46 things that surprise FG in Japan

[Samurai_Jerk]

Not really a reported but I couldn't think of a better place to post this.

Another useless list of "crazy" things about Japan

1. The trains actually come on time
2. The fruit is really delicious (There’s a lot of cross breeding)
3. The bread at 7-11 is really good
4. Taxi doors open automatically
5. The high likelihood of lost items being returned to you
6. Everyone eats KFC for Christmas dinner
7. There are vending machines absolutely everywhere
8. You can buy alcohol and tobacco from those ubiquitous vending machines
9. The Washlet bidets
10. You can drink water from the tap
11. The tea isn’t sweetened
12. You can smoke in restaurants
13. There are free samples at the supermarket
14. There are tolls on the highways
15. You can find absolute masterpieces of pastry at cake shops
16. The confusing, complex layout of Tokyo
17. The buttons to summon a waiter at family-style restaurants
18. Touch-screen menus at bars and restaurants
19. There are holes in the 5 and 50 yen coins
20. People hand out free packets of tissues on the street
21. The quality and selection at 100 yen shops
22. Japanese people really like Yahoo!
23. GPS is automatically included in rental cars
24. You can leave a bag to save your seat and no one will steal it
25. A small-size drink is actually quite small
26. There are power lines all over the place
27. People politely line up to wait for the train
28. Heated toilet seats
29. The high price of movie tickets
30. There are pachinko parlors everywhere
31. The skill used in wrapping gifts and other purchases
32. The multi-story parking garages
33. The ETC (Electronic Toll Collection) system on the highways
34. There are hot springs just for your feet
35. There are women-only cars on the trains
36. The love hotels
37. Cigarettes are really cheap
38. It’s so safe you can go walking around in the middle of the night with no problem
39. Japanese squat-style toilets
40. The incredible variety of KitKat flavors
41. There are still elevator girls who operate the elevator for you
42. The packets of condiments that you can easily open with one hand
43. Capsule hotels
44. The lucky bags sold at New Years
45. The rooms at business hotels are tiny.
46. The foreign guys dating beautiful Japanese girls are often ugly

[yanpa]

3. The bread at 7-11 is really good

Compared to what? Aromatized plastic?

[Samurai_Jerk]

3. The bread at 7-11 is really good

Compared to what? Aromatized plastic?

Yeah that one had me scratching my head.

[Coligny]

7/11 combinis have store brand sandwiches and hot dogs/hot sandwiches. That seems to be made with weirdly good tasting stuff. Usually melted cheeze inside taste like wallpaper paste, but in those they actually taste like cheeze.

[Yokohammer]

I'm guessing that list is a compilation of entries from people from all kinds of backgrounds, with an inordinately large percentage of them from "Deliverance" territory.

Holes in the 5 and 50 yen coins? Oh ... my ... gawd!

[Samurai_Jerk]

Holes in the 5 and 50 yen coins? Oh ... my ... gawd!

Not as shocking as highways with tolls and not only that. They can be paid electronically! Who's heard of such a thing?

[Yokohammer]

A friend of mine from Oz who's a refrigeration engineer was pretty impressed with all the cold drink vending machines. Especially the ones standing out in the sun: "I'll bet the electric bill for those things is really high!"

But electronic toll collection has been in use in Oz for quite a while ... I mean, even in Oz.

[matsuki]

A friend of mine from Oz who's a refrigeration engineer was pretty impressed with all the cold drink vending machines. Especially the ones standing out in the sun: "I'll be the electric bill for those things is really high!"

Yet no insulation on the homes and shit for buildings....biggest surprise for me has always been the whole "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" attitude towards things like that...and of course, in this gaman cuntry, progress in many areas gets stifled by it.

[kagemusha]

1. The trains actually come on time
2. The fruit is really delicious (There’s a lot of cross breeding)
3. The bread at 7-11 is really good
4. Taxi doors open automatically
5. The high likelihood of lost items being returned to you
6. Everyone eats KFC for Christmas dinner
7. There are vending machines absolutely everywhere
8. You can buy alcohol and tobacco from those ubiquitous vending machines
9. The Washlet bidets
10. You can drink water from the tap
11. The tea isn’t sweetened
12. You can smoke in restaurants
13. There are free samples at the supermarket
14. There are tolls on the highways
15. You can find absolute masterpieces of pastry at cake shops
16. The confusing, complex layout of Tokyo
17. The buttons to summon a waiter at family-style restaurants
18. Touch-screen menus at bars and restaurants
19. There are holes in the 5 and 50 yen coins
20. People hand out free packets of tissues on the street
21. The quality and selection at 100 yen shops
22. Japanese people really like Yahoo!
23. GPS is automatically included in rental cars
24. You can leave a bag to save your seat and no one will steal it
25. A small-size drink is actually quite small
26. There are power lines all over the place
27. People politely line up to wait for the train
28. Heated toilet seats
29. The high price of movie tickets
30. There are pachinko parlors everywhere
31. The skill used in wrapping gifts and other purchases
32. The multi-story parking garages
33. The ETC (Electronic Toll Collection) system on the highways
34. There are hot springs just for your feet
35. There are women-only cars on the trains
36. The love hotels
37. Cigarettes are really cheap
38. It’s so safe you can go walking around in the middle of the night with no problem
39. Japanese squat-style toilets
40. The incredible variety of KitKat flavors
41. There are still elevator girls who operate the elevator for you
42. The packets of condiments that you can easily open with one hand
43. Capsule hotels
44. The lucky bags sold at New Years
45. The rooms at business hotels are tiny.
46. The foreign guys dating beautiful Japanese girls are often ugl

2 - Bullshit' the price of the good fruit is ridiculous. The 'ordinary' ones at the super are crap compared with other developed and undeveloped countries. If I had a yen for every rotten onion or tomato I got here I would have bought a square shaped watermelon (full of seeds)
3. Bullshit - the bread here is so full of shortening and other kinds of crap the rolls grow their own tits.
8. yes but you can also enjoy the reek of alcohol and tobacco everywhere
15. For some, overuse of 'namacream' is beautiful. You want good cakes - go to Europe.

[Coligny]

2- live in the countryside, go to farmer makets... problems solved...

[yanpa]

7/11 combinis have store brand sandwiches and hot dogs/hot sandwiches. That seems to be made with weirdly good tasting stuff. Usually melted cheeze inside taste like wallpaper paste, but in those they actually taste like cheeze.

Better than other konbinis != "really good" (unless your perception of bread was formed exclusively through consumption of McDonalds products).

[kagemusha]

2- live in the countryside, go to farmer makets... problems solved...

I do, the product at the farmers markets or 'put the money in the box and take what you want shacks' along the road is not bad but not better than in other countries I have lived in.

[Dreamy_Peach]

27. People politely line up to wait for the train

[Coligny]

2- live in the countryside, go to farmer makets... problems solved...

I do, the product at the farmers markets or 'put the money in the box and take what you want shacks' along the road is not bad but not better than in other countries I have lived in.

True, one other thing annoying is the fashionability of some stuff.

2 years ago, 1 small courgette 298y
This year, 5 big for 198y...

There is nothing fancy or special aboot them... You can't make a good couscous without but that's pretty much it...

[matsuki]

3. Bullshit - the bread here is so full of shortening and other kinds of crap the rolls grow their own tits.

....it's not working

27. People politely line up to wait for the train

I just elbowed the same woman on the face for the 2nd time this month. Something really off about the station near my office...noone waits to the sides of the door, rather, right in front of the doors despite seeing there are people about to get off. Already had one altercation because of it but the eki staff shut em down really quickly. It's definitely not as bad as in other countries but the "super polite" train manners here that are touted all the time, are getting ignored more and more. Honestly, I could give a shit if someone has a snack, drink or takes a phone call while on the train but the ones I always encounter always have some shitty ringtone at full volume, talk as if they are yelling across a room, and slap their lips/chew like goats. I started holding my phone up as if I'm taking video and get either a deer in headlights look or a angry "WTF are you doing?!" reaction. (I'll let you guess which one is more fun)

[Iraira]

3. Bullshit - the bread here is so full of shortening and other kinds of crap the rolls grow their own tits.

....it's not working

27. People politely line up to wait for the train

I just elbowed the same woman on the face for the 2nd time this month. Something really off about the station near my office...noone waits to the sides of the door, rather, right in front of the doors despite seeing there are people about to get off. Already had one altercation because of it but the eki staff shut em down really quickly. It's definitely not as bad as in other countries but the "super polite" train manners here that are touted all the time, are getting ignored more and more. Honestly, I could give a shit if someone has a snack, drink or takes a phone call while on the train but the ones I always encounter always have some shitty ringtone at full volume, talk as if they are yelling across a room, and slap their lips/chew like goats. I started holding my phone up as if I'm taking video and get either a deer in headlights look or a angry "WTF are you doing?!" reaction. (I'll let you guess which one is more fun)

I don't mind the elbows being thrown now and then. What annoys the fuck out me is that last motherfucker who has to get on the train, who does reverse pelvic thrusts to make room for himself using his ass....like the motherfucker is trying to twerk his way on the train. Elbows are not impersonal, but that ass push is, and the perp (usually over 40, lots of combover, and wearing a 500 yen Y-shirt) deserves hot liquid death shoved up his ass along with a California redwood.

[IparryU]

2 - Bullshit' the price of the good fruit is ridiculous. The 'ordinary' ones at the super are crap compared with other developed and undeveloped countries. If I had a yen for every rotten onion or tomato I got here I would have bought a square shaped watermelon (full of seeds)
3. Bullshit - the bread here is so full of shortening and other kinds of crap the rolls grow their own tits.
8. yes but you can also enjoy the reek of alcohol and tobacco everywhere
15. For some, overuse of 'namacream' is beautiful. You want good cakes - go to Europe.

fucking crazy prices for fruit and they are not even that good. I am from Cali... so I might be a little spoiled. And no, Japanese strawberries are not good, neither are their apples with ass loads of wax on it.

Not sure about the bread.. but it is tasty...

no more alcohol machines... sad to say.

ya, Js are all about the looks... and namacream can make a turd look nice if dressed right.

[IparryU]

3. Bullshit - the bread here is so full of shortening and other kinds of crap the rolls grow their own tits.

....it's not working

27. People politely line up to wait for the train

I just elbowed the same woman on the face for the 2nd time this month. Something really off about the station near my office...noone waits to the sides of the door, rather, right in front of the doors despite seeing there are people about to get off. Already had one altercation because of it but the eki staff shut em down really quickly. It's definitely not as bad as in other countries but the "super polite" train manners here that are touted all the time, are getting ignored more and more. Honestly, I could give a shit if someone has a snack, drink or takes a phone call while on the train but the ones I always encounter always have some shitty ringtone at full volume, talk as if they are yelling across a room, and slap their lips/chew like goats. I started holding my phone up as if I'm taking video and get either a deer in headlights look or a angry "WTF are you doing?!" reaction. (I'll let you guess which one is more fun)

I don't mind the elbows being thrown now and then. What annoys the fuck out me is that last motherfucker who has to get on the train, who does reverse pelvic thrusts to make room for himself using his ass....like the motherfucker is trying to twerk his way on the train. Elbows are not impersonal, but that ass push is, and the perp (usually over 40, lots of combover, and wearing a 500 yen Y-shirt) deserves hot liquid death shoved up his ass along with a California redwood.

ya, happens from time to time at my station on the oedo line... i usually just put my hand on the fucker's back and they turn around in surprise. I dont push them, that would be dangerous , but it usually stops them in the midst of their ass press.

@choko: ya... I thought Js were polite when they eat before i came to japan... but they are pretty rude when they eat. Talk with their mouth full, smack, suck their teeth really loud, fucking ultimate pet peeve. Young girls are the worst... they yell and shout with a mouth full of food.

speaking about that, i was eating dinner with my gf and her friend at Roppongi Hills, and they started yapping their asses off, yelling hella loud and shit (they are from Osaka) and I can care less cause the guys/girls that work there shout random shit every 30 seconds or so. then they start eating and acting like... pig/monkey hybrids... I got pissed off cause I was trying to enjoy my meal, and told them to either swallow their food before they talk or don't eat. her friend was confused so i just pulled their plates away from them...

Koreans and Chinese are on another level of fucked eating etiquette though....

[Samurai_Jerk]

Not sure about the bread.. but it is tasty

I know my English reading comprehension is going to shit after being in Japan so long. You don't mean you actually like the bread here, do you?

[Isle of View]

Not sure about the bread.. but it is tasty

I know my English reading comprehension is going to shit after being in Japan so long. You don't mean you actually like the bread here, do you?

The bread is okay, . . . if one likes white bread.

I've had some surprisingly good croissants and pastries here.

[Coligny]

Not sure about the bread.. but it is tasty

I know my English reading comprehension is going to shit after being in Japan so long. You don't mean you actually like the bread here, do you?

Find a good baker... And it will be...
Here it's Mont Thabor for komeko pan
Apita for baguette and pain de campagne.
Max value for stronger baguette and softer pain de campagne
The baker from valor for brioche and croissant (custard cream)

Overall... The bakery in town are absolutely awesome...

[Isle of View]

3. Bullshit - the bread here is so full of shortening and other kinds of crap the rolls grow their own tits.

....it's not working

27. People politely line up to wait for the train

I just elbowed the same woman on the face for the 2nd time this month. Something really off about the station near my office...noone waits to the sides of the door, rather, right in front of the doors despite seeing there are people about to get off. Already had one altercation because of it but the eki staff shut em down really quickly. It's definitely not as bad as in other countries but the "super polite" train manners here that are touted all the time, are getting ignored more and more. Honestly, I could give a shit if someone has a snack, drink or takes a phone call while on the train but the ones I always encounter always have some shitty ringtone at full volume, talk as if they are yelling across a room, and slap their lips/chew like goats. I started holding my phone up as if I'm taking video and get either a deer in headlights look or a angry "WTF are you doing?!" reaction. (I'll let you guess which one is more fun)

I don't mind the elbows being thrown now and then. What annoys the fuck out me is that last motherfucker who has to get on the train, who does reverse pelvic thrusts to make room for himself using his ass....like the motherfucker is trying to twerk his way on the train. Elbows are not impersonal, but that ass push is, and the perp (usually over 40, lots of combover, and wearing a 500 yen Y-shirt) deserves hot liquid death shoved up his ass along with a California redwood.

1. The salarymonkeys who make a mad dash for a seat, as soon as the door opens, as if their entire life depended on it.

2. People who sit in the priority seats [or anywhere else, for that] and studiously ignore the /103 year old obāsan/pregnant woman/woman holding baby/ in front of them.

[IparryU]

Not sure about the bread.. but it is tasty

I know my English reading comprehension is going to shit after being in Japan so long. You don't mean you actually like the bread here, do you?

some of the bread i do like... especially the cheese bread. cant get enough of it.

but my taste buds have been hindered... mind you... and i dont like eating rice for lunch.

[Samurai_Jerk]

Not sure about the bread.. but it is tasty

I know my English reading comprehension is going to shit after being in Japan so long. You don't mean you actually like the bread here, do you?

Find a good baker... And it will be...
Here it's Mont Thabor for komeko pan
Apita for baguette and pain de campagne.
Max value for stronger baguette and softer pain de campagne
The baker from valor for brioche and croissant (custard cream)

Overall... The bakery in town are absolutely awesome...

I agree there are some good bakeries and they're getting better every year but the standard bread you buy at the supermarket or in convenience stores is garbage. Not mention bread from the really Japanese bakeries like Kobeya and Vie de France.

[IparryU]

1. The salarymonkeys who make a mad dash for a seat, as soon as the door opens, as if their entire life depended on it.

2. People who sit in the priority seats [or anywhere else, for that] and studiously ignore the /103 year old obāsan/pregnant woman/woman holding baby/ in front of them.

I had to deal with quite a few people from #2 when my ex was pregnant with our sons. It is quite common that a gal does that... and my ex being no punk would get in their face. Quite epic to see a 5 foot, 7 month preggo girl get in a gals face and tell them to GTFU.

Not sure about the bread.. but it is tasty

I know my English reading comprehension is going to shit after being in Japan so long. You don't mean you actually like the bread here, do you?

Find a good baker... And it will be...
Here it's Mont Thabor for komeko pan
Apita for baguette and pain de campagne.
Max value for stronger baguette and softer pain de campagne
The baker from valor for brioche and croissant (custard cream)

Overall... The bakery in town are absolutely awesome...

I agree there are some good bakeries and they're getting better every year but the standard bread you buy at the supermarket or in convenience stores is garbage. Not mention bread from the really Japanese bakeries like Kobeya and Vie de France.

Kobeya in Hiroo is not that bad... I only bought their loafs of bread, fresh out of the oven and bomb as fuck.

other branches... i could say the complete opposite though.

Vie de France, just a typical jap panya san no better the Jamu ojisan's shop...

[Samurai_Jerk]

1. The salarymonkeys who make a mad dash for a seat, as soon as the door opens, as if their entire life depended on it.

2. People who sit in the priority seats [or anywhere else, for that] and studiously ignore the /103 year old obāsan/pregnant woman/woman holding baby/ in front of them.

I had to deal with quite a few people from #2 when my ex was pregnant with our sons. It is quite common that a gal does that... and my ex being no punk would get in their face. Quite epic to see a 5 foot, 7 month preggo girl get in a gals face and tell them to GTFU.

Priority seats shouldn't even be necessary. It should be natural to get up for people who need to sit. However, as I've said before, I stopped even trying to be a gentleman in Japan unless someone is handicapped or looks like they're about to drop dead from old age since people always make such a big deal out of it and refuse the seat 80% of the time anyway. I won't get up for pregnant women though. They shouldn't be outside anyway. They should be chained to the kitchen table.

[Coligny]

I agree there are some good bakeries and they're getting better every year but the standard bread you buy at the supermarket or in convenience stores is garbage. Not mention bread from the really Japanese bakeries like Kobeya and Vie de France.

Industrial plastic wrapped bread is a universal atrocity...

[Samurai_Jerk]

I agree there are some good bakeries and they're getting better every year but the standard bread you buy at the supermarket or in convenience stores is garbage. Not mention bread from the really Japanese bakeries like Kobeya and Vie de France.

Industrial plastic wrapped bread is a universal atrocity...

I guess what I really don't like is the lack of variety. 20 brands of white bread that all taste the same. I guess that's perfect for making sandwiches with the 20 brands of ham that all taste the same.

[yanpa]

1. The salarymonkeys who make a mad dash for a seat, as soon as the door opens, as if their entire life depended on it.

As I sit down all day, I generally prefer to stand on trains unless I'm going a really long way (and have an aversion to being squeezed in a row of people, eyes at crotch level). But I do like to amuse myself by body-blocking the seat-dashers on general principle and make them think they've missed their chance at a seat. (I must get a life...)

[kagemusha]

Not sure about the bread.. but it is tasty

I know my English reading comprehension is going to shit after being in Japan so long. You don't mean you actually like the bread here, do you?

Find a good baker... And it will be...
Here it's Mont Thabor for komeko pan
Apita for baguette and pain de campagne.
Max value for stronger baguette and softer pain de campagne
The baker from valor for brioche and croissant (custard cream)

Overall... The bakery in town are absolutely awesome...

The original claim was that 7-11 has great bread, not that Japan has great bakeries.
About the bakeries - some make great bread similar to the one you can find at a countryside bakery in Toscana but the brad costs like a house in southern France.