So most people know the essentials of travel in Japan.  You bow when you greet someone, you eat with chopsticks, and you take your shoes off when you enter someone’s home.  But what about all the important stuff you don’t need to know?  Like what do the toilets look like, and what drink should you order at the bar?  Well, here you go folks.  10 fun facts about Japan to fill up your brain and shove out all that useless stuff you learned in college!  Psh, who needs math anyway?!

Fact 1.)  They have incredibly smart toilets

Yep.  You heard me, smart toilets.  These common Japanese toilets seem to be the love child of the western toilet, and the bidet.  The lower end models have 2 different streams of water to help you, ummm… cleanse your… ummm… private bits.  Different buttons allowing you to change both the temperature and the pressure of the water stream, as well as seat warmers are all standard features on the smart toilet.  The higher end models will make flushing noises should you want extra privacy while you’re making your own bodily noises, freshen the room with a high power deodorizer, play music, have blow drying capabilities, can open its lid automatically when it senses the presence of life, and some apparently have message technology.  I didn’t have the pleasure of coming into contact with one of these, so just what kind of massage is involved, I’m not sure.  I assume I’ll be told when I’m older.

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The other kind of toilet you will find on the island, is the traditional Japanese toilet. Equally as prominent, these toilets are, simply put, a hole in the ground… a porcelain hole in the ground, but a hole in the ground nonetheless. Both these toilets can be found in the same bathroom.

Margarita shown is actual size.

2.) Margaritas come in really small glasses.

The small glasses don’t just apply to margaritas, as a general rule, all of their drinks come in very small glasses.  The margarita is just the funniest looking.

3.)  Japanese beer sucks

Sorry Japan.  Beer is just not your strong point.  But Sake is amazing, so we’ll just over look the beer.

4.) There are a lot of blue roofs in Japan

There’s no particular reason for the blue roofs.  Much like red roofs in America, it’s just the fashion.  But it is an unusual site to see when you are staring out the window of the plane.

5.) They wear costumes on the weekend

During the week, it’s all business suits and ties, but come Saturday afternoon, and anything goes.  The neckties are shredded and the petticoats come out!   Pirate costumes, wild hairdos and just about anything else you can think of.  It has nothing to do with halloween, or any other special occasion, they just do it because they can.  Right on Japan!  Embrace your inner freak!

6.) Margaritas come in really small glasses.

The small glasses don’t just apply to margaritas, as a general rule, all of their drinks come in very small glasses.  The margarita is just the funniest looking.

8.) More Japanese people speak English than you know

In the beginning of my adventures in Japan, I had a translator with me most of the time.  When one of the locals had a question for me, they always asked me through my translator.  A week later, when a translator was nowhere to be found, they stared speaking to me directly…in ENGLISH!  The lesson here is to watch what you say in English.  Just because they act like they can’t speak the language, doesn’t mean they can’t.

9.) Sushi started out as fast food.

Yup, your favorite delicacy which now costs a small fortune to fill up on, originally started out as fast food.

10.)  Hibachi is Bull $%!&

For those of you who have never been to a hibachi restaurant let me start by saying it’s delicious…and fun.  The chef cooks all of your food right at the table, makes a flaming volcano out of onions, catches shrimp tails in his hat, juggles utensils, and it is all presented as traditional Japanese cooking.  It’s also bull $%!&.

Well it’s sort-of bull $%!&.  It did start out in Japan, but it started as a way to cook western food.  Originally called teppanyaki, it began with a restaurant chain called Misono where the chef prepared your dinner at the table.  The chain, originally designed for the locals, became a tourist trap for western travelers who found the food more palatable.  The theatrics of hibachi were added to amuse the tourists, who unwittingly believed this was all some ancient tradition of Japanese cooking.  When it came to the states, it was re-baptized hibachi which was apparently easier to pronounce, and quickly caught on with the now popular restaurant chainBenihana.  So basically Hibachi is the westernized version of the Japanese version of western cooking! Kampai!