71. Can Coffee / Hot Pet
Japanese vending machines have hot / cold coffee in cans. It tastes terribly but hardcore salary men can drink it.
72. Omiyage
Omiyage means souvenir. Japanese people are souvenir crazy. Every region of Japan has dozens of must-have local souvenirs. It's not uncommon for people to buy a dozen souvenirs on a weekend trip.When you travel you're expected to bring omiyage into the office for everyone to enjoy.
73. Ama
Ama are free diving Japanese pearl collectors. They're all women. They were a topic of much interest in the West for many years because they dove wearing only a loin cloth (up until the 1960s).These days Ama is a dying art. There are few practitioners under 50.
74. Japanese Desserts
Japan has hundreds of varieties of traditional desserts.
75. Sake
Beer is the most popular drink in Japan. Sake is a close second. There are hundreds of varieties. It's available in tiny bottles, regular bottles, giant bottles and drums.
76. Valentines Day / White Day
The great thing about Japan is how they can take something Western and make it completely Japanese. In Japan, Valentines Day is split into two days.On Valentines Day only women buy gifts. A month later on March 14th men reciprocate. This is called White Day.
77. Japanese Snacks and Candy
Japanese snacks and candy brands release new flavors every season. It's hard to keep up with the dizzying variety of Japanese snacks. One thing that's really cool is that ingredients are often natural (chemical food colorings etc. are rare).Sometimes they have quirky engrish names.
78. Bento
Bento are Japanese lunch boxes. Historically they served a practical purpose — people packed them for long journeys. Samurai had special bento techniques. Bento were part of the essential preparations for battle.Today, Bento are still popular with school children, workers (for lunch), travelers and lazy people. Recently, Kyaraben (character bento) is a popular trend amongst young school children. Everyone school kid wants a super cute bento.
79. Golden Week
Perhaps it's the Japanese sense of team spirit — Japanese workers are often hesitant to take personal holidays (when coworkers are still at work). As a result, Japanese companies have a tradition of shutting down for major holidays such as Golden Week (to force workers to take their holidays).Golden week is travel chaos.
80. Yosakoi
Yosakoi is a modern variation of a traditional Japanese dance. It has become popular all over Japan with hundreds of festivals and competitions each year. Virtually every school and university has a team. There are also many community teams.
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