Nerdy Travels: More Little Things I Love About Japan

A while back I decided to make a post dedicated to the smaller things which I love about Japan. I remember it was a post that seemed to go down really well with you guys and I loved reminiscing over the smaller things which can spark joy whilst travelling around this beautiful country. Since I have been missing Japan a lot lately and I’m not sure when I’ll next be back there I thought I could give myself all the feels and talk about some more of the smaller things I love about the land of the rising sun.

Vending Machines

I LOVE JAPANESE VENDING MACHINE!!! This might sound like a completely ridiculous statement to my fellow westerners but trust me, Japan has top class vending machines. One thing you will notice when travelling around Japan is that a vending machine or two is always around a corner, across the street or at the entrances to accommodation. This was, no matter where you are you can always stay hydrated and I appreciate that. UK vending machines are pretty sporadic and to my knowledge we don’t have ones that sit outside. They are always inside shopping malls and that kind of thing. Japanese vending machines also offer both hot and cold beverages which I find to be a genius idea. Although I’ve never tried one of the hot beverages from the machines because I went during the summer time I know that if i ever visited in the winter it would make a perfect cozy warm up whilst sightseeing.

Wildlife Noise

Again, this one may be strange to some but I love the different sounds you can hear when away in another country. Japan has crickets, cicadas and frogs chirping away throughout the day and into the night and I adore the atmosphere they bring to my time in Japan. In the UK the only kind of wildlife noises you will usually hear is birds chirping so for me personally having insects such as crickets whistling away makes a nice change from pigeons cooing in my garden. I remember when I was in Hakone we had the balcony open to let some air in whilst we slept and the wildlife outside was just so relaxing to listen to.

Crossing the Street

Again, I know. I like weird things about Japan but just bare with me ok. Whilst crossing the street in itself is often an annoyance in Japan because the idea of jaywalking exists which is a very foreign concept to us Brits. We don’t have that law and you’ll find most of us just walk into the street when we know traffic isn’t coming whether the light is green or not. We don’t wait around if it’s unnecessary for us to wait. But in Japan when the lights finally do change and you can walk I love the little noise that the lights make. It’s almost like a bird is chirping as you walk across and it’s just freaking adorable to listen to. The UK’s traffic lights have an annoying and monotonous beeping as you cross and Japan is at it once again by making things, even crossing the road, cute. It’s much more pleasant to hear Japans version and its something I would hear so often whilst there that the noise has always stuck with me and triggers nice memories.

Tully’s Coffee

No trip to Japan would be complete with Tully’s Coffee. I first discovered this vastly popular chain of coffee shops back during my first Japan trip in 2017. Tully’s is basically everywhere you go in Japan, kinda like Starbucks is in the west. During both my trips I spent many times popping into Tully’s for a sit down and an iced latte and soaking in the atmosphere of whichever city we happened to be in. Tully’s Coffee also makes AMAZING pancakes and I ate so many of them during my 2018 trip. Thinking about them even now makes my mouth water…

That wraps up some more of the smaller things I love about Japan.

Until next time thanks for reading and I hope you’re having a great day!

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