Tatami Mats

In many Japanese houses or apartments, the rooms are measured in meters. However, there is another way these rooms are measured. Long strands of rice straw are woven together to create something called a tatami (畳) mat. These mats are all made with the same sizes, generally the length is twice as long as the width. Tatami mats are used as flooring (similar to vinyl or carpeting in America) in Japanese homes and apartments.

In America, rooms are usually measured by length and width, but often in Japan, certain rooms will be measured by tatami mats. Generally, rooms can be four and a half or eight tatami mats big. However, in more recent times in Japan, houses that are built don’t have many tatami mat rooms. The rooms are still the same size, but they aren’t floored with tatami mats. It’s not very uncommon for newer Japanese houses to have only one tatami room. These rooms are called nihonma (二本松) or washitsu (和室) which means Japanese style rooms. Along with tatami mats, these traditional Japanese rooms also have many other features that are common in a traditional Japanese home, such as shrines, hung pictures of kanji (Japanese written language) or flower arrangements called ikebana (生け花).

Other rooms that have become more popular in Japan are yoshitsu (吉津) meaning Western style rooms. These rooms have American architecture, and are generally wider with a more modern appearance. These rooms have become more popular because American culture is viewed as cool, and certain Western architectural styles are more efficient and practical than the tatami mat rooms.

Here are some examples of floor layouts with tatami mats. The room sizes, as you can see, are four and a half mats, eight mats, and twelve and a half mats.


Source for this image is found here: [http://www.daveahlman.net/Old_site/daveinjapan/arch/tatamiconfig.jpg]

Bad English T-Shirts

In Japan, it’s fairly easy for an English-speaking foreigner to get around, even if they have little to no knowledge of the Japanese language. This is because English is one of Japan’s main foreign languages. In subway stations in Japan, there are many English signs. There is even a word for the phonetic spelling of a Japanese word in English, romaji (ローマ字). English is very popular because it looks aesthetically pleasing, and it’s especially popular among young people (college students and high school teenagers). One interesting thing I noticed was that all the graffiti I saw was in in English.

A very popular trend in Japan in to wear t-shirts with English on them. However, these shirts can be very poorly translated. They are worn as a status symbol in Japan, similar to how a certain brand of clothes is worn to be cool. These shirts can be found in any store in Japan, especially smaller shops that have shirts that may have been locally printed. Larger stores in Japan may have these notorious bad English t-shirts, but they are more likely to have correctly translated English shirts.

These shirts are worn to look cool, as I’ve said before, and are very popular among young people. In Japan, fashion is much more important to teenagers and college students than in America. Because English is so popular, even shirts without any real English words (just letters) are worn. Even if the language resembles English, it could become a popular t-shirt.

During my homestay in Japan, I told my host family that the shirt I bought had incorrect English on it and it was funny. The whole family thought I was really cool for being an English speaker. I explained to them how the shirt was incorrect, and eventually they understood and laughed. Then, they brought me a shirt that was in French and asked me to translate it, thinking it was English. So even if it’s a similar alphabet, if it looks like an English t-shirt it is considered cool.

Below are some examples of bad English t-shirts:  

Masks

Japan has a very high population density. Tokyo is one of the most highly populated cities in the world. Public transportation is used by thousands upon thousands of people each day, whether it’s subways or buses, or even taxis. Someone who lives in Japan will come into contact with up to hundreds of people each day, depending on where they live. Because many people walk places, they can come into contact with even more people than if they drove to their destination.

Because of this, Japanese people take many precautions to keep their residents healthy and avoid the rapid spread of many diseases. They have many PSAs, and use preventative tactics so everyone stays healthy and disease free. Some of these PSAs describe how easy it is to get sick, and symptoms of diseases. Others are signs posted all around Japan. In stations or public bathrooms, there are many signs describing how to wash your hands effectively, and the benefits of using hand sanitizer. Japan as a society also has preventative tactics to stop the spread of diseases. One way they do this is to have their citizens wear masks when they are feeling sick.

These masks, similar to masks a surgeon would wear, covers their mouth and nose and goes down to cover part of their chin. This way, anyone wearing a mask who coughs (or gets coughed on) will be protected. The masks act as a barrier from germs and other airborne pathogens that may be in the air around a sick person.

It doesn’t even matter whether or not the disease they have is contagious, people in Japan will still wear masks when they are sick. People who are sick may have a weakened immune system, so it’s dangerous for them to come in contact with other pathogens, germs or diseases. The masks also help keep things out as well, because they act as an air filtration device. Overall, the masks are very helpful in preventing widespread diseases in Japan.

Currency

Everyone uses money, whether it’s in Japanese Yen, or American dollars. However, there are many differences between Japanese yen and American dollars. There are also differences in how they are used. Both are used to purchase goods, of course, but as you’ll see soon use of money is slightly different in Japan than the United States.

In America, many people use credit cards. In fact, many credit card commercials discourage the use of cash, portraying it as slow and very cumbersome. The coins are easy to drop, the dollar bills are difficult to sort, etc. It’s much easier to just have a plastic card that pays for everything. (Even though with a credit card, it’s not your money that you’re spending and you’ll end up paying a lot more than the initial cost of what you bought with it.)

In Japan, cash is much more widely used. People pay for even very large, expensive items (such as televisions or couches) in cash. It’s not uncommon in Japan for people to pay in exact change, either. They will often pay for items to the exact cent, even if it’s slightly more time consuming, because they don’t want to inconvenience the sales person or employee helping them out and giving them the goods. In America, it’s seen as tedious to pay for things in exact change, especially when you have those state of the art credit cards.

In Japan, there are places called konbini (or conbini, short for convenience store). These small stores are similar to tiny Wal-Marts, and they sell many different products from food for lunches on the go, and chapstick. If you go into a conbini with a 10,000 yen note, even the smallest conbini will take it and break it up for you without blinking. In America, however, I’ve found it’s very hard to find a place that will even break a $50 bill. Many stores and fast food restaurants refused to break it.

The Japanese yen is broken up a few ways. There are two bills and six types of coins. The bills are 10,000 yen (roughly $100), 5,000 yen (roughly $50) and 1,000 yen (about $10). The coins come in one, five, ten, fifty, one hundred and five hundred yen (this means that in Japan there is a coin that has a $5 value). Some of the coins in Japan have holes in the center. This is for people to easily discern which coin is which, and to pay in exact change easily.



Another thing I found interesting about Japan is that no one tips. It’s seen as rude if you tip your server or waiter at a restaurant, because it seems like you’re taking pity or looking down on them. In Japan, waiters and waitresses are paid complete salaries. In America, waiters and waitresses aren’t paid minimum wage. They are expected to make the rest of their wage through tips, and if the people they serve tip badly all week, then they don’t make as much money as they should. The Japanese system seems a little bit more efficient, since the customer doesn’t have to pay any extra, and the waiters and waitresses are paid a set rate.

The Genkan

In Japan there are many different customs and traditions than in the United States. One of the most interesting traditions was the genkan (玄関), which is a step at the entrance of all Japanese houses. Separation is very important to Japanese people, and the genkan is a great example of this. The floor below the genkan is seen as “dirty” or “unclean” and the house itself is seen as “clean” area. When you go into a Japanese home, you need to take off your shoes before entering the house. When you take off your shoes, however, you need to make sure your feet don’t touch the bottom level of the genkan once your shoes are off. Your socks (or bare feet) from then on should only touch the “clean” area (the inside of the home). As you are leaving the home, you need to put your shoes on the same way, without your feet touching the bottom of the genkan and becoming dirty.


Because of this, shoes that can be easily slipped on and off are very popular in Japan. Crocs, shoes that have viciously gone out of style in America are readily worn in Japan. They are very durable, easy to take on and off, and are very useful for Japan’s rainy season. Crocs have holes in them and allows water into them easily, but they are also completely waterproof because they are entirely made out of one type of plastic. Other shoes in Japan are made to be very durable because many people in Japan walk long distances each day. Slip-on shoes that don’t cause blisters from walking far are a must in Japan. There are also words you say when you return home from work or going out. These are usually said during use of the genkan. The person returning hom says tadaima (ｔだいま) to people who they’re living with (family, roommates, etc). Right after that, the family will say okairinasai (おかいり(なさい)) sometimes they say okairi for short. It basically means “I’m back!” and “Welcome home!”

Riding the Subway

Once you get out of the airport, you’ll need to know how to get around Japan. Japan has the most extensive and efficient subway system in the world, and it will easily get you wherever you need to go. The subways in Japan aren’t unlike the Metro in Washington D.C. or subways in other places in America, but if you’re not familiar with trains (since trains aren’t very popular forms of transportation in some places in America), the trains in Japan can be a little tricky to get the hang of.

First, you need to find out where you need to go. Below is a map of the Tokyo subway system. In Japan, subway stations (especially ones that have a lot of international traffic or those near airports) usually have English translations on many of their signs, so you don’t need to be fluent in Japanese to find your way around.





Each colored line on the map is a different subway system. The gray dotted lines are JR subway lines, which are a bit more expensive than the regular lines. Each white square (or any break in the line with words beside it) is a subway station. Stops that are bolded and bigger than the others are major subway stations, such as Ikebukuro and Tokyo.

Once you get to a subway station and know how far you’re going to go, you need to buy a ticket. Follow the crowd and be on the lookout for a ticket purchasing machine, or something built into the wall slightly resembling an ATM. The Japanese word for ticket is kippu (きっぷ). There will be a button that says kippu somewhere on the screen, and once you press it various prices will come up. On the wall somewhere near the ticket purchasing station should be pricing for various stations. All you have to do is match the length of your trip to the price, and put that amount of Japanese Yen into the machine. The ticket and your change should come out. Once you have your ticket, put it into another machine to let you into the station (don’t forget to grab it out of the other side as you walk through) and board your train.

Surviving the Plane Ride

One of the first things you need to do if you’re going to Japan is actually get to Japan. Despite the fact that plane tickets are anything but cheap, I recommend flying because it’s the fastest and most comfortable way to get to Japan. If you do end up flying, you’ll need to survive the plane ride. The most important thing to remember during your 10+ hour flight is that you need to keep yourself busy.

It’s better to pack more things to keep yourself busy than not have enough. The plane ride will be long, and you might need a variety of things to do in case you get bored. If you like to draw, bring a sketchbook and pencils. Bring a diary or journal and write down all your excitements, fears, and expectations of going to Japan. Or write stories or vivid imagery of something that happened to you while you were at the airport. Audiobooks and podcasts are helpful if you want them. There are many free ebooks out there as well. You can do some research on your own, or click here to find a list of the best free Ebooks according to Goodreads.com.

If you can sleep on planes, (and hopefully you can) that will take up some of your time. Depending on the airline you’re flying on (and what class you’re flying) your flight might be very comfortable. If you’re like me and you’re crammed in the middle of two strangers nowhere near the aisle, it may be less comfortable. Most airlines provide two meals, a snack, a blanket, a pillow and a pair of headphones to each passenger. The quality of these items vastly depends on the airline you travel on. The food from ANA, for example, tasted like portions from a king’s feast; Delta’s food was not to that caliber.

It’s important to think of yourself as being in “Japan time” as soon as you get on the plane. If you get on the plana and it’s 3am in Japan, I suggest you take some Melatonin (or other sleeping medicine, I recommend Melatonin because it’s natural and very effective: it works by making you very tired for 20 minutes or so, so you can fall asleep more easily. If you’re a light sleeper, this may not work because the effects wear off quickly) and go to sleep. Chances are you won’t be tired, but it will help your jet lag later.

The most important thing to do to make your jet lag less, well, exhausting, is to stay on the same schedule. In my opinion, the jet lag is worse when you get back to America as opposed to when you get to Japan. No matter how tired you are, stay awake during daylight hours, and no matter how awake you feel, make yourself go to sleep at a decent time to get a good night’s sleep. The website Sleepfoundation.org reccomends 7 and a half to 9 hours of sleep a night for most adults, 8 and a half to 10 for teens, and even more for children depending on their age. It’s important to make sure you get the same number of hours of sleep per night. If you don’t, it could damage your cardiovascular health, immune system (ability to fight infections) and balance of energy. Getting good sleep also makes going to sleep on schedule easier and your memory, reaction time and overall concentration stay strong. Stay hydrated with water instead of soda or other sugary drinks and eating a healthy diet can’t hurt either.

Last, but not least, take some time during your flight to psych yourself up for your trip to Japan!