007 Japan in detail

For those who like detail :)

There was a great deal to observe in Japan, as the culture is very different to ours. There were also some things we learnt that may be of use to you if you decide to travel there.

Observations:

• There is a very large population, so be prepared for streets to resemble Melbourne during Christmas Shopping period :)
• Toilet paper "squares" are twice as big as ours!
• Toilets are available everywhere and 90% are European style. They are always clean and free. Only once was there a need to purchase toilet 'tissues'
• Even the majority of pubic toilets have the bidet/spray option; and the water is always body temperature, so no surprises :)
• Most underground railway ticket machines have a button to change the language to English as do many of the ATMs. ATMs associated with a Post Office seem easiest to use.
• The majority of staff at the railway speak English
• ALL food is top quality. Strawberries were individually wrapped.
• Young women often sing as they walk along
• There is piped bird singing in many of the stations
• Loudspeaker announcements are preceded by Disney like music. Was sweet at first and then felt a bit Orwellian. The notification sound to cross the road was often a cuckoo noise.
• No graffiti
• People do not use their phones on public transport
• You feel incredibly safe al all times 
• There isn't much that is actually old. As most things were built with wood they burnt down at sometime. Majority of buildings are under 100 years old.
• The Japanese love to picnic; they sit on uniform blue tarpaulin in parks; even when it's freezing.
• If you thought Melbourne had a lot of cafes, there has to be double the amount here.
• Bread is sold in packets of 3,5 or 9 slices
• You need to be fit, there are a great number of stairs to be navigated. You also need to take time to decide which exit you will take from the underground. You can walk miles and end up in entirely the wrong place.
• Train travel is cheap and efficient but in Tokyo quite confusing as there are over 7 companies, so choosing the right line is challenging. We were told even the locals carry a map.
• How can 128m people live so harmoniously? No car honking, No barging. Little noise.
• Get on a bus in the middle, exit and pay at the front.
• Bathroom mirrors are heated, so they don't fog up
• Women rarely wear jewellery

Things to consider:

• If you are selecting a hotel for the gym/pool check cost. At our first venue it was $40 per day.
• A room is not always the one shown on the internet. Hotels often show their best room rather than the one being offered (this is turning out to be true for most countries)
• Take your own pillow. Pillows often had just polystyrene balls and were hard and heavy.
• Don't buy duty free. Booze, especially spirits, are very cheap.
• If you prefer an apartment to a hotel there are lots of places to pick up pre-prepared food.
• Each temple is different. The attraction is manly the grounds, so if you have limited time, just pick the big ones.
• Looking for a cheap place to eat? Look for where there are mainly single young men inside. You walk in, select you food from a machine, displaying pictures of the food and pay your money. Then you are escorted to your table and the food arrives pretty rapidly after that - all freshly cooked. Mainly vegetables and noodles. Meat is more expensive but is on the menu.
• If you want to visit the Imperial Palace in Kyoto, book online before you go. It gets full quickly and even if people don't turn up they won't let you in. On the day we were there only 30 people actually turned up.
• It is OK to walk out of a restaurant if you can't work out what to eat. While we were adventurous, we did draw the line at uncooked horse meat, chicken necks  and cod guts!
• If you stand still long enough looking at a map, someone will stop and help you

What we saw/visited:
Osaka: Sitennoji temple & garden, Osaka Castle, Dotombori shopping area, Umeda Floating Garden, Kuromon Ichiba fish market, Sumiyoshi Tanisha shrine, Hankai tram, Tanoji, Kaitashinchi
Kyoto: Noji Castle, Gion, Maruyama Park, Kyoto Tower, Kinkauji temple, Ginkakuji temple, Kiyomizu temple, Inari temple, Imperial Palace grounds
Tokyo: Asakusa market, Tokyo Tower, Ginza, Tsukigi fish market, Costume museum, Hamarikuyu gardens

In conclusion:
We loved Osaka and Kyoto but Tokyo seemed soulless