This experience has been so great for me. I have learned a ton about a new culture and it has been very eye-opening. This culture, as great as it is, also comes with a lot of weirdness. Like....almost every corner I turn I stare at people/things because it is so funny/strange/nothing you would ever see in America. And I love Tokyo for this. Some of the strangest things I've seen in my life. If you can't recall some of the past things I've shared, such as all the weird characters or Mario characters I randomly saw riding go-carts, you can check it out here or here.
And I'm sorry for all of you that haven't been following me on SnapChat because I take pictures of so many gems all the time.
Here are Japanese Quirks #4 before I share lots of photos of some of the strangest things I've seen in Japan:
1. The toilets here are amazing. NOT the squatters though. I hate squatters. But all the other "western" toilets have seat warmers, bidets, a sink on the toilet, and are clean.
2. I cannot believe I haven't shared this one, but there are vending machines everywhere. And I mean everywhere—busy streets, in the middle of nowhere, alleyways. Japanese people need their drinks.
3. You always walk on the left side of the sidewalk but sometimes Japanese people suck at this and take up the whole sidewalk or will randomly stop in the middle of the sidewalk.
4. The produce/meat/eggs are amazing here. So much fresher and tastier!
5. You can find hot dogs covered in guacamole at Tully's Coffee.
6. Everyone over-uses umbrellas here. Sun, rain, no-rain, no-reason.
7. Always stand to the left on an escalator. The right side is for people who want to walk. I truly feel like a Japanese person when someone stands on the right side and I'm trying to walk up. Idiots.
8. Everyone takes their job seriously and does it 110% no matter what it is.
Sorry all these pictures are scattered...I have been to some places multiple times.
More characters, because there are just endless characters EVERYWHERE.
There are owl cafes, cat cafes, bunny cafes...lots of animal cafes! This was the coolest place ever though. Owls are fascinating creatures and surprisingly heavy. I took my brother and his wife here after experiencing it myself, because it was that amazing.
People are obsessed with their little dogs here. They dress them up, walk them in strollers, bring them to restaurants, you name it. There was a whole store for dog strollers/accessories/clothes in a mall.
Buildings with giant cups, sushi clocks, and a big LOL to the last picture of "cat tongs". What a brilliant idea. I also love all of the food displays here. They are extremely accurate of what you will be eating and almost every restaurant has them. This is an adoption America needs to make. It is the most helpful thing when choosing a meal.
This is Akihabara, aka nerd central. I wish I had more pictures of this place. You can find unlimited anime character stores, maid cafes, bright signs, sega stores, stores with 1,000 little vending machines with figurines in them. It's quite amazing.
Now for some true Tokyo fashion:
Most of these items have been found at my favorite place in all of Tokyo: Takeshita Street in Harajuku. It is the fashion capital for teens and young adults. Tokyo is about a year ahead in fashion and it has been funny to see Tokyo trends that are starting to pick up in America—jean skirts, platform shoes, and having two hair buns just to name a few. Hopefully the socks-with-sandals-toes-sticking-out do not make an appearance.
And here is my favorite thing in all of Japan: all the T-shirts that make no sense!
^^that last one says, "Girl it can do if it does"
So ya, not sure if Japanese people know what their shirts say or maybe just don't care, but it is hilarious and I often find myself taking pictures of these shirts. It is super common to see normal people wearing something like this.
Also, random thought that I had to add to this post: I was walking around Roppongi Hills the other day, a very popular outdoor place that's always busy on weekends. Anyways, there was some kind of girl pop group competition (I'd say ages 14-18), and who were the people in the audience that knew all of the lyrics and dances? 30-year-old men. Shocking. But wouldn't we expect something like this in Japan? ;)
Japan is truly an interesting place and has SO many quirks. That's what makes it so unique. There is truly nowhere else in the world that has this "charm". I love it so much.
xoxo,
kay
