Bathrooms in Japan are cool. First of all, the bathrooms in Japan
are completely waterproof and don't contain things that can go moldy
like carpets. This makes the bathroom a place where you can feel really
clean. The bathroom contains a bath tub and an area where you wash
yourself. After washing yourself in the washing area, you can relax
and soak in clean hot water. Usually the bath tub is very deep and
filled with very hot water. It is quite common to share the water
with the whole of the family ﾐ and this is fine because you only get
into the bath after you are clean. These days, they even have baths
which fill up with hot water, or re-heat the water at a the touch
of a button.
Also, unlike in many places - England for example! - the showers have
good water pressure and it's easy to have a "power shower"
Although
the Japanese traditional toilet is one of the things which often makes
visitors to Japan confused, nowadays hi-tech, Western-style toilets
have become popular amongJapanese people. These toilet have heated
seats, and can wash and dry the relevant parts after you've answered
the call of nature. Some toilets can open the lid, flush, and deodorize
automatically - Japanese toilet technology leads the world!
Japanese
erasers are tremendously effective compared to most foreign-made erasers.
Recently, erasers which can easily rub out writing made with a ballpoint
pen have come on to the market. And our ballpoint pens are rather
snazzy too, in Japan you can choose the thickness of the line: 0.3mm
or 1.5mm for example. And there are so many colors to choose from
- red, blue, green, gold, silver -- all the colors of the rainbow
and more! Japanese mechanical pencils are great too. You can get one
which has been specially designed to so that your arm and hand doesn't
get tired if you write for a long time. There are even antibacterial
mechanical pencils for mysophobia. Prices are generally high in Japan,
but you can get these kinds of products very cheaplyﾐan eraser only
costs 50 yen and a ballpoint pen costs between 100-200 yen.
People from overseas often take time to learn this habit. But, you
know, taking off dirty shoes and leaving them outside the main living
area keeps the floor clean and is much more hygienic. It saves money
on cleaning and means that walking around the house barefoot is no
problem. Babies can crawl around happily without fear of encountering
mud -- or worse! -- picked up by a shoe that was worn inside. This
is a custom that other countries should follow!
日本の電車がほとんど遅れないことは、日本人にとっては当たり前だ。仮に朝のラッシュ時に電車が遅れた場合、その日一日中車内アナウンスで遅れについて謝るほど、電車が遅れることはあってはならないこととされている。だが、外国人にはかなり印象的なことのようだ。新幹線も、車内はいつも清潔で快適、そして時間通りに到着する乗り物として、日本が世界に自慢できるものの一つとして挙げられる。
Most people who visit Tokyo are amazed by the efficiency of the train
system. There are so many trains and they almost always arrive on
time. The Shinkansen is fantastic -- it's clean, comfortable, very
fast and you can set your watch by its arrival and departure. I've
heard that if the train is late, passengers get a partial refund --
I don't know if this is true, because the train has never been late
when I've used it!
日本のお風呂は、バスタブと洗い場が別々でお風呂場全体がウォーター・プルーフ、というのは日本人にとっては当たり前だが、欧米人にとっては馴染みのないもの。最近は、ワンルームマンションなどでユニットバスを取り入れているところも多いが、やはり、バスタブの中でちまちま体を洗うより、湯舟にゆっくり浸かって、体は洗い場で洗う、というのが日本人には一番落ち着くスタイルではないだろうか。お湯をためてもバスタブの中でシャワーを浴びるため、お湯を毎回抜かなければいけない欧米のバスルームと違い、日本のお風呂は、冷めるまで何人でも入れる。最近では、ボタン一つでお湯を暖められたり、お湯を入れられたりする機能を備えたお風呂も多く家庭に浸透している。
Although
the Japanese traditional toilet is one of the things which often makes
visitors to Japan confused, nowadays hi-tech, Western-style toilets
have become popular amongJapanese people. These toilet have heated
seats, and can wash and dry the relevant parts after you've answered
the call of nature. Some toilets can open the lid, flush, and deodorize
automatically - Japanese toilet technology leads the world!
Japanese
erasers are tremendously effective compared to most foreign-made erasers.
Recently, erasers which can easily rub out writing made with a ballpoint
pen have come on to the market. And our ballpoint pens are rather
snazzy too, in Japan you can choose the thickness of the line: 0.3mm
or 1.5mm for example. And there are so many colors to choose from
- red, blue, green, gold, silver -- all the colors of the rainbow
and more! Japanese mechanical pencils are great too. You can get one
which has been specially designed to so that your arm and hand doesn't
get tired if you write for a long time. There are even antibacterial
mechanical pencils for mysophobia. Prices are generally high in Japan,
but you can get these kinds of products very cheaplyﾐan eraser only
costs 50 yen and a ballpoint pen costs between 100-200 yen.
一歩国外に出れば、あなたは日本代表。留学先や旅先で出会った人にとって、あなたが紹介することが日本のイメージを決定づける。歌舞伎や着物などの日本の伝統もいいが、現代の一般的日本人からは縁遠いのも事実。ならば、私たちの日常にある「日本」を自慢しよう。日本在住の外国人や、留学経験者の声をもとに、現代の日本が世界に誇れるものを集めてみた。英語の部分は、そのまま外国人に説明できる表現なので、是非活用して欲しい。
