10 photos from Japan that prove it's mastering the art of living well

Japan is a famous destination which is popularly known for its high-end technology. It's natural landscape lure travellers from across the world with cherry blossoms in spring, maples in autumn, and beautiful snow-capped peaks in winter. Japan is also known greatly for deep hospitality and the pursuit of ikigai, which means life’s meaningful purpose. It showcases how to perfectly blend ancient traditions with new innovation. If you are curious to know how, read on to find out more.

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Japan has beautiful drawings and paintings made on the manholes, which depict the local imagery, culture, or landmarks of Japan. These designs are made to make the streets of Japan even more beautiful than they already are and to attract more visitors.
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Japanese train stations have efficient customer support systems. Whenever a traveller is facing an issue and requires assistance, they can press the ‘help’ or ‘call’ button, and shockingly, rather than an intercom support, a staff member will pop out by sliding a concealed panel near the machine and help resolve any issue. This is a helpful and surprising element of the train stations in Japan.

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The train and subway cars have women-only cars to combat sexual harassment on crowded trains, making a more comfortable environment. These cars are available during morning and evening rush hours and have clear pink or purple signs on the train platform.

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Airline employees apologize by bowing to the passengers when there is a delay or disruption, as it is a deep-rooted part of their culture that they express respect, gratitude, or apology by bowing in front of the other person. This extends to the airline industry here as well to show a sincere gesture of regret and respect for the customer’s inconvenience.

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Street canals in the city of Shimabara have koi fish swimming in them, as the water is crystal-clear spring water. These canals are filtered spring streams that were purposely built across the country, but these are not ordinary street drains all over Japan. They gracefully swim in the current of the water and are a tourist attraction.

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This junction was opened in June 2007 and connects the Chūō Expressway with the peripheral Ken‑Ō Expressway. The construction of this highway was according to Hachioji’s mountainous terrain. Rather than flattening the land, they made elevated ramps and tunnels around the mountain. These are tight curves and multi-level ramps that help connect two ways with a unique architectural design.

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If you ever visit Japan, you will witness the adorable touches they give to their kindergarten buses. These buses are actually real and are designed to look like beloved characters such as Pikachu, Doraemon, Hello Kitty, pandas, puppies, and cats. These buses are designed in this way to help reduce anxiety of the young children going to school, away from their parents for the first time. This helps distract them and make their school journey more fun.

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Japanese hospitals are praised for their quality and nutritious approach. They focus on nutrition management, and each patient’s diet is made accordingly. In many hospitals, especially in maternity wards, it is considered that they serve gourmet-style dishes that mostly resemble food made in restaurants, including fish, salads, soups, and desserts like tiramisu or fruit. Some hospitals in Japan have partnered with professional chefs to give both tasty and recovery-focused nutrition to their patients.

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This is a well-established custom in Japan that ground staff lines up near the aircraft to bow and wave to the departing aircraft. This is a very heart-warming gesture that shows respect for the passengers, as well as being a sign of wishing everyone a safe journey ahead.

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Cleanliness is a deep-rooted cultural belief in Japan. It is considered to have spotless public places, and even restrooms at Tokyo train stations and streets are far cleaner than the cleanliness standards in other countries. From schooling itself, this is instilled in the minds of children to be disciplined and have basic civic responsibility to not litter in public spaces.

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