They wash their hands and gargle when they come home from outdoors. They get into the bath and wash themselves before they go to sleep. They even wash their bottoms using shower toilets... All of these activities are common lifestyle customs for people in Japan.
No one knows the reason why, but seem to guess that it's to save money in the public restrooms (both the cost of soap and of water). And a lot of Japanese homes have (or used to have) the toilets with the faucet on top and (for some reason) you wouldn't want the hand soap to run back into the tank.
Maintaining cleanliness is important in Japan for both practical and spiritual reasons. Regular cleaning helps prevent the spread of bacteria and disease, which can be a concern in a humid country like Japan. It is one of the reasons why mask-wearing is so common.
Cleaning is a part of their daily routine which usually starts soon after the lunch break or at the end of the day. At many schools, each classroom has a container for cleaning tools such as brooms, buckets, cleaning rags, dustpans, and brushes.
In fact, Japan has a reputation as being one of the cleanest countries in the world. So why is Japan obsessed with cleanliness?
From cool coastlines and lush tropical rainforests, to the rich red earth of the Outback, Australia boasts an incredibly clean and diverse environment. Our air quality is ranked among the cleanest in the world and our cities are some of the most liveable.
Australia air quality is generally among some of the cleanest in the world, although the country is vulnerable to short-term extreme pollution spikes which occur due to bushfires and dust storms.
Research suggests that whereas people in many parts of Europe and America now make do with just a shower nearly 90% of the time, in Japan between 70% and 80% of people still bathe in the traditional way at least several times a week. This rises to 90% or more in families with small children.
While showers are a necessary part of everyday life, the Japanese don't just take showers, they love soaking in bathtubs. Most people in Japan think of the bathtub as washing away not only their sweat and dirt from the day but their fatigue, too. so it is typically custom to take baths every night.
Most people in Japan tend to bathe at night. A morning bath is a rare thing and is usually done when vacationing at a ryokan (a traditional Japanese inn) or an onsen hot springs resort.
When not in their own bathtub at home, people go to large public baths or Japanese bathhouses – and, as opposed to the Western world, these places are frequented without any clothes. People bathe together completely naked.
Toilet paper is used in Japan, even by those who own toilets with bidets and washlet functions (see below). In Japan, toilet paper is thrown directly into the toilet after use. However, please be sure to put just the toilet paper provided in the toilet.
Yes, in Japan parents and children bath together fully naked. And that's culturally perfectly normal. From a Japanese perspective, together tub-time is good for family bonding. As children grow older, they'll start enjoying bath time separately.
But some public bathrooms in older parts of Japan do not provide toilet paper or hand towels. This might be done to save money and reduce paper waste but can be quite shocking to visitors who have already begun eliminating wastes before they realize there is no toilet paper available.
In view of the fact that many Japanese bathe and wash their hair daily, it's essential that they take well care of it.
When counting people who shower every day, Mexicans and Australians led significantly, followed by Americans and the French. Brits, Russians, Swedes and Germans averaged less, with Chinese coming in the least frequent.
In Japan, inemuri literally translates to dozing or nodding off, but in this case, it can also mean “sleeping while present.” It's a culturally accepted power nap that you can take in the middle of the workday in Japan.
Get moving—but listen to your body. Up until recently, the Japanese population often kickstarted their days with a series of calisthenic movements known as "Radio Taiso." Even though you'll mostly only see the elderly participating nowadays, this morning sweat ritual still reps all five pillars of ikigai.
Rule #1: Wash before entering the onsen
Most Japanese onsen will have a shower area — in or just outside the bathing area — where you are required to wash your body. Entering an onsen with soap, dirt, or sweat on your body is unacceptable and grounds for dismissal from the spring.
When bathing Japanese-style, you are supposed to first rinse your body outside the bath tub with the shower or a washbowl. Afterwards, you enter the tub, which is used for soaking only. The bath water tends to be relatively hot, typically between 40 and 43 degrees.
The top 10 most polluted towns in Australia. The most polluted city in Australia for 2022, according to the foundation's analysis, was the north-west Queensland city of Mount Isa. Home to about 20,000 people, the mining city is central to several copper, zinc, lead and silver operations across the region.
The world's cleanest air is just across the Bass Strait. It's in North-Western Tasmania on the Cape Grim Peninsula where you can find the cleanest air on the planet, according to a measuring station on the cape.
The EPI, as of 2022, identified Denmark, Luxembourg, and Switzerland as the leading cleanest countries in the world.