Notes on Japan

I moved from Hamburg, Germany to Tokyo in October of last year. I would agree with their observation and have a few points to add that I found remarkable (some of them are probably a little specific to Tokyo):<p>- In larger cities there are Konbinis _everywhere_. As in: You can barely walk a block without encountering one in the more busy areas. Sometimes there are three within a 30m Radius.<p>- Most fruits (except bananas or Kaki when in season) are pretty expensive.<p>- Package sizes in supermarkets are often smaller that in europe, so if you are used to buying 1 or 2kg bags of frozen veggies you&#x27;ll have to go to Costco.<p>- People make due with much less space here than in europe. Tiny apartments everywhere.<p>- Most single detached family homes in residential areas of Tokyo usually have no garden.<p>- Even though a lot of places look like they have not changed since the 80s, they are suprisingly well maintained and clean.<p>- There are basically no public trashbins except at some train stations or in konbinis (which often makes me feel like I need to buy something else to justify throwing stuff away).<p>- Lots of people wear masks casually (not judging whether thats good or bad)<p>- Food is not only cheap but usually tastes amazing. I have not even once gone anywhere (from cheap chain to upscale sushi place) an was disappointed.<p>- You do get 日本語上手 (Nihongo Jouzu = your japanese is good) a lot even if you just say Hello in japanese.<p>- Trains here are usually really punctual, go frequently and during rush hour are unbearably crowded. It&#x27;s kind of a miracle that people don&#x27;t start fighting constantly and everyone is just somehow accepting the fact that they are forcefully pushed around on the train.<p>- The japanese people I met are are almost all incredibly nice, once you break the ice. They are so mindful of others feelings and needs and really good at reading people.

&gt; most “non-Japanese” looking people are tourists<p>&gt; therefore, you will probably be treated as one, even if aren’t<p>Myself and a couple friends visited Japan for a couple weeks in 2008. On a trip to Osaka, one of my friends was approached by a gaggle of school girls. It was “speak to a foreigner day” at their school, and apparently of our group, the lone female seemed the most approachable. They asked her a series of questions about where she was from and her life in very basic English and took furious notes.<p>I can’t imagine telling a class in even the safest parts of the United States “Go wander the streets and interview a stranger you suspect to be foreign”, for a number of reasons.<p>The other thing I want to note is just that you get a lot of leeway as a foreigner in Japan. We’d gotten on a train unknowingly that our JR pass didn’t cover, but figured it out on the train. Well right as we get off, the ticket inspector is there inspecting tickets. We feign ignorance and show him our JR passes, he patiently writes something like ¥500 on a piece of paper and shows us, we pay it. No anger is expressed, just more of a “silly foreigners” vibe.

&quot;visiting Japan feels like visiting the 2000s<p><pre><code> CD shops everywhere malls are thriving people use fat laptops&quot; </code></pre> Sounds like a good time. I still buy tons of physical media and I love me a thick laptop with tons of ports and expandability.

The key addendum I would add to this post is the Japan you see when you are in public is not the Japan behind closed doors. Japan has many things going for it, yet it can be a very lonely place to exist. It is just a place where it is easier to be lonely due to a high number of distractions. Social care and a lack of significant mental health support creates a large number of society excluded citizens.

As someone who moved to Japan over 8 years ago, the observations make sense!<p>Also, if you&#x27;re considering &quot;living&quot; in Japan (which is a totally different beast from visiting as a tourist), here&#x27;s a hypothetical scenario. See how you feel the first time you read it.<p>You, alongwith a group of friends&#x2F;group tour members are walking down the street towards the station to go to your next (sightseeing) destination in Tokyo. Assume none of your friends&#x2F;group tour members are ill-meaning (as in, they don&#x27;t behave like bad tourists, littering the streets, being loud because they want to etc.).<p>Now, assume that the group you are with is being louder than other locals around you, possibly because they are in good spirits after a good meal or sightseeing experience. What is your way of thinking:<p>a) Do you realize that your group is being louder than other locals around you?<p>b) If you realize so, do you still not feel anything and keep walking with the group?<p>c) Or do you feel uncomfortable that your group is being louder than others around you, and want to distance yourself away from your group?<p>If you&#x27;re more inclined towards c), then your way of thinking is closer to the Japanese people.<p>Source: had the same experience when I visited Japan over 10 years ago for the first time, and I was so uncomfortable it felt like torture just walking with the same group.<p>Japan, for better or worse, is &quot;unique&quot; in many ways even today, including how people think and behave. It&#x27;s not for everyone, but if you think the article&#x27;s observations and the scenario above are something you like and want to be a part of, you&#x27;ll likely not have too much of a hard time adapting to life here.<p>Also, if time and energy permits, please, learn the language. It&#x27;ll expand your world so much here.

I was in Tokyo on a short business trip once. I had a interpreter and back to back meetings with Japanese businesses for a few days. At one stage I realised that people are reacting slightly to what I am saying before the content was translated. I asked the interpreter about it and she said that they all had English as a school subject and that most Japanese people under 50 can understand English, and are too self-aware about their accent to even try to converse. I&#x27;ve never been able to verify this and would love a more informed opinion.

&quot;for example, when riding the train, everyone either looks at their phone, manga or sleeps....&quot;<p>except for manga, it&#x27;s the same in public transportation in many countries.

Any Americans moved to Japan? Like permanently?<p>I am a naturalized US citizen and I don’t have Japanese family or something like that.<p>So from that pov, what was it like? How did you do it?<p>I went to Japan and it was honestly the best place I’ve been. As a brown guy I felt so welcomed and people were so kind to me. Not to mention it’s so clean and orderly.<p>Fwiw I’m a software engineer with a decade of experience.<p>I have a business degree.

<p><pre><code> when entering a “clean space”, like a home or even a fitting room, take off your shoes </code></pre> I remember playing a <i>Yakuza</i> game where you could walk the protagonist through a house with a tatami floor without taking off your shows and I figured it was alright because he was a badass.

&gt; i felt that it was ‘weird’ talking to someone you don’t know without a reason<p>As a Northern German: this is not normal?

If you don’t want to be treated as a tourist, wear a suit and a badge xD

How much attention one gets depends on various factors. I am a very tall white guy with curly hair that forms an afro. In Tokyo I get stares from nearly everyone along the whole block where I happen to be. Glad this doesn&#x27;t happen to everyone, but please don&#x27;t pretend this doesn&#x27;t happen.

This is pretty accurate (I used to travel to Tokyo regularly -for about 20 years).<p>My favorite &quot;Notes on Japan&quot; was <i>Dave Barry Does Japan</i>[0].<p>[0] <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.davebarry.com&#x2F;book-page.php?isbn13=9780449908105" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.davebarry.com&#x2F;book-page.php?isbn13=9780449908105</a>