THINGS ABOUT JAPAN THAT TOUCHED ME
Did you know that hotels in Japan have nightwear for guests, in addition to toiletries? I stayed in Ana Crown Plaza (Narita), Asakusa View Hotel (Tokyo), Okura Act City Hotel (Hamamatsu), Hotel Monterey, Le Friere (Osaka). Did a lot of research on the sophisticated washlets (smart toilets) before I visited and I must say I am impressed. Japanese people love to soak in their bathtubs but showering prior is a must.
All hotels keep a stock of umbrellas for guests to borrow. They are large, having transparent sheet and one can see the rain falling on it. Shopping malls are kept clean but no restrooms were found in Daisu, Uniclo and GU. Shoes are not allowed in the fitting rooms and every time a customer comes out of the trial room, shop staff will quickly mop the room before the next customer enters.
Language is a huge issue. Communicating in English is a mix of only couple of words and gestures. Speaking grammatically correct English is not going to work. I had downloaded an App that converts English text into Japanese, even without internet connection. For prices, calculator is a life saver. They type in the English numbers and I know how much to pay.
It is very difficult to find dustbins. I saw a poster at Mt. Fuji (station 5) saying “There are no trash bins. Please take your trash home.” So I had one section of my backpack devoted to wrappers, tissues and anything that had to be discarded. Wet tissues in a sealed packet is the norm in restaurants. Some restaurants showcase their speciality by having a large picture or image of the item at their entrance, for e.g. crab, cow, octopus etc. For discarding trash, one needs to hunt for the right place. There was only one place where I saw dustbins and that was on ‘Eat Street’ at Osaka. And that was the only place which came out as dirty. Otherwise my entire memory of Japan was that of a spick and span country.
There is no retirement age in Japan. One continues to work for as long as one is capable. If they are unable to work and there is no family, they opt for Old Age Homes. Not having kids is the new trend in Japan. Japanese government takes care of their citizens in terms of health care and pension. Education is free till 12th standard.
Japanese people are very very honest. They will not pick up other people’s stuff. Incase they find unclaimed money, they hand it over to the nearest police station and they are given a receipt for it. After 2 months if no one comes forward to claim it, one can redeem the receipt. Children are taught honesty and cleanliness at schools.
One has to be comfortable using vending machines for cold and hot beverages. Another interesting vending machine was the foreign currency exchange machine. I experienced some discomfort inserting USD into the machine and waiting for Japanese Yen to be dispensed. Returned back with fond memories and with more consciousness about how not to litter. I almost forgot to mention that I experienced Indian food in whatever place we visited, be it a bustling town or a far flung town. Also amazed to find an Assamese waitress in one of the restaurants. Salute to our Indian entrepreneurs.