Habitat Japan - Free eBook About Living in Japan

Great Expectations What are you expecting your Japan to be like? You probably have some pre-determined images, influenced by TV shows, movies or novels. Some foreigners have a somewhat romantic view of Japan, perhaps hoping to see bonsai trees and pools full of golden carp at every turn. While there are many beautiful gardens in Japan, most of them are not to be found in the average person’s backyard. A vast number of city-dwellers live in apartment or high-rise condominiums.

Even those who can afford a house in t h e c i t i e s d o n’t h a v e g a r d e n s a s Westerners know them. My yard in suburban Tokyo has exactly enough room for two cars, five bicycles and one Harley Davidson motorbike - my husband’s pride and joy. However, we had to get rid of our children’s old plastic slide in order to fit the motorbike in!

Modern Japanese cities are, for the most part, singularly unattractive. And yet, Tokyo and other major cities are not the concrete jungles that some overseas visitors are expecting. The Japanese are well-known for making the most of even the tiniest amounts of space.

Even busy commercial hubs will feature traditional temples, pocket parks and green oases tucked in among the jumble of buildings. The eclectic nature of the urban landscape means that, quite literally, you never know what you might find around the next corner.

Japan is different enough from your home country to be exotic, but it is similar enough to be comfortable. You are going to one of the major economic powers of the world, where heated toilet seats with built-in bidets are standard in new homes. And yet smaller train stations may still feature squat toilets, with only cold water and no hand-drying facilities. (I recommend following the local custom of always carrying around a handkerchief for drying your hands.)

No doubt about it, Japan is a land of contrasts. Take shopping, for example. You’ll marvel at beautiful displays in upscale department stores 11