Stay in a capsule hotel

Favoured by travellers for their cheap prices, capsule hotels comprise of stacks of individual sleeper cabins – with just enough room for a bed and a TV. Warning: not recommended for the taller folks amongst you.

Visit a cat café

In a nation of cat-lovers – we owe Hello Kitty to Japan – it seems a bit strange that most apartment dwellers aren’t allowed to keep pets. Solution? Spend time with kitties whilst eating your lunch. The craze isn’t just confined to Japan though – London is expecting its first cat cafe to open this summer.

Use a balloon vending machine

Ever wished you’d had a smiley-faced balloon to cheer you up? Nope, me neither. In Japan however, they’ve got you sorted, just in case you’re feeling a little deflated…

Use an electronic toilet

The latest in butt-washing technology, these toilets have built-in bidets for cleansing (different sprays for males and females) and a blow-dryer to dry you off. Don’t be too alarmed when you sit down – they’re supposed to have heated seats as well.

Visit the Parasite Museum

Opened in 1953 by a doctor whose practice was visited by patients riddled with parasites, the museum has over 45,000 specimens in its collection. Don’t miss the world’s longest tapeworm on the second floor, removed from a 40-year-old guy – there’s a rope next to it so you can get a real ‘feel’ for it. Just in case you haven’t had enough, the preserved-parasite keyrings also make great gifts for friends and family back home too.

Play the table flipping game

Ever had the urge to just ‘flip out’ at the dinner table? Well, with this Japanese arcade game, you can do just that. Earn points for causing havoc, and even hitting mum!

Dine in a maid café

In these peculiar cafes, waitresses dress up as maids and treat their customers as ‘masters’ or ‘mistresses’. There are so many maid cafes in Tokyo now, service is getting crazier and crazier to keep up with the competition. Now you can pay to play video games and cards with your maid – maybe they’ll play a real game of table flipping?

Image via Getty/ Video via Youtube