10 Peculiarities of everyday life in Japan that express the Japanese’s appreciation for cleanliness

The secrets of the Land of the Rising Sun have always attracted people’s attention. And it’s not just about the cultural characteristics of Japan, but also about the everyday habits of its residents. The Japanese are considered to be lovers of cleanliness. And this is partly due to the weather conditions, since it is quite humid over there. Locals try not only to take care of the cleanliness of their homes and objects, but also of public goods and places.

We, from awesome.club, we dive headfirst into everyday Japanese life, and we’re ready to share some of their particular habits with you. Check out!

We are even used to the fact that some stores offer disposable sneakers to customers when trying on shoes. But the Japanese went even further in terms of hygiene when shopping: to try on clothes in a store, you need to wear a special cap like the one above. And if you think about it, this procedure makes sense. After all, this way it is possible to avoid cosmetic stains on new clothes, especially on turtlenecks and sweaters.

If you want to surprise a Japanese person, eat an apple, pear or even an unpeeled grape in front of him. In Brazil, depending on the fruit, we can eat it either without or with the skin — it depends on each one’s taste. And as hard as it is to believe, in Japan almost all fruits are peeled before being consumed. But there is an explanation for this: during the cultivation of fruits, chemicals are applied to them.

The Japanese never eat an apple with the skin, they always peel and cut it into pieces. People will look at you like you’re from another planet if you pick up an apple and start eating it, skin and all. © KyotoGaijin / Reddit

Lately, we are increasingly accustomed to paying for purchases using means other than cash. But if we pay in cash, either with bills or coins, we usually give it directly to the cashier. In Japan, however, this habit is considered inappropriate: you should not hand the amount directly to the cashier, but put it in a special basket, from where the employee will collect it.

In Japan, many public restrooms lack soap, paper towels and hand dryers. And in many there is only cold water. I can’t speak for the personal hygiene habits of everyone in the country, but sometimes it’s just not possible to wash my hands properly when I’m out and about. © Charles Halverson / Quora

In public restrooms in Japan, you rarely find the paper towels we are used to using. Many Japanese are used to carrying small packets of tissue paper with them and they also use them to dry their hands. Furthermore, there is only one more thing to be said about public toilets in the country: they are indeed very clean and functional. The bathrooms have taps with water and soap dispensers equipped with proximity sensors, so there is no need to touch them. And in restaurants, it is customary to offer customers so-called oshibori, which are wet towels to wipe your hands before eating.

The Japanese, in general, use the futon, which consists of a traditional mattress made of cotton, wool or synthetic material. In the country, according to custom, one should arm it during the night and keep it during the day. But before storing the damp futon in the morning, the Japanese leave it to dry in the sun. Putting these mattresses out to dry is part of the routine in Japan.

Unfortunately, it still happens that we find taxis whose cleanliness is not up to date in Brazil, not to mention rainy days. In Japan, business is different. Drivers check the cleanliness of the car before the start of each shift. Even the smallest of stains is unacceptable. Cars that do not meet cleanliness standards are not allowed to leave the garage. Taxi drivers must carefully remove any dirt. By the way, many drivers wear white gloves in the country.

In fact, the purpose of white gloves is to show the customer that the inside of the taxi is clean. If the driver is negligent about his responsibilities and does not clean the interior of the car, then the gloves will have gray spots. © Mikhail Pankratov / Quora

The Japanese are known for their ingenuity. Not surprisingly, they came up with a shirt that lets you clean your glasses and cell phone screen. At first glance, the piece appears to be a normal shirt, but it has special stripes made of microfiber capable of cleaning the surfaces of these objects well.

In Japan, special wallpapers with an antiviral and antibacterial effect have been developed. The antimicrobial component applied to the surface of the wallpaper destroys viruses and bacteria, and even after multiple cleanings with water, the effect is not impaired.

As true lovers of cleanliness, Japanese women usually prefer a “simple” manicure. If our manicure is synonymous with aesthetics through the use of colored nail polish or even drawings, for Japanese women it is mainly related to maintaining the health of the nails, and not just a matter of appearance. In the country, the essence of this procedure is to treat the nails and moisturize them with oil. And normally no chemicals are used. By the way, in Japan doing a manicure is also a popular practice among men.

Those who have lived in Japan for a long time will notice that there is an unusual but quite logical rule. There are foods that are stored in greenhouses or showcases, especially those for immediate consumption. Thus, if you ask the seller for a cabbage pie and he, by mistake, gives you a meat pie, the food cannot be returned to the window. It must be discarded, even if the seller picked it up while wearing gloves.

Could you adapt to the customs of everyday life in Japan? What characteristics of the culture and life in the country attract you the most? Tell us in the comments section.