Roughly in order of occurrence:
They eat lotus root!
This is a food I remember fondly from childhood. I guess I always presumed it was a Chinese thing. We'd have it in this rather plain, watery, chicken type soup. (Yeah, not very exciting - the lotus was basically the only part I enjoyed.) In Japan, we were served lotus root at breakfast, and alongside sushi one night.
The quiet is real
And the courtesy signs/warnings on public transport, incessant. No loud, obnoxious, inappropriate phone conversations on trains around here, thank you.
The only place that was remotely rowdy (bearing in mind we're not drinkers and didn't do anything remotely night-lifey, ha) was a little ramen restaurant we stumbled into - it was noisy in the way Gina's Italian Kitchen in Auckland is.
So is the cute factor
Particularly when it comes to roadworks/construction. The billboards I expected, but these little surprises were next level.
Food isn't just divine, it's affordable
We ate well in Japan, and yet most meals clocked in about NZ$20 or sometimes less for both of us. That just wouldn't happen at home.
The toilets are like nothing else
I was prepared for bidets. I was NOT prepared for heated seats and buttons in the wall you can push to lower the lid - so you don't need to touch the toilet itself. GENIUS.
Everyone's so well groomed
I was a slobby heffalump in comparison. No surprise.
Umbrella stands everywhere!
So, it was pouring buckets when we arrived in Tokyo. The first things we bought at a 7-11 were two white umbrellas. It wasn't long before we realised practically every building has an umbrella stand at the entrance. Heck, at our last hotel, there were secure slots for individual brollies, with a lock for each one.
It's really family friendly
For example: specific diaper disposal and diaper change table in the bathrooms aboard trains. Stroller service at the sumo stadium. High chair attached to the wall in a public toilet, presumably so mum can have a moment to relieve herself.
Just a few random thoughts. More of a debrief to come next week!
