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Your chance to ask questions and discuss some of the unusual aspects of Japan's culture, perhaps Prof. Smooth will join us.


To start off the discussions, I've included some pictures:

A capsule hotel that I stayed in. Yup, you sleep in that little cubby. It's like sleeping in a plastic coffin. The capsules are stacked on top of each other and beside each other. A typical hotel can hold 500-700 people. The cubby includes A/C, light, TV, radio, and some with a small sink.





Arcade games. This game has been out for little bit now in Japan. It utilizes a gaming card (such as Dragonball, Pokemon, etc.). The gamer moves the cards around on the board and then switches cards for different attacks. This particular arcade involves an army. Others use Gundam. When you are done with the game, simply press the button and the game saves onto a card so you pickup where you left off next time. No more starting from the beginning with Arcade games.





A typical meal. Here's a typical meal that I eat home. Bachelors rarely cook in Japan. Instead, we tend to buy a prepared meal at the supermarket. Yup, fresh sushi at the supermarket.





I'll post more pictures if people are interested.

edited - to focus the discussion in a better way. and updated pictures

Hmmm I wonder ehat would happen if you put Magic the Gathering cards on that one game. Does it allow you to mix and match different card series so you can have a party of different characters or are they single series only.

Sun Runner wrote:Hmmm I wonder ehat would happen if you put Magic the Gathering cards on that one game. Does it allow you to mix and match different card series so you can have a party of different characters or are they single series only.

Yeah, each arcade game requires a specific card series. And you also need to buy special cards that have tiny microchips in them so the board can register them. Of course, it's all part of the marketing strategy so you will buy more cards.

A lot of places have a vending machine that sell random packs of cards.

In Japan, is it true that it is extremely easy to be up to your ears in Hentai without even trying?

Sorry to post off topic but is it really necessary to have a culture FAQ thread just please Japanophiles?

With that logic every country should get a topic like this.

Greed wrote:Sorry to post off topic but is it really necessary to have a culture FAQ thread just please Japanophiles?

With that logic every country should get a topic like this.

This had been a popular thread in the past, which is why I started it again. Because many toys, books, movies, and cultural icons come from Japan, people often get curious about the lifestyle, which is very different from their own. I was simply trying to offer a thread for people to discuss some of things they hear or read about Japan but are unable to find answers else where.


edited - I've updated the title and intro to focus the topic in a better way.

Cool stuff. I've heard about the sleep cubbys before, don't you hear the noise from the tv or just moving around from the adjacent cubby?
As for the game system, Japan always gets the cool stuff first.

Greed wrote:Sorry to post off topic but is it really necessary to have a culture FAQ thread just please Japanophiles?

With that logic every country should get a topic like this.

Stop being so negative all the time. If you don't like the thread don't look at it. I think it's great someone is showing some culture. I would love to go to the store and pick up some octopus or eel sushi(fresh) and not have to play around with the nori wraps, sticky rice and everything else associated with the tasty stuff. I am o.k. at it though. Also got any pics of the beaches there? Mainly wanna see some Japanese girls in bikinis.

Japan is pretty much Asia's version of the United States in terms of world-wide modern day cultural influence. So that's why you see threads like this instead of ones titled "Sudanese lifestyle".

But anyway, it's funny to read about because they're so wildly different to Western countries (an already diverse lot) despite being on the same technological level of advancement. In a small way it's akin to looking into an alternate universe. I mean... To me, most of Japan's cities might as well be Bizarro Sweden. They're that different. It's simply interesting to read about a modernised people of a cultural background nearly completely unconnected to yours. Not that they don't have their own problems or anything...

I had eel sushi- gingered I think it was. Very good. Anyway, I had heard that it is a lot cheaper to buy Japanese food then to try and buy imported American stuff. Is this true? And is Japan as expensive in real life as it is often portrayed to be?

Zombie Starscream wrote:I had eel sushi- gingered I think it was. Very good. Anyway, I had heard that it is a lot cheaper to buy Japanese food then to try and buy imported American stuff. Is this true? And is Japan as expensive in real life as it is often portrayed to be?

Tokyo one of the top ten most expensive places to live in the world.

DISCHARGE wrote: Also got any pics of the beaches there? Mainly wanna see some Japanese girls in bikinis.

I second this!

Shadowman wrote:In Japan, is it true that it is extremely easy to be up to your ears in Hentai without even trying?

Yeah. Den Den Town is a pervert's dream. I once went into a bookstore and found five of its seven floors dedicated to pornography.

Floor one: normal books.
Floor two: hentai manga.
Floor three: hentai anime.
Floor four: props and real pornography.
Floor five: costumes, some of which were previously worn.
Floor six: computer games, most hentai-based.
Floor seven: inexplicably, lawn furniture.

Loki120 wrote:Cool stuff. I've heard about the sleep cubbys before, don't you hear the noise from the tv or just moving around from the adjacent cubby?
As for the game system, Japan always gets the cool stuff first.

The cubbys are insulated so very little sound passes through them. Some capsules come with doors, others come with a rolled down curtain. It's worth the extra few dollars to get the capsules with a door because late at night the drunk businessmen show up; and they can be loud.

The capsules are convenient and cheap for Japanese standards (~ USD$20-30). Subways and trains usually stop around midnight, taxis at that time are very expensive, so the capsules make a good alternative. There is a particular procedure to using them (just like most things in Japan).

- Take off your shoes when you enter the lobby.
- Sign in and bring your luggage to the locker room.
- Change your clothes for a yukata (Japanese pajamas). And enjoy the facilities. Yeah, it is strange to walk around the cafe, lounge, and onsen in a yukata. But you get used to it when you to see top business men in pajamas too.

Stormrider wrote:

Loki120 wrote:Cool stuff. I've heard about the sleep cubbys before, don't you hear the noise from the tv or just moving around from the adjacent cubby?
As for the game system, Japan always gets the cool stuff first.

The cubbys are insulated so very little sound passes through them. Some capsules come with doors, others come with a rolled down curtain. It's worth the extra few dollars to get the capsules with a door because late at night the drunk businessmen show up; and they can be loud.

The capsules are convenient and cheap for Japanese standards (~ USD$20-30). Subways and trains usually stop around midnight, taxis at that time are very expensive, so the capsules make a good alternative. There is a particular procedure to using them (just like most things in Japan).

- Take off your shoes when you enter the lobby.
- Sign in and bring your luggage to the locker room.
- Change your clothes for a yukata (Japanese pajamas). And enjoy the facilities. Yeah, it is strange to walk around the cafe, lounge, and onsen in a yukata. But you get used to it when you to see top business men in pajamas too.

Does the box have air holes?

EDIT: As well, what's the average height around there?

Spoon wrote:

DISCHARGE wrote: Also got any pics of the beaches there? Mainly wanna see some Japanese girls in bikinis.

I second this!

It's strange, I haven't seen many Japanese girls at the beaches in bikinis. Each time I go to a beach, I see foreigners in bikinis and Japanese people all covered up and sitting squarely on a blanket having a picnic.

Suntans are still uncommon in Japan. Japanese tend to associate beauty with white skins (such as a geisha). They tend to associate tans with commoners (such as farmers).

Often in the sweltering summer you will see women covered head to toe and even wearing long gloves and goofy looking visor to protect them from tanning. The younger people are starting to change their attitude though.

DesalationReborn wrote:

Stormrider wrote:

Loki120 wrote:Cool stuff. I've heard about the sleep cubbys before, don't you hear the noise from the tv or just moving around from the adjacent cubby?
As for the game system, Japan always gets the cool stuff first.

The cubbys are insulated so very little sound passes through them. Some capsules come with doors, others come with a rolled down curtain. It's worth the extra few dollars to get the capsules with a door because late at night the drunk businessmen show up; and they can be loud.

The capsules are convenient and cheap for Japanese standards (~ USD$20-30). Subways and trains usually stop around midnight, taxis at that time are very expensive, so the capsules make a good alternative. There is a particular procedure to using them (just like most things in Japan).

- Take off your shoes when you enter the lobby.
- Sign in and bring your luggage to the locker room.
- Change your clothes for a yukata (Japanese pajamas). And enjoy the facilities. Yeah, it is strange to walk around the cafe, lounge, and onsen in a yukata. But you get used to it when you to see top business men in pajamas too.

Does the box have air holes?

EDIT: As well, what's the average height around there?

Yup, holes just like a cat carrier.


They come in all sizes now. You probably have heard that their diet change in the past 60 years has had a big impact on their height. I read a funny article that equated their height to the amount of junk food they eat.

70's & 80's year old (the size of dolls) (well under 5')

50's-60's (Three stooges size) (around 5')

30's-40's (around 5'4")

20's (around 5'10")

Teenagers (Basketball players) (6' and over)

Stormrider wrote:

Spoon wrote:

DISCHARGE wrote: Also got any pics of the beaches there? Mainly wanna see some Japanese girls in bikinis.

I second this!

It's strange, I haven't seen many Japanese girls at the beaches in bikinis. Each time I go to a beach, I see foreigners in bikinis and Japanese people all covered up and sitting squarely on a blanket having a picnic.

Suntans are still uncommon in Japan. Japanese tend to associate beauty with white skins (such as a geisha). They tend to associate tans with commoners (such as farmers).

Often in the sweltering summer you will see women covered head to toe and even wearing long gloves and goofy looking visor to protect them from tanning. The younger people are starting to change their attitude though.

I see. O.k. then.
For a country that supposedly sells women's delicates in vending machines on the streets, I would have thought them to be a little more open.

DISCHARGE wrote:

Stormrider wrote:

Spoon wrote:

DISCHARGE wrote: Also got any pics of the beaches there? Mainly wanna see some Japanese girls in bikinis.

I second this!

It's strange, I haven't seen many Japanese girls at the beaches in bikinis. Each time I go to a beach, I see foreigners in bikinis and Japanese people all covered up and sitting squarely on a blanket having a picnic.

Suntans are still uncommon in Japan. Japanese tend to associate beauty with white skins (such as a geisha). They tend to associate tans with commoners (such as farmers).

Often in the sweltering summer you will see women covered head to toe and even wearing long gloves and goofy looking visor to protect them from tanning. The younger people are starting to change their attitude though.

I see. O.k. then.
For a country that supposedly sells women's delicates in vending machines on the streets, I would have thought them to be a little more open.

I agree, that's what makes Japan hard to understand. Sometimes their customs and behavior completely oppose each other, but little is discussed about it (even in Japan).

For instance, the volume of Japanese figurines and anime in bikinis would probably lead most people to believe that Japanese girls dress like that. however, the only time I have seen Japanese women in bikinis is when they are doing Costume Play.

Wow that's some very interesting bits of information Stormrider! Fun to read
And even though i've linked this before: http://www.gaijinsmash.net/archives.phtml ill do it again. It's a fun read and supports Stormwind on the opposing behavious/customs deal.

I've seen gaiginsmash before. It has some interesting articles about the Japanese lifestyle.


About a year ago, I was on my way to work when a van in front of me hit a middle divider and flipped over. I was astonished that nobody stopped to help the person out. Everyone kept on driving as if nothing had happened.

Seeing that no one else was going to help, I jumped off my bike and helped the man, who was trapped inside. He was bloody and bruised.





It's common practice in Japan to ignore people who are injured or who are in need of help. Japanese firefighters for instance do not go into burning buildings. If your apartment is on fire, you better get yourself out, because no one is going to save you.

About 15 years ago, there was a terrible earthquake in Kobe, Japan. One of the biggest criticisms from the quake that leveled the city, is no one acted neighborly to each other. Instead of helping your neighbor, people ignored muffled cries from people that were trapped under the rubble.

Stormrider wrote:I agree, that's what makes Japan hard to understand. Sometimes their customs and behavior completely oppose each other, but little is discussed about it (even in Japan).

For instance, the volume of Japanese figurines and anime in bikinis would probably lead most people to believe that Japanese girls dress like that. however, the only time I have seen Japanese women in bikinis is when they are doing Costume Play.

Actually it does kind of make sense. The Japanese don't see that kind of stuff in real life, so perhaps that's why it's popular in anime and figurines/statues.

Stormrider wrote:I've seen gaiginsmash before. It has some interesting articles about the Japanese lifestyle.


About a year ago, I was on my way to work when a van in front of me hit a middle divider and flipped over. I was astonished that nobody stopped to help the person out. Everyone kept on driving as if nothing had happened.

Seeing that no one else was going to help, I jumped off my bike and helped the man, who was trapped inside. He was bloody and bruised.





It's common practice in Japan to ignore people who are injured or who are in need of help. Japanese firefighters for instance do not go into burning buildings. If your apartment is on fire, you better get yourself out, because no one is going to save you.

About 15 years ago, there was a terrible earthquake in Kobe, Japan. One of the biggest criticisms from the quake that leveled the city, is no one acted neighborly to each other. Instead of helping your neighbor, people ignored muffled cries from people that were trapped under the rubble.

That's messed up.

Cool topic rider !

That sushi meal looks a lot like I get at my local sushi place.

Ive seen those cubbies before on tv. I don't know if I could get my big behind in there.

In the Killers latest video they are seen going to sleep in those cubbies. Given the whole vid is shot in Japan.

I would love to visit Japan one day. Got to get over that fear of flight first lol.

Hey Stormrider,

I've always been curious about the schools in Japan. I know you go to school for like 240 days and you go to school on saturdays, but could you tell us a little bit about the schools and stuff? There's not much in depth info on the net about it.