A few of the things we like about Japan

Heated toilet seats They are amazing. Strange at first, but then when you sit on one that isn’t heated, you get a nasty surprise.

Remote control for le toilet

Japanese girls Japanese women are so beautiful. Their skin is perfect and they have amazing leggies which they show off by wearing these socks that they pull up just over their knees. To show cleavage here is a no no, but to wear hot pants is more than fine.

Bowing Everyone bows when they meet you. It’s a sign of respect. The lower you go, the more respectful you are. We have seen some people get superbly low.

Clean streets The streets are incredibly clean, there is no rubbish or cigarettes butts anywhere. There are also no bins around so I don’t know where it all goes.

Poodles Japanese people have the most gorgeous toy poodles. I (Justine) have been known to harass a dog or two in my lifetime so I have almost lost my mind here with these little pooches knocking around everywhere.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!

Amazing cameras, everywhere Most Japanese people seem to have amazing cameras. Also, a lot of camera stores here have vintage cameras on show. It seems like everyone in this country is a good photographer. In Shinjuku, Tokyo, we went into one store which had rows and rows of film, any type of film you can imagine. It was Robs paradisimo!

Recycling When we got our Alien Registration Cards from the City Hall (which is like home affairs, the only difference is that its quiet, clean, organized and looks like a hotel inside) we were given a schedule for recycling. Basically everyone has about 4 or 5 bins in their house. They recycle paper, plastic, cans and then burn the rest like food and teabags etc. The rubbish bags are see-through so you can not cheat or they won’t take it. Also, you have to put a sticker on the bags or they also won’t take it. On the schedule, it tells you what to take out on each day. Monday is paper, Tuesday is plastic etc etc.

Safety Takayama and I imagine Japan as a whole is so safe. The house is left open, the windows are left open and everyone’s bikes are left outside. People do their shopping on their bicycles and leave the groceries in their basket of their bike and go into another shop. Coming from South Africa, it is a real novelty and sometimes will go out without locking up, just for a thrill.

Little K cars Most people drive these tiny little box cars. They are quite funny at first until you get in to one and realize that they are a dream to drive. They are all new, automatic and have power steering. They are so easy to drive around and get round the little corners with.

Fast internet We have never known what it feels like to watch a youtube video and as soon as you hit play, it has already buffered. We can watch music video’s to our little hearts content. Especially enjoying this one at the moment- The Look

J Pop This is Japanese pop music. It’s really cute and catchy and is on the radio all of the time. A lot of Japanese girls speak and sing in baby voices. Apparently the guys love it.

Vending machines These things are a god send. You can buy juice, beer, hot tea and coffee in them and they are really cheap and on every corner.

Karaoke We went out for a work function in our first week which ended up with us at Karaoke. I was pretty nervous at first but after my first song, they couldn’t pry the mic out of sweaty little hands. Basically, Karaoke is what most people do on the weekend. You hire a room and take in some snacks and drinks and sing away to your hearts content. It sounds ridiculous but is incredibly fun. They have so much music to choose from. You can sing The Smiths, The Drums, Sublime and end up on Lady Gaga depending on how much vending machine beer you have had.

Singing our hearts out

The seasons The seasons are so definite here that you can see from the trees what month you are in. The weather forecast is never wrong. As soon as it is summer, the flowers and trees change in to beautiful bright colours.

Japanese people are so proud of their country When I ask my students where their favourite part of Japan is, they say Takayama. When I ask them what their favourite country is, they say Japan. Japanese people love to holiday within Japan and really love their own culture. In the UK people have a sort of aggressive patriotism, yet all they seem to do is grumble about the weather, health care etc.. In South Africa, people are so patriotic that they some how forget about the unbelievably high crime and Aids statistics. They sit by the pool drinking a Hansa, behind an electric barbed wire fence, with the maid ironing behind them and say ‘Ahh, it’s a good life here.’