One thing I think is pretty unique to Japan, buying an electronic device that only works in Japanese.
For pretty much everywhere else in the world, electronics are sold for a global market. It’s easier to sell something in Europe that can be sold in all of the FIGS speaking countries with multi-language support, most things sold in North America at least support Spanish and French along with English and it’s pretty common for devices made for Asia to support English as a secondary language.
However so many things sold in Japan support **only** Japanese, and have no language settings whatsoever.
The people
OK, I’ll be the 1st – “Japan has 4 seasons.”
Kobe Beef, baby!
That wagyu strain is unique to Japan after centuries of breeding.
The chopsticks? I never cease to be amazed when I see non-Japanese using them with some proficiency.
Measuring tire pressure in kilopascal?
I’ve seen PSI and bar in other countries, but kPa only in Japan so far.
After meeting the continuous residency requirements based on application path, Being required to be on a 3/5 year visa to apply for PR. Essentially enabling immigration to “soft block” PR at their own whim, without having to give a reason/justification.
Pretty sure that requirement is unique to Japan compared to other countries which offer Permanent Residency (of course happy to be corrected, as I don’t know the immigration requirements for every country)
The Yen.
Cigarette vending machines in front of pharmacies ?
Widespread use of fax
Strong Zero, of course.
Furusato nozei (let me know if I’m wrong)
Ringi 稟議
*Shinto.*
I’ve been a student and lay practitioner for many years.
The longer I live here, the more I study its particular *Animist* worldview, the more I see how it infuses every strata of Japanese society, in manners both subtle and plain.
みみがき. Personal, casual, ear wax removal prods. Completely normal to have that here. Where I come from we use cotton swabs at best.
​
Also seemingly every sleepy little town in every single prefecture across Japan is allegedly “famous” for… *something* edible. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that in any other country.
The Japanese マインド.
Which is a very close cousin of 日本人論.
Matcha flavoured EVERYTHING!
From time to time you probably come across one or two items with matcha flavouring in it outside of Japan, but it’s mostly in name only. Doesn’t match the quality and taste of matcha products in Japan.
Some of the design elements that are standard in all Japanese homes from big mansions to tiny shoeboxes. The one that comes to mind is the genkan. Having just a small step at the entrance to our apartment stops dirt tracking in. I haven’t seen this architectural feature as a standard in all homes in any other country. Mud rooms would be their equivalent where I’m from, but these only exist in some houses where people have choosen to build them.
500 flavours of KitKat and other Japanese snacks with the subtle flavours in them. Most countries have snacks which are bland or not subtle at all, like Japanese sweets are some of the only ones that don’t overwhelm me.
Another one is having 3 different scripts in the same sentence and even word! Hiragana Katakana and Kanji all at once! How many people in other countries even know 3 scripts let alone manage to read them in a hot noodle soup together!? I know Japanese is designed that way, but still…
So many cultural elements… Obon, hanami, hanabi, new year’s, semi/insect catching in summer, karuta, I daresay this but kancho~ (not something I’d recommend to be exported), tissue paper/fan ads etc… Sorry, just went on a nostalgia trip there and derailed the list, since I was in Japan in the 90’s, dunno how much has changed and how much other countries have of these things now
19 comments
One thing I think is pretty unique to Japan, buying an electronic device that only works in Japanese.
For pretty much everywhere else in the world, electronics are sold for a global market. It’s easier to sell something in Europe that can be sold in all of the FIGS speaking countries with multi-language support, most things sold in North America at least support Spanish and French along with English and it’s pretty common for devices made for Asia to support English as a secondary language.
However so many things sold in Japan support **only** Japanese, and have no language settings whatsoever.
The people
OK, I’ll be the 1st – “Japan has 4 seasons.”
Kobe Beef, baby!
That wagyu strain is unique to Japan after centuries of breeding.
The chopsticks? I never cease to be amazed when I see non-Japanese using them with some proficiency.
Measuring tire pressure in kilopascal?
I’ve seen PSI and bar in other countries, but kPa only in Japan so far.
After meeting the continuous residency requirements based on application path, Being required to be on a 3/5 year visa to apply for PR. Essentially enabling immigration to “soft block” PR at their own whim, without having to give a reason/justification.
Pretty sure that requirement is unique to Japan compared to other countries which offer Permanent Residency (of course happy to be corrected, as I don’t know the immigration requirements for every country)
The Yen.
Cigarette vending machines in front of pharmacies ?
Widespread use of fax
Strong Zero, of course.
Furusato nozei (let me know if I’m wrong)
Ringi 稟議
*Shinto.*
I’ve been a student and lay practitioner for many years.
The longer I live here, the more I study its particular *Animist* worldview, the more I see how it infuses every strata of Japanese society, in manners both subtle and plain.
みみがき. Personal, casual, ear wax removal prods. Completely normal to have that here. Where I come from we use cotton swabs at best.
​
Also seemingly every sleepy little town in every single prefecture across Japan is allegedly “famous” for… *something* edible. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that in any other country.
The Japanese マインド.
Which is a very close cousin of 日本人論.
Matcha flavoured EVERYTHING!
From time to time you probably come across one or two items with matcha flavouring in it outside of Japan, but it’s mostly in name only. Doesn’t match the quality and taste of matcha products in Japan.
Some of the design elements that are standard in all Japanese homes from big mansions to tiny shoeboxes. The one that comes to mind is the genkan. Having just a small step at the entrance to our apartment stops dirt tracking in. I haven’t seen this architectural feature as a standard in all homes in any other country. Mud rooms would be their equivalent where I’m from, but these only exist in some houses where people have choosen to build them.
500 flavours of KitKat and other Japanese snacks with the subtle flavours in them. Most countries have snacks which are bland or not subtle at all, like Japanese sweets are some of the only ones that don’t overwhelm me.
Another one is having 3 different scripts in the same sentence and even word! Hiragana Katakana and Kanji all at once! How many people in other countries even know 3 scripts let alone manage to read them in a hot noodle soup together!? I know Japanese is designed that way, but still…
So many cultural elements… Obon, hanami, hanabi, new year’s, semi/insect catching in summer, karuta, I daresay this but kancho~ (not something I’d recommend to be exported), tissue paper/fan ads etc… Sorry, just went on a nostalgia trip there and derailed the list, since I was in Japan in the 90’s, dunno how much has changed and how much other countries have of these things now