8 FUN Stories From Tokyo: Japanese Daily Life

* Japanese people bath in the Sento. A Sento is a public bathhouse.
Japanese houses are very small because of shortage of land (most of Japan is mountainous) and crowded cities.
Most Japanese apartments are so tiny, that having a bath was out of question.
The Japanese are extremely clean people, and so they turned the bathing act almost into a ritual.
The Sento is a strange mishmash between a Spa and a social get-together.
Japanese people soap and wash themselves outside the bath tab, and only enter the water when they are clean. Then, a towel over their forehead, they relax in the water.
Men and women bath separately, in case you were wondering.
If your time in Tokyo permits – I highly recommend experiencing it. This is a very basic part of Life In Japanese Culture.

* Showing emotions is very restricted in Japanese Daily Life. Japanese are in general very reserved.
Japanese don’t show affection in public – kissing, hugging and holding hands are very rare scenes in the Japanese street. Even patting on the back is not acceptable.
Japanese are extremely sensitive to what others might think of them and are very cautious to do something new, different, or independent.
Being disliked is one of the most terrible things that can happen to a Japanese person, who is brought up to be part of a group and depend on others.
Japan is a very crowded nation. Japanese must take into account other people in everyday life.
The emergency room masks people wear in the streets for example, are worn to protect other people from a virus or a slight cold.

In order to live peacefully in a crowd, there must be harmony which will make Japanese Daily Life more tolerable. That's why Individualism and expressing emotions are viewed negatively and associated with selfishness.

* The Japanese businessman will behave according to cultural and traditional codes of Life In Japanese Culture. Tokyo is no exception to that.
Behind the smiles and excellent manners there is an attempt to avoid open conflict.
Saying 'no' is very uncomfortable for them because they try to please as part of the codes of Life In Japanese Culture. That's why a 'diplomatic language' is often used rather than the straight forward approach.

* Japanese school life prepares the children to Life in Japanese Culture. Japanese kids are taught to act harmoniously and cooperatively with others from the time they go to pre-school.
The education system puts great emphasis on politeness, personal responsibility and working together and less importance on the individual.
Competition is a fundamental part of Life In Japanese Culture. Getting into the right kindergarten will influence your chances to be accepted to the right school, the right school determines your chances at the best universities, which determine your chances for landing a job in a reputable company.
Competition is so fierce in Japanese life, that every year around the time universities publish results of entrance exams there is a mass of suicides among Japanese young people.
There is also a unique Japanese school-refusal syndrome in which youngsters avoid academic or social interaction and retreat to their room for years.
Mothers contribute to their child's success by sitting in classroom instead of the kid when he is sick and writing the class work(!!)
Since most Japanese families have only one child (because of tiny apartments and high cost of living) every child is very pampered here in Japan.

* Life In Japanese Culture is not easy. The Japanese people work many hours.
Offices are jam-packed open space with very little privacy.
Death from over-work is not rare, and the general tendency is to sacrifice yourself for the company.
Life In Japanese Culture involves going for drinks after work with colleagues.
Most office workers arrive home on the last train and see their families on weekends only.
Living in Tokyo itself is unaffordable for most of the population because of land prices.
The result is that most office workers commute for an hour and a half morning and evening as a way of life.
During rush hours commuting on the Tokyo subway is not pleasant - no sleeping or reading is possible since it's packed. Standing up all the way is very common.
The prices of stress from work and social pressures are reflected in high rates of alcohol consumption, chain-smoking, high levels of suicide and many psychosomatic syndromes.
As opposed to that Tokyo Nightlife has a very different set of rules. It is an opportunity to see a very different side of the reserved nature of the Japanese.

Another form of coping is by enjoying the distraction offered by Japanese popular culture – Phachinko parlors, Karaoke, Maid cafe's and Comics.

* Life In Japanese Culture for women is very different. Women are not considered a part of the work force.
Most of them work as 'Office Ladies' doing minor secretarial tasks until they marry. Then they are expected to quit.
Women are trained to act and look cute. Their clothing and personal appearance, behavior and characteristics are very feminine and childlike.
With Japan's ongoing recession this is changing slightly in the last few years.
In some families women had to go out and get a job because of unemployment of their husband.
But this is still a very minor change in Japanese Way of Life.

* The concept of 'cute' - kawaii is a major influence here in Japan.Tokyo street fashion produced the unique Harajuku girls fashion.
Japanese youth culture created Cosplay - dressing up with motifs from Hello Kitty and other adorable little creatures.
The costumes include lace, ruffles and pastel colors. Accessories include toys like plastic pistols or teddy bears.
The phenomenon is not limited to young people. Women In Tokyo well into their 30s carry Hello Kitty bags and Pikachu lunch boxes.
Like it or not – you decide for yourself, but it's something you just have to see.
Now for the most astonishing part - this cute- 'kawaii' phenomenon is not limited to Tokyo teens and women.
Japanese airlines like Nippon Airways have Pokémon and Pikachu painted on their Airplanes (see the photo on the right).

Even Tokyo police and the government television station all have their own cute lucky charm characters as Logos.

* The Japanese treat non-Japanese with a very interesting combination of admiration, suspicion, and some anxiety.
They adore everything 'international' and 'American'.
Fast food chains are a hit here, and they even have their own replica of the statue of liberty (in Odaiba Tokyo).
You will find that most locals are very willing to help if you ask them for directions.
The language barrier and the nervousness from dealing with a non-Japanese will cause many to giggle with embarrassment, but they will solve that by accompanying you to see you're in the right direction.