So I’ve been in Japan for about 4 1/2 years now. My first apartment was a LeoPalace which already tells you a lot there. I would go about a normal life, I could hear my neighbors, I’m sure they could hear me. But no one really ever complained. (Expect one time when I REALLY wanted to because there was a Japanese neighbor who perpetually came home drunk, would sign at the top of his lungs and bang on the walls, all at 1am – 2am. Thankfully he didn’t live there long and was soon gone.)
But I had since moved into an apartment in another prefecture about two years ago. I’m very sure it’s not concrete, and it’s a bit old, but the price is great for the location (10 min walk to the nearest station and 12 min walk to work). In my first year, I got a letter from my neighbor (a Japanese woman who moved here from Fukuoka) several months in to my living here complaining about the fact that she could hear noise coming from my apartment at night and asked if I could keep it down/buy headphones/etc.). I talked with her the next day and apologized saying that since the weather had been cooler recently I had the windows opened so that may have contributed to the noise escaping more easily recently.
But then she said that it hadn’t just been recently, but since I moved in months ago…
Ok, I thought, a bit odd to complain about something that had been going on for quite some time, but only make it sound like a recent thing, but whatever. I’ll do my best. I tried talking more quietly, kept the volume on my TV/laptop down. Tried putting up those foam block things to help with noise and such. And never heard from her since.
I honestly never thought of myself as noisy at all to begin with. I’ve never been the type to blast music (even during the day) and when I talk, I talk in a normal voice. (Maybe in the day I’ll be a bit louder and laugh more, and sometimes I slip up and do it at night) but I feel (as an American mind you) that my volume is pretty level. Not shouting, but also not typical Japanese low speak either.
I also explained to her during the time before that night is when I typically talk to family/friends from where I’m from because it’s kind of the only window of opportunity we get and they’re still apart of my life even if I’m the opposite side of the world. To which she understood but only to a certain degree.
Either case, for that next month or so I think I was extra cautious about everything and tried sound proofing with whatever I had on hand and even decorating the adjacent wall. And as time went on, I just went back to my normal level of speaking like I always did and never heard anything from her for ages so I figure whatever I was doing was working or maybe it was a one off thing.
Fast forward to today, and I’m on the phone with a family member, talking at a normal volume as always (and I’ll admit it we also 11pm -but seeing as there was no other complaints in almost a whole year, also figuring nothing was wrong), and then I get several rings on my doorbell. I notice it was her, and she was holding a hand written note stating (and I quote):
“I’m sorry I’m in a conversation with your family.
It’s noisy.
I can’t sleep…
If you want to talk,.
talk in the back room.”
To which she had an illustration.
I apologized, got off the phone, and then studied the diagram. Now, my apartment is essentially one long (but spacious) hallway. I have 3 individual rooms. 1st is the kitchen, 2nd is a middle room with a big closet, and 3rd has a room that goes to the balcony and has the one aircon in the entire unit (so naturally the bedroom) and all rooms are going in a row vertically.
At first, by “back room” I supposed that she meant to talk in the kitchen as she probably has the same layout I do (or so I guess), but upon further studying it, it seems like she thinks I have an extra space going out horizontally on the floor plan… I guarantee I do not… The only thing going that way is out the windows (I’m in the corner unit). Maybe her place is designed as such but mine isn’t. And I thought of writing back at a later time and explaining that I don’t have this “back room.”
Now, I don’t want to be a D about any of this. I know it’s not concrete, so sound will travel. And i know that people say Japanese are very sensitive to sound. While I’m not sure when “quiet time” officially is in Japan, I tend to just live normally overall. Yeah, it was 11pm which I’m sure is late to some, so maybe not best time for a call, but it’s the time I usually get with them and I love them and want to catch up. I stop watching movies on my tv after 10pm and switch most of my viewing to my laptop which I can keep closer to my futon, and if I’m doing any gaming on my TV it’s either muted or turned down low. (Unfortunately the tv is next to the adjacent wall because I like my bed next to the window and it puts me further away from my neighbor as best as I can in the small space given (especially since I snore).
However, if the walls are as thin as all that, then why do I NEVER hear her? Not a cough? Not movie? Not a friend? Etc. The times I tried to press my ear up against the wall I could BARELY make out anything from her side… unless she’s blessed with one of these back rooms going the other way on her end.
The main thing I want to ask here is (in all seriousness), am I truly being that much of a D for talking at a normal volume (also I should clarify, that while I am American, I don’t feel like I talk as loud as most do, when I’m back in America most people ask me to repeat things because THEY think I talk too low) even if it is 11pm or should I try not to talk to family during that time?
Is she being unreasonable/overly sensitive to the noise? I mean, I have never received a formal complaint management, and in about a year she never sent a single other level despite this being my normal routine, I also got my apartment renewed so they’re not kicking me out for being a problem neighbor.
If there’s legitimately something I should change then I’m more than happy to do it. I don’t want to be “that guy” but’s the same time, if she has a problem but it’s not against any rules or things like that, then… is it just her hard luck? And the fact that the building isn’t designed with more insulation to prevent these types of things?
Is there a legal time ordinance for noise and what qualifies as breaking that? I tried looking it up but most just talk about city stuff like construction and things. I didn’t see anything in my apartment contract about noise times but I’ll try checking again when I have time.
Also, any other advice in general? Like I said, I’m not trying to say that I think I’m right and she needs to #deal. I just want to know from other people and their experiences and thoughts on the subject. What do you all suggest is the best approach?
by Over_Bug_6030