SisterVibes
A podcast hosted by three sisters with a lifetime of stories and insights to share. From growing up in Japan to now living across three continents, we've gone through life's twists and turns. Join us as we dive into our cherished childhood memories, offer our unique perspectives on a wide range of topics, and recount our humble experiences living in different parts of the world. Despite long distances and scheduling conflicts that have kept us physically apart for years, we're here to give you a glimpse of what it's like to have sisters, regardless of the miles that separate us. Are we still the same as we used to be, or have we grown and changed along the way living in diverse locations? Stay tuned; we hope you’ll be entertained!
SisterVibes
10. The Quirky Side Of Japan: High-Tech Toilets, Virtual Marriages & More
How do high-tech toilets, virtual marriages, and sumo wrestlers making babies cry fit into the same conversation? In this SisterVibes episode, we explore Japan's quirky and unique culture, discussing everything from its distinct office practices to Godzilla's place in society. Tune in for more intriguing conversations.
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Website: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2279605
Big shoutout to Allison Gray for generously granting us permission to feature her song, "Off My Mind" (from Ep 05).
Three sisters in three continents, three realities and three perspectives.
Speaker 2:I'm Keio, I'm Tomomi and I'm Sumi. We all moved to Ohio from Japan for our dad's job, but as adults we all live in different countries.
Speaker 1:Welcome to Sister Vibes.
Speaker 3:Hey guys welcome.
Speaker 2:So today we thought it would be interesting to talk about some of the unique things that are accepted or that occurs or happens in Japan that doesn't in any other countries, and we compiled some lists of what we actually didn't compile, but we researched some of the things that are unique in Japan. Okay, one of the unique things in Japan is the elaborate toilets that exist, more specifically, the very popular brand Toto. It is a water saving toilet. There's a faucet sink built into the top of the refill tank that's activated when the toilet is flushed and this uses the water to refill the tank as a means to wash one's hands first, thereby saving water and space in the process. And I actually have this smart toilet in my home in the US, which is very, very unheard of and unique, but it just came with the house. I didn't order it, but it does have fun buttons on there that I have not really actually tried. I've never even tried in Japan either, at home, have you guys? No, you mean the bidet Built, bidet built things and what else Drying?
Speaker 1:Oh, I've never used that either Is there a drying?
Speaker 2:I think there's drying. Yeah, there is, there's also a cleaning function.
Speaker 1:So, like for female, there's a button for female, what? Which basically cleans your, you know, targets the private parts of women.
Speaker 2:The right area basically cleans your you know targets the private parts of women.
Speaker 1:The right area, really. Do you guys remember, though, first time you ever encountered it? What do you mean? It was a lot at obaachanji's house yeah that was the first time.
Speaker 2:That was the first one.
Speaker 1:yeah, I've ever seen and I used to be really scared of it because I don't know why and I think she's had it. I mean, they've had it, for this is our dad's parents ever since I can. They've had it, for this is our dad's parents Ever since I can remember. They've had it and I have never. I was always scared of it because I'm not sure, Like when you press the button, especially for you know, when the water splashes to clean the areas, it makes a noise and then this thing comes out Like a little hose type thing.
Speaker 1:Like the nozzle, yeah, and so I've heard of it. I mean, I think I tried it once and I think I like stopped it because I got scared, but I think I must have been like you know, eight or nine or something.
Speaker 2:but if you think about it, I guess it's eco-friendly because you don't waste paper, but also it really cleans better. Yeah, I really should be using it If. I have it. I'll try it and let you guys know how it goes, Okay.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but I remember first encountering it there. This must have been when we were. It was like in the 80s, probably mid 80s to you know, late 80s or something, I think, growing up in our house in Japan. We didn't have one 80s or something, I think, growing up in our house in japan we didn't have one, but I think after we came back or, sumi, when you went back with our parents, I think that's when they must have renewed it or something they must have like done, renovation and things yeah, and now when we go home, there are buttons in both of the toilets.
Speaker 2:I think right or Right, or at least one of them Ours opens up at home right Automatically In Japan or no, I don't remember Somebody, I think with the kids Maybe it's ojijin and wachans that automatically opens. One of them did and the kids were freaking out. Our old house did Okay.
Speaker 1:And it's weird too, because when you sit on it it's warm, it's nice in the winter perhaps, but it just kind of gives you that eerie feeling a little bit.
Speaker 2:Yeah because the seats are warm, yeah, constantly, and the one we have at the house. It just feels so weird because it feels like someone used it, like right before I sat down.
Speaker 1:Well, you can turn it off.
Speaker 2:I think you can, and again, I haven't explored with a remote yet but, and also, like it was talking about water saving, it's because the faucet is attached to the top. After you wash your hands with it, that water you used fills up the bowl, yeah, which is a smart design yeah, and you have to wash your hands like oh and quickly, and you can choose. Did you poop or did you not flush? Oh yeah, in japan, so obviously you need more water to flush bigger things but I feel like that's more common everywhere.
Speaker 1:I mean, we have two buttons too, yeah oh, or even like flushing like you know, in the us, forward, backwards.
Speaker 2:I don't, I don't think in the us, oh uh, okay, not that I know of, but maybe, maybe oh, another thing.
Speaker 1:If you go to a public restroom in japan, they have these little button that you can push where the music comes out oh, yeah, yeah it's supposed to hide the sound that you're making, although it doesn't really hide anything.
Speaker 2:Well, what I noticed when I went back to japan last time was not music, but like constant sound of someone peeing, like almost every public restroom I went to. Are you sure that people were not? I don't think it's supposed to be a sound of being okay. Well, it sounds like someone's flushing the toilet constantly, like like that oh, and then I noticed in almost every bathroom.
Speaker 1:You know it's like oh, maybe it's not this flushing sound, maybe it's like a waterfall or something whatever it is, it sounds like someone's constantly being it's not really music that kind of defeats the purpose well, like then, no one knows, is it your pee or is it that sound?
Speaker 2:I don't know, you know. Whatever, it is all right. Can we talk about something other things that are unique on the list for me?
Speaker 1:oh, yes, yes, um, another unique thing about japan there are a lot of unique cafes, like a cat cafe, a dog cafe, an owl cafe, where you go in, you get a drink and you can sit down and you can hang out with cats or dogs or owls.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and I know that's super popular for foreigners when they go to japan. They're like we can experience this. Like I said, we did see one in hawaii, but you know there's a lot of japanese people in hawaii, so it's not surprising. But the wait list was so long. The kids really wanted to, but we we couldn't do it.
Speaker 1:It seems like they also have, like manga cafe oh yeah, manga cafe other specific things like cuddling cafe, which sounds kind of interesting or insane, but I guess this is for male customers where you could I don't want to say rent, because it's a person but you pay money to ladies who would cuddle with you in bed. For I can't remember the duration, I think it was like 10 minutes to 10 hours or something, or was it 40 minutes 10 hours seems long and other renting things we want to talk about.
Speaker 2:Like you can rent a family if you're lonely, rent a family, rent a friend, rent a boyfriend, rent an obasan, apparently, which is like an older lady who will cook and clean your place.
Speaker 1:Oh, and there's a service where you can rent a person who does nothing like literally nothing. Yeah, but what's the point of renting somebody like that? Well, I'm guessing you know, build a space a little bit, yeah, if you're feeling lonely maybe they feel more secure, like who would rent someone like that or not who? But like what's the purpose? Maybe people who are lonely? Or just want someone?
Speaker 2:to talk with some company. Yeah, like you know, I don't care to be by myself. You know, like I always want to be around noise and stuff, so yeah, people like her.
Speaker 1:Yeah, to go back to this cuddling cafe. I guess you know they can't do anything funny, like no funny business, but they just lay there and you just have somebody cuddle you. I guess it is kind of like you know it's a service. Other interesting things Kory, I can't remember when I read this A few years back, there was an article about this Japanese man marrying a virtual character named Hatsune Miku. She is a virtual character who I I think appears in games or something like this. She's also an artist, but artist as a virtual singer virtual.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so she apparently has toured with lady gaga. I don't know how that exactly works. I'm sure I think these virtual concerts are getting also more popular, but hologram.
Speaker 2:I think it exists in the US, but are you talking about actual, like you see physically, a robot?
Speaker 1:No, no, so it's virtual. I was reading that this man married this virtual character named Hatsune Miku.
Speaker 1:I was like okay, first of all, how does that work? 2017, when this guy got married? But I guess there is a service where you can get married to a virtual character and this guy apparently married this virtual character. But because it's virtual, you don't physically marry to someone, but he has, like a live doll that's, as, I think, as tall as us, that he kind of moves around dresses and so if he's like eating dinner, he would just let her sit across from him and he interacts like she's interacting with him and I wonder, I wonder what happens with inheritance, like when he dies.
Speaker 3:Is the wife going to get the money?
Speaker 1:The virtual character, the virtual character, or where does the money go? I don't know actually. Yeah, I'm not sure how that works. And also, well, see, you know, it's not official marriage, like people marriage, but it's just through this company that you can do this and you can get a marriage certificate. Yes, that's can do this and you can get a marriage certificate. Yes, that's from this company. I saw this short video of him taking her to the restaurants, to the park, I mean, he's like literally carrying her around everywhere. Wasn't there a movie about something like that? I have no idea, but I would not be surprised because this sounds, you know, you just wonder what?
Speaker 2:Apparently, there's 4,000 Japanese people that have married virtual characters.
Speaker 1:So yeah, and I think, there are multiple men who have married this particular character because obviously she's virtual, she's accessible to a lot of people, so like, do they communicate back?
Speaker 2:No, they don't. You know what. Sorry, maybe they do.
Speaker 1:Maybe you can program it. So apparently, he fell in love with this character and it was only possible that he was able to interact with the character back in 2017. Do you know anything about Gatebox? It's a machine that allowed device owners to interact with characters through holograms. What's going on?
Speaker 1:I don't know, and I think she has certain phrases that she can say yeah, pre-programmed phrases probably yeah, yeah, and then he later on proposed to her and then she replied so I'm not sure actually how this works. I have to do a little bit more research, but it's very intriguing. Maybe in this works I have to do a little bit more research, but it's very intriguing. Maybe in the next episode I could talk a little bit more after I dig in a little bit deeper, because it's a little fascinating well, I found another unique one.
Speaker 2:It's naki sumo baby crying contest. Naki means crying, yeah so crying sumo baby contest exists in japan, supposedly. Um, it's a unique event for babies. Whoever's baby cries the loudest and probably the longest wins the contest. And uh, that is so bizarre.
Speaker 1:But why is this called sumo? Do they actually do wrestling apparently?
Speaker 2:sumo wrestlers. Hold these babies, oh, dressed in dressed in baby sumo outfits, and make them cry.
Speaker 1:Make them cry like it says that it's like a crying contest for babies. I wonder how what they do to make the babies cry like, do they?
Speaker 2:well it says. Sometimes among the techniques used to make the babies cry include putting on a scary mask to freak them out or yelling in their faces oh my gosh, this is so wrong. Oh geez, that's a bit harsh, but they said it's all worth it. They think it's all worth it, apparently, because the best crier that wins is ensured a long, healthy life. That's how they see it, I guess.
Speaker 2:Hopefully, it doesn't traumatize them yeah, and who actually attends these festivals? You know, yeah, to watch these babies cry like that's so wrong. What if they're traumatized after that?
Speaker 1:I would be yeah maybe they don't remember do you remember anything from the babies?
Speaker 2:I don't know. I wonder if you have to be a certain age to qualify for the baby crying contest, you know? Like they have to be babies, yeah, maybe like 18 months and younger. Yeah, but that just sounds so wrong.
Speaker 1:So, sumi, um, do you know if I feel like that the sleeping at the office is accepted, not like sleeping randomly, but more as like a nap to rejuvenate? Yeah, I feel like. I mean, some companies encourage you to take like a short nap, like 15 to 20 minute short nap, like a power nap. Yeah, really. So this is during working hours and they say that it's supposed to improve efficiency of your work.
Speaker 2:So wait, do they like put up a sign saying napping?
Speaker 1:no, they just put their heads down on their desk or they go to. Well, some companies have places where they can actually lay down and sleep or like maybe they're working too much yeah, that too maybe they need to reduce the hours, but instead of taking a nap, yeah, but you know, in spain they have siesta, so that's like a time that they take out of their daily lives for, like I think a few hours what's a siesta?
Speaker 1:like sleeping, napping sleep but they take like few hours out of their day, their working day. But wait, wait, wait, isn't this?
Speaker 1:the whole country, though the entire country, yeah, so everything shuts down, like even the stores and I have friends in spain, in mallorca, and when we visited them they actually said oh, it's nap time and they literally laid down to go to sleep. I mean, we were with them, two friends, and then their friends, they, we were outside somewhere and they were all napping and I was like, oh my gosh, this is real. It's like every, every day, every day yeah, so what if you're like?
Speaker 2:so they actually so. Do you know the exact hours of siesta? I don't 12 to 3 or something, I don't yeah something like this.
Speaker 1:But so they actually a lot of people leave the office and they come back to the office in the afternoon and they that's why their dinners are pushed back, because the working hours don't wrap up until later in the evening, but the people in Japan take naps at the office.
Speaker 3:I mean yeah some do.
Speaker 1:I mean, I used to take naps, but are the rooms like isolated from where you're working or what? What is this room? Well, my company didn't have a room like that, but I know that some companies do, and if they do, there's like a certain room specifically for people taking naps. Oh wow.
Speaker 2:What if, like someone, abuses the system and takes a nap? I'm sure some do.
Speaker 1:Every few hours, I'm sure a lot do.
Speaker 2:I mean, I guess at that point they should be fired. You already took two naps. You're on your third one today.
Speaker 1:I cannot see people in Japan to actually abuse system like this. No, I'm sure there's people who do that. I mean, I would, if you know, if I'm not getting caught.
Speaker 2:Somebody talk about this one.
Speaker 1:Godzilla is an official citizen of Japan, okay.
Speaker 2:How is that possible that Godzilla is an official citizen of Japan, is there?
Speaker 1:like I wonder if there's like an official address of where he lives. I have no idea.
Speaker 2:It's granted citizenship to its biggest resident yet, who only goes by one name Godzilla Godzilla Wait. His citizenship also came with a job offer. Godzilla became the tourism ambassador for the shinjuku ward, which is the least he can do, considering he has destroyed the region in three of his films oh my gosh wait.
Speaker 1:Now that I think about it, I I feel like I've seen godzilla in shinjuku you mean as a, like a sculpture, a citizen. You've seen the citizen. He has a citizen. No, yeah, as a sculpture, but is the sit okay? I have too many questions. Is the citizen like? Does it have a passport? I mean, how can it fit up? But it won't be able to fit on an airplane, right?
Speaker 2:yeah, but just to say he has one like a picture of Godzilla, like in the passport how old is he?
Speaker 1:yeah, what are the rights for this Godzilla? I don't know I bet he's. I feel like he's super old right because the movie's been around. Is he getting paid? Is he paying taxes, like what is he doing? I would like to know.
Speaker 2:I wonder how much he gets paid that's the least he can do because he's destroyed that's funny.
Speaker 1:I know that kit kats there are so many different flavors in your home and I feel like I see them also in some of the asian stores here not very like not all the flavors right some of them, but them. But, sumi, do you know like, can you name some of the flavors? I know I've seen, like green tea of course, but I feel like that's more in the common. What are some of the unique ones? Amazake Sake, Like sweet sake, yeah, sweet sake flavored.
Speaker 2:Whoa.
Speaker 1:I know there's cheesecake, so do you know if that contains alcohol or it's just the taste? I don't know.
Speaker 3:Probably the taste right.
Speaker 1:I mean, can you make alcohol, okay, alcoholic? Well, there are some snacks like chocolates that have alcohol in them. That's true. I was going to say so maybe. Yeah, like it oozes out chocolate with Okay Maybe.
Speaker 2:Yeah, but I know that kit kats are popular gifts. Yeah, like the, is it limited edition they come out, or is it year-round or available?
Speaker 1:I feel like there's two versions, so one is like um limited time and one is limited to specific region.
Speaker 2:Oh, that reminds me in the us, or was it just the us? I mean not us in japan, and I don't know if it's just in japan. No, I think they did it in the us too. Coca-cola did like um your name, right, like you can, oh yeah yeah on it. I think that was worldwide now that I think about it. I think it was here in the us too, although I don't think I would ever find my name in the US.
Speaker 1:The thing is I'll never find my name in Japan.
Speaker 2:For real, there's.
Speaker 1:Sumire. Right yeah, there's Sumire, but not Sumire, and I've never met someone whose name is.
Speaker 2:Sumire. Well, kaori and Tomomi are very common. But I mean nowadays it's like trendy for parents to name their kids like some foreign sounding names.
Speaker 1:Okay, I know that there's one of the names Pikachu. Pikachu is one of the names, like someone named their child Pikachu. Are you serious? And you can write it in the characters?
Speaker 2:I've heard that in the US someone with the last name Lee named their first child their child's name, brock, so it's Brock Lee poor thing, I know right Elon Musk's child's name is like symbols.
Speaker 1:That's so funny symbols like it's yeah, it's like it has symbols, and you know, it doesn't, I can't remember, I can't. It has a name. It's just like you can't pronounce it. Yeah, nobody. I feel like, oh, you mean, if you look at it, you just don't know how to pronounce it. It's like consisting symbols. How come? I didn't know about this.
Speaker 2:That's so weird, but I think he goes by X or something like that that is unique. Okay, that is unique, yes, that is unique, so you can't type his name, basically, unless you have those symbols.
Speaker 1:So here are some of the Kit Kat flavors Sakura mochi cherry blossom mochi flavor. Sakura sake yeah, ew. Cherry blossom sake flavor. Peach sake Ew. Cherry blossom sake flavor, peach parfait. Japanese plum Ocean salt. Ocean Sea salt.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Salt, lychee Salt and lemon, premium mint, ew, citrus mint, peach mint. Summer ice cream, cookies and cream. Ice cream, sweet potato.
Speaker 3:Chestnuts.
Speaker 1:Ew apple pie, apple cinnamon, cafe au lait, mont blanc milk tea, oh my gosh that's a lot of different flavors. I mean, it's kind of like um having like ice cream flavors, you know, in the us what have you tried to me?
Speaker 2:like any unique ones, kit kat you like the original. I just like the original matcha.
Speaker 1:You've tried matcha no, no, I don't like matcha.
Speaker 2:What Matcha flavored keke? Or yeah, what's wrong with you? No, matcha.
Speaker 1:I don't like anything matcha flavored, or I don't even like matcha. What Keiko?
Speaker 2:and Emika. I like green tea. Emika, emika, love matcha.
Speaker 1:I mean.
Speaker 2:I love green tea.
Speaker 3:Yeah, matcha is like a matcha.
Speaker 1:It's pure powder. I mean, it's too bitter for me. Yeah, I mean I understand if it's like matcha, like you actually drink it straight matcha because it is bitter. There's nothing added in which is definitely different than green tea, but you don't like flavored either.
Speaker 2:No, no, no, no, no. Like I don't like strawberries either. No, no, no, no. Like I don't like strawberries, but I like what you don't like strawberries. That is crazy. I don't care for strawberries too much too. I mean, I'll eat them, but I don't care for them too much. I'd rather have other berries like blackberries, blueberries, raspberries I mean I don't hate them, though I feel that way about bananas, like I don't care to eat bananas, but I I like banana-flavored things.
Speaker 2:Okay, I have to talk about another thing before we end it Crooked teeth are a fashion statement in Japan. Yes, anyone who has battled through the stigma of wearing braces.
Speaker 1:What was it?
Speaker 3:When the tooth is up here.
Speaker 1:I used to have it and I know that when I was growing up it was looked at as like cute thing.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it says. In Japan, however, there's a growing trend among young women for Yaiba Caps on the canines, which lends their smell kind of crowded, crooked appearance, yeah, so it's Yaiba.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's basically the way that my tooth was. It was just only on one side, it was above all the other teeth.
Speaker 2:Yeah yeah, yeah, so they removed it in the US right when you did braces I have big teeth with small mouth.
Speaker 1:And what they did was at the time I think I was 14, they basically looked at it and said, okay, we're going to just pull teeth out from uh, back of your, of your mouth.
Speaker 2:So they pulled four, two above to below, and then they basically pushed it down, okay yeah, keiko has the same problem like crowded for her small head too much, you know, and there's no room. So they had to extract some teeth.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so that's exactly what I did.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Okay, so the train delays in Japan doesn't happen very often and apparently it makes national headlines when it does, by probably even by a minute, is what I'm assuming. Sumi, I know that you take public transportation very often because you don't have driver's license, or you don't have a car that you drive particularly Well, I guess, because you don't have a license. But is that true? Like they're always on time? I think we talked about this briefly before.
Speaker 1:They are always on time. Yes, most of the time, but I guess if it's like five minutes late, that is a huge deal if it's five minutes late.
Speaker 2:Oh my goodness you're probably like wait, did I miss it when I blinked like did it for five?
Speaker 1:minutes or, like you know, the central places in Tokyo, then a train comes like every few minutes. So if you miss one train, I mean it's okay because there's another one coming. But if the one particular train is delayed, all the other you know the trains that's supposed to come after that train they're all delayed by five minutes, yeah.
Speaker 1:Which is not very much, but I guess that's considered delay and they issue official delay certificates that you can take to work or school to prove that it wasn't your fault for being late, it was the train's fault. Do you think that when you were in the office like they would really like watch what time you come in to the office, like were they very strict?
Speaker 2:well, the places I've worked in it's not very strict you can't blame the train for being late, because it's never late, boss, would be like you're lying sometimes it's delayed, oh yeah, yeah, but then you have to get like, but it's only like certificate, five minutes, I'm sure, like a doctor's note for train being late.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, where do you get these certificates? At the station you? Are excused for being late, but then there's a long line for getting that certificate. It causes more delay.
Speaker 2:Have you ever had to get one? Yeah? Multiple times, that's so funny Because you have to be on time at work too Well. You have to be on time at work too well. You have to be like 10 minutes before or before yeah so if you're on time, you better have that excuse note.
Speaker 1:Yep, geez but when did you have to get it? Like what situations?
Speaker 3:when the train was late. Doctors like when the train was late. What did you get it?
Speaker 1:for work, yeah, for work, I was oh my gosh, they better be issuing certificates and it's such a waste of time and paper to print all that. Such an effort. Yeah, but you know they have, like it's common for companies in Japan to have morning meetings like chōren, oh right, like where we all stand up and then we say, like, good morning, this is what we're going to be doing today. Blah, blah, blah. Oh yeah, if you're late for that.
Speaker 3:That's the whole company Right.
Speaker 1:Yeah, oh wow, if you walk in while they're doing that, it's so awkward, mm-hmm.
Speaker 3:Very interesting.
Speaker 2:Thanks for joining us today. Don't forget to review Sister Vibes and make sure to subscribe on the app of your choice so you don't miss our upcoming episodes. Until next time, Ja ne.
Speaker 3:Live with yourself and all of these games you play. I should have seen through it Right from the start, but I chose to give it all away and now I'm sitting here, broken hearted, want to come and give me a break, cause I've been waiting for so long for someone to rescue me. And if you continue to hold my heart.
