You Know You Are In Japan When ...

It seems every foreigner that lives in Japan notices a few things that either mystify, defy common sense or are just really interesting. So, in case you ever wake up and have no idea where you are, well, you know you are in Japan when ...

... you see ceramic, badger-like mascots with outrageously large testicals greeting you at the entrance to noodle shops
... one of the most popular drinks is called Calpis
... the women give birth after 10 months (according to them)
... people are convinced that the green traffic lights are actually blue
... an entire region of the country is known as the kinki region
... most of the women intentionally walk pigeon-toed
... Ronald MacDonald is called Donald MacDonald
... you see police cars and ambulances waiting at traffic signals, even though their lights are flashing
... the drivers will almost always reverse into a parking spot, even if it is an angle parking spot, which completely defeats the purpose of angle parking
... there is one vending machine for every 23 people and you may see them selling anything from rhinocerous beetles (sold as pets) to used underwear (don't even ask) - this is not an exaggeration.
... everything will be relatively clean, yet it is nearly impossible to find a garbage can.

Ok, that is all for now. I will try and add things to this as I recall them. I`ve had this blog in the pipeline for nearly a month now, but due to the overwhelming pressure I`ve had from my adoring public (I`ve had 2 comments about it, which is enough to consider at minimum whlelming, if not, in fact, overwhelming) I am submitting this post. Feel free to make suggestions for some of the countless entries I missed.

Anyway, the folks are coming from the 18th-26th of November so I am sure to have lots of international incidents resulting from my mom hugging too many people she doesn`t know. It should be fun.