“Things In Japan That Would Send Americans Into A Coma”: 22 Unexpected Japanese Customs That Surprised This TikToker
While going about our daily lives, we easily get used to the world as it is. We scroll carelessly through the societal norms and customs, not once stopping to think that things somewhere are way different. Not just contrasting, but almost upside down.
But TikTok creator Ryan is giving us all a very vivid glimpse of what it is like to live in Tokyo, surrounded by cultural shocks. His TikTok series titled “Things In Japan That Would Send An American Into A Coma” sheds a light on many Japanese lifestyle quirks that have amassed him 17.3M likes in total.
Scroll down to find out what Ryan found unusual in the Japanese way of living and let us know what you think of it in the comment section!
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Children start walking to and from school and also taking the train from the age of five and six. So if you're just out walking around, and you see a kid just like, walking alone by themselves, they're fine. They're normally just walking to or from school.
First things first, trash separation. When you move, your ward gives you an entire calendar of how you're going to separate your trash. Because I have 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6, I have six different trash cans to separate my trash and they all go out on different days. It's actually nice because they care about what happens to their trash. It is a little stressful sometimes, but I've gotten used to it. Japan has these trash cans where you separate your trash even at restaurants. All restaurants have this and they even have a drain for your drink. So drinks, don't get into the trash bag. It's genius. I don't know why America doesn't have this. And now when I go back to America, and I just throw everything in one trash can, I feel like the most wasteful human being in the world.
Roughly the same in some European countries. In my region in NL I have 5 waste bins and four of them get collected on different days. Orange (plastic, tetra, metal), blue (paper), green (kitchen and garden), grey (everything else) and glass (to be delivered at a collection point and to be sorted by color: white, green, brown). Grey every 4 weeks on Thursdays, blue every 4 weeks on Wednesdays, orange every 2 weeks on Mondays and green every 2 weeks on Fridays.
Everyone still wears masks in Japan everywhere. Yes, even when walking outside, even when just walking in your neighborhood, 99% of the time, they will be wearing a mask. It hasn't even been required for over like a year now, but it's so ingrained in the culture at this point that people refuse to take them off in fear of judgment. But obviously, it's also just a concern for other people and Japan is known to be a culture where people are very considerate of thy neighbor.
I visited Japan in 2019, a few months before Covid and so many people were wearing masks. They were for sale everywhere, so it appears to be the norm there even before Covid. Hands down my favourite country to have visited so far. I really want to go back :)
Every single phone in Japan has the shutter sound when you take a picture, even if you take the picture on Snapchat or any app, and you cannot disable it. This is required by the government because they wanted to stop men from taking photos of girls without them knowing. So if you buy a phone in Japan, it has the shutter sound and you can't turn it off. So if you go to a place like a museum or something, you'll just constantly hear the shutter sound. What a lot of people do to get around this is when they travel to another country, they'll use that time to buy an iPhone or just any phone and bring it back to Japan. Like when I had to get a new iPhone, I bought it in America and had it shipped to Japan because I was not going to deal with that shutter sound.
Most train stations have a theme song. Like, I'm in Takadanobaba area a lot and they play the Astroboy theme song because Takadanobaba is Astroboy’s birthplace.
A warning about Japanese train stations. On the maps the names of train stations are written in Hiragana. On the stations themselves the names are written in Kanji. A completely different iconography that is virtually impossible to read.
You see these all the time in Japan. When I first saw this, I was like, what is going on? But schools will take kids in these carts or just on a stroll around the neighborhood.
I have seen some childcare centres in Australia use these, but usually only for emergency evacuation drills. If the kids are walking age they are all given high-vis tops and walk, either holding hands or holding a rope, on short trips, like to the park or nursing home outings.
If the train is ever delayed in Japan, you get what's called a densha chien shoumeisho which is a certificate of lateness that the staff comes out with with a basket of them. The transportation is so good though that this like rarely ever happens. But if you're late to work or school, you have to have the certificate to prove it. I lived in New York for three years and we did not have that. If you were late it was - good luck.
I wish they did this in the UK. Things are so bad sometimes that even if you bought a UK based model train set it would be replaced by a bus!
The three most dreaded words in British English are, replacement bus service. There have been times when I've been convinced that walking would be quicker.
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And they meassure delays in seconds, here in Germany a train counts as late if it's due for over 5 minutes (which happens regulary)
Yeah, Germany got 35% of trains delayed like that in 2022
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The beauty of trains. Busses cannot compete with trains for reliability. You're car can't compete with trains for reliability. The only thing that beats passenger rail for reliability is your own legs and feet. This unfortunately does not apply in the USA where we have managed to turn the most reliable form of transportation into a nightmare.
In the UK busses absolutely can and do compete with trains for reliability I'm afraid. In theory you're right.
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We were once stopped between stations (1971) for a minute. I think they made up the time, but it was an earthquake.
In Australia theyd give you a permanent card if they had to do this
Southeastern trains in the UK have a Delay Repay system of increasing refunds, starting from being 15 minutes late. Got 50% off a trip last week - but did get home 90 minutes late.
When they replace trains with busses due to track work in Victoria, Australia, they sometimes give you free coffee or ice cream, which is nice, but it doesn't happen the majority of the time :(
Must've brought that in after I moved away. Before then, lots of artwork with "f*ck Connex" everywhere (before Metro got the contract)
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If your train is late in New York, you better send your boss a screenshot of the MTA app quick so they know it's legit lol
When I worked in Toronto we could always tell which mode of transport was down just by looking at certain empty desks.
In Belgium, there's a certificate you can download if your train is delayed. It also pops up on my app.
If you go to the movies in Japan, and the movie ends, Japanese people just sit through the entire credits in silence. I feel like some people do this in America. But I think for the most part, people just get up and leave. But you just have to sit and wait through the credits because you'll just have to move through everyone that's sitting in waiting.
If you're a foreigner and like, conventionally attractive, it's very common to get scouted to be a hair model, especially if you're in places like Shibuya, Harajuku or Omotesando, but hairstylists will just run up to you and ask if they can cut your hair for free because they want like, models for their portfolio. And it's actually really, really common.
My daughter was a model there at 2-3 years old. Did shoots for Baby Dior and YSL. She had gorgeous blonde curls. They loved it.
People in Japan will literally sleep anywhere. This is because the work culture in Japan is so bad. Some people work from 9 am all the way to 10 pm. So it's extremely common to see people sleeping on the train. Sometimes they'll even fall asleep on your shoulder, and they somehow just magically wake up at their stop.
Every single restaurant you go to, they will always give you what's called oshibori, which is just like a wet towel. Even like Starbucks gives you one. And they're so nice because sometimes a dry napkin isn't going to do it. It does waste more plastic, but honestly, I really love these towels.
Mind that they are for wiping your hands _before_ eating and not a substitute for dry paper napkins.
In Tokyo, we have something called a Shibuya meltdown, which is when men, mostly salarymen, spend all day working so they go to Shibuya after work just to drink and they'll fall asleep anywhere in Shibuya. It's because the last train in Japan is at 12 o'clock so if you stay past that time, you have to stay until 5 am when the trains run again, so people will just fall asleep. They're literally anywhere. If you're up early enough and you go to Shibuya, you'll likely see someone just sleeping in the most random places until they wake up and go home or sometimes just go straight to work.
Is this guy just randomly taking pictures of people without permission?
80% of the apartments that you look at when looking for an apartment to rent will not let you live there because you're a foreigner. A lot of the time, even if you speak Japanese, they still won't let you live there. So out of 10 of the apartments that you like, only two of them will be available for you. I would send my realtor a list of 20 apartments. And she'd be like, “Yeah, this one and this one said that you can live here.”
They're extremely racist and nationalist. I taught English and I heard about a black woman who tried to teach English but the people walked out on her. Even If a kid is half Japanese and half white he'll het bullied or even another type of Asian. My kids went to an International School and lots of parents there had that problem. Of course this was 35 years ago. Maybe it's different now but I doubt it. I know young men love Asian girls and go there trying to find a girlfriend. It's pretty rare that would happen.
When you get an apartment in Japan, you have to pay something called “reikin”, which means key money. It's also called gift money. Because it's literally just a gift for your landlord for allowing to let you live there, which is equivalent to normally one month's rent, and you do not get that back. You're literally just saying thank you for letting me live here. Here is one month's rent and you can have it.
This is what our gas stations look like. I want to say it's for safety because it doesn't have the pumps on the ground here. But I'm not too sure and some of them are so high up, they attach strings to be able to pull them down. But when I saw that for the first time, I was like, huh.
A lot of stuff in Japan is still paper-based so basically all of my bills, I still have to pay at the convenience store, like I get it in the mail and I have to take it to the convenience store to pay it and it has to be in cash. I think some places allow you to switch your bills to online now, but it's all in Japanese and kind of difficult to navigate.
Everyone in Japan has reusable towels at all times. It can be used for multiple reasons, but a lot of the time it's just used to dry your hands off after washing them. And yeah, we have the hand dryer things in bathrooms, but I swear every single one in Japan has been out of service since the beginning of the pandemic. They're not reopening those.
That's just handkerchiefs. The latest trend is to add the towel-like texture to the handkerchiefs. Hand dryers aren't as widely available as they are in US so it's just good hygiene to bring your own handkerchief. We used to have random handkerchief and tissue inspection at my elementary school every week.
It's tradition in Japan to get KFC on Christmas. I'm not joking, and they literally line up. December 25 is a whole different process for KFC in Japan. The reason they do this is because Americans eat turkey on Thanksgiving but you can't get turkey in Japan. So they associate Americans with chicken, so it's been a tradition since I think the ‘80s to get chicken from specifically KFC on Christmas.
We do not have dryers in Japan, unless you're rich. Even when you're rich, it's like a combination washer and dryer, and it's really not that good. And also a lot of people's washers are on the balcony outside, like mine's out here and I have to hang all my clothes up and put them on this thing as well. And when it's cold outside, it sucks because drying your clothes takes so much longer than in the summer. And also, the pipe to your washer can freeze.
Just like getting an apartment, adopting a pet in Japan is also literally impossible. Even shelters where there are animals won't let you adopt. I got lucky because I found someone personally who was willing to rehome my cat that day. But yeah, if you're going to a shelter or something, good luck, because they're not going to let you adopt
Tally marks are different here. Like in America, we write them 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. They don't do that here. And I don't know why I never knew that. No, because literally what is this? They write it like ichi ni san shi go and just keep adding it. I don't know why I simply did not know that other parts of the world did tallies differently.
In China too. The character正 is written in 5 strokes, so it’s perfect for counting
People in Japan do not wash their hands in the bathroom and hear me out before you attack me. Obviously, this doesn't apply to everyone. But 95% of the time, what I see happen, they'll just go up to the sink, run it under the water for like one-second max, and then they'll just shake their hands off. Or they'll use reusable towels.
That's what you get when things are taken from tiktok
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So... wow, Japan isn't the same as the US. Why exctly would this, per the headline when I saw it, 'send Americans into a coma'? We don't have dryers *here* if we're nto rich. (Also don't own washers, either, and use a clothes rack, duh, this isn't alien to Americans, just *that* one).
I've noticed a trend of using overly dramatic words or phrases like the one included here. Maybe it's because the people writing them are trying to cover up how boring they are or just another form of click bait.
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Cant they just tell a story/make a video without showing their own mug?? We can hear you just as well with just a voice over. I wanna see the stuff you're talking about, not your face. YES IM OLD RANT OVER aaaaaa
Branding. The point of being a Tiktok content producer is branding yourself. It's like asking why a bottle of Heinz ketchup has the Heinz logo on it.
Load More Replies... Stop using absolutes, such as everyone, all the time. Most of your statements are blatantly not true. I lived in Japan for six years, so I have experience there.
Kid saw some YouTube videos on Japan that he's retelling like he's an expert. 🤣🤣🤣
Pretty sure they are talking about their experience of living there.
Load More Replies... And what about Belgians? Swedes? Australians? South Africans? Brasilians?
Everyone and everything in Japan blah blah blah. Nah, that's not how things are in Japan. Also, try at least to come up with original things to say about the country. I swear 99% of videos on Japan are this very list made by white people.
If you don't like the (completely free to you) content available, feel free to create your own. Anyone can post an article on Boredpanda.
Load More Replies... I'm confused, so much of the chatter from users on BP is all about how shítty American's and their country are and how the whole world doesn't revolve around America. True. But yet SO many of the articles are all about America this, America that. If the world doesn't revolve around the US, then stop focusing so many articles and comments that direction! Other countries you can focus hating on for awhile: England and it's knack for colonizing/stealing land from impoverished non-white countries, Germany and Austria for bringing us two giant wars and Nazism, Israel for what they're currently doing to the Palestinian people, North Korea for just about any reason, Russia for its current land-grab on Ukraine, India for their femicide.... There ya go BP users, now you can stop focusing so hard on a country you don't like and I gave you some starting points on new, justifiable reasons and countries you can be angry with for a while.
Yes, let us spread the hate. That's what you're saying, isn't it? Stop being butthurt or relax a bit, it'll make it that much easier. 😉
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This is a clear cut example of somebody attempting (and failing) to take a boring topic and desperately trying to make it interesting by adding a lot of cliches.
When people, like, write how they, like, talk, I so, like, can't stand it. I had to stop after a few posts. Like, for real.
You actually type, "like"? How like often do you like say it, like in a sentence, like out loud?
Shouldn't the title be things in japan that would send ANY foreigner into a coma? Why single out Americans?
Because a lot of these are common in Taiwan, if not other countries. I quit reading after about 20, though. At least in Taiwan we don't have middle aged men constantly trying to take photos up girls' skirts.
Load More Replies... Why does he keep taking pictures or people without permission? That's just so weird and creepy
i think most of them are stock photos greenscreened onto the back so his face can be in the video, so he's not actually there
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This dude is *definitely* a weeaboo. A total weeb, for sure. Why should Americans be learning about Japanese culture through the problematic lens of a white male's opinion, is the key question. We don't really learn much from this article other than that Eurocentric nations are "shocked" that other people exist, and see/experience the world differently.
Sorry child, but you are not interesting at all, the article isn't the least bit interesting, and there is nothing here that in any way would put any of us Americans "into a coma." You need to grow up a LOT, become more savvy on how to post things---better yet, don't post anything at all, and please keep your face and self out of the pictures. You blocked a lot of the content, and again, you are not interesting. You aren't Japanese, either, so stop saying "we" have this, that, and the other. JAPAN has the things, not you in the sense of the royal 'we'!
Goodness gracious, did you just take a dip in the Dead Sea? You sound salty AF, calm down it's not that serious. He can post as much as he likes, if you don't like it then keep scrolling. Your attitude is worst than his article, disgusting. Frankie says relax.
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That's what you get when things are taken from tiktok
Load More Replies... So... wow, Japan isn't the same as the US. Why exctly would this, per the headline when I saw it, 'send Americans into a coma'? We don't have dryers *here* if we're nto rich. (Also don't own washers, either, and use a clothes rack, duh, this isn't alien to Americans, just *that* one).
I've noticed a trend of using overly dramatic words or phrases like the one included here. Maybe it's because the people writing them are trying to cover up how boring they are or just another form of click bait.
Load More Replies... Cant they just tell a story/make a video without showing their own mug?? We can hear you just as well with just a voice over. I wanna see the stuff you're talking about, not your face. YES IM OLD RANT OVER aaaaaa
Branding. The point of being a Tiktok content producer is branding yourself. It's like asking why a bottle of Heinz ketchup has the Heinz logo on it.
Load More Replies... Stop using absolutes, such as everyone, all the time. Most of your statements are blatantly not true. I lived in Japan for six years, so I have experience there.
Kid saw some YouTube videos on Japan that he's retelling like he's an expert. 🤣🤣🤣
Pretty sure they are talking about their experience of living there.
Load More Replies... And what about Belgians? Swedes? Australians? South Africans? Brasilians?
Everyone and everything in Japan blah blah blah. Nah, that's not how things are in Japan. Also, try at least to come up with original things to say about the country. I swear 99% of videos on Japan are this very list made by white people.
If you don't like the (completely free to you) content available, feel free to create your own. Anyone can post an article on Boredpanda.
Load More Replies... I'm confused, so much of the chatter from users on BP is all about how shítty American's and their country are and how the whole world doesn't revolve around America. True. But yet SO many of the articles are all about America this, America that. If the world doesn't revolve around the US, then stop focusing so many articles and comments that direction! Other countries you can focus hating on for awhile: England and it's knack for colonizing/stealing land from impoverished non-white countries, Germany and Austria for bringing us two giant wars and Nazism, Israel for what they're currently doing to the Palestinian people, North Korea for just about any reason, Russia for its current land-grab on Ukraine, India for their femicide.... There ya go BP users, now you can stop focusing so hard on a country you don't like and I gave you some starting points on new, justifiable reasons and countries you can be angry with for a while.
Yes, let us spread the hate. That's what you're saying, isn't it? Stop being butthurt or relax a bit, it'll make it that much easier. 😉
Load More Replies... This is a clear cut example of somebody attempting (and failing) to take a boring topic and desperately trying to make it interesting by adding a lot of cliches.
When people, like, write how they, like, talk, I so, like, can't stand it. I had to stop after a few posts. Like, for real.
You actually type, "like"? How like often do you like say it, like in a sentence, like out loud?
Shouldn't the title be things in japan that would send ANY foreigner into a coma? Why single out Americans?
Because a lot of these are common in Taiwan, if not other countries. I quit reading after about 20, though. At least in Taiwan we don't have middle aged men constantly trying to take photos up girls' skirts.
Load More Replies... Why does he keep taking pictures or people without permission? That's just so weird and creepy
i think most of them are stock photos greenscreened onto the back so his face can be in the video, so he's not actually there
Load More Replies... This dude is *definitely* a weeaboo. A total weeb, for sure. Why should Americans be learning about Japanese culture through the problematic lens of a white male's opinion, is the key question. We don't really learn much from this article other than that Eurocentric nations are "shocked" that other people exist, and see/experience the world differently.
Sorry child, but you are not interesting at all, the article isn't the least bit interesting, and there is nothing here that in any way would put any of us Americans "into a coma." You need to grow up a LOT, become more savvy on how to post things---better yet, don't post anything at all, and please keep your face and self out of the pictures. You blocked a lot of the content, and again, you are not interesting. You aren't Japanese, either, so stop saying "we" have this, that, and the other. JAPAN has the things, not you in the sense of the royal 'we'!
Goodness gracious, did you just take a dip in the Dead Sea? You sound salty AF, calm down it's not that serious. He can post as much as he likes, if you don't like it then keep scrolling. Your attitude is worst than his article, disgusting. Frankie says relax.
Load More Replies... 