I’ve been in Japan for almost a month and I’ve been noticing a lot of interesting things here and there.

One interesting thing is that they start decorating for Christmas really early.  A lot of the illuminations around town started right after Halloween.  It’s crazy that Christmas decorations are up for two months before the actual day.  It’s also interesting to see how big Christmas is here given that the majority of the people here do not celebrate Christmas religiously.  Christmas is also mainly celebrated between couples rather than family members so there’s another big difference between here and the States.

Christmas in Japan

I’ve also noticed that I haven’t had one bad meal since I’ve been here.  Everything is delicious.  It doesn’t matter if I’m eating Japanese, Chinese, or western food.  I assume that a lot of this has to do with the fact that there is so much competition between restaurants.  There are restaurants everywhere here.  Therefore they need to make sure that what they serve is quality stuff if they want to stay in business.  I can also tell that they have a lot of pride for what they serve not only because of the taste but also because of the presentation of the food they serve.  It doesn’t matter if I’m at a fancy place or a family restaurant.  I’m noticing more and more that they really devote to the perfection of whatever they pursue (not just in restaurants but elsewhere else as well).  The best part of all this is that service is excellent.  They’re always attentive and they always treat their customers with respect.  Treating their customers this way is standard and they don’t take tips.  In fact, the other day I forgot and I left some extra money on the table.  When I left the restaurant, the waitress ran out to give me back the money I left.

Dishes from a Japanese restaurant

I’m also enjoying the public baths here.  I know it may sound a little strange to a lot of people but it’s normal here and part of the Japanese culture.  I grew up with this so none of this is strange for me either.  Of course the baths are separated by gender but these places have a number of large baths from cold plunges, to ones that bubble, to ones outside.  It’s very relaxing and it is a good way to get rid of aches and pains after training.  In fact I went last night with my friends on the team.  Apparently they always go several days before a competition, and as I’ve said before, All Japan Championships is this weekend!