Most westerner get their information about Japan from the news media. Just as we would hate to have foreigners judge America by our news broadcasts, seeing Japan through the sensational video we receive is inaccurate. The pace of life in Japan is very much like it is here and getting out to visit with the people can be a special experience.

Concept of family is very strong in Japan. Even one’s name, when used in an introduction comes as a family name first and then the given name. So we may refer to the famous baseball player has Ichiro Suzuki, then his native land to introduce himself as Suzuki, Ichiro. This is but one of many subtle differences between Japan and the United States.

In the US, bread is a common daily addition to meals. With our hamburgers, sandwiches and loads of bread with the main course, bread is ubiquitous. In Japan nearly every traditional meal includes rice. Because of that the most common products in a Japanese kitchen are rice cookers. These devices come in a wide variety of sizes from 1 to 2 cups all the way to 15 cups for home use. Industrial sizes for restaurants can cook upwards of 40 cups of rice at a time.

Because cooking rice in the equivalent of the bread making machine is so much easier than cooking rice in a pot on the stove devices becoming available, even popular here in the United States. But here there is usually one size in one type if the store carries them. In Japan there is an enormous selection with one of the more popular types being the Zojirushi rice cooker.

If you visit Japanese home, make sure you are wearing good socks without holes. That is because you will be required to remove your shoes before entering the home. The Japanese feel very strongly that one should not track dirt from outside into the house. Most foreigners interested in your brief time with this cultural difference adopted it for their own home.

Partly because the homes in Japan at the time event, which are particularly difficult to clean thoroughly, should mud get tracked in or liquid be spilled on them. In general, handheld vacuums are the preferred device to clean the floors. If a tatami mat becomes stained. It will have to be removed and replaced a task that is much simpler than removing and replacing wood flooring or carpeting.

Visiting Japan can be a truly rewarding and exciting event. If you are courageous enough to try, the rewards are great. The people are friendly and welcoming, especially of Americans, and their society is enigmatically tied to both the future and the past. Their ability to adopt new technology is legend, while they revere both nature and their cultural heritage which is many times longer than American history.