Wild monkeys don’t like to be looked at in the eye
The Japanese Prime Minister is elected by the legislature, not the people
Legend says that the Japanese monarchy began in the 7th Century BC
In Japan they eat squid, octopus, eel, all fish, crabs, prawns, etc…
A traditional Japanese breakfast consists of rice topped with natto (fermented soy beans)
The Japanese say that the Chinese will eat anything
Japan is 70% mountains
Japan is made up of over 6000 islands
Kris and Jessica live in Japan
There are wild monkeys in Japan
You don’t wear shoes in the house, you wear slippers
There are special slippers for the toilet
You don’t wear your slippers into a tatami mat room
In Japan, a night at the movies will cost you $18 per person
In Japan many people wear uniforms i.e. bank tellers, grocery store clerks, postal workers…
In Japan, most people say that they are Buddhist, but don’t believe in the Buddha
Aspiring young Japanese musicians play on street corners and in subway stations hoping to get discovered
The “WALK” lights on Japanese street corners make a chirping sound so that the blind can know when to cross the street
Japanese subways are very clean and safe
People sleep on their way home on the subway and the train
Japanese cars are mostly the same size as
American cars
In Japan they drive on the left side
In Japan you get really good (annoying???) service when shopping
Japanese department stores are usually multiple stories, with a grocery store on the bottom, clothes and bedding in the middle, and restaurants on the top
Japanese pizza has mayonnaise, corn, and seaweed on it
Japanese salad has corn in it
The Japanese think that Americans eat corn and potatoes every day
Fruit is very expensive in Japan
Watermelons in Japan can cost up to $100
Peaches are $2.00 a piece
There are Japanese people in Japan
The second highest population is Chinese, followed by Korean, Brazilian, Peruvian…
There are very few public trashcans in Japan
A traditional Japanese toilet looks like a urinal lying on the floor
In Japan, they know more about Chinese food than Americans do
In Japan even local calls are charged by the minute
Golden Retrievers are the most popular pet
The Japanese use four different writing systems
In Japanese, the word for “wrong” and “different” are the same
American shows shown in Japan are: Ally McBeal, Dharma and Greg, Beverly Hills 90210, Full House, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Boy Meets World, Animal Rescue Kids
Everyone hangs their clothes outside to dry
Japan is the world’s largest consumer of tropical rainforest timber
Japan has 28 National Parks and 55 Quasi-National Parks
Japan is divided into nine large regions and further divided into 47 smaller prefectures
Japan has the seventh largest population in the world
You can catch a train to and from Nagoya every 15 minutes
You can catch a subway train every three minutes in Nagoya
The Shinkansen (bullet train) passes Kris and Jessica’s house every fifteen minutes
The Japanese know more about American politics than Americans do
Popular Japanese bands are: Glay, Smap, Hana Hana, Shingo Mama, The Yellow Monkey, Luna Sea, Whiteberry, Arc~en~Ceil, Da Pump, Kinki Kids, etc…
Popular Japanese music is terrible
Western celebrities in Japanese commercials are: Catherine Zeta-Jones for Lux Super Rich Shampoo, Cameron Diaz for Aeon Language School, Ewan McGregor for Aeon Language School, Nicholas Cage for Pachinko (what a dork), Brad Pitt for both Roots canned coffee and jeans, Tiger Woods for Wonda canned coffee, George Clooney for Toyota, Naomi Campbell for Lipton Canned Tea
In Japan you can buy canned coffee, hot or cold, in
vending machines
In Japan, Pert shampoo is called Rejoy
In Japan, 20 capsules of cold medicine cost $15
Because Japan has a socialized medical system, if you get the tiniest bit sick people think you should go to the doctor so you can get your medicine for free instead of paying $15 for cold medicine
Kyoto and Nara were consciously spared from bombing during World War 2 because of the cultural significance of their architecture and way of life
In Japan, Ally Mc Beal is called “Ally My Love” because McBeal when said in a Japanese dialect sounds like McBeer
Junior High and High School students wear uniforms
Elementary school students wear yellow caps
In Japan, the teachers move from class to class and the students stay in one room
At McDonalds the hamburgers are the same size as in America, but the drink sizes are one size smaller
“McDonalds” in a Japanese dialect sounds lilke “Ma-ku-do-na-ru-do”
Japanese is hard (Nihongo wa muzukashi des)
In Japan it is not uncommon to see women wearing platform shoes that are 4 to 6 inches high
Instead of “Ohayo Gozaimasu” (good morning), Japanese youngsters often say “Oha!”
Christianity comprises less than 10% of the Japanese population
Normal Japanese kitchens don’t have ovens
The bathroom is not where the toilet is found in a Japanese home
In Japan, when you move into an apartment, you have to bring your own light fixtures
There’s no such thing as central heat and air in Japan
A futon is not what you think it is…
One US dollar is approximately 120 yen
In Japan you eat your soup with chopsticks
Japanese streets are very narrow
Streets in Japan don’t have names
Pokemon is not popular in Japan
Rice cookers are great and easy to use
In Japan, fair skin is regarded as beautiful
Many Japanese women dye their hair brown
Refrigerators in Japan are tiny
There are very few original castles in Japan because of bombing during WW2
Whale is a delicacy
The name “Tokyo” when broken down into kanji means “east” and “capital”
The name “Kyoto” when broken down into kanji means “capital” and “capital”
Noh, a type of Japanese theatre, can be up to eight hours long
In Japanese, languages all end in –go : Nihongo, Eigo, Spango, etc…
In Japanese, citizen terms end in –jin : Nihonjin, Amerikajin, Perujin, etc…
