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Hey guys!
So as I'm sure a lot of you already know, I'm going to be leaving Japan in about two
weeks' time, which, I'm not gonna lie, that is coming up so fast and it's so terrifying.
But since I've decided to leave Japan, I've been thinking a lot about things that I wish
I'd known before I moved here, and there are quite a lot.
They range from like, very silly, to quite serious, but none of them are really big or
serious enough to make an entire video about, so I thought why not just put them in one
video called things that I wish I'd known before moving to Japan, and that is what this
video is - in case you couldn't tell by the title.
So I'm just going to run through some really basic things that I wish I'd known before
moving here.
Uh, I think a lot of them will be applicable if you are just coming to visit Japan as well,
so I'm going to try to put the broader ones first that will be applicable whether you're
visiting or moving to Japan, and then after that I'll just talk about ones that will only
apply to people who are going to be living in Japan.
So yeah, like I said, they're going to range from really silly to a little bit more serious
and detailed, but it's just things that I wish that I knew!
Let's get into it.
The first thing is about rubbish, and that is that rubbish bins are relatively unusual
in Japan.
Your best bet if you are out and about and you have some trash to get rid of is, number
one, there will almost always be a bin at the station that you're going to, so you can
hang onto it until then.
Number two, convenience stores often have rubbish bins for you to use as well, and if
you're really desperate, often times near, um, vending machines they will have at least
a can and bottle disposal place as well.
So what a lot of people here do is they will keep a small plastic bag, for example from
a convenience store, and just keep their rubbish in it throughout the day and either dispose
of it when they find a bin outside, or when they get home throw it away.
You've probably heard about how clean Japan is, and that littering doesn't happen here
as often as it does in some other countries, and that is completely true.
So yeah, definitely keep in mind that rubbish bins aren't all that common and you might
wanna just keep a plastic bag with you, just in case you have some rubbish that you can't
otherwise dispose of.
The second thing is always wear socks!
It sounds really simple, but it will save you a lot of embarrassment if you just wear
socks with your shoes.
I know that for me this has never really been a problem because I always wear socks with
my shoes anyway, but I know for a lot of people sometimes you wear sandals, or sometimes just
shoes with no socks, and that's fine in a lot of countries, but in Japan it can turn
a little awkward, because in a lot of Japanese restaurants and especially if you're going
to someone's home, um, there will be special tatami rooms where you can't wear shoes and
bare feet are really inappropriate as well.
So always always wear socks.
Again, I know this is like definitely not a problem for some people, but it is something
that I've had to mention to friends and family when they're visiting because it is kinda
awkward if you go to the restaurant and they're like "oh can you take off your shoes?", and
then you have bare feet and they're like...so yeah, just wear socks with shoes and save
yourself the trouble.!
This hand gesture...means come here, not go away.
When I first arrived in Japan there was this amazing little shrine that kinda looked like
it was in someone's garden, and I was walking past it and I really wanted to go in and have
a closer look, and there was an older man sitting on the porch, and he looked at me
and he went like this...and I was like "oh my god, he wants me to go away", because in
Western culture it looks very similar to like this gesture which is like "shoo!" or go away.
Um, but it turns out that this is beckoning in Japanese, so like this in Western culture
is this in Japanese.
So don't be terrified like I was, don't think that they think that you're like kids that
needa get off their lawn.
That means come here, not go away.
Peach Airlines is a super cheap Japanese airline that offers really amazing deals to fly all
around Japan.
I'm not sure about other countries, but in New Zealand the equivalent would be JetStar,
where like you don't expect very much from these flights in terms of meals or anything
like that, but if you're looking to fly cheaply or looking for kind of seasonal deals, Peach
Airlines is the way to go.
If you're moving here, sign up for their newsletter.
If you're just visiting, definitely check out the website for the dates that you'll
be in Japan and see if you can just hop over to somewhere for really cheap.
Peach Airlines is how I do all of my trips around Japan, pretty much.
In most places in Japan, cyclists and pedestrians share the pavement, and sometimes this can
be a little terrifying, because Japan is quite a crowded place in most areas, and so cyclists
can come like right past you and sometimes you won't hear them coming because they're
bikes and cities are noisy.
So just be very aware that cyclists and pedestrians are supposed to share the pavement, and you
need to be on like, high alert for cyclists.
Especially Osaka is known for its like insane cyclists, so that's something to be aware
of.
A lot of people will use their bike bells, so that's really good.
But just keep your eyes and ears open for cyclists in case they take you out!
If you lose something, even something really valuable, like a phone or a wallet with a
lot of money in it, do not give up on it.
Go and check lost and founds where you think you left it, go and just ask like station
attendants around the area that you think you lost it, or go to the local koban or police
station to see if anyone's handed it in.
It is really rare in Japan for people to steal things, and almost always things will get
handed in and you'll have no problem finding them again.
This is something really amazing about Japan, and there have been a couple of times where
my friends have lost things that are very valuable and could easily just have been taken,
and we've gone back to lost and founds in the area and been able to pick them up.
So do not give up on them like you might in another country, it's really common for things
to be handed in.
One thing to remember is that when you go to the lost and found or the koban, you might
be asked to describe your item so that they can be sure you're not just someone coming
in going "hey, is there like a wallet full of money around?
'cause I totally lost one...", so make sure that you note down the colour of your wallet,
for example, or the colour of your phone case or whatever, so that you can tell them and
they can get it back to you.
But yeah, do not give up on lost items in Japan, because more often than not they will
be handed back.
A lot of public bathrooms in Japan, especially in very crowded areas, will not have toilet
paper available.
However, they do counteract this by having people handing out little advertisement packs
of tissues, that'll have like a brand name or like a sale or whatever on the front of
them and then like ten or so tissues in them.
So if someone hands you these, take them and keep them in your bag just in case of public
bathroom emergencies.
The other thing to note about Japanese public bathrooms is that you may find that there
are only squat toilets in some public bathrooms, and you'll just have to deal with that.
Squat toilets were something that I got told a lot about before moving here, and honestly
I feel like people hyped it up and made it seem more scary than it is.
It's just a normal toilet, you just have to squat.
That's all my tips for people who are visiting Japan as well as living here, now we're going
to move on to things that are just applicable for people who are going to be moving to and
living in Japan.
So if that's not you, you can head out now!
So the first thing is gonna be, again, about rubbish.
Yay!
More rubbish talk.
Japan is very serious about separating rubbish, so your apartment complex or your neighbourhood
will have a set schedule for when rubbish goes out.
So they'll have things like cardboard day, can day, bottle day, and then like regular
burnable trash day, so make sure that you get yourself a copy of that schedule, because
it's gonna be really really important and you need to remember to separate trash.
Um, I don't know about other countries, but in New Zealand we have just three kinds, so
we have like green trash, recyclables, and then non-recyclables pretty much, and that's
all that there is.
Japan is much more detailed than that, so definitely make sure that you check that schedule
and check what types of rubbish your neighbourhood picks up, 'cause it's different everywhere.
Um, yeah, just something to keep in mind.
Japan has many many public holidays, so every month I would recommend checking your calendar
and marking any public holidays that you have, and making sure that you're planning any trips
that you want to make around those holidays.
If you're moving into a Japanese apartment, you'll be expected to pay key money to the
owner of the apartment building before moving in.
Key money is not like what we call bond in New Zealand, and I think it's called a safety
deposit elsewhere, because you won't be getting it back regardless of the condition that you
leave the apartment in.
Key money is considered a gift to the owner of the apartment, and yeah, you just don't
see that money again.
I don't really understand or agree with this way of doing things, but it's just how it's
done here, so be aware that when you give away your key money, you're not going to see
that money again, and you may in fact have to pay more money if you do damage the apartment
and the final inspection shows any damages.
Cockroaches!
Yay.
Um, so in summer in Japan a lot of places will get cockroaches.
It doesn't seem to matter how high up you live, I live on the eighth floor, and it doesn't
seem to matter how new your apartment building is, cockroaches are really common in Japan.
This isn't something that I ever really dealt with in New Zealand, so my first summer here
I was really really shocked to see a cockroach in my apartment, and I did not know what to
do, I had no idea.
Luckily because they are so common here, things to use against cockroaches are also really
common and really affordable.
Personally I use these little like plastic things that have anti-cockroach stuff in them,
and you can put them in cupboards or by your door or wherever, and they keep cockroaches
out, and since I found those and started using them I haven't had any more cockroach troubles.
You can also get like sticky traps and poison for cockroaches, just use whatever works for
you, I guess.
But be aware that cockroaches are an issue, and there are plenty of like cheap and easy
ways to deal with them.
As we're getting further into this list, I'm realising that a lot of these things are about
Japanese apartments.
So...there's that.
And on that note, most Japanese apartments are really poorly insulated, and I mention
this because it means that heating in winter and cooling in summer is a lot less efficient,
both in terms of heat and cool output and also financially.
So that's something that you should bear in mind.
There are a few ways that you can mitigate this.
One is to put up thick curtain, instead of usually there'll be like a paper screen over
your sliding doors.
Uh, so you can put up some thicker curtains and keep them drawn to keep in the heat or
the cool, and the other thing is door stops.
A lot of doors, or like internal doors in Japan I've noticed have like a decent gap
underneath them, so if you get a doorstop and use it consistently that'll also keep
some of the heat and cool in.
The other thing is to use non-electrical ways of keeping yourself warm or cool, so that
would be like ice packs in the summer, and hot water bottles and blankets and lots of
clothing in the winter.
But yeah, just bear in mind that it's a lot less efficient to heat a badly insulated apartment.
If you're moving to Japan to teach English, in the staffroom there should be a really
big blackboard that has the next few days' schedule written up on it, and if there are
any changes in that schedule, they'll be written up on that board.
So definitely check that board every morning when you come in, it's much better to check
and know for yourself, than to have your coworkers come and tell you like two minutes before
class that you have a class in this period that you wouldn't normally have.
During your first few weeks and even months in a new country, you're going to be introduced
to so many new people, and if you're anything like me, that's gonna mean forgetting everyone's
names immediately.
So my recommendation for this is to get a little notebook that you can carry with you,
and start writing down names as soon as possible.
The way that I did this was to write down a name and a descriptor that would help me
remember the person, so for example "wears glasses" or "I met them at the sports festival"
or something that you know will help jog your memory about that person.
But yeah, having a notebook with peoples' names in really saved me quite a lot of embarrassment
in the future, and it also just like...it gets you some brownie points, you know?
For remembering everyone.
So definitely get a small notebook to carry around with you for that purpose, if you're
anything like me and forget names on a dime.
Your house or apartment may have tatami mats, and if it does that's great because it's like
this traditional Japanese house thing which is really fun to experience.
However, spilling things on tatami mats is a nightmare.
The way that I've avoided this during my time here is just to not eat or drink anything
in my tatami rooms, and I think that that's what you're supposed to do anyway, but my
tatami rooms are both bedrooms, so it's been pretty easy for me, however, if you do spill
something, try to soak it up immediately so that it doesn't sink into the tatami, because
tatami getting wet is a really terrible thing.
There are a whole ton of things online about how to care for and clean tatami mats, so
I would say just look those up before you actually make a mistake and spill something,
so that you're prepared for if and when it happens.
Okay, so that is everything for the things that I wish I'd known before coming to Japan.
I really hope that they're helpful to you and they make you feel a little more confident
about coming to Japan, whether it's to visit or to live.
As always, if you have any other questions or comments, please leave them down below,
and I will get back to you as soon as possible.
And apart from that, I will talk to you next time.
Bye!