In this blog post, I would like to share my three more culture shock experiences in Japan.
3. Everything is neat and clean
This is also true. Regardless of where I go (drug stores, convenience stores, etc.), everything is organized and displayed nicely. In the U.S., it is common to find cluttered shelves where I don’t even know what the shelves are for, or someone leaves a product in the wrong place. In Japan, these things shouldn’t happen. I understand it from my experience working in Japan. Being said that, after four years of being away, I realized that Japanese people pay attention to the details.
4. How to pay at a store
This is something that changed after the summer of 2019. People used to pay mostly in cash, and there were even some places that did not accept credit cards. However, nowadays, people often pay with their smartphones using apps like PayPay and auPay. Furthermore, when I attempted to pay with cash at the convenience store, instead of interacting with the cashier, the machine took care of everything. At that time, I had to ask, “how can I pay?”. I felt like I was a foreigner.
5. The summer in Japan is very humid
I live in Wisconsin, and people sometimes complain about the humidity in the summer. However, the humidity in Japan is at a new level. I love summer, but August is a month I’d like to avoid coming back due to the extreme high humidity. How hot will it be? Well…After 10 minutes of standing outside, I usually sweat like a pig. That’s why you can find salt candies in Japan. This year, I am glad that I could come back in June. Although there are certain humid days that I feel uncomfortable, they are not intolerable. If you are planning to visit Japan in July or August, be prepared.
Experiencing culture shock, whether it is positive or negative, is a common experience when you come to Japan, especially for the first time. Like I shared in this blog, even I experienced culture shock when I came back to Japan after four years. Despite the initial shock, I appreciate everything I noticed because I could see my country from a different perspective. How was your experience? Please share your thoughts and experience!
Yuki 
5 responses to “Culture shock in Japan: 5 surprising things that you might experience Part 2”
Yuki, thanks for sharing! It’s super interesting to read your blog posts!
About paying in cash. I live in Ukraine (Kyiv), and I haven’t used cash for 3 years. Before that, I used cash only to tip waiters, taxi drivers, hairdressers, etc. But since 2020, you can tip using your bank card/ smartphone. It is super convenient!
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Thank you Tetyana! That’s how I pay in the U.S., but in Japan, I used to carry cash around whenever I went.
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I totally understand you!
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Hello,
Your post got my attention
It’s fascinating to learn about your experiences with culture shock in Japan. I also found it interesting how everything is clean and organized in Japan. My question is, do you think this high level of attention to detail and organization is a result of cultural values or government policies?
Cheers
– Stephen Wilk
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Thank you for your comment, Stephen!
I guess the high level of attention to details and organization is a result of cultural values. The word “Kaizen” (improvement, change for the better) is one of the words that we often hear in Japan. From my experience, people and companies always try to find something that they can improve.
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