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'Japanese Do That In The Morning?!' 6 Quirky Culture Shocks Malaysians Experienced in Japan

Last updated: 9 October 2020

Visitors to Japan often come with a certain image in mind of what the country and culture is like. This often ranges anywhere from expectations about cultural performances like kabuki and sumo, to food culture like sushi and curry rice. But have people ever been surprised by something they saw or experienced while visiting Japan?

We interviewed a Malaysian woman about her experience in Japan. I think there are many points in common among Asian countries, but what aspect of Japan surprised her most? (Comments are personal opinions of respondents.)

Many people seem to gush about how Japan is a fairly peaceful place. But what is the reality?

"I'm surprised that there are so many kids who go by themselves to and from school. In Malaysia, parents will often send their kids to school via school bus."

In Japan, there indeed are cases where children go to and from school in groups, but most children walk to school by themselves. Children who attend a private school will often commute via train or bus on their own - and it's this environment that surprised our interviewee. Depending on country and area, it may not be the safest or easiest thing to have kids go by themselves to school. I think Japan is fortunate to have such an environment when it comes to kids!

Vending machines that can be found anywhere in Japan. It seems that such a scene was very surprising for Malaysians.

"I can't think of a single place in Malaysia where groups of vending machines might be located! I was surprised that in Japan you can find rows of them along streets or tucked against buildings. And they sell everything! I saw one that sells soy sauce, another that sells drinks. It seems you can buy anything from vending machines in Japan!"

In the United States, it is said that there is a Starbucks on every block; in Japan, it's similar with vending machines! But instead of just one on every block, sometimes there are clusters of them - and it's become normalized. Meanwhile, in Malaysia, there are no such scenes.

It was surprising to hear that not only drinks were sold but also souvenirs, sweets and food as well. Some other foreign visitors have also mentioned that they felt vending machines were practically everywhere - even in places that are difficult to access, such as mountains and beachside, so it might be curious to think of who will come to replenish stock. In fact, while it's normal to see vending machines in Japan, I wonder if Japan might be the exception instead of the norm! Perhaps there are many countries which lack vending machines entirely.

After our Malaysian interviewee mentioned about vending machines, she pondered for a moment and shared her surprise about convenience stores.

"Actually, there are so many convenience stores in Japan too, especially in the cities. I can't recall a time when I was walking for any time without passing one by."

When visiting Japan, our Malaysian correspondent traveled mostly around the city centers. While it seems that there are convenience store chains such as 7-Eleven in Malaysia, it appears there are simply far more stores arranged in Japan. I suppose she's right: walking around Tokyo or Osaka, it seems there's always a convenience store within a short walk away!

Also, when we asked about the kinds of products and foods available at convenience stores in Malaysia, it seems that Japan has much deeper variety in products, even causing them to appear like miniature restaurants!

Japan's crowded trains are so famous overseas that they are filmed and streamed on video. There are tourists who are concerned about getting on trains when visiting major cities, as they appear to be a kind of battle. So it was interesting to hear our Malaysian friend's take on things.

"I was surprised at such a crowded space! There were so many people riding the train - and not just one car, all of them!"

Recently, some measures have been taken to reduce train congestion, such as staggering work hours, but the morning rush hour continues to see trains packed with people. Our Malaysian friend was very surprised to realize that people bear these kinds of conditions on a daily basis, while going to and from work.

In Malaysia, apparently there are many commuters who use the trains in cities such as Kuala Lumpur, but they do not seem to be packed as in Japan's crowded trains.

Also, she found it surprising that despite there being such large numbers of people squeezed together in such a small space, that it was very quiet because few people talk. The manners on trains vary from country to country, but for Malaysians, the crowded trains in Japan seemed to be a very shocking space.

One of the most shocking things for our Malaysian interviewee was the size of Japanese living spaces. In particular, the size of even a studio apartment in Malaysia would be an unthinkably large space in Japan.

"I was surprised at the small rooms in Japan - put in a bed, and they are practically filled up entirely! Where do people live? Also, kitchens only have one or two burners, and no real space for meal prep. I wonder if Japanese people cook?"

Our Malaysian interviewee has been living in Japan for a short time for work, and had seen many different apartments ahead of her move here. But the decided majority of spaces she saw seemed tinier than similar ones in Malaysia. She also says she often cooks, but studio apartments aimed at people living alone often had small kitchens; she mentioned that while she preferred a larger kitchen, she would have to pay a lot more to actually get one in Japan.

Malaysia has many Japanese cars. However, tiny kei-cars would seem to be a rarity there, and in general, it seemed Japan had a large number of small cars on its streets.

"I was very surprised that there are so many small cars. I thought that Malaysia would be just like Japan, with the same kinds of cars, but no - I saw so many types that seem to be Japan-only models. Japan's roads are narrow compared to what you'd see in Malaysia, so a kei-car might be just right."

Our Malaysian interviewee was surprised not only by the shape and size, but also by the color of cars in Japan. Japan has a lot of pastel-colored cars such as sky blue and pink, but in Malaysia there are many standard colors such as black, white and gray. You've never seen such a colorful car. In addition, many models indeed seem to be domestic-only versions!

It seems that people from relatively close countries in Asia have been surprised by a variety of cultural differences when they visited Japan. I hope that when more people visit Japan, they can enjoy some of these surprises as a fun experience abroad!

Written by Fujico