Many parts of the culture of Japan are often viewed as a bit odd by western visitors. It is not only the language and customs you may find a bit different from back home, there are a few other odd parts to Japanese society that can make any trip to Japan fun, with a new experience around every corner.
The Offbeat
Advertising Tissues
On many of the high traffic areas, especially around Shibuya and Shinjuku, tissue packs are an fascinating form of advertising. These small plastic packages covered…
Anime
The Japanese animated art form known as Anime dates back to 1917, when Oten Shimokawa created the first Anime film. The film was a 5…
Capsule Hotels
Capsule hotels are one of the more unique lodgings to be found anywhere. They are essentially a small cubicle less than a metre square and…
Cosplay
If you are visiting the youth areas like Tokyo’s Akihabara and Harajuku or Osaka’s Amerika-Mura, it won’t be long before you come across Cosplay. Cosplay…
Cute Culture
The Japanese are enthralled with cute characters on just about everything. Known as cute or “Kawaii” culture, many businesses have a cute mascot and soft…
Dog Cafe
Seeing a sign that reads Dog Cafe, you might be alarmed and think, Oh No they are eating Fido, well that couldn’t be any further…
J-Pop
You don’t have to be in Japan long before you get exposure to J-Pop, it is blaring at full blast from just about everywhere. J-Pop has…
Japan’s Animal Cafes
Japan is renowned for its unique blend of modernity and tradition, but one of its more unique dining attractions lies in the heart of its…
Japanese Cartoon Characters
Any first time visitor to Japan may experience a bit of cuteness overload as it is quite common for Japanese companies, the government and even…
Japanese Toilets
Some Japanese toilets are an attraction all in their own, with a range of technological features that are sure to alarm the first time user.
Karaoke
Karaoke is one of Japan’s most popular entertainment pastimes, with over 50 million people enjoying the fun at over 15,000 karaoke box buildings throughout Japan….
Love Hotels
Love hotels are so called as they are typically used by young couples who can’t get privacy at home or by Japanese sex workers. Love…
Pachinko
Pachinko is a device used for gambling and is a mixture between a pinball machine and a video poker machine. Pachinko parlours are widespread throughout…
Plastic Food
Most of the restaurants in Japan have plastic food models of many of their dishes outside the restaurant or in their windows. There are some…
Sumo Wrestling
Sumo wrestling is a competition contact sport where two usually giant wrestlers or rikishi, battle in a circular area. The sport is more than just…
Weird Ice-cream
The Japanese have a fascination with different flavours of ice cream, and we are not talking chocolate or strawberry, there are some weird and awful…