- "Vinyl bars" are huge in Japan. It's easy to find old smokey bars where the bartenders are also the DJ, flipping records between songs. The range of what you'll hear is pretty impressive too; one of the cocktail bars I stopped at played the entirety Hejira. Although my favorite moment was seeing a bunch of guys yell in enthusiasm when On the Corner came on at a small club.
- Related to the above, so many people I met were musicians or DJs in their spare time.
- People don't dance at rock shows unless they are told to. It's extremely bizarre. I saw black midi at a big venue in Tokyo and no one moved the entire time, until finally towards the end the lead singer told everyone they had to dance (and of course they then all followed suit). Going to get a drink in the middle of the show was a harrowing experience, as no one would move an inch unless you gently pushed them. If you go to a dance club/rave, people will move on their own. But there seem to be very distinct rules that govern individual spaces.
- Overall, the two things that surprised me most were (1) people are very friendly in the right space (bars or other social areas), friendlier than any other country I've been to; (2) jesus christ people in Japan drink so much alcohol. I realize it's a stereotype, but it's very common to see business people nearly black-out drunk on a Tuesday at 3 AM. If even I think you need to slow down, it's probably necessary.
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