Japan is clean! (First Impressions)

I have to be honest - I had no idea what to expect in Japan. I visited China when I was in Jr. High, but that was a long time ago, and Japan is supposed to be very different.
It sure is!

My first impressions of Japan:
it is very clean, efficient/organized, technological, and healthy.

Take a close look at this subway picture; what do you notice? You might not notice much at first, except for the Japanese signs. Look again; what is missing?

I'll help you out: there is NO graffiti, scratched windows, torn seat covers, broken handles, food wrappers, used tickets, old newspapers, outdated posters, etc. The entire train is very very clean. It is also well-lit and spacious and generally new-looking. David saw a train official removing a can of soda from a train car with the kind of disgusted look we would expect from someone carrying a dead mouse.
We've been on metros throughout the Americas and Europe. I have to say that only London came close to the cleanliness on this metro; both London and Tokyo have relatively expensive metros. But the central London trains were nicer than the ones in the suburbs. We rode a lot of trains throughout Tokyo, and this isn't just the nice tourist train. It's a normal train.
After years of Mexico City Metros, I also noticed the quiet of Tokyo's Metro. The train itself is quieter, as it is modern and well-sealed, but also the people are quieter. They actually turn their phones to vibrate and refrain from all but private conversations. Needless to say, there are no pirated CDs for sale nor unemployed musicians playing their harmonica/guitar/accordion!

Every restaurant gave us wet towels when we sat down so that we could wash our hands. This was one of the first times that I felt that my hands weren't even all that dirty! Also, every bathroom (they even had free, clean, well-stocked bathrooms in the metro stations!) had toilet paper, running water, and soap; 90% had paper towels, but I saw many moms carrying a washcloth in their purse for kids to dry their hands if there wasn't any paper - very organized moms!