at said foreigner with a sense of awe and respect(including myself)

Bacon that looks like ham.

All their beef is marbled. Why can't ours be like that? Lean beef tastes so bland...

Being served a bottle of tabasco sauce with pizzas and pasta.

The way people ask my friend questions about me instead of asking me

The lack of soap in many bathrooms.

You must have sex only at night, and only after both people have taken a shower/bath.

No goddamn public bins.

yudantaiteki Wrote:The lack of soap in many bathrooms.

And no way to dry your hands. Also, some bathrooms have no door, so people walking outside have a view of you taking a leak (e.g. Ueno park).

Full train, standing room only, yet 50% of the time, an empty seat next to me. Whatever. I shower regularly, so it's not my fault. Jeebus, some people have a complex about the evil foreigners.

Girls with pigeon toe bad enough to be mistaken for club foot.

Javizy Wrote:Girls with pigeon toe bad enough to be mistaken for club foot.

Also
1) Girls who buy high heels but then don't walk properly in them and end up with a weird stomping gait.
2) Girls who buy shoes that are too big and they walk pigeon-toed so they don't fall off.

pudding cat Wrote:1) Girls who buy high heels but then don't walk properly in them and end up with a weird stomping gait.

This... it's really not a good look. :/

Tzadeck Wrote:You must have sex only at night, and only after both people have taken a shower/bath.

Get a better girlfriend Not all Japanese girls are so prudish.

dizmox Wrote:All their beef is marbled. Why can't ours be like that? Lean beef tastes so bland...

The awful Australian beef isn't... I actually don't like wagyuu anywhere near as much as American/Canadian beef. It's like chewing on a piece of fat.

nadiatims Wrote:Being served a bottle of tabasco sauce with pizzas and pasta.

Pretty normal to have hot sauce with pizza in Canada too...

thecite Wrote:No goddamn public bins.

Very annoying, but I eventually got used to searching for konbini.

yudantaiteki Wrote:The lack of soap in many bathrooms.

Not really an issue since it seems the majority of men don't wash their hands at all.

Quote:Not really an issue since it seems the majority of men don't wash their hands at all.

This worries me.

Jarvik7 Wrote:

nadiatims Wrote:Being served a bottle of tabasco sauce with pizzas and pasta.

Pretty normal to have hot sauce with pizza in Canada too...

America as well, there's almost always a bottle of it at pizza places, at least in my state.

thecite Wrote:No goddamn public bins.

That always struck me as sort of uh..."special", that and the lack of public benches. I remember always having to find a restaurant or something if I wanted to sit down, which seems kind of odd for a country with so many senior citizens, who I'm sure must get tired and need to sit more often than other people.

strawberry and cream sandwiches for christmas!!!

Nobody jaywalks (spelling?)

TheSlyPig Wrote:

Jarvik7 Wrote:

nadiatims Wrote:Being served a bottle of tabasco sauce with pizzas and pasta.

Pretty normal to have hot sauce with pizza in Canada too...

America as well, there's almost always a bottle of it at pizza places, at least in my state.

Guess it's a north america thing. Like baseball...

Agree about the corn everywhere.

Bokusenou Wrote:

thecite Wrote:No goddamn public bins.

That always struck me as sort of uh..."special", that and the lack of public benches. I remember always having to find a restaurant or something if I wanted to sit down, which seems kind of odd for a country with so many senior citizens, who I'm sure must get tired and need to sit more often than other people.

Aah yes, the lack of benches always got on my nerves as well.
I found that konbini can be pretty inconsistent with providing bins, I'd search for a konbini for like 10 minutes and then whaddayaknow, no bins. Sometimes it just got ridiculous, I walked around Harajuku for like 20 minutes once looking for a bin. None.

A perk: Being able to drink underage easily.

Hyperborea Wrote:Corn. Corn on pizza. Corn in buns at the bakeries. Corn soup in the vending machines. Corn everywhere!

And I hate corn.

thecite Wrote:No goddamn public bins.

I heard public bins were removed after 9/11 due to an increased fear of terror acts. Because people might place bombs in bins. No idea about the accuracy of this statement, however.

dotTristan Wrote:I heard public bins were removed after 9/11 due to an increased fear of terror acts. Because people might place bombs in bins. No idea about the accuracy of this statement, however.

Probably accurate. The same thing happened in train stations in Sydney after 9/11. No more bins.
To be the honest the bin thing was a little annoying for the first month or so, then I just got used to not carrying around gomi.

Some people do jaywalk. I myself have pulled out some amazing jaywalks too.

No, there were few public trash cans before 9/11 too. It's more cultural than anything else -- you take your trash home rather than throwing it away in public areas. Conbini usually have them, though.

There are lots of public bottle and can recycling bins.

shinsen Wrote:

yudantaiteki Wrote:The lack of soap in many bathrooms.

And no way to dry your hands.

This really bothered me until i watched a drama where the characters pulled out a handkerchief to dry their hands. Then i was like "ah, you're supposed to bring your own method of drying your hands".