One

The Shinkansen or “bullet train.”

Very fast, smooth, & almost always on time.

Two

Super CLEAN!

Just try to find trash on the ground.

This in itself is amazing; but, even more astounding is there are hardly any public trash cans in sight.

Paper towels are very hard to come by in their public bathrooms.

One day my husband saw a child drop a package of the gummy bears on the ground & then pick them all up.

I saw someone drop a small piece of paper on the ground by accident as they exited the train. In less than 30 seconds, a train conductor picked it up.

Even the garbage trucks are spotless.

Three

The food.

I’m vegetarian; but, I always found something good to eat.

Especially at the noodle shops. Yea for ramen, soba and udon noodles. Lo

Four

The Japanese desire to hold on to their long-standing customs & traditions.

Being an American, only Native Americans have traditional clothes.

But in Japan, people still love to dress in their traditional clothes.

The Japanese still bow out of politeness to show respect & to say thank you.

And, those lovely Onsens with hot mineral water that are still regularly used for public bathing & relaxation. Some are 1,000s of years old.

Five

So many lovely shrines & temples.

It’s impossible to go very far without seeing these lovely structures & enjoying learning about the traditions that come with them.

Six

Extreme kindness.

Even in a subway or train station where it is very crowded, nobody pushes or shoves.

One night at dinner, the small restaurant was very busy, so it took them over 20 minutes to take our order.

They constantly & profusely apologized for their delay.

Seven

Don’t laugh, but the toilets!

Even the public toilets come with a bidet & warm seats.

My bum has never been happier. 🤣

The nicer toilets have dryers & motion sensors to raise the lid & flush automatically.

I used a toilet inside a museum that played soothing running water sounds when you sat down. 🤨

Eight

Cuteness is important. 😌

Nine

Everything is small.

The cars are so small I almost felt like I could pick them up.

Check out this tiny store which sells high end outdoor apparel.

Ten

Last; but not least & perhaps my most important reason- the Japanese LOVE cats! 😻🐈