Trash bins
You won’t be able to find them. The only ones are located near the vending machines and, obviously, are shaped so you can throw in only the bottle or the can you just purchased.
Toilets
They are very clean, always, also public ones. In addition, in Japan you can find “washlets”: a toilet with a multi-function tablet with various buttons. Among these: music or sounds to increase your privacy, a bidet with different types of water spray for your hygiene, and also a button to emit scented fragrances.
Smoking
Around the city there are islands especially dedicated to smokers, since smoking around is forbidden.
Catching a cold
It is not unusual to meet people around with a mask on their face. They are not imitating Michael Jackson, but, given their profound sense of respect towards others, they wear them when they have the flu or even just a simple cold so as not to infect other people.
How to order in a restaurant
Japanese people are not very familiar with the English language, and it gets complicated when you have to order at the restaurant and the menus are only in Japanese. Often, on the outside window, there are plastic dishes that faithfully reproduce the dishes offered in the restaurant. Of course, we had the combo Japanese menu + the lack of plastic plates: pray that your neighbor has ordered a nice dish, because the only solution will be ordering “the same as him”.
Sanctuaries
Usually, you will find a fountain and a ladle at the entrance of any shrine. This is because it is customary to do an ablution to purify yourself before entering, then rinse your hands and your mouth too with a ladle. Water must be spilled out of the bowl.
Hotels: some facts
In Japan, there are some unique types of hotels: love hotels and capsule hotels.
The first ones have an hourly rate and are often booked by married couples. The apartments in Japan are in fact very small, and do not guarantee a certain privacy to couples when they have children. So, if Mom and Dad want to go for a romantic evening, they can choose a Love Hotel where rooms may have a theme (from floating beds, to champagne and accessories …)
Hotel capsules, instead, are reserved for those who work late and prefer to stay in the city instead of a long commute back home. The name derives from the type of accommodation, which is a real capsule where all the comforts are found: from TV to radio, to air conditioning. It can be a bit claustrophobic.
