Hello beautiful people, and welcome back on the route!🙂

Today our never-ending journey through the curiousities around the world brings us to the capital of a country I personally love, and I believe to be one of the most “original” and “unique” megalopolis in the world…Tokyo!

I have been visiting Tokyo three times, first time in 2013 and last just recently.

Every time, it never ends to amaze me!

Right down from the plane, Tokyo appears to be a modern, clean, forward-looking and perfectly organized city… skyscrapers, extremely punctual trains, and an overarching impressive infrastructure all communicate at first glance that everything here runs like clockworks!

Walking around the streets of Tokyo, everything looks massive, abnormous, huge… and that makes you realize why efficiency is so important to organise such a huge ant’s nest!

Said that, one thing I noticed, the longer you stay in the city and the deeper you delve into the city (there is a LOT to dig!), the more you start to discover smaller, subtler, and – often overlooked – surprising details that make this metropolis so so soooo unique! 🙂

Today we have the honor to host on our blog for this article @MaxInTokyo, a curious traveler from Switzerland that after a period of study, decided to stay in Tokyo (for over 3 years by now!) and soak into its everyday life!

We wrote this article with 4 hands for you, and we hope you will find it enjoyable and that will help you to learn something new about Tokyo’s everyday life: from specific rules of conduct, to creative solutions to space constraints, to unique social norms and more! 🙂

If after the article you’ll be wanting more, be sure to check out the complete Tokyo Guide from Max (there you will find detailed guides, personal tips, and many places you often don’t see in traditional travel guides!) and our article on Tokyo’s Food Culture too! 🙂 

Said that, let’s dive right in and let’s start discovering 7 curious fun facts about Tokyo everyday life! 

Let’s dive right in! 🙂

7 Fun Facts about

Tokyo’s Everyday Life 🙂

1) In Tokyo, there are Vending Machines

for just about EVERYTHING!

Tokyo has one of the highest densities of vending machines in the world: according to latest reports there were something like over 4 million vending machines , that with a metropolin population of roughly 37 million, makes it about one vending machine every 9 inhabitants. 

While perhaps you probably somehow already heard about this “vending machine galore”, you probably cannot imagine what those machine can sell: they indeed no longer sell just drinks (as it was when I visited first time!). Now they have become an integral part of everyday life.

According to Max, those machines you can find them absolutely everywhere, on street corners, in residential areas, in front of train stations, in office buildings, and even in the middle of nowhere while taking a stroll in the park!

What is particularly convenient is that many machines offer both cold and hot items, depending on the season.

In addition to classic soft drinks and water, Max also spot some that sold:

• Hot coffee or tea
• Soups and light meals
• Ice creams
• Batteries or toiletries
• Cigarettes (usually only with an ID card)
• Alcohol such as beer or sake
• Pudding and desserts
• Spicy sauces and unusual snacks

Personally, I’ve also seen vending machines with:

• frozen ramen
• insects-based snacks
• umbrellas
• anime/pokemon action figures
• and even “mistery boxes” (what there was inside…who knows! ahah)

Said that, it is precisely these unusual products that make vending machines in Japan so special: it is perfectly normal (and convenient!) to grab a quick beer or a hot cup of coffee from a vending machine late at night 🙂

Some vending machines are now equipped with technological touchscreens and offer multiple languages, making them particularly easy for tourists to use too 🙂

Quick Cultural Note: The fact that this system works so well is primarily due to the safety and trust in Japan. Vandalism is rare, and the machines are regularly maintained and restocked. For many people in Tokyo, they are not only practical but also a small part of everyday culture.

2. In Tokyo, sleeping in public is accepted

(and more common than you think!) 

Did you know that in Tokyo, it is perfectly normal for people to sleep in public?

This behavior, in Japanese, is called “inemuri.”

It is quite common to see:

• Businesspeople falling asleep on the train (as working schedules are tough and in Japanese culture, working extra-hours is considered a positive and attractive attribute, even when brought to the extreme!)

• Students taking a quick nap in a café (hard studying is also perceived something “good to do”, the same as it is hard-working!)

• People sleeping while sitting (once I saw a girl taking a full loop on the JR Yamanote Line – a circular metroline in Tokyo completely blanked-out 😅)

The “inemuri” becomes particularly noticeable at night.

After about 2 a.m., you see many so-called salarymen who are often heavily intoxicated after a night out or a long day at work. Some of them simply sit or lie on benches, in trains, or even on the side of the road.

This isn’t a rare sight; it’s almost part of city life.

Nevertheless, it is considered relatively unproblematic.

Tokyo is very safe, and most people are simply left alone xD

Often, they get up later and go home as usual or straight back to work.

The whole thing isn’t necessarily viewed positively, but it isn’t strongly condemned either. Rather, it shows how closely work and after-work culture are intertwined in Japan!

3. In Tokyo, theme restaurants

are seen as “experiential destinations”

In Tokyo (and Japan is general!), dining is often more than just a meal: eating is about balance in the taste, in the colours composing the dish, and in the emotion the whole dining experience arises in you.

Many places in Tokyo, push dining to the extremes, far beyond the “traditional” restaurant and towards true “worlds of experience”.

Typical examples are:

• Maid Cafés (where you can play games with maid-dressed girls)
• Ninja-Restaurants
• Vampire Cafes (dark, theatrical menu)
• Manga Cafes (where you can read mangas -like in a library- while sipping your drink!)
• futuristic Show-Locations
• Videogames cafe (all video-game themed!) and Table-top Cafes (where to play with others!)
• Girls Bars, where you don’t just drink, but also chat with the staff 🙂
• Cats and Capybaras Cafes (if you don’t know what Capybaras are, we’ve got an article about Capybaras cafe in Bangkok too 🙂 )

Girls’ bars, in particular, come as a surprise to many visitors.

They aren’t your typical nightclubs, but rather bars with entertainment where a woman sits with you and chats, often in Japanese. Depending on the venue, the atmosphere can be very laid-back or a bit more unconventional… but they are about talking, not going beyond!

Overall, restaurants in Tokyo are just as much about the entertainment as they are about the food or drinks themselves! 

Once you see the effort that local restaurants put in their entertainment offer, you just get to wonder: why we hardly ever get such experiences every where else in the world?! 🙂

4. In Tokyo, apartments are VERY tiny,

and efficiency is creatively maximized!

Housing in Tokyo is extremely expensive, and in short supply.

That is why apartments (as well as shops, restaurants and hotels!) are often very small, but incredibly well-designed!

Furniture is often multifunctional, decor is minimalist and flat (to use less space as possible) and every space is used to its full potential.

As he was narrating us, Max experienced this firsthand, when he started his studies at Waseda University. For the first six months, he lived in an apartment that was only 16 square meters.

At first, it seems extremely small, but he gott used to it surprisingly quickly: everything had its place, and it brought him to think carefully about what he really did and didn’t need (Japan’s flat make you learn minimalism by force! xD)

Once, in a Ibis hotel in Tokyo, I had a toilet room with WC, sink, and shower all intertwined with one another in less than what I believe where two meters squared…crazy ahah!

Extra funny story: when I clicked the “bidè button” (WC in Japan are centuries in the future compared to Europe!!), a sparkle came out of the WC, and start spurting water out. 

I did not know at first what it was (I then found out that I had to stay seated to have it wash your B-side!), and as I was not seated, it started spray so strong that it reached the bed in the room just in front (everything was so small and closely arranged, that from the toilet the water was reaching the bed!! ahah). 

When you get used to small spaces (like eating in a McDonald sharing a 60x60cm table with the stranger in front of you), it really all comes fine in Tokyo! 😉

5. In Tokyo there are

women-only carriages on trains

(to protect them against harassment)

6. Trains can get cramped and over-crowded,

yet there is always Silence!

Although trains in Tokyo are more often than not extremely crowded, one things that got my curiosities since the first time I took one, it’s how surprisingly quiet they are!

That’s just a cultural side of Japan:

• On trains, people get hardly any phone calls (and if they do, they talk so softly that I wonder how they can be heard!)

• Quiet conversations, if any (most people just fall into their smartphone’s worlds)

• Many people are sleeping or listening to music with earphones 🙂

In fact, using a cell phone is expressly discouraged on most trains: there are signs to that effect, and many people put their phones on silent or prefer to send text messages.

This apparently strange restraint, is part of Japanese culture which is deeply rooted in consideration for others.

Especially in a densely populated city like Tokyo, this creates a pleasant and respectful atmosphere, even when space is tight.

Extra fun fact: something even weirder though, is that for the same reason, sneezing your nose with a tissue is also considered disturbing and people tend not to do it. Solution? Instead they keep sniffling up with their nose (ewwww…something that in Europe would be very looked upon instead ahah).

7. Taxi doors in Tokyo

open automatically!

Small detail, but curious and important detail! ahah 🙂

 If you’ll ever get a taxi in Tokyo, here is what you should remember:

• You do not open the door yourself (you basically cannot!)
• The driver opens your door at the push of a button
• The service is highly standardized 

The taxi-driver in Tokyo is a well-regarded and regulated profession.

Many drivers even wear gloves and come usually they come across as very professional.

The vehicles are usually clean and well-maintained, which further reinforces the impression of quality.

The first time you take a taxi, it feels strange because you instinctively want to reach for the door yourself. Yet, it won’t open even if you try!

Instead, you simply need to wait a moment for the driver to open it.

The automation of the door is considered a gesture of “omotenashi” (traditional Japanese hospitality) where the passenger is treated as a guest.

In addition to courtesy though, there is also a safety reason why this process was introduced: this system prevents passengers from stepping directly into the chaotic Tokyo traffic, giving the driver extra control and responsibility. 🙂

Conclusions 🙂

And here we are at the end of this article :)

In this article we’ve seen 7 little quirks about everyday life in Tokyo that you can only truly understand once you’re there 🙂

Many things that might seem unusual or even strange at first glance, quickly can make sense once you understand the Japanese cultural background behind them 🙂 

If you want to discover more about Japan and Tokyo’s culture, I once more can recommend you Max’s very comprehensive Max in Tokyo blog, and I would also suggest you a deeply-inspiring book I recently finished about Japanese Traditional Culture and philosophy (very inspiring!).

Before going, as always, I would like to ask you:

Which fact surprised you the most?

Do you know other little fun facts that would fit great in this list?

What is your favourite part of Tokyo? 🙂

Let us know in the comments below! 😀

Hereafter, I will leave you a few articles that you might also be interested in checking out:

•  Italy in 10 Days – The Super-Fast Itinerary + Free Download

• Destinations of the World: Discover More Cool Destinations!

• Travel Italy: All You Need to Discover the Bel Paese!

Thank you for reading, and see you in the next article! 🙂