英会話スクール・英会話教室【NOVA大宮西口校】日本とオーストラリアの違いって？🐨

As an Australian that moved to Japan seven months ago, I have experienced many differences in the culture and day-to-day life of the two countries. This has been both exciting and challenging. Below are the four differences that I have found most surprising and interesting.

1. Separating Trash
Coming from Australia, the most difficult thing to get used to was the different method of trash separation in Japan. In Australia, we only have two classifications for trash; Recycle and Non-Recycle. Both kinds are picked up on the same day, once per week. We are also given large, plastic bins with a lid. As such, there is no risk of crows, so we can put our trash out the night before, and do not need to get up early in the morning. In Japan, I initially found it difficult to accurately separate the many different kinds of trash, as well as wake up early enough to arrive before the trash pickup.

2. Later Schedules
As a night owl, one of my favorite things about Japan is that people tend to keep much later schedules. It is quite common for Australian people to wake up as early as 6 am on a regular day. This means that cafes and shops are often open very early in the morning. Conversely, it is very common for retail stores to close at 5 pm on a weekday, and for restaurants to close before 9 pm. I like to keep a late schedule, so it makes me extremely happy that I can eat a hearty ramen meal as late as 2 am.

3. The Humidity
As I write this, I am currently experiencing my first summer in Japan. Although it is only early July, the heat and humidity are already quite severe. Australia is quite a warm country, and occasionally humid, but not nearly as extreme as Japan. As a result, I must sleep with the air-conditioning, wear cooling undershirts, and do laundry much more frequently than usual. I see many Japanese people use umbrellas for sun protection, in addition to small, personal fans. Both of which are uncommon in Australia.

4. Bicycles on the Sidewalk
In Australia, it is illegal for people to ride a bicycle on the sidewalk.
All cyclists must ride on the road next to cars. As such, I am not used to looking out for bicycles when I am walking down the street. At first, it was quite frightening to see cyclists flying by me when I was listening to music and could not hear them approaching. But after several months, I grew used to the rhythms of Japanese streets.

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