The trip to visit Big Sis took Yoshio to a different world, far away from Japan..
Most of the time, SoraNews24 founder Yoshio can be found sitting at his desk at SN24’s headquarters in downtown Tokyo, but these days he’s not only away from the office, he’s also been out of the country, spending two weeks in California. I did. Now back in Japan, he has compiled a list of things that surprised him about visiting the United States as a Japanese person.
In August of this year, I spent two weeks visiting my sister and her family in San Diego.. I have visited San Diego about 6 times so far, and when I went there again, I discovered 28 amazing things that I will share with you today.
But before I get into the list, let me say something that really surprised me. How expensive was it overall?. I only ate at a tipping restaurant once during my stay, and most of my meals were home-cooked, with some takeout here and there. Currently, the yen is very cheap against the dollar, so as a Japanese person, it seemed even more expensive to me. However, even though the exchange rate has returned to 100 yen to the dollar, San Diego is by no means a cheap city, so it was a tough trip on a budget.
San Diego’s weather can be very hot, but it is dry with little humidity; It’s much more comfortable than summer in Japan.. I want to go again next summer to escape the humid heat of Japan.
Now, let’s get into the list of 28 things that surprised me as a Japanese person in San Diego.
1. People bring their dogs to restaurants and supermarkets like it’s no big deal.
In most Japanese restaurants, pets are not allowed in restaurants, and there are only a few restaurants that allow dogs.
2. Screen or door won’t open
Most Japanese houses have screen doors and windows that can be opened by sliding, so it was inconvenient to have them closed all the time.
▼The American screen window cannot be slid open.
3. Costco gives out lots of samples.
Costco in Japan also gives out samples, but most of the time they are prepared by the staff. For example, it’s stir-fried beef and rice, which gives off a nice meat aroma in the restaurant. However, at Costco in the U.S., you can get samples of sweets and drinks that don’t require cooking, and I was surprised by the variety they offer. There were so many that you could get full just walking around the store.
4. Costco sells cars
I have never seen a car sold at Costco in Japan.
5. The cotton part of American cotton swabs easily comes off.
When I was cleaning my ear with an American cotton swab, a part of the cotton tip would break off inside my ear. This rarely happens with the more durable cotton swabs sold in Japan. I gave an American friend a Japanese-made cotton swab as a gift, and he was very happy with it, so if you have a chance to come to Japan, please give the cotton swab a try.
6. The most popular souvenir I brought from Japan was rice balls.
I brought various food souvenirs to my sister’s family, but the biggest hit was the rice balls I bought at a 7-Eleven in Japan. Before boarding the plane, I picked it up at the 7-Eleven at Narita Airport, and my girlfriend’s younger sister was very excited, saying, “You can’t get Japanese-style rice balls like this in America.”
7. Kura Sushi’s “Bikkurapon” is not very popular in America.
The Japanese conveyor belt sushi chain “Kura Sushi” has a branch in the United States, and just like at its Japanese stores, you can receive a free capsule toy “Bikkura Pon” depending on how many plates of sushi you eat. In Japan, you can get a toy for every 5 dishes, but in San Diego you can’t get a Bikkura Pon unless you eat 15 dishes! I think it should be just 5 plates in America as well.
▼ San Diego Kura Sushi’s “Bikkurapon” machine
▼Bikkurapon in Japan
Spin the magnetic gacha at Kura Sushihttps://t.co/v5mhSHNXf7 pic.twitter.com/jJ3XO36lh6
— SoraNews24 (@RocketNews24En) July 21, 2022
8. At Kura Sushi, you have to pay for green tea.
Not only Kurasu Ahi, but all conveyor belt sushi restaurants across the country offer free refills of tea. Really, you’ll find that tea is free at any kind of sushi restaurant in Japan. But at Kura Sushi in San Diego, a cup of green tea costs $3.80. I was shocked!
9. The price of Kura Sushi is really high.
The price of Kura Sushi in Japan is basically 115 yen ($0.78) per plate. Of course, there are special menus that cost 165 yen or more per plate, but most are 115 yen. Meanwhile, in San Diego, a basic sushi plate cost $3.50 (514 yen).
10. Kura Sushi USA Soy Pepper Roll
This was a pleasant surprise! Kura Sushi doesn’t have “Soy Pepper Rolls” in Japan, but this Soy Pepper Spider Hand Roll was really delicious, so I wish Kura Sushi would sell it in Japan too!
11. Being charged a baggage cart fee at the airport
Baggage carts are free at Japanese airports, but I was shocked to find that the carts in the departure gate area of San Diego International Airport cost $7 (although the carts at the arrival gate are free).
12. McDonald’s apple pie is different.
McDonald’s Japan’s apple pies are fried, so they’re crispy, but I was surprised to see that McDonald’s in America bakes their apple pies. Depending on what country you are in, you will get completely different cooking methods.
▼American McDonald’s apple pie
▼Japan McDonald’s apple pie
▼The Japanese-style apple pie is fried, so when you cut it with a knife, it makes a crackling sound! Listen in the video here.
13. A long pole sticking out of a shopping cart
Some stores in the United States have long sticks sticking out from the frame of shopping carts to prevent them from being stolen. I have never seen this in Japan.
14. Hamburger chain Five Guys offers unlimited peanuts.
A hamburger chain with all-you-can-eat peanuts that you’ve never seen before in Japan!
15. Play equipment “telephone” in the park
I saw this at this park in San Diego. This is a toy that allows two children who are far apart to have a conversation, similar to an analog telephone. This is a cool idea and something I have never found in Japanese parks.
16. Sprinkle chili powder on watermelon
In San Diego supermarkets, chili powder is sold next to watermelon. I heard that pouring chili powder on watermelon is popular among the city’s large Mexican population. In Japan, watermelon is eaten as is or with salt added to it. I tried adding chili powder to it, but it tasted a little strange.
17. Cucumber water
During my trip, I also stayed at a hotel in Los Angeles for one night. There was a water cooler for guests in the lobby, and I was surprised to see cucumbers floating in it! It gave the water a little cucumber flavor and was a little funky. In Japan, you may find water infused with lemon or other citrus fruits, but we usually drink or serve it as is.
18. You can use credit cards at the coin laundry.
It’s really convenient to be able to use credit cards at coin laundries in the United States! There are very few places in Japan that accept credit cards, and most places only pay with small change.
19. 99 Cents Only Store doesn’t sell much for 99 cents.
I went to the 99 Cents Only Store and there were very few items for 99 cents. Almost everything is ore and expensive. Yes, recently there are products that cost more than 100 yen at 100 yen shops such as Daiso, but most of them are still priced at 100 yen.
20. Crazy Soda
Not sold in Japan!
21. Penny Press Souvenir Machine
These are pretty cool! We don’t have them in Japan, but after making them at the San Diego Aquarium, I wish we had them.
22. Veteran Discount
One day we drove to Cabrillo National Monument. Parking usually costs $20, but since my sister’s husband is American and formerly in the military, parking was free. According to her sister, many places in America offer discounts to former military personnel as a mark of respect, but in Japan, this is not the case for former Self-Defense Forces personnel.
23. American toilet and kitchen facilities are very expensive.
American houses are designed with much higher fittings than Japanese houses. My niece is still in elementary school, but her sister says she has difficulty sitting on the toilet. After two weeks, I started to get used to the high quality of the facilities in America, but when I returned to Japan, I had a reverse culture shock at the low quality of the facilities here! I don’t know which one is easier for me to use.
24. There is a gym where everyone shopping in the shopping center next door can see you.
I went to a shopping mall that had a gym attached, and I could see inside. I have never seen a gym with such an open layout in Japan.
25. No one was using floats on the beach.
When I go to the beaches of Japan, I see many children wearing floaties and playing in the water, but at the beach in San Diego, I didn’t see a single child wearing a float. Why?
26. There is a traffic jam at school in the morning.
In Japan, it is not customary for parents to drive their children to school. However, this is really common in America, and I was surprised to see all the cars of parents waiting to drop off their children in front of school in the morning.
27. Toilet seat covers are easy to find in American public restrooms.
I was happy to learn how many public restrooms have disposable paper toilet seat covers. You can sometimes see it in Japanese toilets, but recently they are often equipped with cleaner dispensers that spray toilet paper onto the toilet seat.
28. Trader Joe’s sells orchids at pretty cheap prices.
Like I said, almost everything in San Diego seemed expensive, but one thing that wasn’t was the orchids at Trader Joe’s. In Japan, orchids are used for special occasions and celebrations, so they are very expensive and would probably be much more expensive than the $25 that Trader Joe’s was asking for the orchid in this photo.
This concludes the list of things that surprised Yoshio as a Japanese visitor to San Diego. It’s often said that the best trips are those that leave you with a new appreciation for both the place you’ve been to and the place you’ve come from, and that seems to have happened with Yoshio. It probably won’t be long before he’s back in San Diego and experiencing new surprises, but in the meantime, if he starts feeling nostalgic for America, at least we’ll have something for him in Japan. I’m going to prepare some hot dogs that I recommend.
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