A lot of okanomiyaki places also serve negi yaki (a thin layer of egg and flour wrapped over chives and meat). It's amazing how they can wrap all those things in such a thin layer and grill it to perfection. Just talking about it makes my mouth water.

Transportation

Unlike the states, I mostly bike everywhere I want to go when I am in Japan. For longer distances, I either take a bus, train, or shinkansen (bullet train).

As a result, I think I get way more exercise than I use to in the past. I no longer drive around trying to find the closest possible parking space.

Movies

One thing is for sure, watching a movie in Japan is way more expensive. The cost of a movie ticket is about 1700 yen (equates to approximately $17.00). There are no matinee shows for shows before 5pm...however, they do offer discounts for shows after 9pm. Instead of the full 1700 yen, shows after 9pm is 1200 yen (still about $12.00). Most new movies have marked seats, in which your ticket is assigned a seat number so people don't have wait in line to get in ahead of time for a good seat.

I use to think that $8.50 for a movie ticket in the states was expensive. Now I think it is totally reasonable. With matinees, shows before 5pm can cost as little as $6.50. The only drawback is that if it is a new blockbuster hit, you have to go to the movie theatre early to wait in line to get a good seat.

Convenience

It is certainly more convenient living in Japan than in the U.S. Everything I need, movie theatre, video rental, restaurants, work, train station, malls, Japanese class, Ikebana class, and schools are all less than 15 minutes away via bike. (Drink) vending machines are on every other street corner. You can never be thirsty in Japan if you have a pocket of change. There is about 8 ramen shops near my apartment and about 20 ramen shops within a 15-minutes bike ride. 7-11 and Lawsons (24-hour convenience stores) are all within walking distance.

Definitely in the states, I wasn't anywhere within a 15-minute bike ride of all those things. But I do miss the food vending machines, where I can buy a candy bar or bag of chips. I haven't seen any food vending machines in Japan, just vending machine for drinks.

Banks and ATMs

The ATMs in Japan run on a different schedule than that in the states. The bank hours are 9a.m. to 3p.m. ATMs are opened during that time. After hours ATMs are available for a surcharge. ATMs open til 9pm or so, unless you can read Japanese and use the ATMs at 7-11. I think the surcharge for after-hour usage is 150 yen (about $1.50). I don't know the exact limit for the ATM, but I have gotten as much as 140000 yen (about $1,400) in a day and there were no problems.

ATMs in the states are usually open 24/7 (with some exceptions at shady neighborhoods). If you use your own bank's ATM, there is never a surcharge even if you use it after hours. Depending on the bank, most ATM maximums are $300.00 (Citibank being $1,000) per day.

I got use to the ATM hours so it doesn't usually bother me. I've never needed emergency cash that badly. But you can imagine how difficult it can be for someone holding traveler's cheques and rushing to a bank before it closes at 3p.m.

Cleanliness (slippers, toilets, handkerchieves, masks)

It's very clean in Japan. Often at restaurants, you would see toilet slippers. You are suppose to slip into toilet slippers when you step into the restroom and switch back to regular slippers once you exit the restroom. This will ensure the dirt in the restroom stays in the restroom.

For work, I take off my shoes at the door and slip into slippers. Yes, it' great to work 8 hours a day wearing slippers. All the parents and students who enter the premises need to take off their shoes. They can either slip into the house slippers or walk around with their socks. Regardless on what they decide, once they step into the restroom...everyone would wear the toilet slippers.

When I enter a large restroom in a department store, I often go directly to the rear stall. That is usually the western style toilet as oppose to the Asian squat toilets. Some newer facilities have only toilets, but older facilities still offer both or just the old fashion Asian squat toilets.

There are no paper towels in the restrooms. Sometimes there is an electronic hand dryer. But usually, people just wipe with their towels or handkerchieves. I am still not accustomed to carrying a handkerchief yet, so I just swing my hands dry and wipe on my pants. I know it's not very Japanese, but I am still adjusting.

Even in tiny restaurants, you would often find a small sink that looks kind of out of place. A lot of Japanese people wash their hands in the small sinks prior to eating a meal. In addition, it is very customary for restaurants in Japan to offer either a hot towel or a small wet nap to you prior to eating.

I still don't do this, but it is customary for Japanese people to wear a mask when they have a cold. Last winter, I remember seeing some kids come to school with a mask and once the class begins, they remove their masks. I guess it's impolite to continue wearing masks in class. These masks are the white ones similar to those people wearing masks during the SARS days. It's just polite for them to wear it to avoid spreading their cold when they have one. I often see store clerks at the supermarket or stores wearing it during work.

Sizes

In Japan, I am consider fat or chubby. I was one of those few people who are chubby in Japan. Most people are thin here. I am Japanese size 11 for shirts, 40 for pants, 23.5 for shoes, and medium or large for general clothing.

I was at Gap last week and I fit a size 2 pair of jeans and a small size sweatshirt. I wore a size 6 shoe and actually felt small in the states. I am 148cm (4'11"), which is still short for Japan standards....but my sizes are for chubby people. In America, those are all fairly small sizes so it made me feel like such a tiny person in the states.

Before I left for Japan, I was wearing a size 4 or 6 Gap jeans. I didn't lose any weight at all, but my clothes felt a bit looser. I think I built a lot of muscle from riding my bicycle so much. I bike at least 30 minutes a day (just to and from work) and additional biking for going to get groceries, movies, and other errands.

The Noise Factor

In Japan, even on crowded trains and buses...everyone is very quiet. People talk quietly and I could hardly hear another conversation. When someone uses a keitai (cell phone), they would often excuse himself from the table or from the train compartment. Everyone is extremely polite about noise and rarely would you hear someone talking louder than they should.

Being back in the states, I thought everyone spoke very loud. I mean I am just in front of the person...why do they have to speak so loud. On the plane, I often hear talking...very loud talking, in which I can overhear the entire conversation. Did they want the whole world to know what they are talking about? I guess I was exactly like that too when I lived in that country.

Bags

Whenever you buy something in Japan, you often end up with more than 1 bag. For example, if I buy a cold bottle water and a bento box at 7-11...it would surely be in 2 bags. The cold items in one bag and the hot items in another.

When I buy a blouse at the store, it takes me a while to leave the register. The clerk would treat my blouse as if it was a million dollar item. First she would fold it perfectly so that is fits in a clear bag, then she would put it in another shopping bag and tape the bag shut.

If I told her it was a present, then in addition to the clear bag. The blouse would then be placed inside a giftbag, and then the shopping bag.

Right before I went back home, I bought some presents. Whatever the present might be, I would always get a bag to give each present individually. So if I bought 5 calendars...I would get 5 gift bags, and then a big shopping bag.

In America, if I just bought a bottle water at 7-11...I doubt they'd even ask if I want a bag for that or not.

Garbage Cans

There is about a million vending machines that sell drinks and hardly any garbage cans near by. People here are suppose to carry their trash with them. During festivals (near downtown area), there would be hundreds of street vendors selling all kinds of food and drinks.... but no one would supply trash cans. I am still not accustomed to carrying my trash all the way home. There would often be trash cans in front of 7-11, but they are the size of the ones I had in my kitchen in the states.

In the states, garbage cans are in every corner of downtown. These trash cans are huge and you can probably put a dead body in there.

Recycling

Depending on which prefecture in Japan you live in...recycling varies. When I was in Okayama, trash was sorted into 3 sections: burnable, nonburnable, and P.E.T. bottles. P.E.T. bottles are what they called the plastic water bottles.

In Fukushima, we only sort 2 ways: P.E.T. bottles or not. I remember seeing some regions recycle paper. I mean really recycle all paper. For example, in a food court, you would see people throw away their napkins in a separate trash can marked for paper. I think that is a bit extreme.

Futons and Dryers

One thing I really missed at home is a dryer. I know having a dryer means my clothes would shrink and stuff, but I still liked it. In Japan, people hang their clothes, futons, and blankets in the balcony. I don't know anyone that has a dryer. I think a lot of Japanese people think that having a dryer is not good for the environment since it uses so much electricity. Even if they could afford it, people just don't use dryers here. They prefer the natural drying method.

On a nice sunny day, you often see housewives in their balcony beating the futon with a plastic fly splat like thingy. Futons are much thinner here. Not the 10" futons you see at the Futon shop. These futons fold up to fit in the typical Japanese closets.