- [Narrator] Japan is a
country unlike any other, and with its vast
technological advancements, crazy customs and unusual products, it can seem like a
totally bewildering place for any non-citizen. From wacky fruit to dinosaur hotels, here are some photos
proving why it's so hard to understand Japan. - Amazing. - [Narrator] It's no secret that Japan is leaps and bounds ahead
of the Western world when it comes to technology. And most aspects of daily life
have been improved somehow by innovation, even some
public restrooms like this one have been upgraded with a handy system telling you exactly how many
stalls are free at one time. It's like car parking
map but for your butt. If that wasn't enough,
red and green lights also let you know which
stalls are good to go, and the map even indicates
which contain Japanese or Western style toilets, disabled toilets and even ones with baby change facilities. This virtual toilet choosing facility might not seem all that necessary, but most Japanese restrooms
also have the option to play nature sounds to
keep your business private. Now that's clever. You'd be surprised to learn that restrooms aren't the only place you might find a public toilet in Japan. If you end up in a sticky situation on your way to work in the morning, you can just pop a squat on
this handy elevator potty. Just kidding, this should
only be used in an emergency. Seriously, emergency
elevator toilets like these can double up as a little break stool during your regular journey, and if you do happen
to get trapped inside, then it also contains
all the necessary tools like drinking water, an emergency light, toilet paper and deodorant,
which could be vital if you're gonna be stuck there for awhile. Japan is the vending machine
capital of the world, and it isn't just guilty snacks and drinks you can pick up on the go. If you're low on fish broth, shopping bags or even fresh farmhouse eggs, then these handy machines
have got you covered. Something like this might be far from an everyday sight for most of us, but just think how
convenient this would be to save you running to the
store for just one item. Have you ever seen a
watermelon like this one? When it comes to strange
food of the world, Japan is definitely top of the list. And there's a pretty lucrative market for wacky designer fruit pioneered by the infamous Japanese
greengrocer Sembikiya. They produce fruit in
all kinds of weird shapes in very limited numbers,
including square, pyramid and heart-shaped
watermelons or giant grapes, which are usually given as
gifts or used as ornaments, hence the pink bow. Don't be fooled into
tucking in too soon though, as these watermelons
often don't taste as good as the regular kind and they can sell for a whopping $25,000 a piece. Square melons aren't the
only unusual variation you might encounter in Japan, and it seems nothing is
safe from being branded with the all too familiar
face of Hello Kitty with cantaloupes like this one on sale. These adorable melons hit
Japanese markets in 2016 and each cost around an
eye watering $69 each. To achieve the effect, the
beloved whiskered faces are carved into the
exterior flesh of the melon about a month before being harvested. By the time the cantaloupes ripen in July, the shape will be etched
into the fruit's rind by its natural netting. Just imagine the potential
of these luxury fruits. There are plenty of weird
and wonderful places to stay in Japan, including
popular capsule hotels which are definitely not
suited for claustrophobics. But one of the most unusual
has to be the Henn Na Hotel in Tokyo Bay, which literally
means The Strange Hotel. So what's so strange about it? On your arrival, you won't be greeted by a human receptionist, but
two charismatic velociraptors in amusing tiny hats. The Henn Na was declared the
world's first robot hotel after opening its first branch in 2017, and its creator Hideo Sawada insists they're not just gimmicks, but a serious effort to use technology to achieve efficiency. After being checked in
by the friendly dinos, you might watch the fully robotic fish swimming about for awhile before
checking out your own room, which also comes with
a mini robot assistant. This hotel shows just
how scarily close we are to living in an IRL
"Black Mirror" episode. The Henn Na might rely
on animatronic staff, but this grocery store
selling fresh produce requires no staff at all. In fact, you can pick whatever
you want off the shelves as long as you remember
to leave the correct cash in the jar. This level of trust is definitely a credit to the Japanese culture, because an unmanned store like this definitely wouldn't stand a
chance in most Western cities without all the produce,
cash or both being stolen. Alien crop circles have got nothing on these incredible
artistic scenes created in Japanese rice paddy fields. Anyone who's seen the
classic Audrey Hepburn film "Roman Holiday" would have no trouble spotting this and
memorable scene a mile off, which is probably about as
far away as you'd need to be to be able to see it in full. This incredible art form requires farmers to plant rice of various types and colors to create picture perfect scenes when viewed from the right angle. Just imagining the amount
of pre-planning involved is enough to make your brain hurt. There's no shortage of
fun activities to do while visiting Tokyo. You could visit a relaxing cat cafe, hunt down the most
beautiful cherry blossoms, or you could dress up as your
favorite Mario Kart characters and go racing down the highway. Wait, what? With the company Street Kart, you can don a colorful costume, take the driver's seat
in a custom built go-kart and see Tokyo's best
sites right in the midst of the busy traffic, as long as you have an
approved driver's license. It's hard to imagine seeing
something like this in America. But what better way to scorch
the tarmac with friends than while dressed as Mario himself. Just watch out for those
pesky banana peels. Uber drivers pimp their cars with all sorts of creative ways to ensure that five-star rating. But how would you feel
about this handy button which is guaranteed to make
your ride slower than usual? It may seem crazy to Westerners, but this so-called Turtle Taxi is actually a pretty
successful system in Japan. It was created by the Sanwa Koutsu group who first trialed it on 10 cars, but soon expanded it due
to the popular demand from elderly citizens, tourists and passengers with young children. Pushing the button notifies the driver to make no sharp turns and to drive at a more leisurely pace. Pretty neat, right? This photo might look like a still taken from a dystopian movie moments
before a robot uprising, but it's actually a pretty
monumental breakthrough in the world of healthcare. Robot potential has been
explored for the greater good many times before, and this
particularly friendly face to 140 kilogram mechanoid known as Robear has been developed to assist Japan's rapidly aging population. Robear is capable of
lifting patients out of beds and into wheelchairs, and its developers hope it could be instrumental in minimizing the strain put
on nurses and caregivers. Some countries have a national animal, New Zealand has the kiwi,
England has the lion and so on. And although Japan's official
animal mascot is the koi, there is another more surprising
Japanese animal superstar, the capybara. The world's biggest
rodent can now be found in around 59 parks across Japan where it's common to find them hanging out in some of the country's many hot springs. This strange custom gained
popularity around 1982 when a zoo worker found a
group of resident capybaras hanging around a pool of
hot water used for cleaning. The critters love nothing
more than a hot bath surrounded by citrus fruit. Can you imagine a custom like
this in your home country? If you live in a big city
like New York or London, public transport is probably
not your favorite thing. Being packed in tightly with
dozens of other passengers can be a seriously unpleasant
start to your morning. And in Japan, the subway is so notorious that ya might even encounter
one of these signs. Certain train carriages during rush hour are reserved for women only use, which have been implemented across Tokyo to keep female passengers
safe during peak travel times. This system was designed to tackle a growing groping
epidemic by perverts, or chikan on Japanese public transport. So taking one of these
specially labeled carriages guarantees a safer journey. Why hasn't the rest of
the world caught up yet? Airports can be depressing
and boring places to hang around in, but this wish wall in Tokyo's Haneda Airport is definitely an
interesting and touching way to make your short stay worthwhile. The vending machine in this image dispenses the little wooden cards which people can use to write
well-wishes for safe travel, prosperity or success before
hanging them on the wish wall. The world needs more customs like this. How many times have you excitedly ordered something cool -looking off the menu, only for it to arrive looking nothing like the promotional image or ad you saw on TV. Well, if you live in Japan, the chances are that familiar
sense of disappointment is far less common. In fact, it seems like expectations almost always match up with reality when ordering food and drink in Japan. And if you're a Starbucks fan, these photos probably seem
almost too good to be true. If you're sick of getting
served something like this while daring to try something new, then Japan is definitely the place to be. It can be hard to comprehend
just how much waste large cities produce without
seeing it for yourself. And at this diner in Japan,
you can watch masses of trash being processed right before your eyes as you tuck into your lunch. The Musashino waste plant, which opened the unique bar in 2019, offers diners a one-of-a-kind
eating experience by separating them and the
enormous garbage-eating cranes by a single pane of glass. Plant owners hope the
experience will educate visitors on the amount of work required to process such large amounts of waste which will make them more conscious about their own disposal habits. Surely the smell alone
would be powerful enough to put you off your lunch. Any shopping trip in Japan is
bound to be unlike any other, and some products seem
so out of the ordinary, it's hard to believe they
exist in the first place. Check out these single-use
underpants, for example. Can you imagine coming across these in your local supermarket? And for the price of
less than $1.50 at that. Come to think of it, these could actually come in pretty handy in a number of emergency situations. So I guess it could be worth stocking up until this handy creation
makes its way overseas. Feeling peckish in Japan is no issue, because there's a multitude
of wacky snacks for you to try which you're unlikely
to find anywhere else. One of the most popular quick bites you might find on the streets
is the cucumber on a stick, which is exactly what it sounds like. Street vendors sell the
popular and affordable food as a refreshing snack which
has been chilled in ice and sometimes even soaked
and lightly pickled in lemon juice. As the growing obesity
epidemic takes hold, do you think this healthy ice lolly could catch on elsewhere? In the modern world, we expect to be digitally connected 24/7, so a large-scale network
malfunction could spell disaster for any business with paying
customers to account for. The Palace Hotel in Tokyo was so concerned about their patrons losing
touch with the virtual world that they sent out this letter of apology after a Wi-Fi shortage
lasting a total of one minute. As if that wasn't going above
and beyond enough already, get this, the minor internet
blip occurred at 4:00 AM, so the chances of guests
noticing were pretty slim. Nevertheless, this is a firm
reminder of the thoughtful and modest culture of Japan. The rest of the world should take note. Dog grooming is a booming
market all over the world, and the most preened and
perfect pups can win big bucks at international competitions. But there is one grooming craze in Japan which hasn't quite caught
on elsewhere, the cube dog. Believe it or not, this
is actually a real dog, not some digitally rendered
Minecraft-style canine. Dog lovers at the Tokyo dog show have been grooming their pooches with an extreme geometric clip to turn them into perfectly angular pets. Just imagine one of these
walking down the street. Have you ever visited Japan and experienced any of
these things for yourself, or do you know of any other
amazing Japanese customs I left out? Let me know in the comments down below, and thanks for watching. (light music)
