Typically Japanese

Typically Japanese, that's a statement you truly internalize only after you've been to the Land of the Rising Sun. Japan is the land of crazy things. Brighter, louder, more colorful - we were already prepared for this when planning our trip to Japan. Just the numerous images in our Japan travel guides looked promising.

From stories, we also knew that Japan would have nothing in common with our previous experiences in Asia. How extraordinary our trip would really be was something we couldn't imagine in our wildest dreams.

Business suit wearers meet in Japan with anime, manga, colorful food, and many other cute things. One important aspect should be kept in mind. The mentality of the Japanese has always been grounded in identifying a problem and solving it as efficiently as possible or making the solution even better. This perspective will help make many of our quirky experiences more understandable.

What extraordinary and crazy experiences have you had in Japan? Feel free to write to us in the comments at the end of the article. We're sure we haven't seen all the craziness yet.

When you enter a good public toilet in Japan for the first time, you'll be amazed by the incredible control panel in the restroom. Luckily, most are also labeled with drawings; otherwise, we would have been completely overwhelmed.

In addition to heated toilet seats and various spraying nozzles, there is an incredible feature: sound. Why is this? Japanese women used to let the water in the sinks run to drown out the noises during their bathroom visits. This was, of course, an incredible waste of water. So they installed a sound feature in the toilets to solve this problem.

The small button with the musical note typically plays the sound of a waterfall. When things get really crazy, you can choose from different sounds. Nowhere else in the world can you go to the bathroom as discreetly as in Japan.

Especially in department stores, there is another special feature in women's restrooms. In the stalls, you often find small seats in the toilets where children can be placed while the mother uses the restroom. This way, the little ones don't crawl around on the floor. Quite practical, right?

A little tip on the side: If you're curious, you should test the toilet features only while seated. Otherwise, it can get quite wet, especially if there are no symbols on the buttons. The red button with a dot in the center is the stop button. It turns off all functions, just in case it gets out of hand.

The Japanese are masters of the power nap. Subways are particularly popular for this. Whether standing or sitting, it seems that Japanese people can sleep anywhere. We were always surprised by the monotone snoring sounds in the train cars.

Due to their high workload, the Japanese are often extremely tired. Because of this, their sometimes long commutes are often used for quick naps. To avoid disturbing those sleeping, there's the general rule of no phone calls in subways. Very respectful, in our opinion.

It often rains in Japan. Due to the geographical location, it feels like the sky is pouring buckets of water down onto Japan. It's not the light drizzle, but rather heavy downpours that can surprise you in minutes. Therefore, umbrellas are absolutely essential.

In no country in the world is there so little murder, robbery, and theft as in Japan. But when it comes to umbrellas, these rules seem to be completely disregarded. Here, umbrellas are stolen left and right. That's why there's something quite curious in Japan: lockable umbrella stands. In malls and in front of major attractions, you'll find huge boxes with small compartments where you can place your umbrella. These are secured with little locks, so you don't have to take your umbrella inside. But this way, you ensure you won't be left standing in the rain at the end of the day. So take good care of your umbrellas.

Many are already familiar with the cutesy Japanese drawings with large eyes. Hello Kitty, Miffy, Rilakkuma, or Hamtaro are also known in Europe. Regardless of whether it's manga or anime, much of it is incredibly adorable. The figurine craze doesn't stop at landmarks or businesses either. While only sports teams or amusement parks have mascots back home, they are almost everywhere in Japan. Nearly everything has a cute, fluffy mascot.

No matter where you go, friendly little helpers are meant to spread good cheer, assist, and simplify everyday life. The Suica Card features a penguin that explains the rules in emergencies. In the hardware store, a cheerful comic drill from Hitachi helps with selecting the right tool.

Almost every observation tower we've visited in Tokyo had a plush figure standing at the door, either permanently installed or with a person in costume, meant to spread a cheerful atmosphere.

The mascot culture is deeply ingrained in every area of daily life in Japan. There are mascots promoting medical enemas, women's prisons, or degree programs. There is even an annual mascot competition. Truly insane.

A booming business in Japan is animal cafes. Whether cats, dogs, owls, or even mini pigs, there's an animal café for almost every type. The revenue of these cafés currently exceeds 25 million euros annually in Tokyo, and it's still rising.

Unfortunately, apartments in Japan are very small, and many do not allow for keeping pets. Therefore, many Japanese enjoy visiting these cafés to pet an animal. Sad but true.

We find this form of entertainment absolutely unacceptable and want to urge every traveler to avoid these cafés. No matter what the owners say, it's pure stress for the animals. If you still want to experience something quirky, you'd be better off going to a maid café, although that's also a matter of taste.

Don't speak Japanese and want to go out to eat? Luckily, that's not a big problem in Japan. In Japan, primarily older people often do not speak English, and signs and menus are often only printed in Japanese. There are display cases outside almost all Japanese restaurants featuring the dishes offered. Alternatively, many menus are illustrated.

To our surprise, these are made of plastic. Of course, this is totally sensible from a waste standpoint. During a small stroll through a mall, we came across a shop selling these exhibition objects. We were astonished by the prices of these artistic creations. A large bowl of ramen can cost several hundred euros, for example. Apparently, the Japanese have elevated food made of plastic to an art form, and restaurant owners charge quite a bit for it.

What we only know from train stations and waiting areas in public buildings is seen everywhere in Japan: vending machines filled with everything the heart desires. Preferably, but not limited to, food and drinks. You can also buy cosmetics, hats for cats, and socks from these machines.

By the way, the brands also use the machines as test objects. New products undergo trial runs in vending machines. Depending on how often a drink is purchased, the decision is made whether the product will go into series. So, you might grab something that you can't buy in stores afterward.

We made a game out of only pulling things from the machines that we are unfamiliar with. This little surprise effect was always very fun, although not everything tasted great.

If you mainly sleep in private accommodations or guesthouses in Japan, you risk looking for your bed in the room. An empty space, laid with tatami mats, maybe a table and chair, and otherwise, the room is empty. Usually, the futon, blanket, and pillow are hidden in the closet.

Since Japanese apartments are so small, the Japanese prefer to utilize their living space differently during the day. They conveniently store everything for sleeping in a closet. If you don't know this, you might be a bit surprised at first. Basically, a very clever idea. By the way, you don't have to worry, futons may look uncomfortable at first glance, but sleeping on them is excellent.

Fun Fact: In Japan, room sizes are often given in the unit of tatami instead of square meters. For example, my office is 8.3 tatami mats in size. If you're curious, the standard size for a tatami is 85.0 cm x 170 cm.

In Japan, they drive on the left side of the road. This applies not only to cars but also to riding escalators. Stand on the left, walk on the right, is the rule that all Japanese adhere to. Whether in the subway or department store, the Japanese stand in line and ride up and down obediently.

Generally, this wouldn't be unusual, if it weren't for Osaka (check out my top attractions in Osaka). In all of Japan, people stand to the left. In Osaka, it's the only city in Japan where it's the other way around. Here, the rule is to stand on the right and walk on the left. Why is that? We couldn't figure it out until the end of our trip.

Currently, authorities are trying to introduce new rules for the escalators so that people stand on both sides. This is intended to reduce the number of accidents on escalators. However, this new regulation hasn't taken hold yet. If you're unsure where to stand, just follow the Japanese; you can't go wrong.

Japan is also known as the Land of a Thousand Train Melodies. Why is that? Every train station has its own, individual melody. When a train departs, this melody is played.

Back in the 1970s, the Keihan Electric Railway was the first railway company to try distinguishing itself from the state-owned Japan National Railways in this way. A few years later, the JR lines followed suit.

Since the 1990s, these sounds experienced a true boom, and every train station was equipped with its own train melody. Even souvenirs and merchandise have been sold featuring these sounds. Apparently, this is meant to have a calming effect on passengers. At Ebisu Station in Tokyo, the soundtrack of the film "The Third Man" is played. Other stations have entered advertising collaborations, like Jiyugaoka Station, which features sounds from Snow White or Star Wars. Really amusing.

Everyone knows the images. Countless Japanese are squished into subway cars like sardines. Numerous gentlemen in white gloves try to push the masses of people into the trains. These pushers are not security personnel but are paid by the train lines to somehow get the countless passengers into the trains.

Although the trains run every minute, it still seems challenging to transport more than 40 million passengers. In Tokyo alone, there are over 158 train lines. It gets particularly intense on the Yamamoto Line during rush hour. Utilization is estimated to reach up to 180%. Such numbers illustrate just how much is going on in the cities.

So, if you suffer from claustrophobia, it's best to avoid the trains between 7 and 9 AM.

I've never seen such beautiful manhole covers in any other country as I have in Japan. No matter which city we were in, the manhole covers looked different everywhere.

At some point, I made it a fun challenge to photograph beautiful covers. My collection is considerable. It's worth looking down often.

We could write so much more about the curiosities of Japan. There's the experience with an air conditioner that also served as a heater and dryer. Or the edible landmarks available at every tourist hotspot. Not to mention the mouth masks available in all shapes and colors, whether neutral or with comic motifs.

Although all this might seem a bit strange at first glance, Japan remains one of our absolute favorite countries. The many peculiarities make it truly exciting. What was your quirkiest experience in Japan? Feel free to write to us in the comments.

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