Will Miss #51 - shoe removal culture

Contrary to popular belief, many Americans do take their shoes off upon entering their homes. However, it is not an ingrained part of the culture so much as a personal choice. Because of this, you sometimes get people arguing or complaining when you ask them to remove their shoes upon entering your home. In Japan, everyone takes their shoes off at the door as a matter of course, so it's never something which your guests will feel inconvenienced by.

I'll miss my visitors taking their shoes off without argument or even needing to be asked.

Won't Miss #51 - necessity of following the weather news

Back home, I never had to concern myself with the weather. The walk between the front door and the car wasn't even long enough to justify an umbrella, and looking out the window at the drifts of snow was enough to tell me how to dress in winter. In Tokyo, I not only need to worry about carrying a brolly, but I also have to structure shopping, shoe choices, and laundry around the weather (including shopping at night to avoid getting heat stroke in the scorching sun in summer).

I won't miss having to check the weather all of the time and to alter my day's activities to reflect it.

Will Miss #50 - school uniforms

I like the concept of school uniforms and the way in which they simplify and unify the appearance of all of the kids at a particular school. I know that a lot of Western folks feel that forcing kids to wear them strips away their individuality, but the truth is that most Japanese people have fond memories of their uniforms. Most of them liked the fact that they didn't have to shop for expensive clothes for school or have to think about what to wear.

I'll miss seeing school uniforms and knowing that they're eliminating the class and fashion consciousness that you encounter in schools back home.

Won't Miss #50 - anime-style advertising

I've never been a big fan of anime style artwork and I have more than had my fill of giant-eyed, absurdly-proportioned art from living in Japan. Personally, I find the style a bit creepy because it seems to be depicting people in an infantile fashion (big eyes, big heads) while also sexualizing them.

I won't miss seeing this style in advertising on a daily basis.

Will Miss #49 - people doing their own thing

Sometimes, you'll see someone in Tokyo who just does his or her own thing. They'll just dance in a public place as if they were in the privacy of their own living room or sing out loud to the music on their headphones (or both). I always enjoy this sort of bold display in a country where sticking out is frowned upon.

I'll miss seeing people who don't mind marching to the beat of a different drummer in front of the whole world.

Won't Miss #49 - frozen construction

For a country that can put up a skyscraper in under a year, Japan sure has some issues finishing construction in well-trafficked, isolated spots. One of the platforms at Shinjuku station has been covered with taped down temporary rubber flooring for more than a year. There's a swing set in a backstreet near our home which took a month to finish because the workers left the "wet paint" signs up for weeks.

I won't miss this tendency to leave things in a half-assed state for no discernible reason.

Will Miss #48 - sleep anywhere

Some of the best pictures of life in Japan show people sleeping in strange ways and in strange places. Seeing the well-dressed, sophisticated people in Tokyo sleeping anywhere and everywhere is a quirk of life that always amuses me a bit.

I'll miss seeing people bunk down wherever they feel like it.

Won't Miss #48 - instant dust

Tokyo may not have as much smog as a big city in China, but it still has a lot of pollution. Despite living in an area surrounded by concrete with nary a dirt plot in sight, the surfaces in my apartment are visibly covered with dust within 4-8 hours of my dusting them off.

I won't miss the instant and constant re-dusting of my apartment.

Will Miss #47 - tiny watermelons

Though I'm not happy about the price of fruit in Japan, I am happy with the fact that you can buy relatively small watermelons. My husband doesn't like them and we have no one to parcel the fruit out to. Small melons take me 4-6 days to eat by myself, so I'm pretty happy to get one.

I'll miss being able to buy watermelon for one.

Won't Miss #47 - air conditioners set for reptilian biology

Both my husband and I have worked for Japanese companies for quite some time and there is always a big problem because of the air conditioner settings. While the average foreign person prefers it colder than the average Japanese person, even Japanese men find the settings preferred by the office ladies to be too hot. Some of them seem to be cold-blooded creatures based on their need to remain in an environment which is 82 degrees or hotter at any given time.

I won't miss working in rooms hot enough to wear swimwear comfortably year round.

Will Miss #46 - Hachiko

I don't go to Shibuya very often, but there's something about the statue of Hachiko that always warms the heart. The story of the dog that waited for his master's return at the station for years after his death brings to mind the best aspects of man's best friend and how animals almost certainly do have feelings similar to those of humans.

I'll miss Hachiko, and the story the statue brings to mind.

Won't Miss #46 - washing in cold water

Japanese washing machines, by default, do not have hot or warm water settings. The only way you can choose to wash clothes in hot water is to buy a special washing machine which costs a great deal more than a regular machine. While I'm happy 80% of the time to use cold water for laundry, it would be nice to at least occasionally choose hot water washing for whites or other items that would benefit from it.

I won't miss only being able to wash clothes in cold water.