Upside down, inside out and round and round

As a foreigner in paradise, some days my whole little idyllic whole world seems all back-to-front and topsy-turvy (good reason to stay drunk, I suppose):

1. Books and writing
An obvious one, but worth a mention - Japanese writing is vertical and read from right to left. Likewise, books, magazines and manga porn are read from what we know as the back. Luckily this is how I read magazines anyway. It's just the actual content I can't read.

2. House doors
In Australia, our front doors open inwards. In Japan, the opposite is true; they open outwards. I recently found out that this is because an inward opening door would take out the delicate piles of shoes cluttering the entrance.

3. Toilet doors
Likewise, when you posit yourself in a toilet cubicle, we lock the door by twisting it into a vertical possie. A horizontal lock signifies an unlocked door. In Japan, the opposite is true (most of the time). I've had a few fillies accidentally walk in on me in a sake-f#$%ed stupor when I've forgotten which way is up (only discovered once my face hits the tiled floor).

4. Seibu and Tobu Department stores in Ikebukuro
Not cultural at all, but a pearler. The kanji for "Seibu" means West Style, the kanji for "Tobu" means East Style. Which would explain of course why Seibu is located at the east exit and Tobu located at the west exit of Ikebukuro station. Ah, the confusion!