Eating Etiquette in Japan

As with all countries, there are plenty of eating faux pas that can be made in Japan by people unaware of the differences.
I will point some of them out to you in this article, but also give some of my thoughts on the Japanese eating style in general.

General table manners

Before every meal, it's generally polite to say "Itadekimasu" (ETAH-DEKEE-MASS) which is a kind of "Bon Appetite" equivalent, but I'd more compare it with how Christians would say grace, it's a kind of appreciation of the food/cook.

Similarly, at the end of the meal "Gochisosamadeshita" (GOH-CHEE-SO-SAMA-DE-SHEE-TAH) should be said, which is like "compliments to the chef", but again, culturally it's more similar to giving thanks, e.g to the animals that died to make your food (vegetarians conscious' are clear though!) or the effort that the chef went through to prepare your food.

If you master those two phrases, you'll do well at social gatherings with Japanese people, I'd say it's especially important if you are doing a home stay in a Japanese family home.



Chopstick Etiquette

OK now this could easily turn into "the 1001 don'ts and 5 dos of using chopsticks in Japan", there are that many things you're not supposed to do it's exhausting thinking about it, but here are a few of the main ones:

*Don't stab food with a singular chopstick. I have however seen Japanese people slyly do it with both sticks if it's something large they want to transfer to their plate.

*Don't pass food into the grasp of another persons chopsticks using your own. This is probably the worst thing you can do as it is what is done at a Shinto funeral. A couple of ex-colleauges of mine did this in front of an elderly lady once, she freaked out, shouted at them and left the table in disgust! (they had no idea what they'd done wrong at the time)

*Don't stick your chopsticks vertically in your rice. Again, it's a funeral thing, it looks like what they do with incense sticks during the ceremony.

There are loads more like; don't move plates with them, don't lick them, don't wash food off them in your soup, don't tap your glass to get peoples attention, don't do a walrus impression with them etc etc.
Most are pretty obvious and as long as you don't act like a 5-year-old, you'll be all right!

Other things to note, Japanese people eat everything with chopsticks, especially in a Japanese restaurant. It's not unusual for people to cut and eat pizza, eat spaghetti, soup, beans, salad and of course rice with chopsticks - get practising if you're not good with them!

On that not I should tell you that in many instances, Japanese people will assume that western face = spoon and fork. Personally I was quite offended when given a spoon to eat with when everyone else was using chopsticks, when I refused and starting eating as everyone else it was greeted with gasps and the occasional round of applause.
OK, so slight exaggeration, but you get the point - it's not that they are looking down on you, they are trying to be culturally sensitive, and they assume no one uses chopsticks outside of Asia...

Eating manners

OK, now this is where things start to differ a bit and may be surprising to the uninitiated.

Noodles: When eating some delicious Soba, Somen or Udon noodles, it will be either in a hot soup, or if cold - served with a small pot of black sauce. (Fish or Seaweed based stock, vegetarians should ask for the latter - KOMBU-DASHI)
The Japanese at your table will no doubt either crane their necks down to their bowl or bring the pot very close to their mouth and start slurping their noodles with incredible speed and noise.
In western culture, a child doing this will be scolded and told to stop being so disgusting and rude, but in Japan this is considered polite as it is showing you are enjoying the food.

Personally, even after all my time in Japan, I'm still not used to it and I refuse to bow to this particular tradition. If asked about it, I kindly explain the differences in culture and most people understand. In fact a lot of Japanese already know of this difference and would understand if you didn't slurp loudly.
The main reason I don't do this is that it is only Japan and a few other Asian countries that practice this, and I feel they should be aware that if they eat with westerners either here or abroad, more often than not they are going to gross people out with the sounds and actions they make while eating certain foods.
I know a lot of foreigners here who do "go Japanese" in this regard, but I just fear the day when you go back home and you forget your manners!
I bow to many traditions in Japan, but I have to draw the line sometimes!

I should mention that eating soup, rice (served in a small separate bowl) spaghetti, sandwiches and pretty much any other moist foods are slurped or sucked ferociously by many Japanese.
I honestly feel that some guys here think that they are either part of some eating contest, or that someone will steal their food if they don't eat everything within 5 minutes!
Men are the loudest of course, but I've seen plenty of women do it too.
Also, to be fair, there are many Japanese who aren't so loud and understand/sympathise with the western mentality.

Complimenting: In many western countries it's customary to thank the chef or compliment on the food at the end of a meal, "That was delicious" or "I loved the potatoes" etc.
In Japanese custom though, I've noticed that people tend to comment on the food from their first bite of it, rather than their last.
I've seen many a host wait patiently and nervously for a comment from their foreign guest, not to receive one until the end of the meal or sometimes just as they are leaving. (Waving goodbye: "That was great thanks, see you later!")
This is bad game in Japan, I'd recommend you say something at the first opportunity.
A very common and important word to learn in Japan is "Oishii" (OI-SHEE) meaning delicious. I survived my first year in Japan by only knowing 2 words "Oishii" and "Sugoi" (SOO-GO-EE) which means "great"!
In one day in a Japanese person's life, I bet they say those 2 words about 100 times each.
Anyway, the main point is - compliment a lot and do it as early as possible, your host will be beaming from ear to ear and they'll feel relaxed and secure for the rest of the meal.

Final Word:

Now this might be rude of me to be "reviewing" another peoples culture, but this blog is all about foreigners being in Japan and how it feels to live here.

With that in mind, while I love the idea of complimenting more at mealtimes and appreciating the chef and the food, there are so many other things about Japanese etiquette that is difficult to witness (or hear!) and annoying to abide to.

I've seen many a Japanese person be offended at the mistakes foreigners have made concerning chopstick manners, many of which are only known in Japan, yet many are blissfully unaware that slurping food and shovelling it in your mouth (by bringing the bowl to your face) is considered rude and even disgusting by many more cultures around the world.
This blog is all about preparing you for your stay in Japan, so whether you decide to "be Japanese" or not whilst here, the rest of the people certainly will be, so prepare yourself for some noisy meal times!
VERDICT - LOW POINT

Water in Japan

UPDATE: POST-FUKUSHIMA DISASTER SITUATION

Since the massive radiation leak that occurred due to the tsunami hitting the Fukushima Nuclear power plant #1, there have been many concerns about water safety in Japan.

Radioactive water was pumped into the sea after being used to cool the leaking reactors, causing massive amounts of fishing areas to be poisoned.

The Japanese government's official word is that it does not affect the water supplies of Japan, or at least it's under safe levels. Seeing as they changed what is considered "safe" several times during the disaster it is hard to trust anything they say.

Personally, as with many foreigners in Japan, I'm staying away from drinking tap water just to be safe. The tap water we used to filter and drink, I now just use to wash vegetables.

Showers and baths - well there is nothing you can do there except limit the time you spend in them.

But drinks, soups and other cooking purposes, I'm using mineral water. I buy anything from outside of Japan, I don't care if it's French, Hungarian or Korean.

Some people may say this is an overreaction, but how are we to know what is truly in the water, rain carries radiation and puts in lakes and rivers miles from Fukushima.

I see it as a "just in case" measure, after all - do you really want to say "ah who cares, it's probably OK" with something as critical to your health as fresh water?

I'm staying in Japan for a good while longer, but I personally don't want to look back on my life after contracting some long term radiation-linked illness and wish I'd made a better decision.

This is especially true if you have an infant like me, I mean, who'd want to risk giving their baby even 0.0001% of some radioactive material?

Don't let me scare you from coming to Japan, especially if you plan to stay in the southernmost areas of Japan, of which are probably least affected (if at all), but if you plan on staying in Tokyo or North from there - I'd be picky with what you drink just to be safe.

Original article:
I haven’t visited every prefecture in Japan, so this isn’t a nationwide definitive opinion, this is my experience of living in the Tokyo/Chiba area. (as with everything on this blog)
I’m aware that water can differ from place to place, even in my home country of the UK I know it’s the case. For example water in the Lake District tastes as good as Evian, while the water in London tastes like crap!
Anyway with that in mind, my thoughts on the water in (several areas of) Japan.

The water smells/tastes like swimming pool water (Bad)
No matter if it’s at home or in a restaurant, the water you get in Japan tastes like crap. It has a distinctive chlorine smell and hard taste that is quite unpleasant and doesn’t quench your thirst.
The chlorine smell isn’t too bad when it’s your bath, but pour a big jug full of water to drink and it’s quite unappetising.
Surprisingly most restaurants don’t filter water, so if you ask for a glass of ice water you will get the standard out-of-the-tap stuff.
One of the few places you’ll get filtered water in Starbucks! (ask for O-YU, hot water, to make sure you get the good stuff)

Fluoride is not added to the water (Bad)
It’s well documented that most western countries add a small amount of fluoride into the water supply. Most people agree that it helps build strong teeth and have no ethical problems with it.
I’m also aware some people are against adding anything to the water and swear by bottled/filtered water.
Anyway, in Japan it is not added in any of the prefectures and the results of choosing not to do so are obvious.
Japan has a nationwide problem of generations upon generations with decayed and crooked teeth. Couple this with the fact that braces are expensive and not covered by the national health system and that fact that most Japanese people don’t make regular visits to the dentist.
This is not a racist stereotype, it’s an observation based on jobs which require up close and personal views of Japanese people’s mouths. (Teaching conversational English in a small room!)
I also have a friend who works for the government in the Environment department who openly admitted that it was a mistake for Japan not to include fluoride in the water and that they are actively discussing changing their position.
There is also a nationwide campaign to get children brushing their teeth properly with a daily “teeth brushing time”, clearly a band-aid to a major problem in Japan.

Bottled water is cheap and delicious! (Good)
A half-litre bottle of bottled water costs about 100-150 Yen and is available from any of the millions of vending machines found every few metres around Japan.
This is invaluable in summer and a necessity considering how revolting tap (faucet) water is in Japan.
For those interested in brands:
From any convenience store in Japan: Evian, Malvern, Mountain Valley, Volvic, Vittel, Crystal Geyser.
From import shops and fancy places: Fiji, Perrier and Hawaiian Water are available.

Water filter systems in Japan (Good)
I didn't know whether to label this as good or not, because you wouldn’t need these if the water was drinkable, but I decided to be nice because there are some pretty cool inventions to be found in Japan!
First of all, Britta water filter jugs (other brands available) are easy to be found here, any big supermarket or electronics shop will have them.
The jug isn’t too expensive, but a pack of 3 cartridges will cost you about 3,000 Yen and generally last about 2 months each, of reasonable daily use.
In summer you can put them in the fridge and enjoy cool free(ish) water anytime you want, or pour into your own bottle to take with you.
Even better is the tap-fitting filters that attach to your kitchen tap and give you instant filtered water.
Personally I don’t use that for direct drinking, I consider it “half-filtered” so I use it for boiling and cooking only.
For extra tasty water I pour the half-filtered water stream straight into a proper water filter to get it extra soft and delicious.

Onsen water is amazing! (Good)
If you come to Japan go to an Onsen (Hot Spring), I mean a real natural Onsen not a Sento. (which is basically a hot swimming baths!)
It’s said that if you dig deep enough anywhere in Japan, you will reach boiling hot natural mineral water.
I didn't think that was true, until a local golf driving range was demolished, a lot of digging down and a year later there was a natural Onsen 20 minutes from my house, which I consider to be a pretty metropolitan area!
The water is filled with amazing minerals and salts with cleanse your skin and help you feel warm and relaxed.
The only thing you have to get passed is the fact it’s all-nude all the time! (no swimming shorts allowed)

Waste water bills in Japan are expensive (Bad)
In my area, the waste water (meaning water that you pour down the drain) is measured by the litre and can be more expensive than you’d think.
Bath water, toilet water and water you pour down the kitchen sink is all calculated to the exact millilitre and charged to you every month.
One time I had a leaky toilet that I didn’t learn about until I got a water bill for 25,000 Yen (£180). You’ll need to be aware of how you use water in Japan, if you’re used to filling a massive bath per every person in your family or silly things like that.
A typical bill for me runs at around 10,000 Yen (£70) per month.
One good thing I like about Japanese toilets however, is the fact they have a tap on the top which allows you to wash your hands in clean water before it goes into the toilet bowl for flushing, very economical.


Final Word:
This was a tough call, as even though bottled water is cheap and Onsen water is amazing, the fact of the matter is, most of the water you will drink in Japan is awful.
The “free” water you get from your tap is basically undrinkable, necessitating the use of filters to make the water at home palatable.
Don’t get me wrong the water in Japan is “safe”, but you’ll be sure to get a stomach ache if you drink too much of the regular stuff.
There are ways around this problem, but just be aware of what you’ll have to put up with in Japan.
VERDICT - LOW POINT

Other reading:

--> Does Japan's Water Taste Good?

--> Technical Readout of what is in Japanese tap water (Note Chlorine levels!)

The Train Service in Japan

In my home country of the UK, if a train arrives within a 5-10 minute timeframe of the time displayed on the schedule, it is considered "on time".
In fact there are 2 columns on the timetable "Arrival Time" and "Expected Time", showing how many minutes late it is expected to be. This can be anything from 5 to 50 minutes on any given day....

So when I came to Japan I was pretty much gob-smacked about how efficient and punctual the train service is here.
Lateness is measured in seconds. They are so punctual you begin to get worried if the train is 2 minutes late, as it usually means something terrible has happened on the line.

Not only that but they are so frequent! Even if you live way out in the countryside, the most you could expect would be every 15-20 minutes, but if you're near Tokyo or another big city, it's more like every 5 minutes.

Not only that, but despite the millions upon millions of people who use the trains every single day, they are clean, tidy, have absolutely no graffiti or damaged seats due to vandalism.
The only tattered seats I've ever sat on were a local train in a very remote place where the carriages dated back to the 1980's, and that was down to age rather than some idiot ripping it on purpose.

Fares are calculated by how many stops you go. Take for example the line near my place, it leads to Tokyo and charges 130 Yen (85p/$1.30) if you go 2 or 3 stops.
If you go a bit further and ride for 5 or 6 stops (20 minutes or so riding the train) you will be charged about 290 Yen.
This system exists nation-wide, the fare is calculated by checking where you bought the ticket and entered the gates, to the end point of your journey where you exit the ticket gates,
It automated, it's fast, it' makes sense, it's fair and the prices don't change at any time, ever.
Even better, if you change your mind on the way and want to get off at another stop, it doesn't matter - you just update your ticket at the station you got off at and the cost is adjusted. Simple!

The downside of this is that there is no such thing as a "return ticket" in Japan, you cannot get a cheaper price by purchasing your ticket back home.
if it's 600 Yen to get to the place your going to, it will be exactly 600 Yen to get back. (1,200 Yen round trip)

I'd much prefer that to, for example the London underground, which has tickets you can't use before 10am, charges you by zones rather than distance etc etc. Very confusing - and illogical.
In fact the Tube is one of the best train services in the UK, the normal long-distance train service is horrendous.
To be fair, I've heard that the recent "Oyster Card" system introduced a few years back is a lot better.
Ironically this is based on the Japanese "Suica Card" system, which has been in use on ALL trains in the entire country since 2001!

Currently there are no plans to extend the Oyster Card system to regular trains, I guess they prefer the lottery-based price system they have at the moment....

To go from London to Leeds may cost you £140 return, £90 single on the day, £230 first class, £18 if you buy it 6 weeks in advance (if you're lucky) then you have rail card discounts on top of that, but they cost money too. Huh?!
Then you get on the train and it might not be reserved and you have to stand up!
You could be on a new train and have nice seats, you could be sitting in a 1970's carriage with chewing gum on the floor, it's like rolling the dice every single time.



Let's compare and contrast with Japan's similar long-distance rail service, the Shinkansen. (commonly called the Bullet Train in the west)
You can buy a ticket at a train station either 5 minutes before you leave, or 5 months - it will cost you exactly the same. You want a reserved seat, it's usually a few hundred Yen extra, a "Green Car" seat (First Class) will cost you a few thousand more. (usually about £10/$20 more)
You will then travel in complete luxury, moving at 300kph in pristine seats that recline like aeroplane chairs.
In the 40+ years it's been in service, the only time it's been delayed was when there was a major earthquake, even then service was resumed about 30 minutes later.
I really feel sorry for Japanese people when they say they're going to the UK and want to ride the trains, I usually tell them "good luck with that".

Having experienced many kinds of long distance trains & subways in my life, I can wholeheartedly say that the Japanese train system is by far the best in the world, bar none!

In the interest of balance, there was an incident back in 2006 where a train driver was a few minutes behind schedule and tried to make up time by going too fast.
He ended up derailing the train on a bend which collided with an apartment building, many lives were lost.
You could argue this would only ever happen in Japan, pressures of work, punctuality etc, but I put this down to a freak accident and hope lessons have been learnt from this.

Final Word:
Be it the daily commute or the long distance travel for holidays (vacations), the Japanese train system will never let you down or disappoint you - ever.
In Japan you are actually compensated and apologised to if the train is just 2 minutes late, how many other countries can boast such an impeccably reliable service?
It's clean, on time, reasonably cheap and fast - what more could you ask for?
VERDICT - HIGH POINT

Been there, done that - tip!
If by a freak of nature you are delayed on a train and are late for work/school as a result, you can ask for a "Chien-Shou-Meishou", which is a certificate/admission of lateness from the train company.
It's so rare that the train is late, you'll need official proof, think of it like a doctor's note!
Excuses for being late in Japan are few and far between, make sure you don't miss your train!

Noise in Japan

It will not be surprising to anyone to know that downtown Tokyo is noisy.
Anyone who’s seen the big city on TV or in a movie, will have a pretty good idea of what it’s like; massive TV screens playing adverts 24 hours a day, music blasting out of every shop trying to attract customers, the constant stream of traffic flying by on every single road – it all adds up to a huge racket.
After a day out in Tokyo, I always seem to have a ringing in my ears for hours afterwards, which is why I couldn’t live in a central zone

I live an hour out of the city and there are still many noise-related problems.
The guys they hire to stand outside shops to scream and clap their hands are abundant wherever you go in Japan.
They are made even worse if those guys are given megaphones! If you’re coming back from a hard days work and just want to go home and relax, the last thing you want is someone to be shouting about the reduced price on toilet rolls directly into your left ear as you walk past. Very annoying.

Once inside a shop you are not left alone either; take a typical supermarket for example.
If the looped organ music versions of popular hits played constantly isn’t annoying, the several CD players and TVs dotted around the store selling various things certainly will be!
There is this lady at one of my local supermarkets who works in the bread department, she stands right next to a CD player playing a 20-second advert on loop, at full volume - all day!
I’d have either smashed the CD player to pieces after an hour or just killed myself, but she didn’t ever seem to notice!
This is a good explanation of why Japan is so noisy, Japanese people are masters of blocking out sound, why do you think everyone sleeps so peacefully on trains?

But so far I’ve only talked about shops and walking around the city, what about in your home, your place of rest, your quiet-zone?
Sorry to tell you, but you are not safe from noise there either!

A good way to start off illustrating this: did you know that everyday at 12.00pm and 5.00pm a siren and melody is blasted out around town, in every single place in Japan?

Are we being told when to eat lunch and return home from work?
Well actually no, it’s for the school children, but you can hear it everywhere you are. I guess it’s also in the case of announcements or if there was a huge earthquake or Godzilla attack.
But it really feels like we’re still in wartime sometimes, the other day I had the announcer tell people to get home quickly because there is a high level of toxicity in the air! I think this is most peculiar, especially as no one seems to pay any attention to it anyways.
Can’t they just have the speakers near the school, why not use it only in emergencies – why can’t it just SHUT UP for once!!

So what about the times between 12.00pm and 5.00pm, peaceful?
Well no actually.
Depending on the day, you’ll either have a scrap collecting guy patrolling the streets with a megaphone strapped to his van and pre-recorded tape playing, a tofu seller using the same deafening method to tell you about his handmade produce, or if you’re really “lucky” and it’s during election time (seemingly every 2 months in Japan) you’ll have not one, but several different politicians racing about the streets in huge vans, blasting out their message to everyone.

That last example is particularly annoying: “I’M VERY SORRY FOR DISTURBING YOU AT THIS TIME, BUT I’D LIKE TO TELL YOU ABOUT MY PARTY’S MANIFESTO. NUMBER ONE…..” is usually how they go. (But imagine it in barely comprehensible Japanese out of a crackly loudspeaker)

So you’ve survived a full day in a Japanese town, you finally get to sleep – nothing can disturb you now…..right?

Well about 4am is usually the time when the newspaper deliveries happen.
Are they made by electric vehicles like milkmen used to use? Are they quiet so not to wake people during the early hours? Hell, no!
The delivery guys use loud stuttering motorbikes or scooters that could easily wake a shallow sleeper. (of which there are none in Japan it seems)
Is there ever an end to the noise in Japan?

So imagine in Tokyo, you’d have all the background noise, plus all the other stuff I just mentioned, now you can see why I only go into Tokyo when I have to!

For people thinking of moving to Tokyo from London or New York and have no problems with the noise in their home city - please feel free to ignore everything I’ve just said, you’ll have no problems in the capital, or anywhere else in Japan.

For those who are coming from medium sized towns or smaller places, you should prepare yourself and choose carefully where you want to live, Japan is noisy, noisy place.

Final Word
Coming from a relatively quiet town, I am constantly annoyed by the noise here in Japan.
Similar people who enjoy peace and quiet in their home, should think carefully before moving to Japan, and if they do, they should make sure they live somewhere far away from a major city. Even then, you're not safe.
I guess this verdict depends on what kind of person you are, and what your aversion to noise is, but for me it’s very troublesome.
The most surprising thing about all this, is how Japanese people are seemingly invulnerable to loud sounds and can block out and ignore noise at will!
They say that the Japanese system makes it hard for foreigners to live here, but attacking our eardrums – that’s just ridiculous!
VERDICT: LOW POINT

Even more vans that patrol the streets noisily:
*Kerosene Van (during winter months)
*Tofu Van (at random times)
*Unwanted bicycles collector
*Baked potato vans (called Yaki-imo)
*Washing poles vans (selling poles to hang outside the window)
*Fire safety vans (organised by the Fire Brigade during winter, ring their bells loudly almost every night of the week)

I'm not making any of this up - it never ends!!

Wasteful Packaging in Japan

It’s a cliché to say Japan is a “country of contrasts” when talking about it’s massive cities with towering architecture right next door to it’s quiet temples and beautiful scenery, but this cliché of conflicting ideas expands to many other things in Japanese life too, including it’s thoughts towards recycling and packaging. Allow me to explain.

Take for example rubbish (garbage) collection. Depending on where you live, each day has a different type of refuse assigned to it.
Where I live, Monday, Wednesday, Friday is “burnable” rubbish. Yes, that’s exactly what it sounds like. Burning is favoured over landfills these days thanks to lack of space.
Thursday is “non-burnable” which means metal things, old umbrellas and such.
Finally Saturday is “recyclable” day, which means time to get all your tin cans, plastic bottles, paper and glass into different bags and put them out for collection. Don’t forget to bundle them together neatly, including all your old magazines, comics and newspapers.

This system of separating and recycling different materials expands to every rubbish bin (garbage can) in Japan, be it at a convenience store or train station.
The image you may have walking around Japan is, damn - these guys take their waste and recycling really seriously!

Well before you go comparing Japan to Germany or another super-green friendly European country, let’s just look at the other side of it.

I think this is best explained with the aid of some photos, take a look at this box of sweet potato treats I got as a souvenir from a Japanese friend:

That box you see was wrapped in paper first. (I left a little bit there just for reference)

When you finally open it you are greeted with this:

All the sweets are on a plastic tray, which is in itself wrapped in a plastic bag. There is also a small sachet of anti-moisture gel in there. (Pretty standard in Japanese food products)

But that’s not it!!

Once you ripped open the plastic bag, now every single individual sweet is wrapped in another smaller packet!

Such a massive amount of waste for a pathetically small amount of sweets.

I think this demonstrates the irony of how the Japanese people use and recycle materials….
None of the materials used in that sweet box were recycled, although I guess you could reuse the box for something.

As only plastic bottles or containers can be collected for recycling, all of what you saw had to be thrown in the “burnable” bin.
I used this as an example because the same wastage can be found daily in Japanese products, mostly in the name of presenting something nicely.

Go to a takeaway place on a rainy day, they’ll put your food in individual bags, then put those in a paper bag, finally they’ll cover it up with a large plastic bag to protect it from the rain. That’s all without asking for it!
(Eco-tip: say “fukurou iranai desu” – I don't need a bag)

The same goes for the convenience store, go and buy a bottle of water and watch in horror as the attendant puts it in a small plastic bag! Why?!!
Even when you refuse a bag, you will always get a store “seal” (sticky tape with the logo on) to prove you’ve bought it. Why do I need this when I’ve got the receipt? Add up all that tape and that’s the same as another massive batch of plastic bags.

Maybe that is Japan’s conflict of interest, that they want to recycle, but at the same time they also want to make sure everything looks identical and perfect no matter how much a product has been thrown around or left on a shelf for too long.

Final Word
If you come from a relatively “green” country that recycles everything and cuts down on packaging (like Germany) you may be in for a shock when you come to Japan!
Even typically wasteful countries like the UK are cutting down on things like excess packaging, no such things are going on in Japan yet.
Whereas some things are recycled here in Japan, so much is wasted in the name of making things look presentable, which in my eyes cancels out all the good that the recycling may have done.
Lose the excess plastic wrappers please and stop forcing people to throw so much extra crap away – it’s not helping anyone.
VERDICT: LOW POINT

“Been there, done that tip”:
I have an inside tip for opening Japanese products. In western countries we grab each side of a wrapper and pull it open, try that on a Japanese chocolate (candy) bar and it won’t work – the glue is so strong you’ll rip your nail off your finger!
Instead look for the small pre-cut tear on the side and rip it off from there – easy when you know how!

Attitudes Towards Vegetarians in Japan

Before I came to Japan I had slight reservations about if I was going to be able to eat well as a vegetarian. The only Japanese food I knew of was sushi, which to the best of my knowledge back then was just raw fish.
I thought to myself, well there must be vegetarians in Japan, so I'll just eat what they eat! Plus if the worst comes to the worst, I can just make pasta or other simple things like that.

Well, all I can say is - I wish I'd done more research before coming here!

In the UK, almost 5% of the population is vegetarian, that accounts to millions of people. In the USA and other countries there are similar figures. Taiwan is leading the pack with almost 30% of people being veggie!
However, so far in Japan, I have only met one, singular Japanese vegetarian, that was the owner of "It's Vegetable" a specialised vegetarian restaurant in Kinshicho.

So the figures aren't good. The number in Japan is one of the smallest in the world, probably in the thousands rather than millions. (In a country of 120 million people)
There is a Japanese Vegetarian Society, but they don't have as much power as the British one does. They couldn't force a chocolate manufacturer to stop putting gelatine in their products or anything like that!

There are no concessions for vegetarians, you will not find any "V" symbols on products or "suitable for vegetarians" labels, you will have to learn kanji or at the very least katakana and read the ingredients yourself to know if it's suitable. (gelatine for example is ゼラチン, ZERACHIN)

If you go to a Japanese persons house for dinner and announce you are vegetarian, you may either get less meat/fish than everyone else or a few more vegetables added to your plate. (with the meat still there!)

I can't count how many times I've been told "but there's only a little bit of meat in it", "they are just small fish" or "it's only shellfish, not fish" etc etc
Another popular response is "oh, but I love meat", as if to say "why the hell are you a vegetarian?".
I find this is the most common response from older people.

Fact is, there is no real easy way to explain your vegetarianism to Japanese people, you may end up getting tired of explaining and just have to lie and say you are allergic, otherwise they may just assume you just don't like it or being fussy.

Tip: You can say "I'm a vegetarian" - watashi wa bejitarian desu" (Japanese people can't pronounce the V sound, so it becomes a B)
However, you may be hit with the problems I mentioned before if you just say this, as most Japanese people (and I really mean most, like 99%) don't really know what that means.

Pro tip! There is an old fashioned, but still understood way to call someone who only eats vegetables. This would exclude eggs and milk etc, so in essence it's a kind of veganism - better than eating "tiny" bits of meat, yes?
"watashi wa saishoku shugi sha desu"
A bit hard to say, but it will save your life! However, if the person/restaurant is not equipped to feed you, you may be simply told they don't have anything for you to eat!

In searching for restaurants, "SHOJIN RYORI" is the safest and most delicious option for veggies in Japan. It is an old Buddhist way of eating, where no animal products are used at all. (basically vegan)
I know you must be thinking, well why don't you just to to those restaurants then and stop your complaining...
Well, unfortunately they are among the rarest restaurants in Japan. Kyoto is famous for them, Kamakura has some and there are other dotted around Japan, but good luck finding them!!

The next safest option is Indian food, if the owner is Indian they will definitely have at least a couple of veggie options and will understand vegetarianism way better than any other regular Japanese restaurant.
The last option is Italian food and sticking to safe options like Margarita Pizza and tomato sauce spaghetti (although with that last one be careful it doesn't have "little" bits of meat in it).

Other useful phrases:
niku wa haitemasu ka? (is there meat in it?)
sakana wa haitemasu ka? (is there fish in it?)

My advice before living here is research nearby vegetarian restaurants, learn how to cook simple dishes at home, learn katakana at the very least and if possible get a Japanese friend asap to help show you which foods are suitable!

Of course if you are not vegetarian (why are you reading this entry then?) you will no doubt enjoy the vast quantities of meat that Japanese people eat these days.

Also if you are a "vegetarian" that eats fish, gelatine and doesn't mind that your vegetable soup is made with chicken stock, you may also find life is easier. (PS: Please stop calling yourself a vegetarian, you make life more difficult for actual vegetarians - you are a Pescatarian, got it?)

Thanks to the rising popularity of American style fast food and increasing amounts of meat in their diets, Japanese are quickly losing their title for "healthiest country in the world" and getting more and more obese.
Personally I think it's a shame they are turning their backs on their roots, which is basically vegetable based with some fish.

Final Word:
As vegetarianism simply isn't understood or known about, it makes life a daily struggle for veggies living in Japan.
Confusion, resentment and irritation are often the reactions of learning you are a vegetarian.
The best you could hope for is a peculiar fascination of why you became one, when there is so much "lovely meat" to be eaten.
Be aware - you wont be able to be a lazy vegetarian here, every meal is a battle!
Japan has a long way to go before it even reaches 1940's-England level of awareness!
VERDICT: LOW POINT

Useful links:
Making safe veggie choices in Japan

Happy Cow - Veggie Restaurant Guide

iHerb - Import shop that ships all sorts of international brands to Japan

Dairy Products in Japan

I have lived in Japan for a long time now, and I have still yet to see a cow or even a sheep grazing in a field!
That's because most, if not all, dairy products are made in the northern island of Hokkaido. The climate there is very similar to that of the UK, cool summers and cold, cold winters - which I assume is good for cows.

Milk:
In the UK, organic (cows) milk is not only common, but we actually have several brands/types to choose from. It is slightly more expensive than regular milk of course, but it's there.
In Japan? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Even pasteurised milk isn't that common, Japanese people prefer the UHT variety it seems.
The taste? Well many foreigners coming to Japan comment that Japanese milk is overly creamy and too sweet. People accustomed to "semi-skimmed" milk, which balances taste and healthiness, may be discouraged to learn that no such milk exists in Japan.
When I first started buying milk in Japan, before I could read Japanese it was a literal "lucky dip" with each kind that I bought!
I now stick with the "Takanashi" brand, which is pasteurised and tastes good, it comes in a white and blue carton.
When sampling milk in Japan, get the smallest size and keep trying till you get something you like!
It's not all bad news though for people who buy organic, in my local 'Aeon' supermarket there is 1 kind of organic Soy Milk which is very good, I'm sure vegans are happy to learn that!
Flavoured Soy Milk (such as the Alpro brand in the UK) is hard to come by, pretty much all of them are filled with chemicals and taste awful. I'd stay away.

Cheese:
A more dire situation than milk I'm afraid! As a vegetarian, I'd become used to buying cheese with the "V" symbol on which means it doesn't contain animal rennet. (cow stomach lining)
In Japan, no such system exists of course, so every single Japanese brand isn't vegetarian. Yikes.
Unfortunately that also spreads to imported cheese, for example if you were to buy an English Cheddar, it has to be re-branded with Japanese stickers/ingredients etc when it reaches Japan, which removes any sign of if it was vegetarian or not!
Anyway if it's being exported to Japan it is highly unlikely they would ship over vegetarian varieties, which would be a specialised cheese in their home countries anyway.

But there is some good news! There is one brand that gets imported to Japan from America called Natures Valley, which offers organic (and veggie friendly) Mozzarella and Cheddar cheeses! They are both delicious, but weigh in at about 1,200 Yen each, (£8.50/$12) and can only be found from certain organic shops or online.

For those that don't care about anything I just said, Japanese cheese unfortunately isn't that good anyway, mostly processed sliced cheese or balls of cheese in the shape of Pokemon!
You can buy French and Dutch cheese from some supermarkets, if you can find a Carrefour you should be OK as they have lots of imported cheeses.
You can also get Philadelphia cream cheese and Kraft cheese slices. I mention those 2 because they are the only commonly found foreign brands in Japan.
They are Japanese versions however and have slightly different ingredients and are no longer vegetarian.

Butter/Margarine:
Hokkaido butter is generally excellent, not too much to complain about here! You can get salted and unsalted brands without too many problems as well.
If you find an organic shop, you should also be able to get several organic versions too.
Margarine on the other hand is a bit more tricky, for anyone concerned about food additives/chemicals then I'd stay away from it completely.
Anyone accustomed to brands like "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter" etc, will be disappointed to learn that no such things exist in Japan.

Final Word:
For vegetarians, the choices are few and expensive for most dairy products.
For those that aren't, they should still be wary of additive-filled products that are below the standard you may be used to in your home country.
As organic products are not that widespread in Japan yet, it is very hard to get an dairy that is organic, the ones you do find will no doubt be British or American and cost significantly more than you are used to.
VERDICT: LOW POINT

Recommended
Organic Valley Soft Cheese:

No animal rennet, absolutely delicious, soft creamy cheese, way better than Philadelphia.

Organic Valley Sharp Cheddar Cheese:

Veggie-safe rennet, lovely mild taste, perfect for sandwiches, grated on pasta etc

I bought both of these at my local organic shop, but can also be order at certain import shops like Alishan
Useful link for veggies in Japan! Alishan Online - "Tengu Foods"

Internet Speed in Japan

Broadband/Cable internet is widespread across most of the UK and America, but it's nothing when compared to Japan.

The take-up for high-speed internet was much faster when introduced and as such Japan is now leagues ahead of most countries for the their internet capabilities.

In a recent survey of internet speeds Japan came top in the world, with the USA at 17th!

The average download speed of internet in Japan is so much higher, you can download large files at a much faster rate. Want to download a 700mb movie from the web? Come back in 20 minutes!

Geeky sidenote: The "upload" speed is also amazingly fast, meaning you can send huge files to other people over the net far quicker than you ever could back home.

Another advantage is that Japanese internet providers rarely put a cap on how much you can download in a month, something that plagues many UK/USA internet users who get charged if they go over a certain amount.

For foreigners living in Japan, having fast reliable internet is a lifeline in keeping in touch with family and friends, using internet phone software like Skype works like a charm despite the huge distance between Japan and countries like the UK/USA.

Final Word:

Internet speeds will make your life much easier during your stay in Japan. Keeping up to date with your loved ones, downloading TV shows you miss and all the rest will be so fast you wont mind paying the 5,000Yen (£35/$50 max) or so a month for it.

VERDICT: HIGH POINT

Smoking Attitudes in Japan

Attitudes towards smoking in Japan are at best, strange and at worse - frightening.

Most Japanese smokers I have met here seem to be blissfully unaware of the dangers.

I feel this is different from attitudes back home in the UK where smokers generally say "I don't care, it's my health I can do what I want, it's my choice" etc etc.

Whereas in the West people know the dangers (but do it anyway), in Japan it feels like we're in the 1950's again, I half expect to see a TV commercial showing a doctor recommending a healthy pack of cigs everyday to keep fit!

A common (pessimistic) statement I often hear from foreigners is how Japan is "50 years ahead" in many regards such as technology and transport but "50 years behind" in much simpler things we would take for granted as common knowledge/practice in the West.

I think smoking attitudes is one of the latter.

Some examples in everyday life:

*People can smoke in most hotels, smoking and non-smoking rooms are generally the same thing, just with a quick airing out of the room beforehand.

*Smoking carriages on the Shinkansen (Bullet Train). If you are unfortunate enough to sit in an adjacent carriage, you will stink of smoke.

*Non-Smoking sections in restaurants are a joke. The difference between smoking and non-smoking? A half-metre wall.

Of course there are some Japanese people against smoking, and there have been some goverment regulations against it too.

Recently for example all JR Train Stations have become smoke free. Before April 1st 2009, there was a confusing time schedule of when and where you could smoke, usually near the end of the platform between 9.00am-4.00pm (non rush hour times).

This is one of the few successes for the relatively small anti-smoking group in Japan.

Scarily, there is an even larger movement called "Anti-Smoking Fascists" who actually appose any forms of anti-smoking laws!

Most anti-smoking signs seen in Japan are more aimed at etiquette and littering, rather than health reasons: "A cigarette is at the exact height of a child's eye" and "if you drop a cigarette butt, someone else has to clean it up" are the strongest worded signs you'll see.

Remember it is a country where cigarettes cost about 200Yen, (£1.40/$2) and 29% of the population smokes, that's nearly 30 million people. (Among the highest in the industrialised world)

If you are a non-smoker coming to Japan, be prepared to feel like a minority.

Final Word:

Of course, if you are a smoker sick of being told where you can or cannot smoke, you are probably booking your ticket to Japan right now!

But for ex-smokers or non-smokers like me, Japan is a nightmare. You often feel like there isn't a single place you can go to escape cigarette smoke, and the attitudes that Japanese smokers have are frustrating and antiquated.

If you are used to a smoke-free lifestyle in your home country, be prepared to be an ignored minority with seemingly no rights in Japan.

VERDICT: LOW POINT

More on smoking in Japan at Wikipedia