1. How quickly the trains come and go.
Especially with express trains if you aren’t standing at the door when the train stops chances are you aren’t getting off. The trains stop for 10 minutes at main stations (Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, maybe Nagoya) and 3 minutes MAX anywhere else. They even announce on some trains if you can’t get your luggage off in time it’ll be waiting for you at the main terminal.
2. How short/irregular restaurant hours are.
A lot of restaurants don’t have lunch hours. Either they’re morning restaurants and closed again by 10 am or they open at 5:30pm and lots also close at 9 or 10. Many closed early on Sunday too, or weren’t open at all. I guess since Japan is so big and modern I expected it to be like Canada where everything is open pretty much from 10am to 1am. Admittedly this is more true in the smaller places, in Tokyo things were a little more regularly open, but even there the smaller shops closed and opened seemingly at random.
3. How much of the food isn’t sushi
When you say “japanese food” in Canada you usually mean sushi, or some kind of bento with sushi rolls in it. Well guess what? Most restaurants are not sushi restaurants. There were hundreds of noodle shops though. Soba, udon, ramen, in hot thin broth, thick broth or cold sauce. I also didn’t understand eating cold noodles till I discovered the combination of heat and humidity.
4. How much variation there is in “plain” rice
The rice in Japan is just so much better than the rice I’m used to. I think I’m going to have to start buying better rice. It’s sweeter, fluffier, sticks together without being sticky. I can now understand the appeal of having it with everything.
6. The Amenities vary
Hotel bathrooms have everything you could possibly need. Razors, face towels, combs, lotion, shampoo, toothbrushes, 2-3 kinds of soap, yukata or PJs, showercaps, occasionally facemasks too! You could show up at a Japanese hotel with just the clothes on your back no problem.
Public bathrooms however tend to just have toilets (very fancy toilets mind you) and sinks. They don’t provide paper towels because everyone has handkerchiefs. Most didn’t have soap either. They are always clean, but very minimal.
Also public seating is basically non-existent. Even in train stations only have a couple benches. People just don’t hang out in public I guess. All the hospitality is at home.
Migratory Magpies 