A bit of a continuation of Japan the unexpected Part1
This is very late - I forgot to publish it back in May and have just found it. I thought it was amusing enough to add in.
ATM Antics.
So in the UK, an ATM is usually used to check accounts, pay in money, and withdraw money. Your ATM activity would usually last less than two minutes.
It is not often there are so many options that two bored queuing travellers time how long these ATM/People relationships last. There is a lot of button pressing, and various cards/papers inserted into machines, and much muttering, but our record was a gentleman who was there prior to us arriving, 10 minutes later we had made it to the adjacent ATM (we were only behind 1 person, phew!) and he was still going when we left.
Perhaps this is less unusual, and I just don’t get the ATM antics :)
2. How to supermarket shop
When you reach the checkout with your various unknown products to try out, whatever they say, we have find the best way is to simple say yes and thank you. Kuro means bag, so we vividly watchout for this word for an indication that we should respond to the stream of welcoming chatter. This is mainly because they may not necessarily be talking to you really, they will list every item they are putting into the bag, tell you how much you have given them, the cost, and how much change they are giving you. I bet this eliminates any of the scenarios involving running back to a shop with – ‘but I gave you a tenner, a you gave me change for a fiver’. Always an awkward situation
3. Never expect to see two houses of the same type next to each other!
Every house in a street will be absolutely different in style, colour and layout to the next. It looks like mass building simply does not happen here? Even in Tokyo, the various building styles in a single row are amazing.
This also means it is pretty easy to get lost…In fact very easy as everything always looks the same/different.Â
4. Water bottles everywhere.
Streets, pylon poles and garden walls are lined with large plastic bottles of water. We have been trying to figure out why – at first we wondered that it may be for earthquake warning – then after experiencing a small earthquake realised that was ridiculous. Perhaps it is to scare cats as one online blog suggests. I seriously think the giant Japan population of cats are way too clever for that.
5. Who closes on a Tuesday?
Museums. That is who.
Our trip to the earthquake museum was rapidly switched when we found out it would be closed. Instead to Odaiba – Tokyo Bay, a hub of life and home to the science museum. Well, on a Tuesday we can tell you from slightly bitter experience, that not only is the museum closed on that specific day of the week, but the entire bay becomes a ghost town. Never mind, we had 90 minutes on the trains home to observe the days round of crazy train antics…
6. Train Cramming
If you had every thought rush hour is bad, welcome to Tokyo.
Everyone remains exceedingly polite, by saying nothing/pretending to be asleep. Yet the passive aggressive vibe is there. The pure amount of squishing people put up with – to the point they struggle to breath, in silent acceptance is amazing. The choice is limited however, as regardless of the number of people waiting on the platform, they WILL get on.
The most popular method is to turn your back to the door, put your hand on the top, and shuffle backwards with force until everyone has breathed in a little more. This is repeated repeatedly.
Of course this means that those near the door all have to pile off the train at each stop to let others out. A great way to grab a seat is to scoot past those who have just gotten off, and jump on before people start departing. Highly annoying for those who just stepped off, but means you have more chance of making in into the sardine pack.
This opportunity does not always present itself, we have seen numerous occasions on super busy trains where the front runners by the door simply refuse to move. Half way down the carriage, you can see passengers, half-heartedly trying to work their way between people, only to move about a foot against the incoming crowd, and quietly resigning themselves to trying to make it for the next station instead.
The patience of people is incredible. Luckily this has not happened to us, but we stand out and make enough fuss to get out of the carriage.
My overall favourite is the dive bomb.
We first witnessed this as a frail elderly man with a zimmer frame was negotiating how on earth he would board the train which literally had people falling out of it. He kept stepping on and falling slightly back off and nobody could even move to help him.
He failed this train, probably as he could not reach the train door, and would not have had the strength to perform the forced shuffle.
During this performance, a business man literally took a running jump and dived into doorway, half knocking out a poor young man half asleep and teetering on the edge of the doorway.
Fortunately for us, Ryan is quite tall and strong, so holds his ground, but as it gets very busy, it can be very uncomfortable to the point you sometimes have several people who just give up trying to hold their own weight up, and lean on whoever is behind them creating a swaying dominoes effect with the train. People can nap this way. True.
It is most amusing to be watching from the station. You can assess the extent of the damage by haw many faces are physically distorted by being pressed against the windows.
The trains are every few minutes, invariably it is better to wait a few trains until a satisfactory looking carriage comes along. (Front and end carriages are MUCH more likely to hold breathing room).
Crazy train town.
7. Train Dozing
Another train phenomenon!
Every train, regardless of how quiet, contains sleeping people. Anyone who sits down is either glued to a phone or asleep. You are not supposed to make too much noise or take calls on trains, so perhaps these are the only options, but it appears epidemic.
I seem to always end up by the sleepers.
Two separate occasions, I have had people fall asleep on my shoulder. To be fair, one of them did spend about 10 minutes falling asleep from side to side, then jerking to a slightly more upright position, similar to a child trying to stay awake and not end up in their dinner. The trains are all set up like wide London subways with side seats, so we can view everyone in the carriage and count the sleepers.
A third sleep occasion was on a pack train. A young man had hooked both his arms through one of the handrails dangling from the ceiling next to us. He was fast asleep, which was slightly annoying when you can’t move to avoid a rocking head and torso from flinging into you.
From young to old, the consensus seems to be that trains are for sleeping, texting and phone games. I genuinely think this is a ploy to avoid having to acknowledge there may be elderly people to offer seats to, or the embarrassment that nearly a hundred people are squished together in a carriage while you luxuriate in your seated space – or maybe to avoid jealous/accusing glances! The only other thing is perhaps the humidity have made a sleepy nation. Then again we may just pick crazy trains on a daily basis.
8. For a land where chopsticks replace cutlery usually, the food served does not always match expectations. The size of food confuses me. Whole chops of pork, incredible long and thick noodles, large veg, dumplings containing squishy stuff that take serval mouthfuls etc. I would have thought the food would be chopped into manageable chucks which can be eaten, instead of having to try and eat away at what you pick up.
It makes me feel better that everyone I watch looks like a messy eater J Hopefully not too many bad habits picked up!
9. Bakeries here are addictively. Seriously so. They deserved their own post.
10. Cold Tea. Ok so in North America Iced Tea is popular. Here, cold tea appears to replace water. Everyone from young children to adults will drink it. Ryan accidentally brought some and the result of disgust was spectacular!
11. Electric Music
In Mukaido, and some areas of Tokyo, we certainly noticed a wiry humming. It was actually coming from the electricity pylons – they look a little at contrast to the high tech image of japan we usually see.
I think that is it until I remember some more!
12. Massage chairs!
So we found Techland in Tokushima. BEST PLACE EVER.
Not only do they have every crazy device known to man, they also have tester massage chairs.. we spent over an hour there, twice, egged on by people who had been their before we arrives and still there when we left. Not one sales person asks you how it's going, you are left to just chill out. Love this!