Places to go and things to try in Japan, or from Japan, from simple sushi to Dinosaur Robot Reception At Hotel Henn Na

Japanese flag

Let us start with what is widely available, worldwide. In Singapore the local supermarkets such as cold storage have a whole counter of sushi, whilst in the UK you might get just one or two choices.  

Sushi from Fairprice supermarket in Singapore. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

Secrets of Sushi

When I first tried sushi, I used to opt for the ones with pink fish. I thought it was smoked salmon, which in England often comes from Scotland. I thought the Japanese sushi followed their principle of bland food, 'very subtle flavour', which means that the Japanese don't have bad breath and don't need deodorant. (Contrast bland Japanese food with delicious, flavoursome, spicy Indian food, which can be overwhelming to or from some diners.)

Only when a guest from Indonesia refused to eat what I thought was a treat, did I discover what my sushi was another fish, not smoked, but raw fish. My friend recoiled and said, 'I never eat raw fish!'

Varieties of sushi readily available from supermarkets in Singapore are those with egg topping. Or eel. Or shellfish. Or mock shellfish. Since I am allergic to shellfish, I stick to the fish which looks like smoked salmon. 

If you are okay with shellfish, and actually enjoy it, you can buy what looks like a cone  of snack food. We have found the secret of sticking to a diet whilst still eating rice. Choose sushi. We eat three pieces of sushi with salad. Portion control. Quite filling. You are less likely to overdo the rice, as you would if you cooked it yourself or went to an Indian restaurant where they generously dole out unlimited amounts. 

At lunch time you might want to go without alcohol, like the Americans, because it sends you to sleep. Spirits have a high alcoholic content. I used to think that those tiny bottles of Saki, with the tiny cups, were a bit mean. Then, later in my life, I discovered that sake is rice wine and highly alcoholic. You don't want to drink a lot because it would quickly make you drunk and send you to sleep.

Bargains

Sometimes, towards the end of the day, the prices of sushi in supermarkets are reduced. 

HENN Na HOTELS

Henn na means weird in Japanese. These hotels are highly automated with robots in the shape of dinosaurs operating the front desks and real staff hidden behind the scenes if the technology goes wrong. You can find them in Tokyo, Osaka in Japan, as well as other countries such as Turkey. Read the reviews on Tripadvisor and elsewhere.They are all automated budget hotels, and , to my mind best suited to families with children who like dinosaurs.

Toilets

If you are out and about in Tokyo look for transparent toilets. You can see if they are unoccupied, and clean. When you go inside, they stop being transparent. You hope!

In hotels and homes you will possibly find bidet toilets. I have seen these in Changi airport and some hotels and museums in Singapore.

Another idea is basins for hand washing agove toilets, or insdet in the toilet lid.

From Wikipedia

Funny Fridges

 Homes in Japan might have other gadgets, such as a walking fridge, from Panasonic.

Useful Websites

 https://za.investing.com/magazine/brilliant-inventions-that-only-exist-in-japan/

https://knaviation.net/henn-na-hotel-tokyo-haneda-review/