Being guest at my friends parents’ gave me the possibility to learn a bit more about Japanese culture. Daily routines can be surprisingly different when in a different country, especially in Japan. Ever wondered if taking a bath is always the same in the whole world? Well, not in Japan.

It was a completely new experience for me!

I usually would open the tap to fill the bathtub with water, put some soap in it and wait until it’s full to jump in to relax. Now let’s see how Japanese do it.

There is no need to open a tap in first place since there’s an electronic device that will open it automatically to have the bathtub ready at the time you programmed. Even better, the temperature will remain the same, as long as you want!

Anyway, I noticed that taking a bath in Japan is not hygiene but relaxing after a long day. Moreover, you first take a shower and after you are clean and free of soap you will get in the hot water, which in turn will also be free of soap.

Since I used to take a bath in the late evening I went to sleep afterwards. On my first night I thought the bed is as hard as a wooden board. Guess what?! It was! Literally!

After a short night – I could hardly sleep – we had lunch at my friend’s sister’s place and I tried Natto, fermented soy beans. The smell is strong, the taste is stronger and the texture can’t be compared to any western food I know. I was told that almost no foreigner can eat it. I’ll tell you something, I can’t do it either, but I tried. Be brave, try it and if you can’t eat it, be honest, no Japanese I met was upset because of this, but they seemed glad that I tried. In fact it’s not only respect, but also appreciation towards your host.

Keep that in mind when you face a new culture. Just because it’s different it doesn’t mean it’s better or worse than yours. Especially if you are guest, it’s always good to try to understand and if possible (according to your own personality and beliefs) or required (depending on the situation) to adapt while you are there. That will give you the possibility to learn more about this world out there. And it’s always a good topic to talk about because your local host might be very keen in telling and explaining their culture to you! Don’t miss the chance!

Best regards,

Andrés