* there are 200 active volcanoes in Japan
* there are around 1500 earthquakes every year in Japan
* it is not uncommon to pay around €3 (£2) for 1 single apple (ordinary looking apple but tasting extra sweet after that price) How does one feed a family fruit here?
* a normal cantelope melon costs about €30 (£28?)
* today I bought 4 peaches for €8 (£7)
* 1litre of milk costs €2,50 (£2)
* bread is very white and very fluffy
* telephone costs are high
* fish is RELATIVELY speaking well priced (2 pieces of salmon is about €4/£3)
* the Japanese like to wear statement T-shirts (a paragraph of text on the front/back in broken English)
* Mount Fuji (can see it from Tokyo) is an active volcano
* It's polite to slurp up your noodles - means that it tastes good!
* some ordinary looking melons cost €30!!
* Many toilets in Japan have heated seats and special sprays (like bidets) to spray your rear end!
* Some women in Japan cut their hair short if they break up with their boyfriend
* "Karaoke" is a Japanese word and invention. It means "empty orchestra"
* If you love classical music, Japan is the place for you. Stacks play instruments and appreciate the classics
* Cute, fluffly, teddybear-looking dogs ("Bonzai" dogs, I call them) are a favourite accessory. They're super pampered, and there are lots of shops making allowances for these live teddies. I must say, I could manage taking one home with me....but they cost about €4000.
* the Japanese drive quite calmly actually. Very little hooting going on. Big traffic jams at certain times we've discovered
* loads of little tiny restaurants/imbisses with SCRUMPTIOUS food!!! They can cook, I tell you!
* They live very minamilistic. No space for gadgets. Beds are mats which get folded up (tatamis).
* There are quite a few shrines, but very few practising Japanese Buddahists or Shintuists. They barely know anything about their religions. Quite a few churches around, surprisingly.
* the Japanese are very petite! One feels quite large here.
* Vegetation is very lush - if there's SPACE for it to grow.
