Cleaning:

My student just told me that Japanese people are taught that cleaning is of primary importance. My other student, who works long hours every day except Sunday when she cleans, was recently forced to take her first day off this year. What did she do? 'Clean more thoroughly.' The nation is obsessed with bathing. The word for beautiful is also the word for clean - kirei. I saw a man vacuum cleaning the station steps in Tokyo. The first part of a Geisha's training is cleaning and, of course, Mr Miyagi in the Karate Kid starts the eponymous hero's education with a car cleaning task.

We shouldn't be surprised. Cleaning has deep roots in the Shinto religion where you may become impure through you actions and need to be cleansed for your own peace of mind and good fortune. Rituals include bathing in waterfalls and washing hands and mouth before visiting a shrine.