Japan features that would be a bug in your country? And the opposite?

Question

What features in Japan's culture would be considered a bug in your home country? Or the other way around - an aspect of daily life in your home country that wouldn't fly here in Japan?

I've got one. In Japan, many sliding doors in industrial and institutional buildings are designed to make noise. The rattle indicates comings and goings. 

I worked in institutional buildings in Canada with silent doors and soft closing mechanisms.

genkidesu · Answer

Oooh, this is fun framing! A few that came to mind for me:

When I first moved here, I went to a restaurant where someone just lit up smoking. That blew my mind as in Australia smoking inside had been banned since the 2000s. I know things have changed since 2020, but it still was rather confronting for me back in 2013!

The mindset here that cash is still king in many places, whereas in Australia it's almost like they are trying to phase out cash payments (a good article here talks about the shift to cashless: https://www.bbc.com/storyworks/where-the-world-is-moving/cashless-australia)

Here I feel like people are fairly well dressed, especially if you visit fancy areas of Tokyo like Omotesando or Ginza. In Australia there are people that often go barefoot (not just in beachy areas!) and I think that would cause some people to do a double take if it happened here.

Mask wearing here was so normal before the pandemic and still is if you have any sign of a sniffle. I personally love and appreciate masks, but back home I think they are seen as overkill by a lot of people. Some people are very vocally anti-mask and almost think you are cuckoo if you wear one.

The cost of alcohol here is very, very cheap when compared to Australia. Street drinking is also illegal just about everywhere in Australia as far as I remember (unless laws have changed in the years since I've been gone), but here you can open a can of chuhai or whatever at a park for hanami and no one would look twice.

TonetoEdo · Answer

@genkidesu Lots of differences, right!

You mention cash vs. cashless. Back in Canada, I used my debit card (directly connected to a bank account) for all payments because it's nearly universal there. 

Here, I rely on PayPay. Topping up with cash at ATMs is so easy that I haven't bothered to link it to a bank account. The app shows my history and earns points. 

I have no cash in my wallet right now! Haven't for weeks.

Eli · Answer

When at a supermarket a new cashier opens in Japan people will calmly change to the new cashier in the same order as they have been lining up. In my home country this would definitely be a bug as there people will just run towards the new cashier without giving anything about the previous order.

genkidesu · Answer

@TonetoEdo The shift towards more cashless payment options here has definitely been growing, too! When I first moved here it was 100% more normal to pay for a small item at a convenience store with a 10,000 yen bill than it was to whip out a card!

BigfamJapan · Answer

The first thing that comes to mind is public transport etiquette. I am currently at home and using the public transport system frequently. It is a breath of fresh air to be able to eat in transit and more so, to be able to talk on the phone normally. I am really enjoying all the noise on the buses and trains, with sing songs and rambunctious banter galore and people face timing their loved ones to pass the time on their voyage. The silence on the buses and trains in Japan can be haunting sometimes.

genkidesu · Answer

@BigfamJapan I might be in the minority but I actually way prefer the quieter trains here than loud ones back home! The amount of completely inappropriate phone conversations, swearing, even fights (yikes!) back home that I've seen happen on public transport leave a bit to be desired!

Japan features that would be a bug in your country? And the opposite?

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