Like how to line up everywhere, conbini, train station, restaurants. Or in the onsen or things like not talking on the phone on the train, blowing your nose in public, sticking your chopstick into the rice, eating while waking.
I don’t have a problem with them but I still often feel like I’m doing things “wrong”.
The unreasonable working hours.
The cultural differences. It took me five years before I finally got over the fact that I’m not in Kansas anymore. Now that I’m fully acclimated I’m finding other foreigners to be far more annoying than the locals.
People constantly trying to assign differences in people to some mysterious Japanese “culture”…
The lack of building insulation and central heating in residential buildings
Everyone’s experiences are different, which is something I think is lost on people at times. I would say don’t worry about it too much and learn as things come. That adds more stress to an already stressful situation.
Most of the time people will give you a pass because you’re foreign. Others will actually teach you if it’s bad, or if you ask them if you catch a weird vibe.
Just be a good person. Kind, thoughtful, and aware. That will give you the tools you need to handle most anything.
Worst comes to worst you come across an asshole who will just be an asshole about stuff. Best case, you’ll have killer stories to tell people and laugh about later.
sitting on the floor… just don’t like it
The outrageously expensive initial fees you have to pay before you move into an apartment, and having to pay one month rent for contract renewal.
Are you currently living in Japan?
The water wrecking the condition of my hair.
Remember the ATM is closed on public holidays.
Not having a “real” kitchen. Gonna build a house someday with a custom-sized kitchen. And yeah, I’m gonna get a large dishwasher too.
Lack of central heating/air, poorly made houses/apartments. Having to buy every single thing inside an apartment (fridge, lights, dishwasher (I wish), microwave, air con, etc).
The massive mountains of paperwork due to nothing being digital.
Terrible websites and computer anything. Getting stared at everywhere.
The alarmingly incorrect “decoration English” that you see on everything.
Being denied housing because you’re not Japanese. And on that note, the huge costs associated with moving into a new apartment.
The obsession with wearing masks everywhere. Even alone in a car, or walking outside in the middle of nowhere.
Japan’s strange obsession with working super long hours but having low productivity.
the healthcare care system. It’s relatively cheap, but the quality of doctors in my experience is awful. 9/10 times no matter what is wrong with you they will tell you to ice it and rest, and they never spend more than 2 minutes with you.
I could go on…
After 25 years here, honestly, the inability for the general public to think dynamically and adapt. To that end, Fax machines and tech that should have died 25 years ago being almost essential to doing buisness here.
Some very small things that happen over and over again really got to me for a while. Now I just correct people!
e.g.
I turn up early for an event.
日本人: Wow. You’re early. You’re so Japanese.
Old me: says nothing (thinking WTF?)
Current me: Plenty of foreigners are on time and plenty of Japanese are late. Nothing about being on time makes me Japanese. I also don’t like how you are using “you’re so Japanese” as a compliment. You’re saying being Japanese is something we should all strive to be.
Don’t overthink it. You will learn the social codes here progressively.
The humidity in summer, and the mosquitoes too.
Fortunately, I’ve never yet had to deal with any (yet?) , but have you seen the size of the cockroaches here?
And websites that use text in images instead, and can’t be machine translated easily.
Challenges: Transferring my license. I have been denied three times for the following
1.) My American Passport was not enough evidence that I am a U.S. citizen. Only would a letter from my father be enough proof that I am from the United States.
2.) My wife did not write スタンプ on the translation to indicate there is a stamp on the paper. Although we were initially told to translate the words only and not any images, marks, or stamps.
3.) They needed to determine if I had eyes examined while I was in America. Despite saying yes, and having my latest eye examination paperwork from Japan.
The medical system. I had a poor immune system for years, then started going to the doctor regularly after I developed insomnia. It took me three years to get diagnosed with very severe sleep apnea, and it could have taken longer if I didn’t ask for a referral. I’m still a little bit annoyed at my physician. I told them I had problems with lethargy, acid reflux, and frequent urination, and I was waking up 3-5 times a night. I didn’t realize it at the time, but all of those are either symptoms of sleep apnea or are commonly linked to it. I really wish I had done more research, because that may have convinced me to seek out a sleep specialist or ENT earlier.
18 comments
Unspoken rules.
Like how to line up everywhere, conbini, train station, restaurants.
Or in the onsen or things like not talking on the phone on the train, blowing your nose in public, sticking your chopstick into the rice, eating while waking.
I don’t have a problem with them but I still often feel like I’m doing things “wrong”.
The unreasonable working hours.
The cultural differences. It took me five years before I finally got over the fact that I’m not in Kansas anymore. Now that I’m fully acclimated I’m finding other foreigners to be far more annoying than the locals.
People constantly trying to assign differences in people to some mysterious Japanese “culture”…
The lack of building insulation and central heating in residential buildings
Everyone’s experiences are different, which is something I think is lost on people at times.
I would say don’t worry about it too much and learn as things come. That adds more stress to an already stressful situation.
Most of the time people will give you a pass because you’re foreign. Others will actually teach you if it’s bad, or if you ask them if you catch a weird vibe.
Just be a good person. Kind, thoughtful, and aware. That will give you the tools you need to handle most anything.
Worst comes to worst you come across an asshole who will just be an asshole about stuff. Best case, you’ll have killer stories to tell people and laugh about later.
sitting on the floor… just don’t like it
The outrageously expensive initial fees you have to pay before you move into an apartment, and having to pay one month rent for contract renewal.
Are you currently living in Japan?
The water wrecking the condition of my hair.
Remember the ATM is closed on public holidays.
Not having a “real” kitchen. Gonna build a house someday with a custom-sized kitchen. And yeah, I’m gonna get a large dishwasher too.
Lack of central heating/air, poorly made houses/apartments. Having to buy every single thing inside an apartment (fridge, lights, dishwasher (I wish), microwave, air con, etc).
The massive mountains of paperwork due to nothing being digital.
Terrible websites and computer anything.
Getting stared at everywhere.
The alarmingly incorrect “decoration English” that you see on everything.
Being denied housing because you’re not Japanese. And on that note, the huge costs associated with moving into a new apartment.
The obsession with wearing masks everywhere. Even alone in a car, or walking outside in the middle of nowhere.
Japan’s strange obsession with working super long hours but having low productivity.
the healthcare care system. It’s relatively cheap, but the quality of doctors in my experience is awful. 9/10 times no matter what is wrong with you they will tell you to ice it and rest, and they never spend more than 2 minutes with you.
I could go on…
After 25 years here, honestly, the inability for the general public to think dynamically and adapt. To that end, Fax machines and tech that should have died 25 years ago being almost essential to doing buisness here.
Some very small things that happen over and over again really got to me for a while. Now I just correct people!
e.g.
I turn up early for an event.
日本人: Wow. You’re early. You’re so Japanese.
Old me: says nothing (thinking WTF?)
Current me: Plenty of foreigners are on time and plenty of Japanese are late. Nothing about being on time makes me Japanese. I also don’t like how you are using “you’re so Japanese” as a compliment. You’re saying being Japanese is something we should all strive to be.
Don’t overthink it. You will learn the social codes here progressively.
The humidity in summer, and the mosquitoes too.
Fortunately, I’ve never yet had to deal with any (yet?) , but have you seen the size of the cockroaches here?
And websites that use text in images instead, and can’t be machine translated easily.
Challenges: Transferring my license. I have been denied three times for the following
1.) My American Passport was not enough evidence that I am a U.S. citizen. Only would a letter from my father be enough proof that I am from the United States.
2.) My wife did not write スタンプ on the translation to indicate there is a stamp on the paper. Although we were initially told to translate the words only and not any images, marks, or stamps.
3.) They needed to determine if I had eyes examined while I was in America. Despite saying yes, and having my latest eye examination paperwork from Japan.
The medical system. I had a poor immune system for years, then started going to the doctor regularly after I developed insomnia. It took me three years to get diagnosed with very severe sleep apnea, and it could have taken longer if I didn’t ask for a referral. I’m still a little bit annoyed at my physician. I told them I had problems with lethargy, acid reflux, and frequent urination, and I was waking up 3-5 times a night. I didn’t realize it at the time, but all of those are either symptoms of sleep apnea or are commonly linked to it. I really wish I had done more research, because that may have convinced me to seek out a sleep specialist or ENT earlier.