Things to remember about Japan

Toilets:

• Check that the toilet is vacant
  
• read sign carefully
  
• walk in, close door
  
• check to see how it is locked and how I will need to lock it (sounds simple but not necessarily so!)
  
• check for toilet paper (always take your own just in case)
• check how the toilet works,
• does it have a handle?
  
• do you press press button
• does it self flush
• do you put your hand over a sensor
• when you analyse this you are set to sit down.
• remember how 90% of public toilets provided a flushed seat cover
  

En-suites

• check for normal bits and pieces ie tooth brush, soap, shampoo
• check to see if you have to step in
• check to see if you have to step down
• check which way the door opens
  
• Do not do what I did and go to the ensuite in the middle of the night and forget there is a step!
• Lucky for me I was holding onto the door handle and swung out with the door.
• the following night I stumbled in as I had forgotten that the hotel we were in you had to step down.
• check the way the water turns on for the shower
• remember the signs saying "do not leave door open when in shower as it will turn smoke alarm on and you will be charged for cost!" I didn't want to test this out so always kept the door closed
• Remember how deep the baths are. Almost all are as deep as my kneecap and the unusual switching of the water from the basin tap to the shower.
  

Public amenities

Always remember how clean they are everywhere

Food

• How nice the miso soup is!
• How nice the beef curry and rice is!
• How nice the sweet bread buns are with the diamonds around the edge.
• How nice it is to be given a cloth to wash you hands with before eating
• How nice it is to have a fresh glass of water on your table as you sit down.
  
• How many times we had breakfast in Andersons (Danish Bakery) loved the system of buying the buns etc and the fact that I knew I could get a nice cup of tea there.
• How many times I have beef curry and rice for either lunch or dinner, all dishes had approximately 4 pieces of meat but that suited me fine.
• Remember the pricing of food, for a good meal we would pay a maximum of A$15.00 for the two of us. Breakfast would normally be around A$12.00.
• Remember how everyone greeted you with a smile when you entered a restaurant.
  
• Remember how one girl in a restaurant thought I wasn't eating enough and came over and refilled my soup bowl - and I just love miso soup. All soup seems to be called miso but it was different in every city and town but I still loved it. Its bound to be full of something that we shouldn't eat but as I said I loved it!

Trains

• How nice it was to walk into a clean train - every time!
• How nice it was to be given drinks
  
• How nice it was to be able to ask directions at any station
• How unbelievable the train services are in Japan
• Always remember how we could move around Tokyo Station with approximately 50 platforms but how we couldn't work out how to leave one station that only had 3 platforms! We went up and down the lift at least 6 times with some Japanese ladies (who also couldn't work it out) before finally we realised we needed to walk quite a distance on one platform before we could exit.