Travel
‘Is It Actually Clear If…’ 10 Issues That Shocked an American Girl About Japan
Date revealed: 6 July 2025
Japanese tradition can get fairly bizarre when it from an out of doors perspective. LIVE JAPAN requested totally different individuals about their ideas concerning the tradition of Japan, and about their private tradition shocks. This time, a girl from the USA, residing in Japan for a very long time, talks about her distinctive expertise.
(The next displays the private opinions of these interviewed solely)
1. The Bizarre Tastes and Names of Authentic Japanese Meals
Japanese food is without doubt one of the issues that’s accountable for one or the opposite tradition shock. Naturally, loads of Japan’s dishes have their roots in American food tradition however normally are uniquely organized and might style quite totally different from their counterparts within the States – at the very least for somebody who’s used to the American style!
“McDonald’s tastes the identical, in fact, however it’s attention-grabbing to see that Japan’s McDonald’s provides very Japanese issues just like the matcha milkshake or McFlurry. The pumpkin fries for Halloween or the chocolate sauce fries, for instance, aren’t bought within the States in any respect! Generally, Japan has loads of distinctive snack and chocolate variations, particularly KitKat. There are such a lot of KitKat varieties right here, and so they make for wonderful souvenirs, I believe. The one factor that shocked me probably the most are the Pocky varieties, although. “Males’s Pocky,” what even is that? Why do you want Pocky particularly focused in direction of males? I nonetheless don’t perceive that.”
2. Why is Japanese Peanut Butter Candy?
“Peanut butter is nice in Japan, which actually took me unexpectedly! In the USA, peanut butter is salty, so we naturally are likely to eat it with candy jam. People like this salty-sweet taste mixture, I believe, so snacks equivalent to caramel popcorn and salted peanuts are widespread. Maple bacon donuts have been additionally a development just lately.”
3. Ideas Getting Refused?
“The primary time I went to a restaurant in Japan, I used to be actually shocked that there isn’t any customized of tipping. I attempted to tip my waitress a number of instances however she simply made a distressed face and saved refusing it. In America, I tip to specific my emotions concerning the service, so I actually was a bit culture-shocked after I wasn’t in a position to try this in Japan. Then again, vacationers are checked out unusual when they don’t tip the employees within the States. A wait employees’s wage is usually fairly low so I really feel sorry that they can not earn suggestions in Japan…”
4. Why Is There At all times Solely Free Measurement?!
“I at all times have hassle with the dimensions of garments in Japan. Why is there typically solely “free measurement”/”one-size-fits-all” obtainable? What does “free measurement” even imply?! (laughs) Clearly, it’s not made to be worn by everybody, so I really feel prefer it’d be higher to correctly write the dimensions on the garment. In America, there’s normally at the very least S, M, and L to accommodate to individuals’s totally different physique shapes, however normally, there are quantity sizes. I want extra shops in Japan had totally different sizes.”
5. Japan is Secure – However Are Individuals Careless?
“In comparison with New York’s and different subways, I’m glad that Japan is de facto secure. I can exit ingesting till late at evening right here with out worrying. Strolling house alone late at evening appears quite unthinkable in some areas of America. Right here, I see individuals sleeping on the prepare or leaving their groceries within the basket of their bike with no care on the planet. To me, this appears fairly careless.”
6. Being Bare in Entrance of Others
“Japan’s hot spring and public bathtub tradition is considerably arduous to get used to. People could be surprisingly shy on the subject of being bare in entrance of others, to a degree the place we usually could be uncomfortable being bare with members of the family. Even after I was a child, I don’t assume I ever shared the tub with my mother and father. It’s unthinkable to me that younger boys go to a ladies’s bathtub, particularly ones which are sufficiently old to be elementary schoolers! Now I’ve gotten used to visiting numerous onsen, nevertheless it was positively a tradition shock the primary time I went!”
7. Japanese Bogs – They’re not that Clear!?
“’Japanese bathrooms are so clear!’ is one thing that you just definitely hear lots. Is that so? I really feel like individuals have their very own requirements a few clear and a grimy rest room. For me, the factor that stands out isn’t the bathroom however quite the dearth of cleaning soap in loads of restrooms. How can a restroom actually be clear if there’s no cleaning soap?”
8. Japanese Faculty Uniforms, Really a Good Concept!
“I believe Japan does faculty uniforms proper. Children don’t must cope with clothes points! In America, most junior highs and excessive colleges don’t have faculty uniforms, so there’s typically the difficulty of bullying over look. Children who can’t afford good garments can turn out to be a goal, so I believe faculty uniforms eliminates loads of the strain. Lots of the colleges that do have faculty uniforms are normally non-public and thus a privilege for youths from rich households. If you see somebody in a faculty uniform in America, you simply assume that they’re both wealthy or attending a Catholic faculty.”
9. Japan, Don’t Work so A lot!
“Why do you go to work when you’ve gotten a chilly? The salarymen that cough on all people with no masks in crowded trains actually hassle me. In America, it’s frequent courtesy to remain at house if you happen to’ve caught a chilly. However individuals in America additionally don’t work as a lot as Japanese individuals, and the work hours in Japan are additionally too lengthy. On high of that, ladies who work full-time are nonetheless accountable for your entire family… that may be a tradition shock for me. The usual that males’s solely accountability is to go to work continues to be quite prevalent, and I want that Japan made sooner strides in direction of gender equality.”
10. The Japanese Persons are Well mannered within the Most Curious Locations!
Final however not least: Japanese concerts!
“When the band talks between songs, the Japanese viewers listens very quietly. That definitely is an odd feeling for somebody from America. As quickly as a band begins their efficiency, an American viewers will get tremendous excited instantly. It’s attention-grabbing when artists from overseas come to carry out in Japan, they at all times appear shocked by how quiet the Japanese followers are and say: ‘The place’s the thrill?!’”
Faculty uniforms, reside venues, and peanut butter – Japan has loads of little peculiarities that may appear bizarre, each in a great way and in a not so great way. What sort of issues did come to your thoughts first?
*This info is from the time of this text’s publication.
*Costs and choices talked about are topic to alter.
*Except said in any other case, all costs embrace tax.