Japan is a tiny island country with a rich culture in the middle of the ocean, and a lot can get lost in translation once it reaches the rest of the world. Certain aspects of Japanese culture and subculture get cherry-picked by people outside Japan and put under a microscope that blows them up to larger-than-life proportions. What might be totally bizarre even here in Japan can sometimes be presented as something Japanese people think is totally normal by overseas media outlets.

Sometimes, what you think you know about Japan might not match up with reality. No, there aren’t really used panty vending machines. Yes, people are generally polite but, it’s not always for the reasons you might think. In this article, we’ll crush your weeaboo dreams and try to clear up some frequent stereotypes and misconceptions about what life is really like in Japan.

Find out what the Top 10 ridiculous misconceptions are by visiting Tokyo Girls Update at the link below!