9 Things About Japanese Daily Life That Most Guidebooks Never Mention — Including Machines That Wrap Your Wet Umbrella

People in Japan place a high value on personal space, and they’re just as careful not to cause others inconvenience (“meiwaku”). There’s even a well-known phrase, “meiwaku kakenai,” that Japanese people learn from childhood. It roughly means “don’t give others a reason to be annoyed.”
That’s why, for example, you shouldn’t take calls or talk loudly on public transportation. In public places like schools, theaters, and gyms, people usually turn off their phones or at least put them on silent. The same national trait is behind the famous Japanese consideration for others: if there’s a way to make life better for the people around you, why not do it?

Fall means umbrellas that never seem to dry. You’ve been out in the rain, and as soon as you go inside, your umbrella starts dripping. Putting it in a cover doesn’t really help. You don’t mean to make a mess, but before you know it, there are puddles everywhere.
In Japan, malls and office buildings often have special machines called Kasapon at the entrance. You slide your umbrella in, and the machine wraps it in a plastic bag for you. A simpler option is a stand with long plastic bags, since most people in Japan carry long umbrellas.
Some eco-friendly buildings have stands with absorbent panels that soak up the water instead. And there are even umbrella racks where you can leave yours and grab it on your way out.

You’ll find these boxes near crosswalks in northern Japan. The idea is simple: if it’s slippery, take some and sprinkle it on the walkway. It helps you and everyone else.

Kids learn to keep things clean and tidy from a very young age. In Japanese schools, the phrase “We don’t have janitors here!” still holds true. From elementary school on, students take turns on cleaning duty: they not only tidy up their classrooms but also scrub the school bathrooms, and nobody thinks it’s beneath them.

By the way, the floors are usually cleaned by hand with a rag. Instead of wiping in circles, students get down on all fours, press down on the rag with both hands, and practically run across the floor in a straight line. In long school hallways, the kids end up racing each other. There’s even an annual national championship for this kind of “rag racing”!

This is what ice cream price tags look like in Japan. There’s a picture of the ice cream next to every price.

“The customer is always right” isn’t just a catchy slogan for employees at Japanese convenience stores — it’s a genuine guiding principle. Convenience stores are always kept in perfect order, and the prepared food is incredibly fresh. No days-old meatloaf and mashed potatoes here! Only onigiri rice balls, made fresh in the morning and completely snapped up by lunchtime by hungry schoolkids and “salarymen,” the office workers from nearby buildings.
Employees work like a well-oiled machine, and each store’s current selection is carefully forecast based on the season, weekdays versus weekends, and even the weather outside. A cold snap means more hot buns are needed!
By the way, I highly recommend Sayaka Murata’s book Convenience Store Woman. It captures the vibe inside a small Japanese convenience store — I couldn’t put it down!

Japan combines cutting-edge technology with a traditional approach to certain matters, which often surprises tourists. For example, fax machines and bank passbooks are still widely used here. And in traffic regulations, the green traffic light is called blue, simply because in ancient times, the word “ao” referred to both blue and green.

Pretty much everyone has heard about those high-tech Japanese toilets that look more like a pilot’s seat, with so many controls that it can be hard to figure out which button does what. But bathrooms have their own clever features, too.
For example, in many apartments, the controls for filling and heating the bath are available both in the bathroom and in the kitchen. While you’re making dinner, you can fill the tub for the children or for your husband after a long day at work, without ever leaving the kitchen. Once everything is ready, a short melody plays, and a friendly automated female voice announces, “Ofuro ga wakimashita” (“The bath is ready”).
There’s also an intercom connection between the kitchen and bathroom panels — very handy if you forget a towel. And there’s a function for warming up water that has already been drawn. Japanese people traditionally take a bath after showering, once they’re clean, with the whole family taking turns using the same bathwater.

In Japan, a handwritten signature is often replaced by a small personal seal — an “inkan” or “hanko.” It’s quite convenient, especially for older people who may find it difficult to write neat characters. This naturally raises the question: is it secure?
In fact, a Japanese person usually has not one seal, but three: a “jitsuin” for official documents, which must be registered at city hall; a “ginkoin” for banking matters; and a “mitomein” for everyday tasks. The first two are often handcrafted, with a unique texture, pattern, and tiny cracks. They are still carved by artisans in specialized “hankoya” shops.
Modern automated software is now used to verify seals, while electronic signatures are also gradually becoming more common. What a wonderful blend of tradition and modernity!

By the way, did you know that in Japan, you can find virtually anything in a vending machine — from dozens of varieties of hot and cold canned drinks to wedding rings? You can even purchase a personalized seal from a vending machine! Of course, it would be the most basic type of seal, known as a “mitomein.”

I can’t help but mention that Japanese people generally have a great love for seals and stamps. They’re also avid collectors and fans of anything limited edition, whether it’s seasonal food, books, or stationery.
Countless places across the country, from train stations and museums to hot springs (onsen) and cafés, have their own signature stamp that you can press into your notebook. Just pick up a stamp book at any stationery store, and your trip turns into an exciting scavenger hunt! In Hirosaki, for example, you can get a stamp as big as an 11-by-17-inch sheet of paper.

Cleanliness is one of the first things people associate with Japan. There are many reasons for this. As I mentioned above, the Japanese have a highly developed sense of collective responsibility. They strive to do “what is customary,” avoid standing out and being inconvenient to others.
And “what is customary” means sorting trash, preparing it for collection ahead of time, and keeping the places where you live, study, and work clean.
Beliefs about the spirits of objects also remain strong in Japan. They believe that every item has a consciousness of its own and deserves respect. Of course, modern Japanese people do not seriously believe that an old, torn umbrella can turn into a mischievous house spirit.
Still, an item that has served its purpose is meant to be retired with respect (you can read about this in Marie Kondo’s well-known decluttering book, for example). How could it be otherwise, when it has been so useful!

One thing that can be challenging for an unprepared traveler is that you need to take your own trash with you, clean it, sort it, and prepare it for recycling. There are very few public trash bins and wastebaskets in cities. So sometimes people end up carrying a coffee cup around Tokyo in their bag.

Bulky trash can be tricky too — it’s picked up only on certain days, usually just once a month. You also need to sign up ahead of time, pay for a sticker permit, and put your old cabinet or refrigerator out at the collection area early in the morning.

In Japan, people don’t usually wear perfume that you can smell from across the room. Japanese brands tend to make very soft, sheer scents with notes of green tea, yuzu, lotus, osmanthus, and hinoki wood. Japanese women also love “clean” scents, like soap and freshly washed laundry. Many people skip perfume altogether and make do with a floral fabric softener or shampoo.