10 Cultural Differences in Japan That Surprised Me

We’ve been home from our big honeymoon trip to Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea for a few weeks now, and I’ve had lots of time to catch up with family and friends! Everyone has been so curious to find out what the trip was like — and one of the biggest things people have been interested in are the cultural differences in Japan.

Japan is definitely a country where I experienced a lot of cultural differences that I had never seen before, and while they did surprise me, I actually loved it! Because it makes me really stop and think: “Wow, I am certainly not in the U.S. or Spain anymore!” And I weirdly enjoy the fish-out-of-water feeling of cultural discomfort.

With that being said, here are just 10 of the cultural differences in Japan that surprised me — both big and small.

1. Vending Machines. Everywhere.

I kind of knew that Japan was big on vending machines. But I guess I didn’t realize the full extent. They were EVERYWHERE. Not only were they on pretty much every block in Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka — and not just one, but often several right next to each other — they were on the sides of the mountainous roads we were driving in the Fujigoko Five Lakes area. Just in case you wanted to pull over and have a drink, I guess.

There are so many vending machines that you kind of tune them out after a while, but apparently they don’t only sell drinks! There are vending machines that sell kimchi, dashi (a type of soup broth), cakes, ramen, and even deer crackers at Nara Park. I would have loved to be able to take advantage of the Japanese vending machine culture more, but I stuck to drinks — my favorite was the Itoen Peach Soda that seemed to always be in vending machines near temples for some reason!

2. No eating and walking

Despite the strong vending machine culture, despite the konbinis (7-Eleven, Family Mart, and Lawson) that are on every block, full of delicious grab-and-go snacks, and despite the busy, on-the-go culture of cities like Tokyo, eating/drinking while walking is a huge faux pas in Japan.

Our version of breakfast most mornings was a 7-Eleven onigiri (rice ball) and iced coffee for me, and something certainly more interesting and less repetitive for Matt — and even though we usually were on our way somewhere, we would dutifully post up outside the 7-Eleven, standing and eating until we were finished our meal.

I’m pretty sure it stems from the importance of cleanliness in Japanese culture, and the idea is that if you’re walking while eating or drinking, you’re more likely to make a mess. (The only time I would break this rule was when eating a Coolish ice cream pouch, which is pretty impossible to make a mess with!)

3. No public trash cans

So, with Japanese culture placing a high value on cleanliness, it’s kind of crazy that there are basically no public trash cans! Honestly, that was another benefit of having to stand and eat outside the konbini — you could just go back in and throw away any of your food packaging or trash when you were finished. Otherwise, with the lack of trash cans, you’re going to be carrying that trash around with you all day.

You might expect that, considering there are no trash cans, Japan wouldn’t be a very clean place. But it’s not true — everyone really does seem to carry their trash until they find somewhere to dispose of it. It’s a bit annoying at first, just since it’s something new, but you do get used to it.

4. Stay on the left — for real

This was something I noticed pretty quickly when taking the metro around Tokyo. In the U.S., we drive on the right side of the road and typically stay to the right in all situations. In Japan, on the other hand, cars drive on the left side of the road.

The United Kingdom also drives on the left side of the road. But in the UK, when you take the Tube in London (for example), you’re still urged to stand on the right side of the escalator and use the left side for walking up, and you keep right in most situations. To me, this seems like a mismatch.

In Japan, you stay on the left in all situations — standing to ride the escalator, walking on the sidewalk, or going up stairs. Good luck with trying to use the right side during rush hour in Tokyo!

5. Smoking should not be seen

I’m not sure how common smoking is in Japan compared to the U.S. or Europe, because you’ll basically never see it happening. And that’s by design!

In many cities in Japan, smoking while walking is prohibited (same as eating and drinking while walking) and it can only be done in public while in a specified smoking area — which is like a booth or screened-off area, as you’ll see in the picture above. Although there are apparently some restaurants where you’re still allowed to smoke indoors!

6. Cover up, no matter how hot it is

Speaking of things being covered up, I was not prepared for how covered-up people in Japan would be. We were there in late August/early September, and it was HOT. Like it was 100°F (38°C) a couple of days and it didn’t drop much more than that the entire time we were there.

Yet the vast majority of locals were wearing long sleeves, pants, or even sweaters, hoodies, and jackets! Plus, many of those who were wearing short sleeves would wear these detachable arm sleeves that would help protect their arms from the sun — along with carrying UV-preventing umbrellas.

Apparently, avoiding sun exposure is important to many Japanese people, and modesty in general is part of the culture. So it makes sense in that regard, but I was already melting even in loose pants and a tank top.

7. Lots of single-use plastic/disposable items

Living in Spain now, I’ve seen how the EU is working hard to limit single-use plastic and disposable items. No plastic straws, and the little plastic cap doesn’t detach from your water bottle anymore! (Some people really hate this; I don’t care at all.)

Japan surprisingly had a lot of single-use plastic and disposable items. Anytime you would get a snack from a konbini, if you got instant noodles the cashier would give you wooden chopsticks, if you got yogurt they’d give you a plastic spoon, etc. Though plastic bags aren’t free, they cost the equivalent of 2 cents (USD) so it doesn’t really deter you from just grabbing one for convenience. In hotels, you also get so many disposable items — from room slippers, to shower caps, to sheet masks, to pre-packaged sunscreen, and more.

For a country that cares so much about cleanliness, I can see how individual packaging can help keep things tidy and sterile, but with such a big population I wonder what the negative environmental impacts are.

8. Wet towelettes instead of napkins

Another thing that surprised me (and is somewhat related to the disposables issue) is that, in restaurants, you don’t really have napkins. Instead, you’ll receive a (pre-packaged) moist towelette when you sit down at the table. The first time or two, I thought they were like sanitizing wipes to clean your hands before eating. But soon I realized that this pretty much serves as your napkin for the entire meal.

I did like the concept in general, because when you’re eating things that could splash or drip like ramen, a wet towelette goes a lot further in helping you wipe your chin or hands. And in some places, instead of a pre-packaged wipe, they gave you a cold, damp washcloth, which also felt really good to put on your face or neck for a minute when it was 100 degrees outside.

9. Baskets for under your chair

If I go out to work somewhere with my laptop, I always bring my backpack. But I hate putting my backpack on the dirty floor. Usually I’ll put it on the chair next to me, but that’s not always possible if it’s busy and all chairs are taken.

But Japan has a great solution for this, that I’d never seen anywhere else! When you go to a restaurant or cafe, instead of having to put your bag on the floor, they have little baskets you can put them in that slide right under your chair. That is genius.

10. Fitting Room Etiquette: Take off your shoes and use a face cover

Of course, I had to do some shopping while in Japan. But fitting room etiquette is a lot different than in the U.S. or Europe. First of all, usually one of the attendants will quickly sweep it before you go in. And second, you have to take your shoes off! It’s a little inconvenient, especially if you’re just trying on shirts. But when I was looking for Matt after I was done, it was easy to figure out which cubicle he was in because his shoes were outside. 😂

And the last major difference about fitting rooms in Japan is that you’ll typically be asked to use a face cover. This is to help keep the clothing clean and prevent makeup or sweat from rubbing off on it while you’re trying it on. I didn’t grab a good pic, but it’s kind of like a really thin cotton hood that you put on backwards over your face. Then you just throw it away when you’re done. (More disposables.)

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Okay, those are the top 10 cultural differences in Japan that surprised me! Have you experienced any of these in Japan during your travels, or what would you add to my list? Let me know in the comments!

-Cathy

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