I've only pointed out things that genuinely surprised me:

1. I knew they mostly built out of wood, but I didn't expect that no building survived nor was restored.
2. Cherry trees blossom exactly the same year after year. I didn't expect that throngs of Japanese people would, year after year, be so in thrall with the phenomenon as if they had never experienced it before or would never experience it again.
3. I definitely didn't expect not to see representations of humans in art.