Things I didn't know about Japan before I got here

I'm a huge fan of Japan. For years before I got here, I studied it, read about it, lived it, breathed it, ate it, mostly through what I saw in anime and manga. So when I finally got here, I didn't really experience the type of culture shock that most new arrivals do. I knew everything already, right?
Japan can be wacky, and many books and webpages are dedicated to the wackiness, but there're just some aspects of daily life that are just aren't talked about because for people here, it's just common sense.

Everyone parks for action.
Yes, everyone backs in when they park their cars. They say its easier to leave. I think it's harder to do. I'm usually running a little late, so that extra minute or 2 it takes to back in would be maddening for me.
I admit I do it sometimes, though. My excuses: my car is small and easy to maneuver and parking lots here are often too small for backing out.

Women are vampires.
They fear the sun. Once summer rolls around, despite 35℃ weather with 80% humidity, all women over 30 are covered head-to-toe with hats, visors, (no sunglasses, that's rude), neck scarves, long sleeves & pants, and long gloves.
Japan is still very much an agrarian society, so, much like classical Europe, pale skin is considered beautiful. It means that you are not a laborer, working under the hot sun, getting tanned.

The lengths they go to are far worse than any goth I've ever known. I have to be careful when buying skin cream because many have "whitening" agents, and it's hard to find sunscreen with less than 5oSPF. (I've seen as high as 200SPF.)

True story: I once saw a woman power-walking around the lake. She was totally dressed in white workout gear, gloves, etc. But under her giant hat she had a towel tied around her head so that it hung down around her face and neck. It was tied in the front so she could see through the flaps, but her face was completely covered. Totally crazy.*

Tabasco sauce is Italian.
If you order spaghetti or pizza at a restaurant, you will be given a bottle of Tabasco sauce as a condiment.
On the subject, it's rare to find any kind of pasta other than spaghetti at an Italian restaurant. No fettuccini, linguini, ravioli, or lasagne. :(

More to come...



* This actually creeped me out a lot. It stuck me as a giant step back for women's equality here. This woman was wearing what amounted to a burqua but of her own volition (rather than having it imposed on her by religion or government) out of a desire to adhere to society's standards of beauty. This makes the ganguro style so much more revolutionary and counter-culture to me.