After being nowhere else but Japan for the last six years it was perhaps inevitable that I’d experience some reverse culture shock when I went back to the UK for the festive season a few months ago. Many of these have been mentioned on the pages of Tokyo Fox before but that was many, many years ago when I was still finding my feet in Japan and blogging about such differences.

1. Opening hours – Japan’s lust for convenience means the big cities are absolutely full of regular shops open till at least 8:00 pm if not later but I forgot that such places all close at about 5:00 pm in the UK. There was a magazine that a mate had asked me to bring back for him so when I saw it in a station shop I just thought I’d leave it till I returned later but of course it was already closed by then!

2. Dogs Rule – As a dog owner, it really was delightful to see that such pets are allowed in many shops, bars and restaurants as well as on transport. It is far more restrictive in Japan though and dogs should always be on a leash at all times, even in parks assuming they even allow them which not all do!

Dogs have to be in closed bags or cases in Japan

3. Meal deals – Getting a sandwich, a drink and a snack (chocolate bar or bag of crisps) seemed to be everywhere and of course are good value for money but they don’t exist in Japan. In fact, discount offers (three for the price of two etc) just aren’t a thing in Japan but were such common place on the British high streets.

4. J-Walking – Almost everybody in Japan waits for the lights to change before they cross the road, even if it’s on a quiet back street at 2:00 am without a moving vehicle in sight! I realised whilst back that this means you don’t really need to think about anything as the lights do the work for you whereas in the UK everywhere seemed fairly chaotic with pedestrians crossing roads in all places at all times.

5. Cashless society – Back in the late 90s I used my debit card to pay for most things but then I moved to Japan and converted to the local way of using cash all the time. I still panic a little in the supermarket when I realise I’m short of money even though I still have a few credit and debit cards. Japan is slowly changing but people still tend to often carry the equivalent of £200/$250 with them at. I didn’t use cash once when back home which was good although I did find I lost track of how much I was spending.

6. Noisy trains – Despite the huge number of people riding on them, the trains really are incredibly quiet in Japan. Not in England though where the whole carriage can often hear someone talking on their phone the whole journey. If not that, then there are also people playing video games or watching YouTube without headphones!

7. Toilets – This is not so much about the difference in toilets regarding technology (heated seats, butt-showers etc.) but just being able to find a public one in the UK was really tough at times. Pretty much every station in Japan has a toilet, and then there are also convenience store and park ones (clean too!) so it’s never too much of a problem when you need to relieve yourself.

8. Solo dining & efficiency – Other than sitting at a table in a takeaway in the UK, dining out in actual restaurants really is a sad and lonely affair. You really are in the minority, but Japan really is geared up towards solo diners without the stigma attached to it. Also, the efficiency of service I’ve come to expect in Japan was rather lacking at times in the UK.

Table for one Sir?

9. Perfume scent – Japanese people just don’t tend to wear strong scented perfume in respect for all others in close proximity to them. It’s a different story in the UK though where I often got a whiff of ladies perfume.

This sign was in a Japanese sushi restaurant

10. Small talk – Such chat just isn’t common in Japan (even in places like hair salons) and when shop staff kept talking to me back in my hometown it all took me by surprise as I’m just not used to talking to strangers like this but it was more enjoyable than I remember! As a foreigner in Japan, the locals are always very hesitant to talk to you so the onus is more on us to make conversation.

There were of course many other things relating to the likes of plastic bags, umbrellas, opening doors for people, sports match atmosphere, cycling, closing the elevator doors, smoking, appearances, LGBTQ+ rights and so on but I had to limit it to the ten that took me aback the most during my time in Leicestershire and London. None of what I mentioned will be too new for many people and there is indeed a wealth of information about such differences online.

Click here to read ‘TF Top 10……Reverse Culture Shocks I Experienced When Back In The UK’

Click here to read ‘Room 101 – Japan Special’

Click here to read ‘Room 101: Japanese Cyclists Special’

Click here to read ‘8 (Not So) Gr-Eight Observations of Japan from Yesteryear to Celebrate Our 8th Birthday’ 

Click here to read ‘Reasons to Like Living and Working in Japan’