13 Things You Won’t Get to See Unless You Visit Japan

Japan is a country with a very unique culture, which includes everything from the architecture and traditions to people’s behavior. It also stands as an example for the rest of the world is certain things, like, for example, the level of politeness people show to their peers. But Japan is so much more than that and if you ever visit the country you will notice all the major differences right away.

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“When you see a green man, start crossing the road,” we learned this back when we were children. But on some pedestrian crossings in Japan, you won’t see a green man. Instead, you will see the rabbit Miffy — a character created by Dick Bruna, a Dutch children’s book author. But how did this character make it into Japanese culture? The answer is simple: Miffy looks a lot like Hello Kitty — the “face” of the famous brand.

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While sitting, relaxed, at the dining table might be very comfortable, it isn’t necessarily the best thing for your health. We spend a lot of our time sitting at work, and we return home whilst sitting in the car or on a public transport only to find ourselves sitting yet again to have dinner. But most Japanese families have their meals while sitting on the floor, and you most likely won’t find chairs, even in 5-star restaurants in Japan.

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In order to reduce stress and get rid of headaches, we often use special massagers which have a very simple design. In Japan, there is a more creative and “lazy” variant — electric devices that look like multicolored octopuses.

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Pringles have been very popular in a crazy number of countries for many years now. But in Japan, Pringles is a brand of noodles that people in this country eat very often.

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It seems to be completely normal for us to stop by the nearest cafe to drink a cup of coffee or just sit alone at the table during our lunch break. But in Japanese cafes, the visitors who are alone get huge plush Moomins so that they don’t feel sad.

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Have you eaten animal-shaped cookies? It is always fun to put your hand in the bag and try to guess which “animal” you are going to pick — a crocodile or a turtle? Or maybe a lion? And in Japan, they have the same things but with Pokémons.

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• Water comes out from these sprinklers on the road, to keep it from freezing over.

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In the rest of the world, on New Year’s and on Christmas, people cook a lot of tasty foods and have a huge party. This is what separates a regular meal from a celebration. This is strange, but in Japan, people have a different attitude toward these things: on Christmas night, they love eating chicken from KFC which replaces the traditional Christmas turkey.

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If you eat sushi often, you might have noticed that the rice often falls off pieces of fish once you pick it up with chopsticks. However, there is no such problem in Japan because they have a special recipe: rice is mixed with a sauce that contains sugar, salt, and rice vinegar.

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The word for yes is hai and for no is iie. But the Japanese also often use “ii desu” or “kekkou desu” which can mean either yes or no. How do you know which one is it? You have to pay attention to the context and the way it is being said. The intonation and/or gesture will dictate what the speaker means.

A trip to Japan might leave you completely flabbergasted by the things you’ll see or simply amazed by all the technological progress. You may also be intrigued by some unusual facts you are not used to seeing.