{"id":6899,"date":"2016-08-27T08:37:55","date_gmt":"2016-08-27T08:37:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nonsoloamore.net\/en\/?p=6899"},"modified":"2016-08-28T19:29:14","modified_gmt":"2016-08-28T19:29:14","slug":"culture-shock-country-japan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nonsoloamore.net\/en\/travel-en\/culture-shock-country-japan\/","title":{"rendered":"Culture Shock Country JAPAN"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"><i>While I was waiting to pay for my shopping in the slowest queue at the supermarket checkout, I discovered a poster:\u00a0<\/i><i><b>10-day-round-trip to Japan \u20ac 1799\u00a0<\/b><\/i><i>&#8211; I read at the discounter with the big A.<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"><i>A little later at a well-known coffee company I saw a similar offer:<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"><i><b>9-day-trip to Japan for \u20ac 1,799.<\/b><\/i><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"><i>Organized by a German travel agency, including flight, breakfast, sightseeing and entrance fees. Accommodation in a middle class hotel \u2026<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">Japan &#8211; the new Mallorca for Germans?<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">In Tokyo, the first German bakeries opened their stores, on Hokkaido they are already brewing beer after the German purity law and nowadays every Japanese is able to speak a few words in German: Dankescheen, Ish liibe disch, Prost, &#8230;<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">&#8220;Is Japan turning into a new Mallorca for Germans soon?&#8221; came to my mind just for a second.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">Probably not, since traveling to Japan &#8211; even on a guided tour &#8211; is still very exotic.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">It is not an easy holiday country, no\u00a0<b>weather-is-always-good-country\u00a0<\/b>and no\u00a0<b>schnitzel-with-fries-country<\/b>. The land of the rising sun is not a\u00a0<b>hanging-around-on-the-beach-for-two-weeks-and-reserve-your-deck-chair-country\u00a0<\/b>and no\u00a0<b>Sorry-I-speak-no-English-<\/b><b>can<\/b><b>-you-speak<\/b><b>&#8211;<\/b><b>in-<\/b><b>German-?-Country<\/b>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">A trip to Japan is challenging you: linguistically, culinary and culturally. Many things are just too different to what you are used to.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">But whether you explore the country on your own or you are on a guided group tour: one thing is always included in the price:\u00a0<b>the culture shock<\/b>!<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">You might be wondering, you might be desperate, you might smile, you might just learn from it or simply feel happy.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">When it comes to culture shocks, it throws me out of my usual habits at first. I feel insecure, confused and stressed out, but somehow, that&#8217;s a part of traveling to Japan and without it, something would be missing. And there are very pleasant &#8220;Culture Shockers&#8221; as well.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"\">1. Tokyo &#8211; the mega metropolis<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.nonsoloamore.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/1-tokyo.jpg\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-6888\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-6888\" src=\"http:\/\/www.nonsoloamore.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/1-tokyo.jpg\" alt=\"1-tokyo\" width=\"660\" height=\"180\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nonsoloamore.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/1-tokyo.jpg 660w, https:\/\/www.nonsoloamore.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/1-tokyo-300x82.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">I have been to Tokyo more than 20 times and each time it&#8217;s killing me.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">The city has it all.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">So many people, so many lights, flashing advertising signs everywhere and there are unusual noises &#8211; strange sounds all the time. And I ask myself constantly where to go next. Where to stand without being in someone&#8217;s way? Where should I start with my journey of discovery?<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">I&#8217;m standing at the world-famous intersection of\u00a0<b>Shibuya<\/b>, when all of a sudden all traffic lights for pedestrians turn to green at the same time. Everybody starts rushing. They are heading left, they are heading right and some just walk crosswise. I don&#8217;t move at all just wondering how people are able to walk without bumping into each other. Where did they learn that? At school? Or is there a special course for mastering situations like this?<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">The lights turn green again and it&#8217;s going to be my turn now. I&#8217;m gliding into the stream, get pulled along with the crowd and it works quite well. That&#8217;s the way, Tokyo is working.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"><b>My tips:<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">1<br \/>\nBe surprised for a moment and then enjoy experiencing in the city.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">2<br \/>\nMake a simple plan for the day, but\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><i>take it easy<\/i><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Make sure to have some time left for yourself to independently explore the city.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">3<br \/>\nJust walk around in different vicinities.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"><b>Photo opportunities<\/b><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">\u00a0are awaiting you around every corner. Your memory card of your camera will save the most typical pictures, I&#8217;m sure. You can compare them with mine in one of my former articles: The Top 5 Photos of Japan.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">4<br \/>\nI like to relax in a\u00a0<b>nice quiet caf\u00e9<\/b>\u00a0to recover from my culture shock. And while recovering I take a look at the Japanese and their fashion. Tokyo\u2019s fashion is setting trends and often appears in Germany one or two years later.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">2. Writing and language<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.nonsoloamore.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/2-schriftzeichen.jpg\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-6892\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-6892\" src=\"http:\/\/www.nonsoloamore.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/2-schriftzeichen.jpg\" alt=\"2-schriftzeichen\" width=\"660\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nonsoloamore.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/2-schriftzeichen.jpg 660w, https:\/\/www.nonsoloamore.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/2-schriftzeichen-300x182.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.nonsoloamore.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/2-schriftzeichen-400x242.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.nonsoloamore.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/2-schriftzeichen-270x164.jpg 270w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">Suddenly I fee transported back to my childhood, when I could neither read nor write.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">Signs with unknown characters are everywhere and I am not even able to figure out behind which door the women&#8217;s restroom may hide. Menus at the restaurant, ticket machines at the station, remote controls for the air conditioning in the hotel, toilets (they often use remotecontrols for toilets), street signs,\u2026<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">All that characters are so gorgeous, but unfortunately I can&#8217;t read any of them.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">And what is wrapped in all this packaged stuff in the supermarket? I would love to know. Just to get milk is a going to be a great adventure for me.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">If you cannot read anything, just ask someone for help. If you dare.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">A lot of Japanese people study English at school, but that doesn&#8217;t mean that they understand me. And if they do understand and even respond, it still doesn&#8217;t mean that I understand them. The Japanese accent (as our German) needs some practice to get used to it.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"><b>Beli Gutto\u00a0<\/b>is English and means\u00a0<b>very good.<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"><b>Zank ju beri matchi<\/b>\u00a0is also English for\u00a0<b>Thank you very much!<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"><b>My tips:<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">1<br \/>\nMemorize the basic Japanese phrases (LINK:\u00a0<\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"><u>http:\/\/nipponinsider.de\/nuetzliche-ausdruecke-1\/<\/u><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">).<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">2<br \/>\nWhen speaking English, it&#8217;s always important to smile a lot and praise the English-speaking Japanese person as much as possible.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">3<br \/>\nImportant addresses and words such as &#8220;toilet&#8221; or questions like &#8220;How much is it?&#8221;, &#8220;Does this contain meat?&#8221;, &#8220;Does this contain peanuts?&#8221; are written in my small notebook &#8211; in English and of cause in Japanese and with Japanese characters. One page for each phrase. And in an emergency I simply point to that page.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">4<br \/>\nI always took the opportunity to ask questions and practice<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u00a0my Japanese when I met Japanese people who spoke excellent English (yes, they are existing!). So I could get answers to all of my questions about Japan and expand my notebook with more Japanese expressions.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h1 class=\"\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">3. Fish for breakfast<\/span><\/h1>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.nonsoloamore.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/3-fisch.jpg\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-6890\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-6890\" src=\"http:\/\/www.nonsoloamore.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/3-fisch.jpg\" alt=\"3-fisch\" width=\"660\" height=\"320\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nonsoloamore.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/3-fisch.jpg 660w, https:\/\/www.nonsoloamore.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/3-fisch-300x145.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">Traveling to Japan I want to experience as much as possible.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">I want the full package: A Japanese hotel room (a futon on the tatami mat) and of course Japanese breakfast. The Japanese food is supposed to be very healthy.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">Is it indeed: rice, pickled vegetables, soup, egg and grilled salmon.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">To be honest, it took some time until my stomach and I got used to Japanese breakfast. And though it is tasty my German tummy is calling out for bread or a bun sometimes. Topped with smoked salmon would be nice, though.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"><b>My tips:<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">1<br \/>\nTry Japanese breakfast.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">2<br \/>\nAlso try natto*. For this someone needed to show me how to eat it. And when I mentioned that it was my first time, everybody came to watch me trying my first natto.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">I did not finish it. I could not. It just didn&#8217;t like the taste, even if it is said to be very healthy. But in the end it was ok for everyone that I didn&#8217;t continue eating. Alone for trying natto I was admired by my observers.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">* Natto &#8211; fermented soybeans, having it&#8217;s very own texture and very special smell.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"\"><\/h2>\n<h2 class=\"\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">4. Me in the middle of suits<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.nonsoloamore.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/4-anzugtraeger.jpg\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-6896\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-6896\" src=\"http:\/\/www.nonsoloamore.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/4-anzugtraeger.jpg\" alt=\"4-anzugtraeger\" width=\"660\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nonsoloamore.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/4-anzugtraeger.jpg 660w, https:\/\/www.nonsoloamore.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/4-anzugtraeger-300x182.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.nonsoloamore.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/4-anzugtraeger-400x242.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.nonsoloamore.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/4-anzugtraeger-270x164.jpg 270w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">&#8220;What kind of celebration is going on today?&#8221; came to my mind on the train, when I saw lots of men in suits. &#8220;Are they all going to a wedding?&#8221; Wearing a suit and tie is nothing special but a regular business dress code. Women are often seen in costumes in muted colours.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">I&#8217;m quite noticeable here with my comfortable travel outfit and colourful backpack<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">I feel very confused when all Japanese eyes are focusing on me. &#8220;They are all staring at me!&#8221; I&#8217;m constantly thinking. I&#8217;ve never been so aware of my appearance as in Japan. I look different here. Actually I&#8217;m quite normal looking for a non-Japanese with my brown curls, the pointed nose and brown eyes. However, in Japan I&#8217;m different. I had to get used to it that everybody is looking or even staring at me.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">Luckily I&#8217;m only 160 cm tall and at least I have something in common with most of Japanese people.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"><b>My advice:<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">If someone stares at me, I smile and greet. Often a nice conversation started out of this situation.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">5. The train which came on time<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.nonsoloamore.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/5-bahnfahren.jpg\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-6886\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-6886\" src=\"http:\/\/www.nonsoloamore.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/5-bahnfahren.jpg\" alt=\"5-bahnfahren\" width=\"660\" height=\"180\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nonsoloamore.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/5-bahnfahren.jpg 660w, https:\/\/www.nonsoloamore.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/5-bahnfahren-300x82.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">A culture shock of pleasant nature was rail travel in Japan.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">My world of train travel looks like this: waiting for delayed trains, cancellations due to not working air conditioning or missing of connecting trains. I always thought it has to be that way, it&#8217;s the so called &#8220;train travel experience&#8221;.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">Wikipedia says something similar: &#8220;&#8230;For Deutsche Bahn AG, a train is considered on time if it arrives or departs 5 minutes and 59 seconds after the timetable&#8230;&#8221;\u00a0(LINK: https: \/\/\u00a0<\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"><u>de.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/P%C3%Bcnktlichkeit_(Bahn)<\/u><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">)<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Therefore I was pleasantly surprised by the Japanese trains always being on time.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">Ok, the Shinkansen, the fast trains in Japan have a private line network and can move without being interrupted by slower trains. When the earth starts to shake, they stop immediately.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">Therefore, the average delay time\u00a0<b>per year\u00a0<\/b>is about\u00a0<b>one minute\u00a0<\/b>!!!<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"\">6.\u00a0Waiting in the line<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.nonsoloamore.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/6-schlange-stehen.jpg\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-6894\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-6894\" src=\"http:\/\/www.nonsoloamore.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/6-schlange-stehen.jpg\" alt=\"6-schlange-stehen\" width=\"660\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nonsoloamore.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/6-schlange-stehen.jpg 660w, https:\/\/www.nonsoloamore.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/6-schlange-stehen-300x182.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.nonsoloamore.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/6-schlange-stehen-400x242.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.nonsoloamore.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/6-schlange-stehen-270x164.jpg 270w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">Also I have been amazed when I saw people waiting for a train on the platform.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">They are lined up in front of a special sign on the ground, where the train is supposed to stop. That the train with the doors stopped precisely at these points put me in astonishment again. As the doors opened, people who were waiting on the platform started to form a free passageway for all those who wanted to get off the train. Only after having let the last passenger pass by they got on the train in a calm mannered way.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">This worked extremely well even at the crowded subway stations in Tokyo.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">I would like to introduce this to Berlin one day.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">And while I&#8217;m at it, I would also like to introduce another Japanese system &#8211; the way how customers are waiting at the checkout in a supermarket:<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">In Japan when a new checkout at the supermarket is going to open because the queue is too long \u2013 means, that more than 3 customers are waiting in line &#8211; the first waiting customer from the &#8220;long queue&#8221; is requested to switch to the free checkout. A customer from the back would never come up with the idea to pass all those waiting people to go over to the newly opened checkout!!!<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">The system is actually quite simple, fair and&#8230; why it&#8217;s not working in Germany?<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"><i>All this came to my mind while standing at the discounters checkout yesterday.<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"><i>When it finally was my turn to pay I recognized some people forming in a new line in front of a still closed checkout, which was going to open soon, I guess.<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><i>I smiled at the man behind the counter who was waiting for me to pay, pointed with a nod to the poster with the Japan-offer and asked him: &#8220;Have you ever been to a Japanese supermarket?&#8221;<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<h3>Daniela, the writer of this article has her own blog. She loves Japan. Take a look at Nipponinsider.de if you want to know more about Japan and her.<\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>While I was waiting to pay for my shopping in the slowest queue at the supermarket checkout, I discovered a poster:\u00a010-day-round-trip to Japan \u20ac 1799\u00a0&#8211; I read at the discounter with the big A. A little later at a well-known coffee company I saw a similar offer: 9-day-trip to Japan for \u20ac 1,799. Organized by<a class=\"article-read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nonsoloamore.net\/en\/travel-en\/culture-shock-country-japan\/\"><i class=\"flownewsicon fa-angle-double-right\"><\/i><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6885,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"MSN_Categories":"Uncategorized","MSN_Publish_Option":false,"MSN_Is_Local_News":false,"MSN_Is_AIAC_Included":"Empty","MSN_Location":"[]","MSN_Add_Feature_Img_On_Top_Of_Post":false,"MSN_Has_Custom_Author":false,"MSN_Custom_Author":"","MSN_Has_Custom_Canonical_Url":false,"MSN_Custom_Canonical_Url":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1334],"tags":[1833,1828,1832,887],"class_list":["post-6899","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-travel-en","tag-asia","tag-japan","tag-tokio","tag-travel"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - 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