10 THINGS THAT SURPRISED ME IN TOKYO

ANIMAL CAFE

In the cafe you can cuddle and pet various animals not seen in Japanese homes, such as an owl, a fennec fox, a rabbit, a guinea pig. There are also cafes with only cats. The Japanese have very small apartments and are often not allowed to keep animals in them. More and more Japanese people do not form relationships, they do not have another person to live with, so they seek closeness with animals. They sit in such a cafe, drink quite expensive coffee and cuddle cats.

PEOPLE IN MASKS

I understand wearing masks when we have an infection. It is a kind of responsibility that is difficult for us to understand but very common in other Asian countries. I am used to it. However, in Japan, masks are also worn for two other reasons. And probably for these reasons, they are worn more often. When riding the subway in Tokyo, you will notice that there are often more people with masks than without. Why? It is a kind of isolation, the Japanese want to cut themselves off from others in this way, discourage contact and acquaintance. Another reason is to cover minor skin imperfections or lack of make-up. Did you get a pimple? Put on a mask and cover it. A mask is an essential product here and everyone has one at home.

BALL MACHINES FOR ADULTS

Do you remember those machines with plastic balls? After inserting a coin and turning the lever, a ball flies out, which has a surprise inside - a plastic figurine. In our country, there are usually one or two such machines in a place where children appear, because they are the ones who persuade their parents to insert a coin. In Tokyo, I saw entire walls of such machines and they are mainly used by adults. There is still a plastic toy in the ball. The Japanese call them Gashapon. Gashapon toys are figurines of characters from Japanese manga, games or anime, but also figurines from the American entertainment industry. Yes, adults here collect plastic Spiderman figurines.

PEDOPHILE MANGA

The Japanese have really great bookstores – several floors, including at least two floors occupied by manga – a type of Japanese comic book. There is a section of pornographic manga (homosexual and heterosexual) as well as comics about intimate relationships between adults and children. It was a shock for me. In Japan, having sex is legal with a person from the age of 13 (if they agree – I don't know how to comment on that ☹)! "Light" child pornography is also legally available. The "heavy" kind was legal until 2014. Manga in which adults have fun with children in bed is within arm's reach here. It didn't even surprise me, but it did make me nervous.

RESTAURANTS WHERE YOU ORDER AND PAY AT THE MACHINE

In the totally old-school-looking, tiny bars serving udon noodles (in 12 or more varieties) they don't have waiter service - you don't order or pay a human here. When you enter, you come across a cabinet with a selection of dishes - here you press the appropriate button, choose a dish and pay. You hand the receipt to the cook, who immediately gets to work.

PROFESSIONAL KARAOKE STUDIOS

Karaoke as we know it in Poland is no match for Japanese karaoke. These are small professional recording rooms that you usually rent with friends. You can order drinks and snacks for such a room, but most importantly you can rent a stage outfit. And so, dressed as Cher, I could perform her greatest hits - and see it all on the monitor as if I was giving a real concert. For many Japanese, karaoke has a therapeutic effect, they treat it as relaxation after work, and that is why in districts where there are many offices there are also many such karaokes.

FOOD SHOPPING MALL

How surprised I was that in Tokyo there are shopping malls with only restaurants and no shops. In a huge multi-story building you have a choice of dozens of restaurants and bars where you can eat and drink alcohol. These bars and restaurants are crowded in the evening because after work everyone goes to eat something - Japanese people rarely cook in their apartments because they either don't have a kitchen or they don't have permission from the owner of the property because the smell can bother the neighbors. Everyone there probably eats out!

PACZINKO - GAME AROUNDS

These are places so crowded and smoky with cigarette smoke, and so loud that it's hard to stand for a few minutes. In addition to the shooting and scoring machines, where adults sit with poker faces (so I don't know if they win or lose), there are machines for pulling out plushies. These are also besieged by adults - they pull out plushies from Moomins, Pokemon, Harry Potter.

POPULAR SWEETS AND SNACKS IN STRANGE FLAVORS

In specialized shops in Tokyo we can buy Kit Kat in flavors that I have not seen in Europe or the USA or anywhere else. Kit Kat in matcha tea flavor, apple, strawberry and others. Pringles in flavors of octopus dishes, with lime and chili, cinnamon and wasabi.

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE - ROBOTS IN BANKS

In Japan, which is known for its technological innovations, I met for the first time robots the shape and size of a large child, which helped with customer service in a bank. You could communicate with them freely, ask a substantive question and receive an answer. It was great!

My trip was purely business but I had some time to walk around the city. In Tokyo, Orientana presented natural cosmetics at the Cosme Tokyo cosmetics fair.