I first visited Japan in 2011. And, on return, a friend asked me what it was like. My answer,
was that it was the most foreign place I’d ever experienced. And just in case there’s
any doubt, that is a good thing. And it wasn’t so much the big obvious tropes that made it
so unique and special, it was the countless tiny, irrelevant details that I never expected.
Even after my third trip, I still, on a daily basis, saw numerous things that make Japan
such an experience. What follows are fleeting moments I caught on film, and I wanted to
compile them all here as a list for you to enjoy. This is Suitcase Monkey, looking at
45 tiny mind blowing details that make Japan a truly unique experience.
Number 1. The fact that doors on taxis automatically close by themselves.
That when you are waiting to collect your bags at the airport, it’s someone job to
make sure all the luggage is neat and tidy. That despite being a 6 foot 3 man in a country
that is statistically much smaller than me, I still have too much leg room in standard
class on the bullet train. And that these seats at least make me feel
like I wont be living the rest of my life in economy.
That of course, the trains are on time That the doors open in the precise spot you
expected them to And that every single time a member of staff
leaves a carriage on a train, they will do so with a bow. In London, you’re lucky if
the staff give you the finger so this was greatly appreciated.
That when we were admiring the cherry blossoms, everyone seemed totally cool with this guy
walking around with what looked like a samurai sword on his back.
Also that he was apparently sorry, not sorry. That during election campaigns, candidates
will walk around in groups, flag in hand, waving to their potential voters. When they
want to cover more ground, they drive around in cars with the windows open, using a megaphone
to spread the good word. Number 11, that they have these tiny stools
outside restaurants for people to wait when its too busy inside.
That despite the assumption that Japan is super technically advanced, stores will often
use a good old fashioned calculator to add up and show the customer the total bill.
That to go somewhere in a car with Sat Nav, instead of putting in the post code, you enter
the locations phone number and it works out the directions from there.
That people in Japan work so very hard with all the energy they can muster. I mean, look
at the effort this guy is putting into directing traffic. And these guys who were trying to
clear the way for the rickshaws.
(STAFF TELLING EVERYONE TO MAKE SPACE)
And in this retail establishment, staff are constantly
talking out loud to no one in particular.
That you always know what a meal is going
to look like from the visual menus. Or even what it’s going to look like without
menus due to the plastic food on display. That Japan has a healthy obsession with putting
vending machines everywhere. Even in the middle of the most remote countryside locations.
That they apparently have so much trust in their young, that it’s totally fine to sell
cigarettes from these machines, without ANY checks. Lets just hope Little Jimmy plays
by the rules. That Japan, by default, has the fluffiest,
thickest slices of bread I’ve ever seen. Number 20, that objects will often talk to
you. Like this shop.
Or this rubbish truck.
And can we just pause a moment for how cool
this tiny truck is? That the Japanese LOVE their stationery. In
particular, that they have a specific pen or pencil for every possible situation. This
is just a normal shop. Look at all the different rows upon rows of pens and pencils. And they
all fill their own niche. For example, you have Dr Grip here, a pen where its difficult
for your hand to get tired while using. This one where you can twist the end for a rubber
and shake it to extend the lead inside. This one specialises in the lead never bending
or breaking. It proudly claims to “take any pressure from any direction, whilst giving
great comfort”. This one doesn’t have the lead sticking out. This pencil never gets
blunt. This one has an extra wide grip. This one has a grip but is still able to maintain
a slim body. This one boasts 4 different colours but is still Super Grip. Not content with
these options? Well, fear not my friends. Here you can mix and match your preferred
colours and then make up your OWN pen by adding THESE nibs into THIS holder. And don’t even
get me started on the post-its. That in train stations, you’ll occasionally
see faces magically appear to offer help. Or they will pop up for a quick FaceTime call
during ticket selection. When a train reaches its final destination,
you’ll see someone spinning all the chairs 180 degrees so they are facing forwards for
the return journey. That it’s customary and polite in Japan
to give and receive with 2 hands. That in the ladies toilet, this device will
automatically come on with the sensor here and make the sound of running water, so as
to cover up your own tinkle while you pee. That there is absolutely no tipping in Japan.
That they love using lockers. Pretty much every train station has hundreds of lockers.
Here you can easily store your bags while you go exploring, then pick them up on your
return. We’ve even left them with a concierge that delivered them to our hotel and they
were waiting for us as we entered our room. They even have fridge lockers in Supermarkets.
This means once you have your cold groceries you can store them here while you go about
the rest of your shopping. At number 31, I love how comfortable Japan
is with cartoons. In England, outside of children’s content and dedicated anime, it’s rare to
see drawings be given such authority. But here Mr Chin-Sa, is a monkey working for this
estate agent so is happily relied upon to rent out your home. Cartoons are casually
used for this safety message on a bus, this train ticket machine, as a cable car meet
and greet, and sometimes, perhaps inappropriately, used in an official countryside information
centre. Named Onsen Girl, her dress sense is definitely questionable.
That Japanese crossings sound like a boy with a baby gun.
"PEW PEW" (Mimicking Baby Gun)
That you constantly have a 4G connection in Tokyo, even when you are underground in the
train tunnels. That restaurants will often have little baskets
to save you from putting your bags on the floor.
That space is often so limited in Japan, you’ll find tens of restaurants all crammed in the
basement or top floor. Without a true window to see what you are getting into, it’s often
a massive surprise that there’s this whole other world, hidden behind a single uninteresting
entrance. That it’s odd how traditional Japanese signatures
work. Whereas it’s always been the norm in the west to create your own signature,
by hand with a pen, in Japan, they have used a Hanko, or personal stamp. Now, what is particularly
odd is that you can purchase these Hankos in a shop, effectively meaning you’ll be
purchasing your lifes signature from the equivalent of Tescos and be keeping a hold of it for
the rest of time. That diners will often allow you to order
your food through a vending machine. That you can call for service from your seat
with just a touch. And you’ll find tables where the drinks
are literally on tap. At number 40, lets talk about the genius that
are Japanese convenience stores. The place where a convenience store has never been so
convenient. They literally have everything. I mean it goes without saying that if you
want you want some food, you might go to a combini. They obviously have a great selection
of foods. As a quick side note, the fried chicken and fried potato are amazing. But
it’s how far they go beyond food, even in small stores, that always surprises me. You
can grab a hat, some Hello Kitty clogs, electronic adapters, a non rewritable DVD, pens of course,
a water gun, travel games, scissors, a sewing kit, emergency tights, mens bottoms, umbrellas,
books, air activated heat packs, makeup, and more specifically an overnight face care pack
for those unplanned evenings, packages that are specifically used to put money in when
going to a funeral or wedding, pet food, lighters, headphones, magazine and porn.
That people seem to take their pets out with them as if they are human babies and then
be totally unimpressed with the attention this attracts.
That there are jingles everywhere in Japan. While we were unpacking our bento box on the
train, we were treated to this lovely number…
(GENTLE JINGLE PLAYS)
Then when you get off, each station has its
own catchy song. Even after a couple of days, you, as a tourist will start to recognise
your stations theme music and be compelled into readiness like some Pavlovion monkey
and it start to feel like home. Now, normally I only expect the bus driver
to speak to its passengers if there’s a problem or something unexpected is going on.
In Japan, you’ll find that drivers will often speak to their passengers more than
the automated systems, and it’s actually quite comforting.
That the fear of crime is incredibly low. While our train had stopped for a few minutes
at a station, a passenger, actually left the train to stretch his legs, leaving a bag to
save his seat. The Londoner inside me found it hard not to dial 999.
Presentation in Japan is on a whole other level and you can see this in supermarkets
and food outlets everywhere. The unwrapping of food is like some tantric prolonged experience
that even Sting would be proud of.
If there are any more tiny details you have noticed in Japan, please leave a comment below.
And if you’ve gotten this far, please leave a like for this video since it really helps
us and subscribe for travel vlogs and guides to Japan as well as the rest of the world.
We already have London, Santorini, Malta, Barcelona, Marrakesh, Kenya, Tuscany, Rome,
Sri Lanka, The Maldives and much more coming, so we hope to see you in the next one.
"PEW PEW"
Thanks for watching
"PEW PEW"
Suitcase Monkey.
"PEW PEW"