We’ve been in Japan for about a week, and after dealing with the high heat and humidity in Vietnam, it’s been a nice change. Granted, now through probably September IS the prime weather season in Japan, but it does get cold in winter. We KNEW this country would be different than any Southeast Asian countries we have come to know, but experiencing them personally has been quite an adventure. Without further ado, the Wonderful, Unique Things You Might Only Find in Japan.

Whereas Vietnam, and especially Hanoi, was pretty chaotic, Japan is more of a controlled chaos, at least in Osaka. The metro stations can be overwhelming, but traffic is no issue and crossing the street is effortless. Oh, and EVERYONE waits for the walk/ do not walk lights and generally do NOT cross against them. That is tough for a rebel like me!

The unbelievable plumbing fixtures and heated toilet seats! with sprayers of many varieties, if you know what I mean. I knew about Japanese toilets and how advanced they are, but every toilet so far—including restaurants and such—have that heated seat and spraying mechanism. They also have trippy bath mirrors that get fogged from steam but leave a nice opening in the center to shave after a hot shower. Let’s just say that using the bathroom was never so much fun.

An overwhelming selection of food and drink products everywhere, including the often underappreciated 7-11 stores. We watched videos before coming here and knew the 7-11s HERE were much more comprehensive, but it was still a nice surprise getting quality food there for cheap. On our first night in Kyoto we were both tired, but had a convenient 7-11 directly across the street. An Asian soup bowl, bread and ham took care of us just fine. And they have a smoothie machine where you can make your own from their fruit package!

Want KNIVES? This is the place to find them! If you are a serious cook and need sharp instruments, come to Japan. So many exclusive knife shops of all configurations, but as someone who has seen the Kill Bill trilogy multiple times, I knew that.

We saw no stray cats, no stray dogs, and all the trash was bundled up nicely so nothing could even get into them. The streets were unbelievably clean and in pristine condition, and everything was well manicured. Not only that, but you cannot smoke on city streets but must use a small smoking room on the sidewalk. Talk about a deterrent! And there was not one motorcycle parked on the sidewalk since parking for them as well as bicycles are very controlled.

The electronic stores, including one called Bic camera, was overwhelming, and there’s probably not an electronic device you couldn’t find there. Ditto drugstores where the shelves are JAMMED with unreadable labels all over the place. Truly a sensory overload.

The politeness and courtesy of the Japanese people has been refreshing, and they never crowd you; they move out of your way if you’re coming, or apologize for being in the way, and they just carry a Divine presence about them. Along those lines, they are especially well-dressed in very nice clothes with a huge majority of black, white, or blue colors. We would have stood out with our (normally) fluorescent clothing, so toned down our wardrobe to fit in.

They are regimented from an early age, which we witnessed as an elementary school had an outing with little children paired side by side, in identical hats, all very orderly. And even the adults follow the same pattern much of their lives.

The very intimidating Metro systems between subways and trains can be head spinning. I’ve never felt comfortable using public transportation but truthfully their instructions are really user friendly, even for English users. Their train and bus system is massive, quite a bit larger than most, but better laid out. The passengers are all intentional and focused getting off and on, which you must be to stay on track. But the buses and trains we rode were the cleanest we’ve ever seen, as though they just got detailed.

The use of credit cards with tap features is surprisingly not as available as in less developed countries, like Vietnam and Bali. Some of them want the physical card and they actually insert it into the machine.

We had 4 days in Osaka, and now 8 in Kyoto, which is much calmer and more peaceful. Many people we spoke with beforehand preferred Kyoto over Osaka, and I think we do, too. It has beautiful tree covered mountains and hills around us and several rivers running through town. Very nice.