Not so strange after all: The real Japan up close
"No, I had no idea human flesh tastes like chicken." Our intrepid author (left) makes a new friend. You hear it all the time from tourists and journalists visiting for the first time: "Japan is so WEIRD! What's that all about?"
Different it may be, but as a wise man once said, "when the going gets weird, the weird turn pro."
Sure, a lot of Japanese custom seems offbeat when viewed through the lens of a different culture.
Taking potshots is easy. But when you approach things on their own terms, in their own contexts, most of Japan's supposed "strangeness" transforms into -- well, everything that's great about the country.
And in that spirit, here's our list of supposedly "weird Japan" things that just might make your next trip even more fun.
The more you understand this stuff, the less far-fetched most of it seems. Take it from someone who knows -- if being weird is wrong, I don't want to be right!
1. Bizarre museums
Every major metropolis has its collection of fine art museums, and Tokyo is no exception. But the metropolitan area is also home to a host of privately funded facilities featuring more down-to-earth collections.
Think of these pockets as the fruits of the otaku philosophy -- living examples of how personal obsession can enrich society as a whole.
They're occasionally very down-to-earth indeed, such as the Meguro Parasitological Museum, which is filled with, well, do we need to spell it out?
Or if you prefer learning about what goes in rather than comes out, there's the oddly spelled Yokohama Raumen Museum, dedicated to everyone's favorite cheap noodles.
Or perhaps take a spin round the Kitahara Tin Toy Museum, also in Yokohama, which is bursting with robots, spaceships and ray guns aplenty.
I'd even lump in Kichijoji's Ghibli Museum, which is run by a big animation company (kind of like Disney), yet surprisingly tastefully done (kind of unlike Disney). Plus, it has a giant robot on the roof.
Meguro Parasitological Museum, 4-1-1 Shimomeguro, Meguro-ku, +81 (0) 3 3716 1264, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily, kiseichu.org
Kitahara Tin Toy Museum, 239 Yamate-Cho, Naka-ku, Yokohama, +81 (0) 45 621 8710, 9:30 a.m. - 6 p.m. daily, www.toysclub.co.jp
Yokohama Raumen Museum, 2-14-21 Shinyokohama, Kohoku-ku, Yokohama, +81 (0) 45 471 0503, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. daily, www.raumen.co.jp
Ghibli Museum, 1-1-83 Shimorenjaku, Mitaka-shi, Tokyo, +81 (0) 422 40 2233, www.ghibli-museum.jp
2. Robots and monsters
So, what exactly is it about dudes in giant monster suits that gives Japanese people the warm-and-fuzzies?
Some experts theorize that it's because the setup is a logical extension of techniques used in kabuki and other traditional arts.
And giant robots? It's a natural extension of Japan's seemingly bottomless hunger for cutting-edge technologies from abroad that started way back with the acquisition of kanji from China, firearms from Portugal, modern medicine from Germany and culminating in their defeat at the hands of a high-tech device at the end of World War II. Perhaps.
Japanese are masters of creating characters. So you could say that robots and monsters are anthropomorphic representations of technology and its aftereffects, respectively.
(For those who don't remember, Godzilla is the product of nuclear testing gone haywire.)
The best places to soak up giant robot and monster culture are right here in Tokyo -- the (admittedly diminutive) statue of Godzilla in Hibya, and the life-sized statue of the anime robot Gundam in Odaiba.
The Godzilla statue can be found in Hibiya Park, map.
Gundam dominates the scenery behind Diver City, 1-1 Oume, Koto-ku, Tokyo, www.divercity-tokyo.com
More on CNNGo: Have your heart warmed at Hayao Miyazaki's Ghibli Museum
Trafalgar: China Travel Video
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Larry Herzberg and Qin Herzberg are professors of Chinese language and culture at Calvin College in Michigan. They travel to China every year, and have been featured travel experts on MSNBC and other outlets.
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