Mark Friesen
Industrial Designer, 40
I heard the whole packing people on the train story a lot, but before I came here I thought, "Oh, come on, nobody would ever do that." But it's true. Of course, since having lived here I've seen a lot more stranger things than that.

Nina Turner
Services Manager, 31
I was expecting to see lots of subservient women. You know, the coffee shop, secretary type. But all we've seen today is lots of strong, independent looking women. Or, at least very fashionable ones.

Ian Trites
Government Employee, 40
The kimonos, the sumo, the people. I do remember stories about game shows where they made people run around downtown in their underwear.

Aurelie Simon
French Teacher, 30
I went to an exhibition in France about 5 years ago called "new modern Japanese art" where I saw some very violent bondage pictures. And also very slow Japanese dancing with the shaven-headed men, which was very gentle. So they were two very different aspects of the culture I knew.

Annette Kurtz
Finance Industry, 36
The images I had of Japan were of two extreme poles, with creativity and innovation at one end, but also lots of copying of things. And an eye for detail, especially with food and clothes.

Mathias Gunz
Dishwasher, 24
I heard that the Japanese girls artificially have their legs lengthened. They go to the doctor and the doctor cuts their legs apart and puts some more things in there. Also that lots of girls have their eyes made bigger. I think I read it in Playboy.