29. Everyday Findings: Wait… That’s Normal There?!

In this episode, we take a fun look at what a simple grocery run can reveal about the cultures of the US, Germany, and Japan. From Florida’s bagger-at-the-checkout routine to Germany’s blink-and-you’ll-miss-it scanning speed and Japan’s bring-your-own-bag discipline, we discover how everyday shopping habits reflect different ideas about convenience and responsibility. Along the way, we compare customer service styles—Japan’s thoughtful attention, Germany’s efficient no-nonsense focus, and the US’s friendly, chatty help—and unpack the sometimes confusing world of tipping culture. We also wander into daily rituals like indoor shoes, pool hygiene rules, and the art of staying quiet on trains and in theaters. With plenty of laughs and relatable moments, the episode shows how small habits—bagging groceries, returning carts, or tipping the barista—can reveal a lot about how people in different cultures live together.

Thanks for listening!  Don't forget to review SisterVibes and subscribe so you won't miss our upcoming episodes and drop us a line by clicking at the top of the podcast description for future episode ideas. Your feedback is also welcome!

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Website: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2279605

Big shoutout to Allison Gray for generously granting us permission to feature her song, "Off My Mind" (from Ep 05).

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:00

I gotta get you a must. I gotta get you a map. But no one can test. They only keep me a few pack. Gotta break the chair to find me.

How Grocery Bagging Works In The US

SPEAKER_01 0:27

Welcome back to Sister Vibes, guys. Since we all three of us live in different countries, US, Germany, and Japan. I thought that in everyday life, what seems like normal in one country might not be so normal. It may be looked at weird in other countries. I thought maybe we could go through a list and talk a little bit about those things. Example, grocery store bagging.

SPEAKER_03 0:52

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_01 0:52

How is it done in the US? Or what's normal?

SPEAKER_00 0:55

Most people don't take their own bags because that's so inconvenient to have to remember to take your own bags. And they don't charge, at least not in Florida. I know in I think in California, they're more pushing for, you know, bring your own bag thing. And I know that Trader Joe's, they do they give you incentives if you bring your own bags. Like you can um put your name on a on a sheet of paper and then put it in a drawing to see if you can get a gift card or something. Like a Cubas or I think it's a gift card. Never once, I don't know. So they do have some some stores do incentives, but mostly here in Florida anyway, people do not take their own bags. Uh Whole Foods, I think I see more people carrying their own bags. But yeah, and and then they don't, you know, charge for plastic use like they do in other countries.

SPEAKER_01 1:51

So bagging is all done in plastic, right? In the US still. Yes. Okay. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:57

I mean, like I said, some states are pushing for an eco-friendly way, but Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 2:03

And sometimes they double bag it depending on how heavy it is, right? They still do that, I'm sure.

SPEAKER_00 2:09

Yeah. I personally keep all my bags because I use them all the time. Like when I'm collecting trash, when I have a bunch of kids in the car and they eat in the car, I'm like, here, put it in here. Or like when I'm cooking, I you know, all the peels and things like that. I just put it in a bag and I toss that. But I try to use them.

SPEAKER_01 2:30

I always use them. And there's always somebody that bags them for you. You don't bag them yourself.

SPEAKER_00 2:36

Yeah. Right. And sometimes I help them. But yeah. Oh, yeah, because that's different.

SPEAKER_01 2:41

Yeah. Are there any situations because you think, oh, it's so wasteful that you just tell them, oh, don't worry about it. Like if it's just two things. Oh yeah, yeah, of course.

SPEAKER_00 2:50

Yeah. Yeah.

unknown 2:50

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 2:51

Yeah. I mean, at Costco, like if you s shop at Costco, I know they ha don't have baths. Period. Oh. You can have some of their boxes that come with shipment to use to put the, you know, the items that you bought.

SPEAKER_01 3:05

Do you think it's because their bulks bigger? They don't fit possibly bags. But that's actually a good way. Yeah. Yeah. Mm-hmm. And people already know that they don't get bags, I guess. There. Yeah. No, you don't you don't get bags. So like uh Trader Joe's and Whole Foods, do they sell like reusable bags that you can like buy?

SPEAKER_00 3:25

And and regular grocery stores, they they do sell it right by the cash coaster.

SPEAKER_01 3:30

How much are they?

SPEAKER_00 3:31

I would say they are only like a dollar. Okay. Uh and they have different styles. Like at Trader Joe's, they have some cute ones. They have coolers too. Those are a little bit pricier. Yeah. And their designs are so cute at Trader Joe's. But do you think people buy them and then reuse them? I don't really actually see people using them at Trader Joe's. Oh, and Trader Joe's and Whole Foods, they don't use plastic. They use paper bags.

Japan’s Bring‑Your‑Own‑Bag Norms

SPEAKER_01 3:59

That's good. Interesting. What about in Japan, Samiya? In Japan, most people bring their own bags. And typically they will charge you if you forget to bring them and you need to use them. It's like two to three cents, maybe. Yeah. And there's no one that bags for you. You just bag them yourself. Well, yeah, you usually you bag them yourself. Some stores they will bag it for you sometimes. But yeah, most of the time you bag them yourself. Or there's like a self-checkout. Right. What surprises me and Nihon in Japan is that the cashier person basically reorganizes after she or he like rings everything up? Yeah. They organize it completely in a different basket. Mm-hmm. Neatly and quickly.

SPEAKER_00 4:56

Super neat. And they will put the heavy ones at the bottom, lighter ones at the top. Yeah, I don't know how they do it so beautifully. And they they fit like perfect puzzle. And I'm like, how do they do this? I feel like they take some training to do those things. Do they have to like go through that for interview process? Because they're really skilled at it.

SPEAKER_01 5:16

Totally professionals.

SPEAKER_00 5:18

Yeah, I mean they're so good. Yeah, that just actually reminds me like rapping in Japan is so amazing too. Yeah. You know? When you buy gift wrapping. Uh yeah, yeah, yeah. It's incredible and fast.

SPEAKER_01 5:29

Yeah, I'm very sure they go through training. It's so satisfying to watch.

SPEAKER_00 5:33

Yeah.

Germany’s Speedy Checkouts And Carts

SPEAKER_01 5:33

Yeah. And then once they organize in a different basket, the customers take it and then they bag it elsewhere. They have like a counter, right? Yeah, at the groceries, yeah. Yeah. Typically it's like that. Unless you do a self-checkout. Yeah. So in Germany, it's similar, similar to Japan, that you bring your own bags and it's up to you if you want to buy store bags. There's usually no plastic. It's either mostly paper or reusable bags.

SPEAKER_00 6:03

Oh, you have to pay for paper bags?

SPEAKER_01 6:05

Yep. You have to pay if you didn't bring any. The funny thing is, when I first got here, I was like in a hurry to like try to pack everything in a bag because the cashiers, for some reason, here, they're known to be super fast at ringing things. Like really fast. It's like a race, basically. They're so fast. I have a hard time catching up.

SPEAKER_00 6:26

So they don't put it in a basket like they do in Japan, but they just ring it and you're supposed to like keep up with that. Like you're supposed to batch it basically. Like you're gonna toss it. Yeah, like super fast. You know, I just remembered, sorry, in Japan, you know how like I don't know if it's all grocery stores, but they ring, they literally ring, but then you have an area where you pay with a machine. Yeah. You feed the machine, whether it's credit card or cash. Yeah. And then the cashier has moved on to the next person. And then you take that, once you pay, to another area to to bag, right?

SPEAKER_01 7:01

Yeah, the grocery store near my place is like that, but not all groceries. Not all like you sort of live in city. Yeah. Near Yokohama anyway.

SPEAKER_00 7:11

I feel like it's like that most grocery stores in Japan, I feel, are like that now.

SPEAKER_01 7:16

I don't know. What I think is funny though is like sometimes they okay, so the customer service in Japan is like top notch. Yeah. So sometimes they will check everything as they bring them. And if they find like maybe like a little dent in like the milk container, they'll be like, I'm so sorry, I'll get you a new one. Oh, what? Yeah. And it's like, oh no, it's okay. If you say it's okay, it that's good, then they'd be like, I'm so sorry. See my sense. Can you just give me a discount on this dent? Or like, what about like cracked egg? Like they'll open the cracked egg, they will replace the whole thing.

SPEAKER_00 7:53

Well, I mean, in Japan, the the eggs are cartons are clear, so I don't think that they would even stock cracked ones because you can see through it.

SPEAKER_01 8:04

But accidents happen.

SPEAKER_00 8:05

And I think so. I'm sure it's open it, right? Same. Why are they not clear anyway? Because we have to open it in the US and check.

SPEAKER_01 8:13

Yeah, well, Germany, it's made from actually it's a different material. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 8:17

It's a different material. It's like a styrofoam in the US.

SPEAKER_01 8:20

The eggs in Japan, I think they're in plastic. Yeah, they're in plastic.

SPEAKER_00 8:23

Oh, wait, and then there's paper version here too. Styrofoam or paper?

SPEAKER_01 8:27

So regarding the bags, I have never seen in Japan stores using paper bags. Yeah. They're usually all plastic. Oh, I see.

SPEAKER_00 8:35

Never? Anywhere.

SPEAKER_01 8:36

No. That is kind of surprising.

SPEAKER_00 8:38

Maybe some stores. Maybe some stores, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 8:40

But grocery stores, never.

SPEAKER_00 8:42

I've never seen paper bags. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 8:44

Interesting.

SPEAKER_00 8:45

But I mean, nobody ever uses plastic bags anyway in Japan. Right. I mean, because they have their own bags. So Germany, you have to kind of basically catch all your items that they ring. Yeah, basically.

SPEAKER_01 8:57

It's like a race. Like you have to be prepared. Otherwise, things get high.

SPEAKER_00 9:01

But you also have to pay at the same time.

SPEAKER_01 9:03

You have to pay. And then they don't wait until you bag everything. They'll start the next customer. Oh my gosh. Wow. Yeah. It's pushed to the side. I know. That's why you have to like really it's like a race, like exercise, basically. Okay. So speaking of groceries, one thing about Germany is this is the same in Aldi's and US where the carts you have to use a coin. Yeah, you have to put a quarter in.

SPEAKER_00 9:29

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_01 9:29

Yeah. To use it.

SPEAKER_00 9:31

And I don't think they have that in Japan. No, I don't think so. But I mean, have you ever seen don't you think the reason why they do that is so that people a return the carts? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 9:43

Right. They do that so that they can return the carts.

SPEAKER_00 9:46

Yeah, return the carts and also like so that they don't steal, I think, right? Or mainly to return. But in Japan, I think everyone returns the carts. No one ever leaves anything. Yeah. Shopping carts. I've never seen a stranded shopping cart in Japan in the parking lot. Yeah, I've I've never seen one stranded. Never. I've never seen no one does that in Japan.

SPEAKER_01 10:10

Everyone returns the cart. And it's not like that in the US, right? You see them kind of spread out. Of course not. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 10:16

They're everywhere. And you're like, oh, I can't park in this spot because there's a shopping cart. Well, I can't park in that spot because there's a shopping cart. Oh my gosh.

Recycling Systems And Refunds

SPEAKER_01 10:25

But I like that in Germany you have to return it. And then that's when you only get the coin back, basically. So everybody pretty much returns it. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Same with recycling bottles and such, like plastic bottles, sometimes aluminum cans, glass bottles, not all of them, but mostly that are made in Germany. You can take it back to the store. There's a machine that you put them through, and then you get money.

SPEAKER_00 10:51

That's so cool that you get money after that. Well, I mean, so in Japan, I know they have those areas where you can like dump. Have you seen it, Cody? Like outside of the grocery. It's similar to Germany. They're all outside.

SPEAKER_01 11:05

Recycle bins?

SPEAKER_00 11:06

Yeah. But I don't think you get money back for it.

SPEAKER_01 11:10

Do you take them to the grocery store?

SPEAKER_00 11:11

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 11:12

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 11:12

And then they have like different sections, different interesting, you know, areas for recycling.

SPEAKER_01 11:18

Milk packaging.

SPEAKER_00 11:19

Yeah, milk, glass. Um yeah, milk is different from I think paper too.

SPEAKER_03 11:25

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_00 11:26

Even though it's made of paper in Japan. It's not plastic.

SPEAKER_01 11:30

You have to like wash it and cut it right, Sumi, right? Not really. If you want to be a decent person and decent citizen. Yeah, decent citizen, take them back to the grocery, then yeah, there's like a specific way you have to, of course, wash it and then cut it, spread it open, make it flat.

SPEAKER_00 11:44

Yeah. You're not decent.

SPEAKER_03 11:46

I know.

SPEAKER_00 11:47

I you I know you don't do that. I know. Yeah, funny. I wouldn't be either. So yeah.

Customer Service: Germany vs Japan vs US

SPEAKER_01 11:55

So I like that that you can get some money back in Germany when you recycle. Depends, obviously, but you can this is very typical in the grocery store, which I thought, oh, that's cool. So, what about customer service? In Germany, people aren't very friendly and like to be efficient. So there's no small talk like in the US.

SPEAKER_00 12:18

Like they get to the point, and that's it.

SPEAKER_01 12:20

They get to the point. When you came to visit and we wanted a refund, remember Tomal? I said, good luck getting a refund from the tour.

SPEAKER_00 12:28

I wanted a refund. You were like, that's not realistic here in Germany. And I was like, what do you mean? It's worth trying. Yeah. And I tried to talk to them and for a refund because we missed the tour bus. And they were like, no.

SPEAKER_01 12:42

To the point. There's no explanation.

SPEAKER_00 12:45

No explanation. She looked at me like, well, that's your fault. So and I was like, oh, okay. Well, thanks. Yeah. And I was giving them a whole story. Like, well, you know, it's because our daughter got sick on the way here. We would have made it. You know, our husbands made it, but we didn't. We had to drive separately. I mean, I was like talking to her a lot, and she just stared at me. She's like, no.

SPEAKER_01 13:10

I wasn't even like, oh, I'm so sorry. That you can't be able to do it. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 13:14

No, no, sorry. She was just like, that's your stupid fault.

SPEAKER_01 13:17

No. There's one at certain time or anything. No. I mean, I was like, good luck.

SPEAKER_00 13:24

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 13:24

That was kind of funny. Yeah. It was really funny.

SPEAKER_00 13:27

I appreciated her not wasting my time.

SPEAKER_01 13:29

Yeah. Customer service is pretty much like that. I think out of US, Japan, Germany, Germany is in my mind, because I've lived in all those places, is the worst. Sometimes you write an email for customer service. You don't hear back for a few days. Now living here for 10 years, I say this is normal. There's no rush, basically.

SPEAKER_00 13:48

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 13:49

Even if you call doctor's office, no one picks up a lot of time. That's so crazy.

SPEAKER_00 13:55

That's not even customer service. That's just poor business practice. Yes.

SPEAKER_01 14:00

It's terrible. Why? Because they're too busy or they just don't want to deal with it. They don't deal with it, I think. But also what I notice is that here when you're in the midst of conversation with somebody, if someone interrupts, they're not going to pay attention to the person that interrupts and change the subject or look at them and start talking to them. They will completely ignore you. I'm sure you've seen my husband do this before. People are like that here. So if you're at the doctor's office, if you're a receptionist, if you're speaking to a customer, if the phone rings, they will not pick up the phone. They won't say, excuse me, just for a second. No, they don't do that. They don't interrupt.

SPEAKER_00 14:39

You know what? I have noticed actually, Kristoff finish his sentence in a yeah, yeah, yeah. Without he'll put his finger like just a minute, like I'm not done talking. That's interesting. That's a cultural thing.

SPEAKER_01 14:50

Yeah, I think so. So I feel like the reasons why people don't pick up the phone is either they're busy or they're doing one thing, they don't want to get interrupted. Yeah. They're talking to a customer or something like that, there's no interruption. Yeah. And this is so frustrating because it's like, okay, what's the point of having a phone or email if you don't respond? Like recently we got our son's watch that we bought during Christmas repaired. We actually sent it back to the manufacturer. And a few days later, I was like, wait, didn't we ever get like a notification saying that they received it? And my husband's like, No, I haven't received anything. A week goes by, didn't hear anything. Like, what happened to that watch? It was a decently priced watch, didn't hear back, didn't hear back. And then maybe two weeks later, Kristoff's finally like, Oh, by the way, I heard back from the watch person, they received it. It wasn't even like, oh, they're gonna start fixing it. We received it after two weeks. And then we finally today got the watch back. It's what, March right now? We sent it in in January. So it's taken two months, and they finally, when they were finished repairing it, which was another week or so later, they finally wrote and said, We're fixing it, we're sending it. And then it took another extra week for us to get it back super slow. It's frustrating. And the good services really stand out because they're responsive. So there are only a handful companies that I can think of that have good services here.

SPEAKER_00 16:19

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_01 16:20

What about Japan? Customer service. You guys know how customer service is like in Japan, right?

SPEAKER_00 16:25

No, I don't know, like actually living there where, like, for example, Caudi's like watch repair type of service, I've never had to use because I've never lived long enough to have to seek service like that. Yeah. But in general, going to restaurants or going to places to shop, yeah, I know what customer service is like, you know, like that. But more in-depth customer service where you need service or something. I don't know. We've heard the saying of customers are gods, right?

SPEAKER_01 16:57

Okay, some of that. Can I say that this thing? Okay. Really? Well, people are extremely polite and respectful. Yeah. They cater to your needs. Absolutely 100%. I think that's how it should be treated. Yeah. So everything in comparison, even to the US, Germany is like terrible. It's really bad.

SPEAKER_00 17:18

Yeah. So in the US though, I think I mentioned this before, but US, I think customer service in general is pretty decently good. Especially compared to Germany. But Walmart is a different world.

unknown 17:32

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 17:33

They look at you if you ask for help. They're like, I don't know. And I'm like, don't you work here? Can you lead me to somebody that would know or can help me? I don't know. Go ask that person. And I'm like, oh my God, it's a different world. Consistently at all Walmarts. I don't know. Yeah. It's awful. I never go to Walmart. Yeah. It's terrible.

SPEAKER_01 17:57

But I think that people are just in general are very friendly. So if you ask for something, you can start like chit-chatting, like do small talk and stuff.

SPEAKER_00 18:06

Right, but not at Walmart. I was trying to look not at Walmart for uh spray paint. Yeah. Spray paint, it's like always locked up, right? I said, I need it, but you know, it's locked, so can you unlock it? Uh I don't know who has a key. Okay, well, who can I ask? I don't know. Go to the car parts, like auto parts. That's what they told me. Auto parts? You can't radio anyone. And they were just like, go ask somebody because I don't know. Oh my gosh. And I remember it took me so long, like asking around for someone with a key.

Shoes Indoors And Clean Spaces

SPEAKER_01 18:42

Yeah. And this will not happen at Target, for example. No, Target's so much better. Yeah. Interesting. What about shoes in the house? I mean, I think this is what shocked us the most moving from Japan to the US. Yeah. But in Japan, outdoor shoes are not allowed on the inside of the house. And hospitals, you change indoor slippers. Restaurants, not allowed. Well, not all. Like if if they're like Japanese style and they have like tatami mats, you will have to take your shoes off. That's true. But other than that, you don't have to sh take your shoes off. But like hospitals, you have to. Yeah. Hospitals you change into slippers. Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 19:24

There are a lot of places in Japan where you would be like shocked. Oh, this too, this place too. You take your shoes off. I remember when I used to take Emiko and Keiko to like random play places, you know. I mean, I guess that's common here too. If you go to a play place, like indoors. You had to switch out. Yeah. Or even the library, some areas are slippers only. Or no. Actually, maybe I think it was the whole place. I don't know. When it's multi-stories, the new library in our hometown. Yeah. I think only certain floors were. I don't remember. Or certain areas. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 20:02

And schools, you have to change inside your inside shoes.

SPEAKER_00 20:06

Oh, yeah. Even schools. Yeah. So it keeps it really clean though.

SPEAKER_01 20:10

Yeah. Germany is also similar at schools, just like Japan. You have to really indoor shoes. Yeah. Except secondary schools, I feel. The Lucas's, when he was in elementary school, kindergarten, he had to change into indoor shoes. But right now, I think from grade five, you don't have to. He doesn't do that. And also inside the house, a lot of the families here have indoor shoes. So they just change into different shoes? Not slippers. Not slippers, yeah. Slipper like shoes like Crocs or you know, sandals type of thing. Yeah. But it's specifically called house shoes. Yeah. And they change. I still don't understand how in the US most people don't take their shoes off in the house. What if you step on a dog boob?

SPEAKER_00 21:02

I know. Well, okay, for me, tile, because we I live in Florida and tile floors are common. Tile floor, okay, I can understand a little.

SPEAKER_01 21:11

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 21:12

But carpet? It's disgusting. Or like when they put their feet up on the couch with shoes in them, yeah, or bed even. Or bed? Like that's disgusting. You go to public restrooms in those shoes, right? Ugh. It's disgusting. Carpet, I never understood. Like, how can you step on carpet with shoes?

SPEAKER_01 21:35

Especially if it's like light carpet. And if you who knows, the kids could have rolled into dirt. Night or dark.

SPEAKER_00 21:41

It's disgusting.

SPEAKER_01 21:42

Yeah. You could just like walk in and then it would leave footprints.

SPEAKER_00 21:46

We have tile floor here, but we always take our shoes off. I just hate seeing crap on the floor. You don't have carpet at all? We do on the right now in the loft upstairs, but I want to get rid of it. Because it collects so much dust, you know, and it's just not good for breathing.

SPEAKER_01 22:05

Yeah, yeah. It is disgusting. And also in Japan, like there's a clear distinction between where you should leave the outdoor shoes. You step up into the space. Yeah, at the entrance. Uh where's you're supposed to change your shoes. So I think it's very clear.

Pools, Hygiene, And Little Rules

SPEAKER_00 22:23

Yeah. In Germany, not so clear, but oh. That just reminded me, I don't know why. Um, because I was picturing like a lot of different places in Japan where you have to switch shoes and stuff. Public pools in Japan, they make you remove all jewelry. Oh. Everything. Like your wedding ring, too. Everything. I wonder why. Uh maybe to prevent rust like from like entering the pool. Like, I don't know. I'm not sure. I think it's a or maybe to so you don't lose it. Sanitary thing. Yeah, I think it's sanitary. If you lose it, maybe it could rust. It could yeah, it's quite a sanitary thing because you know you have to go through the cleansing area before you go into the pool in Japan, you know? So it's probably a sanitary thing. Well, same with Germany.

SPEAKER_01 23:13

You have to oh remove all jewelry? No, but you have to go through the washing area. You have to first wash before you go into the actual pool.

SPEAKER_00 23:22

Yeah. And I have a lot of piercing in my ears.

SPEAKER_01 23:26

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 23:26

So like I hate going. Oh, because you had to take them off? Yeah.

Tipping Culture Compared

SPEAKER_01 23:30

I have to take everything off. Yeah. What about tipping in different countries? No tips in Japan. Okay. At all. Anywhere. At all. They will chase after you if you leave money on the table.

SPEAKER_03 23:45

They'd be like, you left your money here.

SPEAKER_01 23:48

Yeah. Germany is five to ten percent. So very low in comparison to the US. And typically the waiters, waitresses, they get paid. It's not like in the US.

SPEAKER_00 24:00

But didn't you say, Simi, that you used to work at a decently fancy restaurant where they took? Uh yeah. But that was very rare.

SPEAKER_01 24:08

Yeah. That was very rare. It was it's only because, you know, it was like a really not an old expensive restaurant and a lot of important people of the company, like CEO and stuff. Those were the types of people that would come in.

SPEAKER_00 24:24

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 24:25

You didn't chase anybody with cash? No.

SPEAKER_00 24:29

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 24:29

You pocketed it. They won't leave it on the table. They will just like give it to you. In person? To the waiter or waitress.

SPEAKER_00 24:36

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 24:37

Did that happen frequently? Not that frequent. No. Maybe like twice a month or something like that. Mm-hmm. Oh, okay. So it's yeah, it's rare. I wonder if uh since there are a lot more visitors from outside, if people do leave tip in Japan.

SPEAKER_00 24:56

You mean like foreigners?

SPEAKER_01 24:57

Mm-hmm. Well, if they do, they will come after you and be like, take your money. Yeah. Oh, but um, I know that taxis, well, if you get on a taxi and Are you supposed to tip? I don't think I've ever no no no no no, you don't have to tip. But you can some people be will be like, maybe it's like 800 yen and you're supposed to get 200 yen back. Round it up.

SPEAKER_00 25:20

Yeah. Or keep the change.

SPEAKER_01 25:22

Yeah. I guess some people say just keep the change. That would become their pocket money. Okay.

SPEAKER_00 25:29

Yeah, I mean, obviously I've tipped in the US for taxis or Uber or whatever, but not in Japan because I think that's a good thing. It's not necessary.

SPEAKER_01 25:38

But some people do that. Yeah. Just okay. In the US, it's a little bit crazy to me. I think the last time I visited, when I went to even like fast food places, if you're paying with card, the screen comes up and says like how much tip. And you're like, okay, do I still pay tip at some fast food places when you know you're not gonna bring food out or anything? If it's self-service, I was taken back. I thought, okay, this must be new or newer. But I feel like I see that everywhere.

SPEAKER_00 26:11

Yeah, in the US. Yeah. I think that when it's like fast food, I don't tip. Unless if it's like a nicer one and it requires more work. But at like, for example, a Starbucks, I always do like a dollar or what do you mean, like more work? Like more preparation for them to bring out. Because there are restaurants where uh it's considered fast food, but they'll bring food out to you sometimes or whatever, you know. Well, I might do like 10% or at Starbucks, I always do like a dollar or two every time. Probably a dollar, but I don't go to Starbucks often. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 26:45

Uh the the kids like it.

SPEAKER_00 26:46

The kids do.

SPEAKER_01 26:47

So even if they're just making coffee or whatever it is, you would still tip them a little bit. Like a dollar, yeah. Okay.

SPEAKER_00 26:56

And then uh everywhere else, standard is 20% in the US. What happens if you don't tip? Oh, they make a big deal, but also they get very minimum wage, most places. You know, they rely on tips.

SPEAKER_01 27:08

So maybe don't forget when you visit. I know. You visit in June? Yeah. Yeah, we hear on the news sometime. You'll be so surprised because I've lived there obviously longer than you have, but I I have been away for quite some time. And the last I was in the US, I thought, what? Why is every place asking for tips? Yeah, I was surprised.

SPEAKER_00 27:29

And then Germany, you said is how much? Five to ten percent.

SPEAKER_01 27:32

But do people normally tip? Typically, I believe so, but they get paid. So it's just about, you know, uh serving.

SPEAKER_00 27:41

So if you were exceptional, yeah, then maybe ten percent.

Public Behavior: Trains And Theaters

SPEAKER_01 27:46

But there's no way they're gonna chase after you for forgetting that you tip. Or they they're not gonna argue with you or anything. What about in public spaces? How people behave? Like, for example, how people behave. But another thing I've noticed that I guess if you don't live there, I guess it's not so common or not, is that you have to be really cautious of other people in Japan. So, like on the train, you know, you're not supposed to be speaking on the phone, listening to music.

SPEAKER_00 28:16

So quiet.

SPEAKER_01 28:18

Yeah, they will ask you to please refrain from talking on the phone, it's eerily quiet.

SPEAKER_00 28:23

And they actually follow through. I mean, we see signs like that here in the US, and people don't follow, but they follow through, and even if it's a crowded train, it is quiet. My friend actually asked me the other day. They're like, Oh, I heard in Japan people don't really talk on the train. Is that true? It's kind of quiet. And I'm like, it is silent, it is crazy eerily silent. So when I talk, my kids were whispering on the train, yeah, on a crowded train, a lot of times.

SPEAKER_01 28:52

But there are signs that say, please do not speak on the phone, be mindful of the others.

SPEAKER_00 28:57

Oh, and movie theater, people stay for credits. Oh, yeah, I don't.

SPEAKER_01 29:03

That drives me nuts. I don't, but yeah. Um, Germany also pay respect to the people that were involved.

SPEAKER_00 29:13

That's so kind. No, I piece out. I'm like, okay, this is so long. And I mean, it's better that we remove ourselves anyway. Kids get so loud and antsy and you know, whatever. Oh, that drives me nuts. It's so crazy. I for a second thought, like, it's something going on. Like, what's going on? What is what is wrong? Is there another movie starting? Like, I don't know.

SPEAKER_01 29:34

Yeah, that was like a culture shock for me too when I came back to Japan. Yeah. Is is there gonna be like some you know, bloopers at the end or like play view of the next movie? Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 29:45

Nothing happened. I was like, happening, yeah. Even like eating popcorn, I felt the need to eat very quietly. You know, nobody's talking before the movie starts either. No one. Well, some people do, but they whisper, oh, I've never heard it. And we've gone many times in Nihon. Yeah, and it's kind of weird. I'm not used to that. I'm like, hmm, that's weird.

SPEAKER_01 30:08

So when I started dating my husband, who's German, in Ohio, he would sit through the And I thought, just like you said, like, I'm ready to go right before the credits over. Wait, are you saying at home or at in Ohio?

SPEAKER_00 30:21

In at the movie theater?

SPEAKER_01 30:23

Like at home, right?

Closing And Subscribe Reminder

SPEAKER_00 30:26

People don't do that in Japan or okay. Oh my god. Wow. Thanks for joining us today. Don't forget to review Sister Vibes and make sure to subscribe on the app of your choice so you don't miss our upcoming episodes.

SPEAKER_02 30:40

Until next time, with the day and all of these games display. Now I said me a prey the way to the sun.