Restaurants

By restaurants, I'm talking about places comparable to Friday's, Denny's and Red Lobster, I've never gotten to eat at anywhere more pricey than that, so that is what I am basing my comparisons on and there are many big differences between restaurants in America and Japan.

First off if you are in the US and happen to pass a Friday's, unless you've eaten there before, you really have no idea what sort of food they serve or their prices until you walk in the door, sit down and browse through the menu, that's just bad business. I can't tell you how many places in New Jersey that I've never eaten at just because I had no idea of what the prices were like and I am always on a fixed budget and didn't want to have the hostess seat us only to find that the food was way too expensive for me. That problem doesn't happen in Japan because all you have to do is take a look at the window as you walk by the restaurant, they have fake props of food (which still look delicious) with the name and price right under it. Nothing is left to chance!

Another big difference at restaurants in Japan is that you don't tip. Ever. In the US you are expected to leave a 10-15% tip for the waitress, sometimes it is already added into the bill! Here in Japan you never tip anyone, not your waitress, not your cab driver, not the bell boy, no one. If you leave money on the table out of habit; more than likely, the waitress will chase after you thinking that you forgot your money.

Some restaurants in Japan are very Western and serve Western-style food in a Western-style atmosphere, but there are some places in Japan where you are expected to take off your shoes before you enter. How can you tell the difference? You'll notice the big shoe locker in the vestibule on your way in, you can't miss it. And if I do, I always have my wife to yell at me.

My sneakers barely fit in those lockers, though, and you know what they say about guys with big feet.