It's the Little Things That Count

I thought I would do a little blog about some things I didn't expect to see in Japan. I hope I can remember them all.

I was using the toilet in our little apartment, and noticed this smell... no, it's not what you think is the obvious. It was a good smell. I started to wonder what is that nice smell, it smelled like candy. At first I thought it was just a nice air freshener that Mao's mom had put in here for us, but no, it was even better...

JAPAN HAS SCENTED TOILET PAPER!!!

Yes, it's Hello Kitty strawberry scented toilet paper. Not only does it help the air smell good, it helps your rear smell good! Not too bad.

Japanese sure know how to take care of themselves. Every house, or apartment has what is called an Ofuro. For all intensive purposes a room with a bath and a shower. The whole thing is a shower. The roof and the walls are all sealed up, so you can spray where ever you like and you'll be safe. 

The toilet is in a small, separate room. The important part: Every evening Japanese people take a shower to get themselves clean, and then have a short dip in a hot bath. I know it sounds simple but there is nothing better than to come home after a long day working or travelling and have all your muscle tension release in a super clean bath. The first time I tried it I felt like Tony Montana in the bubble bath scene from Scarface. It kind of mimics the effect of an Onsen too(that blog is coming soon).  By the time you come out you just want to sleep a good night's rest.

You can get almost anything from a vending machine. I finally found a beer vending machine but still haven't had the opportunity to actually film it's use in action. So when you're out partying in Japan and you need to pre-drink or keep your buzz going just grab a cocktail in a can or a highball in a can. It's all there. By the way, you will look like a real douche if you grab a beer in the middle of the afternoon and walk around drinking it. People don't really do that. But drinking is allowed in public. Beer vending machines are not just found anywhere, they are strategically located in places that are conducive to drinking, like hotels, where there are street food vendors, ect. Oh, and for Whiskey fans... Japan is really a great place to go if you like Whiskey. Japan has a long tradition of brewing Whiskey, and has many brands. Not only that, I only glanced briefly because I'm not too into Whiskey but they seem to be relatively inexpensive. 

Cigarette vending machines. These can be found more often than beer vending machines and unless indicated you can smoke almost anywhere out doors and sometimes indoors. Restaurants and cafes have smoker sections just like in the good old days in Canada, and are usually ventilated. 

There are a lot of drinks to try in Japan. Japanese seems to love making products that are meant for people on the go. They save a lot of time in preparation but they are also top quality. When you buy instant miso soup, it's pretty much as good as the real thing. So many products have been created like this that it is hard to give an example of them all. You can even buy instant rice. It's precooked rice that you microwave and it's ready. 

A note about tea and coffee. Visiting Japan has reintroduced me to the art of making and drinking tea and coffee. They really know what they are doing. Having a tea or coffee in Japan means you have to sit down, because they don't have take-away cups. You need to savor the drink, because it is small compared to the fish tanks people drink back home. In comparison, coffee and tea is rather expensive in Japan, but oh it is good. I expected coffee to be on the weak side here, but I found it to be very strong, but not the sulphuric acid you buy from Starbucks. Coffee in Japan is more akin to my coffee experience in Europe. Japan is all about quality over quantity.

Back in Canada I hardly ever have tea at coffee shops, I prefer to drink tea at home where I make it myself and where I can actually tolerate it. I cam to Japan not even thinking of trying the tea because I thought it could never compare to what I make at home. I could never have been more wrong. I am a huge tea fan, I've been drinking tea all my life, I can tell you what blend of tea I am drinking, and I can tell you I have never enjoyed tea as much as I do here in Japan. It beat the Tazo joke, and it even beat my own tea I make at home. I don't know what I'm going to do back in Canada, I just don't know what I'm going to do... 

There are a few things that might have something to do with the taste of coffee and tea here in Japan. Milk and cream is thicker and tastier here.It should also have something to do with the water, but Vancouver is supposed to have some of the best water in the world, so I'm not sure yet. 

Sorry my Kobe blog got delayed, we had a great time and the beef was amazing. I'm still getting used to writing this. I hope people are still reading and checking up on this. 

Here is a little teaser.