8 “Only in Japan” Moments

Things that remind me I’m not in Kansas anymore

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Sometimes you come across events, people, situations, or sightings that could only happen in that country. Sometimes it’s positive. Sometimes it’s scary. Sometimes it makes you laugh, while other times it makes you cringe. Whatever it is, it’s always unique to your country.

For example, in India, a cow can sit in the middle of the street and cause a traffic jam because it’s considered holy and it can. Only in India.

Or finding a family of beavers walking through a Canadian supermarket in Vancouver, Canada. Only in Canada.

Maybe getting a call from the Ministry of Truth in China to let you know they have deleted your website for content that goes against Chinese government ideology. Only in China.

You get the point. The following is a list of “Only in Japan” moments I have come across while living here for almost 15 years. From slightly bizarre to uniquely amusing, these are some of the unique things I experience that I think are only in Japan.

Bosozoku Experience

Bosozoku are Japanese motorcycle gangs. If you have ever lived in Japan or watched a movie like Tokyo Drift, then you have most likely seen or heard these groups of motorcyclists zooming by on streets at rapid speeds.

Originally started by veterans after World War II, these young men gathered at night, drove their modified motorcycles around town, and caused havoc for the adrenaline rush and as a protest against the norms of society. Usually, in groups of hundreds, they would speed through streets, highways, and neighborhoods revving their engines and dodging police vehicles trying to catch them.

Bosozoku, wear face masks, wear uniforms with large Japanese kanji letters, and unlike groups like the Hell’s Angels, don’t really partake in any crimes other than speeding. Especially, in modern times, the Bosozuku are generally college-aged kids on mopeds who cover their faces and speed around their local neighborhood to look cool and have some fun.

My “Only in Japan” moment came one day when I was at a fireworks festival and couldn’t get in contact with my friend. I was visiting her town and was sitting in front of a 7–11 when a group of Bosozoku approached me. At first, I was scared and thought they might mug me or beat me up. Instead, they asked me if I was okay.

After I explained my problem, they offered to drive me around in their motorcycles looking for my friend. They passed me a helmet, put me on the back of one of their cool neon-colored Kawasaki motorbikes and we drove around the small town for 30 minutes until I could get ahold of my friend.

Sumo Wrestles on bicycles

This one really needs very little explanation. I was leaving the school where I worked and on the way to the station saw these two sumo wrestlers in kimono riding tiny bicycles. They were on their way to the local sumo training center where they live and practice their art.

I had seen sumo at a sumo tournament in Nagoya and even had the opportunity to meet some sumo wrestlers after the tournament and snap some pictures. But seeing them out and about in my small town of Chiba, Japan, was surreal. Definitely, an “Only in Japan” moment I will never forget.

Private Ramen Restaurant

There is a restaurant chain in Japan called Ichiran. They serve ramen and that’s about it. Just a bowl of ramen and customizable toppings. The shop started in Kyushu, Japan, and serves tonkotsu ramen.

But the difference between this ramen shop and all others across Japan is the privacy it gives its customers. As you enter the shop, you purchase a ticket from a vending machine. Then you look at a big board that shows the layout of the restaurant with all the seats.

Spots that are being used have a light showing it is in use. Once you find a spot that doesn’t have a light, you make your way to that booth. The booth has walls on either side and a bamboo curtain in the front.

On the table sits a paper in Japanese (or you can ask for an English translation) which you must fill out. The questionnaire asks what thickness, style, and type of ramen noodle you want as well as other questions concerning the spice level, toppings, etc. Once you have filled it out, you press a button. The bamboo curtain raises and two hands take the paper. The curtain goes back down.

Then when your ramen is ready, the curtain comes up, the hands serve you the ramen, and the curtain closes again so you can eat in privacy and silence. Once you are finished, you leave the booth and the restaurant as you have already prepaid.

You never see the staff and they never see you. Why it’s so private or isolated I don’t know. They claim it’s so women who often don’t like eating ramen in public surrounded by slurping men, can eat in peace.

Either way, I have never experienced anything like it and definitely consider it an “Only in Japan” moment.

Adult books in the children’s section

As you can see from the picture above, this is an adult book, made for men to place their private parts in, as a gag gift or sexual game. It’s actually not a Japanese book. Penis Pokey is an American book by Christopher Behrens.

What made this book an “Only in Japan” moment is not the content but the context. I was with some friends and we were in a used book shop called Book Off. My friend was looking for a Doraemon kid's book. Doraemon is the famous blue robot cat that every child knows and loves.

As we headed to the children’s section we were browsing all the illustrated books when this was filed next to a Pingu the penguin book. I guess we were looking in the “P” section. The staff, who are Japanese and might not have understood the title, had placed the book in the kid's section.

Whether they made a mistake or intentionally placed a book that looks like it is for kids but is definitely an adult book in the kid's section, I have no idea. But it was only 200 yen ($2) and too funny not to buy.

It sits in my bookshelf untouched (except for whoever used it before I bought it) but it comes with a hilarious back story about my times in Japan.

Geisha Event

According to Wikipedia, Geisha are,

​​a class of female Japanese performing artists and entertainers trained in traditional Japanese performing arts styles, such as dance, music and singing, as well as being proficient conversationalists and hosts. Their distinct appearance is characterised by long, trailing kimono, traditional hairstyles and oshiroi make-up. Geisha entertain at parties known as ozashiki, often for the entertainment of wealthy clientele, as well as performing on stage and at festivals.

There is a geisha house that exists in Tokyo in a place called Idabashi. There, they train women who are studying to be professional geisha. They open their doors only once a year for two days to do a performance and show what being a geisha entails.

I was lucky enough to receive a ticket from my friend who is a tour guide in Tokyo, and we were some of the few people who not only watched the geisha sing and dance, but got to sit and talk with them, ask questions, and play some games together.

It was like being transported back in time to the Edo period when geishas entertaining rich elites and loyalty, was a common thing.

Summer Festival Dancing (Bon Odori)

Japan has many festivals throughout the year, especially in summer. In August, the Japanese celebrate Obon, which is the return of their ancestors who have passed away. A more serious version of Halloween, the Japanese welcome their departed relatives by cleaning their graves, leaving food offerings for them, and lighting a lantern so they can find their way home.

Another popular event during Obon is to have a summer festival with Bon Odori or dancing. The center is a raised stage with someone singing and keeping beat, while Japanese people dressed in light kimonos called yukata, dance in circles around the stage. There are taiko drums and special dance moves that help everyone keep the rhythm and enjoy the dance.

My “Only in Japan” moment came when on my way home, I was walking through the park I usually walk through to get home. From the station, I could hear drum beats, clicking sounds, a voice singing Japanese, and crowd noises. I figured there must be some live concert on in the city.

As I approached the park, everyone was wearing colorful yukata and smiling and dancing. All synchronized, they were swaying and rotating around the stage while traditional Japanese music played. It hit me, I’m in Japan.

My neighbor who always helps me separate my garbage saw and pulled me into the circle. Her husband gave me some quick instructions on how to dance, and I spent the next 30 minutes dancing around the stage with other Japanese people. Someone gave me an Asahi beer, and we all drank and cheered.

I accidentally walked into one of the most traditional and enjoyable Japanese experiences I have ever participated in. I felt fully engrained in the culture and cherish that night.

Ikemeso

While teaching English in Japan, I was looking through online classifieds to see if I could find any side jobs to help supplement my income. I thought maybe I could do a couple of hours of something like Uber Eats or maybe some waiting tables in the evenings.

That’s when I came across something called Ikemeso. I read the description of the job but wasn’t sure what it was about so I asked my Japanese friend. I was told that Ikemeso are people who are hired to cry with you and comfort you.

In Japan, there are many strange and sometimes creepy jobs that women have like being a hostess, a maid at a maid cafe, spoon and hugging men for an hourly fee, etc. I had even seen Youtube videos about women who are rented out as girlfriends for a day or senior citizen men who get paid to act like a women’s grandfather.

So I guess it wasn’t so surprising to know you could rent someone to cry with. Possibly similar to paid mourners at funerals in Haiti, Ikemeso are men who will talk to women, comfort them, and shed tears. Kind of like a gay best friend.

In Japanese Ike refers to Ikemen, which are cool are studly men. Meso-meso means to cry. So Ikemeso is crying, studly men. The service offers young and attractive men in their 20s to 40s who look like professional models. The men come over, watch sad movies, share sob stories, then console the women.

They get paid about $80 for the session and often have many clients per day. I think this job is only available in Japan, and think would only work in this country. I, unfortunately, am not an Ikemen so I didn’t bother applying for the job.

Bad English T-shirts

This might not be an “Only in Japan” thing as I have seen many funny t-shirts or signs in English from countries like Korea, Vietnam, or China. But, I believe Japan has some of the best “worst” English in the world.

As you can see from the picture above, I took this photo of a family walking down the street. The little girl’s shirt says, “Touch me now” and I doubt her parents understand it. I have seen crazy t-shirts like “I love BJs”, “I’m a Whore”, and even a giant billboard on top of a movie theater that read, “Cumming Soon!”

I’d like to think these are just accidental English mistakes but sometimes I wonder if the people creating the products are messing with Asia. Like an inside joke for English speakers that only we understand.

Either way, when I am in Japan and I see all the strange nonsensical English and French writing on t-shirts, stationery, billboards, and posters, it really hits home that this is not Canada. This is an “Only in Japan” moment.

More than eight, I am sure there have been hundreds of things that I experienced throughout my years here in Japan that made me realize that I am not in Kansas anymore. The people, the sights, the culture, it all baffles but impresses me at the same time.

One thing is for sure, this country never gets boring. There is always something new or interesting that I come across and it makes me happy to know I am seeing something unique and different from my own culture. That’s what makes living in Japan so amazing for me.

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