Won't Miss #463 - baker unfriendly butter

Image from Meg Milk's Snow Brand butter page. 

This is one of those dumb little things that probably matters more to me than nearly anyone else for a variety of reasons, but it remains a personal point nonetheless. I lived in Japan long enough to leave extended tourist mode and live a normal life. Part of normal life for me is cooking and baking for myself. One of the things about butter sold in Japan is that it is sold in big foil-wrapped 200 gram (1 cup) blocks. Sometimes you could buy a variety with some markings on the foil to allow you to awkwardly cut a tablespoon out, but most of the time there was nothing at all. I had forgotten that butter in America comes in stick and half-stick sizes with clear tablespoon markings along the package to make it quick and easy to measure for baking. Even if you bake by weight, it's still easier to manage sticks than one large wad. Also, if you use butter as a spread, you don't have to handle a large amount or leave it out in the butter dish all at once if you have small individually wrapped portions. In fact, given what fans the Japanese are of wrapping small amounts, this remained on of the few things which did not come in convenient smaller sizes.  

Though many things in Japan are arranged for maximum consumer convenience, the lack of a strong baking culture meant the butter wasn't one of them and I won't miss it. 

Will Miss #345 - recycling pick-up trucks

If you want to throw out a large electronic item in Japan, you have several options, and most of them will cost you. One is to contact the local government and pay them to remove it. Another is to contact the manufacturer of your item and pay them even more to have it removed. Finally, if you're having the large item replaced, you can pay even more to have the store that is delivering the new item to cart away the old one. If you're a little patient, however, you have a shot at unloading such items for free. Trucks seeking certain types of discarded electronic items drive around Tokyo asking you to surrender your junk. They'll take those items and recycle them either by stripping the materials and parts or by fixing them up and reselling them. It's convenient  because they're right at your door, and it's also free.

I'll miss the way in which these trucks make disposing of large items easy and cost-free.

Won't Miss #314 - low ceilings and doorways

Compare the height of these guys to the door behind them. You get an idea of the general height, though this isn't the best picture to illustrate my point.

I learned recently that my husband and I are each of absolutely average height for Americans at 5' 9" (175 cm.) and 5' 4" (162.5 cm) respectively. That means we are neither rather tall nor short. The ceilings in Japan aren't a problem for us when it comes to bumping our heads, though they can be so for taller Western folks. However, they are low enough to cause other problems even for those of average height. In particular, the lighting fixtures end up hanging down so low that one move with your arms can send them swinging madly. Since the fixtures are in the middle of small rooms with little free space, my husband in particular finds himself whacking the paper lantern or the strings hanging from smoke alarms from the mere act of moving his arms to put on a shirt. I often snag such things while messing with the vacuum cleaner hose, especially if I'm doing the required "vacuum the walls" business in Tokyo*.

I won't miss the low ceilings and doorways.


*You're supposed to do this because of the air pollution and to keep things cleaner for your air conditioner; I was once chastised by an AC repairman for not vacuuming my walls enough.

Will Miss #104 - convenient packaging

Rice being sold in a 200 gram (7 oz.) package that can be snapped in half for 100 gram (3.5 oz.) servings.

Most things in Japan are packaged with the customers' convenience and lifestyle preferences in mind rather than efficiency. This is handy if you're the type of person who prefers to eat things in small portions or takes a long time to use something up. Often cookies come individually wrapped so that you don't have to worry about air getting into the bag or repeatedly exposing the contents to germs each time you dip into it. Such convenient packaging isn't perfect (air does slowly get into the sealed individual packages, too), but it does discourage over-eating and keeps things cleaner.

I'll miss this convenient packaging and the (good) effect it has on my eating habits.