Mega List of Questions

I have created a page containing all of the many (many) questions i have regarding Japan/Japanese culture. When they have been answered, I will add the answer next to them.  They are more simple, sentence or less (factoidy) answer questions, rather than paragraph long questions.

Feel free (actually, i encourage) adding a comment to this page containing your own questions. Or go ahead and e-mail them to me at colin@colininjapan.com. There is a better chance your question will ultimatly be answered if you send the question to me before I leave on the 12th of March so I have the most time and oppertunities to seek the answer to your question.

I’m going to update the list now and then

Unless noted, please don’t contact me/message me with answers to my questions. I want to find out on my own :)

And I already somewhat know the answers to several of these questions. I’m just throwing them in for the heck of those who don’t know the answer :)

I updated this list and divided the questions into catagories. Some questions fit under multiple catagories and I put them in the catagory that fit best.

Most of these questions are questions I’ve either thought up myself (the basic questions), been asked by others (some of the more “exotic” questions) or questions that have come up in conversation.

Last update: (February 24th 2009: Japan Itself)

General Japanese Routine:

· When do the Japanese generally go to bed?

· When do the Japanese generally wake up (weekday)?

· What’s the typical morning routine like?

· What’s the typical form of morning transport to school and such?

· What’s the typical breakfast like?

· Do the Japanese eat a snack when they get home (from school?

· Do the Japanese do their homework right away, or do they save it for, i.e, after dinner?

· How long does the typical Japanese dinner last?

· Do the Japanese generally converse while they eat, or do they eat in silence?

· When does the average Japanese kid do his chores?

· Do the Japanese eat a snack when they get home (from school?

· Do the Japanese do their homework right away, or do they save it for, i.e, after dinner?

· How long does the typical Japanese dinner last?

· Do the Japanese generally converse while they eat, or do they eat in silence?

· When does the average Japanese kid do his chores?

· Is there any late-evening activities?

· When is the typical Japanese bedtime?

· Does the average Japanese person have evening bedtime activities? (No, not like that. I mean does the average Japanese person read in bed, maybe listen to music, etc.)

· Does the average Japanese person share a bedroom with a sibling/family member?

· What time does a Japanese person wake up on the weekend?

· What does the average person do on a weekend morning?

· What does the average person do the rest of the weekend?

· Does the average Japanese person attend religious services?

· When does the average Japanese person incorporate physical activity?

Eating & Diet:

· What’s the typical breakfast like?

· What is the typical school lunch like?

· Do most kids eat warm or cold lunches?

·  What’s the typical Japanese weekend lunch like?

·  What’s the typical Japanese dinner like?

·  What’s the typical Japanese snack (if any) like?

School in Japan:

· At what time do Japanese schools generally start?

· What do the Japanese do when they are waiting for school to start? (i.e: study, talk with friends, etc.)

· How do the Japanese generally start there school morning?

· Is there any sort of morning breaks/activities?

· What doe s a Japanese student do when they wish to go to bathroom, or get a drink of water?

· When is the typical Japanese lunch during the schoolday?

· What extra things to the Japanese do while they eat lunch? (i.e: Talk with friends, study, etc.)

· How are classes organized?

· Do they engage in only note-taking oriented schooling, or is there interactive learning as well, such as science labs, etc.?

· How do the Japanese end their school day?

· Do the Japanese generally hang around after school, or do they go directly home or to their next destination?

· What sorts of extra curricular activities are offered?

· Which sorts of clubs are offered?

·  How many hours of homework does the average Japanese person have?

Bathing:

· (I know the average Japanese takes bathes instead of showers) When do they generally take their baths?

· What does a person do to in order to take a bath in a Japanese home? (i.e, do they undress in one room, bathe in another, etc.)

· How long does the average Japanese person take a bath?

· Does the average Japanese family take their bathes alone, or do they take their bathes as a family?

· What is the average routine post-bath? (i.e, do they change into a robe and lounge, change immediatly into their clothes, etc.)

· Do the Japanese bathe everyday? Or do they do it several times a week instead?

·  What’s it like to bathe at a public bathe?

·  What’s it like to bathe at  a hot spring?

Friendship and Relationships

· Do the Japanese ever hang out with friends? Or do they prefer hanging out with them perhaps at school and then save their free time for hobbies or schoolwork?

· Are Japanese groups of friends generally single-gendered or multi-gendered?

· Do the Japanese date in High School?

· Where (if anywhere) do the Japanese people like to Hangout?

Personal Appearance:

· What does the fashionable Japanese guy wear?

· What does the average guy wear?

· What type of underwear does the average Japanese guy where?

· What does the fashionable Japanese girl wear?

· What does the average Japanese girl wear?

· How many School Uniforms does the average kid have?

· What are the most common colors people dye their hair?

· Do the Japanese use Axe body spray?

· Do the Japanese care about wearing brand name products?

· How often do the Japanese get haircuts?

· Do the Japanese change into normal clothes after school or keep their uniforms on?

Japanese Ideologies:

·  Are the Japanese more quiet and contemplative or are they more outgoing and talkative?

·  To what extent does the average Japanese person value their family?

·  To what extent does the average Japanese person value their community?

·  To what extent does the average Japanese person value their friends?

·  To what extent does the average Japanese person value education?

·  Is it true the Japanese are much more open to Nudity?

Being a foreigner in Japan:

·  How would you say you’ve been treated as a foreigner in Japan?·

·  How would you say you’ve been treated as an American in Japan?

·  Has there ever been any moments where there as been conflict ado about the fact America and Japan were at war around 6o years ago?  Or does it seem that it’s all in the past now?

·  What sorts of things have the Japanese assumed of you as an American?

·  What sorts of things have the Japanese thought about your height? (For those of you who don’t know, I’m really tall)

·  Ado with the public bathing, has it ever been awkward bathing at a public bath considering not only the fact you’re Caucasian but also that you’re really tall?

Japan Itself:

· What are the roads/streets like in Japan?

· Are the roads very colorful and vibrant?

· Is there a lot of nature or not so much?

Random:

·  Do the Japanese actually frequently car race? (i, e, Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift)

Will update with more later…