Actually, you can find just about anything you want in Japan because there are just so many stores here. It's ridiculous. But, there are some things that I wish were more readily available, such as:
water fountains--I don't even know when the last time was that I drank out of a water fountain. In the school here, they have these trench like watering stations every fifty feet in the hallways. The faucets swivel, so can turn upwards creating a "kind of" water fountain. Even on the outside, in the train stations, at the parks, etc, there aren't any water fountains. It's probably a big conspiracy between the govt. and the bottling companies to get you buy more soda. As we all know there are uku-million vending machines all over the streets, even in the most remote places of Japan. Maybe people here are paranoid about people "sucking pipe" or something, but they would rather buy a drink with a sealed cap than drink from a water fountain. I never really thought about this until this year when I head into my new elementary school for the first time and see something that I haven't seen for about four years--a water fountain. There is one water fountain in this school, and I drink from it everyday. I gotta line up with the first graders, but it's worth it.
Paper towels--Everyone in Japan carries a handkerchief or kleenex because if you don't, you'll have palm prints on your pants after you go to the bathroom. They don't have paper towels in the bathrooms here. Most of the time, they'll have one of those hand blower machines if you go to the bathroom in a hotel or department store, but just a regular old bathroom, you'll have to be happy with air dry or wiping them on your pants.
Trash cans--I have since learned that after the sarin gas attacks in the subway, they took away all the public rubbish cans. If you're walking around the city, and you just drank one those 500ml sodas that the govt. forces you to buy because of lack of water fountains, you'll have no wear to dispose of the bottle because there aren't any rubbish cans around. Not even in parks. That's why I have developed the sixth sense of spotting a convenience store at a quarter mile away. Convenience stores always have three rubbish cans out in front for customers: a burnable garbage, a non-burnable garbage, and a plastic bottle/can garbage. This is one thing that prevents me from buying a hibachi because if you take it to the beach and have a pulehu party, there's nowhere to throw your rubbish. You'll have to pack it all back home with you.
Fruit Punch--but I guess you can't really get that anywhere except for home.
Grass--even at school on the playground there is no grass. No one has yet given me a good reason for this as they sure can grow plants like no other country. They got rice growing all over the place over here, but they can't grow grass on the playground? It's just dirt. "Okay kids, it's recess. Go out and run around in the dirt." Even the basketball courts are made of dirt. It's like the one part of Japan that hasn't evolved past third world status. What's second world like? I assume that first world is the highest that a country can reach. Fourth world must just be crap. Anyway, it would really be nice to play dodgeball on grass once in a while.
Mochiko--for the country that gave us the one ingredient that makes the best fried chicken, try asking someone where you can buy mochiko in Japan. They never heard of the stuff. When you ask them how they make mochi, they say they pound the rice, or use a machine that automatically pounds the rice. Show them how you can just mix water with mochiko, throw it in the microwave and pull out mochi, and their head might explode. When you do find it in the super high quality supermarket, you can be expecting to pay like three bucks for one cup of the stuff. I guess I can kind of understand it seeing as rice here goes for about 7.00 a pound.
Vanilla stoli--just doesn't exist here. 2dd crew would suffer in Japan.
Not at all saying that Japan sucks (the dirt on playground does suck though). I just have a lot of free time today at school, and am trying not to fall asleep.
