Nuances

It was to be expected, but things in Japan are very different than they are in the US. For example, did you know they speak an entirely different language here? While that may be true (and I hope everyone knew that...), the Japanese are required to take about six years of English while they are in primary and high school. Still, many are reluctant to speak English. In asking some individuals about this I'm told there was little emphasis on speaking and listening and more emphasis on reading and writing. So for future reference, when any of you are in Japan if you ever really need to communicate with someone just write it down.

They drive on the opposite side of the road as we do. Again, not that strange. This is common in many countries. There are actually many other things that amuse me about their driving system and automobiles. They have many of the same makes of cars as the US (Toyota, Nissan, Honda), but while the vehicles look the same all the models are different. Also, even though their roads are extremely narrow, they still have huge SUVs (some people even import Hummers!). I have noticed that very few American cars will put the steering wheel on the right side of the car for the driver (that is to say the steering wheel is still on the left side even though they are driving on the left side of the road). I do hope this is making sense. Additionally, there are many places where their roads simply go down to one lane and the drivers need to figure out. These aren't always straight, simple, untravelled roads either. They can be very windy, relatively busy (at least neighborhood-level) roads. Drivers will utilize mirrors placed on the sides of the road to see if there is traffic around a bend and just go for it! I can only imagine how many accidents there would be in the US...

The last major difference I have noticed (by all means this is not an exhaustive list) are the bathrooms. For starters, my shower is an entire room with a tub, a sink, a mirror, and a shower head. This whole area is used for bathing. Modern toilets are very complex. They typically include a keypad on the wall with various heat settings (for the seat), the options for flushing, the options for the bidet, and other buttons that I can't read because I'm not well versed in Kanji. I have included a picture of a relatively simple toilet, enjoy.