I notice quite a lot of people asking more about “bad” or “unpleasant” things in this type of threads, but I would like to pay some attention to positive things people can say about a country and its undoubted advantages, comparing to the rest of the world, which every country has. : )
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Compared to the US?
I can call an ambulance and not have to worry about it bankrupting me, my child and my child’s children.
Don’t need to train my child on how to respond to a gun threat at school.
I don’t have to worry about gun violence.
If you can’t drive an automobile, you’re not a second-class citizen.
Everyday life is very easy, once you have the basics of the language at least. Assuming you live in a town or city then everything you need tends to be within easy walking distance. I’m halfway through a two-year work stint and haven’t noticed any of this bad stuff myself, but I suppose everybody has a tough day now and then.
Cheap food cheap booze.
Did I did I talk about the cheap booze?
I still can’t believe the low mortgage rate we received.
I don’t travel as much as I would like, but I like the variety of options available without going abroad. The country isn’t too big, but has a little bit of everything.
It’s cool being within 30 minutes of both Tokyo and Shonan, but go a little further afield and you’ve got tropical beaches, islands, mountains, skiing, etc. Being from the UK, I would usually have to venture into mainland Europe for stuff like that.
I used to think that groceries were expensive here. Now with the price hikes in the rest of the world I appreciate that we have cheap seasonal veggies, affordable fish and other healthy foods. Unless you’re very poor, it’s possible here to eat healthy on a budget.
Despite having lower wages compared to the US, I can live somewhat comfortably without breaking the bank.
I’m surprised myself that I am able to live debt-free so far. Of course, I’m aware this may change in the future since things are getting more expensive, even in Japan.
Honestly, the safety.
Being able to go for a run at 3am is kinda nuts.
Where I am from, if the lights go down, YOU GO HOME.
Yes, you should be safe because danger exists everywhere.
But otherwise, way less than my home country.
Japan: Where you can go from city lights to sandy beaches in 30 minutes. Talk about efficiency!
The prolific amount of onsen scattering the entire country. I couldn’t live without them now.
Healthcare and the no tipping culture
No gun violence, no tipping, good customer service, delicious food, efficient public transport, no one tries to run me off the road when I need to merge…
And strong plastic bags.
For someone with driving anxiety, the convenient transportation services.
Also, the safety.
Convenience and convenience stores
The food is definitely a number one for me. Eating out is super expensive where I’m from (Amsterdam) so being able to do it on a weekly basis, often multiple times, is amazing. Besides that, the onsen are pure bliss, the convenience stores always warm my heart and above all people MIND THEIR OWN BUSINESS AND ARE QUIET.
In Amsterdam everyone thinks they own the street, can trash it, play their shitty music out loud and plainly yell at passers by.
Been here for a year (in Tokyo) and compared to Australia (which is great) I just love the civilisation of everything, and the effort to make things work.
Sure there are things that could be improved but on balance it is excellent (compared to a country that’s pretty well sorted)
I’ll return home one day but I do appreciate the place.
Being able to take out money at 12 midnight at a conbini without getting stabbed in the neck. You’ll end up dead trying to take out $10 from ATM in the Philippines.
I can walk through city streets at night with ear buds in with no fear of losing my phone or wallet.
Japan is a large country, but I think the main point is you can let your guard down and enjoy the customer experience (of course not in Shinjuku, Roppongi or Dotombori).
People are saying safety, sure, but it is more than that. You can actually be completely helpless and naive in a city and still survive without help from friends and/or family.
Oh you didn’t pay health insurance and pension and got into an accident? Let me just give you the forms to pay it all back so you are covered retroactively.
You dropped your Starbucks drink being clumsy? Let me refill/Remake that for you.
You need to pee? Toilets everywhere, most of which have accommodations for infants.
You’re driving like a snail? People will just avoid your car without raging.
…
This is not true in everything, but it is enough to go back to my own country and have to actively pay a lot of attention.
(—as long as you’re following the process—) how everything is just “running flawlessly”.
Unless there is some heavy shit going on (disaster, suicide, etc.), trains don’t run late randomly, and even “1 min late” is still “late” (where I’m from, trains aren’t even counted as “late” if it’s less than 15 mins…). No tipping, you pay exactly what you owe.
If you have your papers in order, administration and utilities are usually smooth as silk. Queues are ordered and it’s not the law of the fittest.
Of course, if you but slightly deviate, you’re out of the game.
Hot bottled drinks in vending machines and conbinis. It’s honestly the reason I live here
Worrying about getting robbed or pickpocketed. Back when I was in my hometown you should wear your backpack/bag in front. Being able to wear it freely here without any worries is such a nice feeling.
I don’t have to see asshats carrying guns around all over the place like I did back home in the US.
Daily life is so much safer.
I have the same experience as some of the others here. Super low mortgage, granted houses are not as much of an investment so it is a bit of a trade off. When asked by friends back home I always say it is great. I am about 1 hour travel from just about anything I would want to do. Beach 1 hour, Mountains and nice countryside within 1 hour, major cities with things to do (zoo’s, museums, etc) within an hour. Lastly I will add one I have not seen anyone else post yet, sorry if I missed it. I may just have lucked out with a great Yochien for my kids, but holy crap is it better than the preK/ daycare options I had in the states. I know getting kids in one can be hard, but that was true for the USA as well if it was a good one.
Domestic flight travel is a dream compared the the U.S.
Vending machine.
Honestly, the cost of living. My salary isn’t amazing by Canadian standards, but seeing the average rent for a studio unit hit almost $2000/month in my hometown and the cost of food skyrocket makes me realize there’s no way I can live the way I do now even with a yearly income of $100,000 in Canada.
Being able to be left the absolute fuck alone. If I wanted to live without talking to a single person outside of work and family it is very very easy to do so.
This also extends to friendship/socializing. No political hot takes, no one preaching their religion/new diet/sex position/newest money making scheme. Even if people do open up it’s still very tepid compared to the “OMG YOU HAVEN’T BEEN TO CIRCLEJERK FOODIE RESTAURANT YET? WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!?!” I get back home.
If I cared about what you’re into I’ll ask about it. No I don’t need it shoved down my throat, thanks.
I like the food here, almost never disappoints me even you are just buying from convenience store.
In a word: **Accessibility**
Not just combinis and vendos, but also grocers, clinics, public parks, sports facilities, restaurants, izakayas, home improvement stores, etc.
At best everything you need to survive is a walk or bike ride away, at worst it’s a 30-minute train ride. And you don’t even need to own a car.
Doesn’t apply to rural areas, of course, but >90% of us live in the cities.
Affordable housing
(acceptably) clean toilets everywhere
The relatively low crime rate/no firearms. Also I think the socialist measures/tax prices are the highest I would feel comfortable with, and I’m happy with the medical care too.
Being able to walk in the middle of the night with headphones on without worrying about being jumped or mugged.
– The quality of food is there, the vegetables are fresh, fruits are fresh, especially compared to California.
– Don’t need a car
– Health insurance is affordable
– The housing market is not as inflated as the US’s
– Convenience stores are actually convenient
– Pension
– Lost items tend to be returned to you ( except for my umbrellas 🙁 )
– Transportations are primarily punctual (except on certain conditions)
– Safety
– BREAD
– Vending machines
– Don’t necessarily need to hop in a car or bus (unless in the countryside), you can just walk (mainly in the cities)
– Streets are clean, not a whole lot of trash out and about (sometimes it happens)
– Shinkansen to go around the country
– Carbon fiber internet exists which is pog
Along the lines of safety, there is virtually no drug use here — fentanyl has created huge problems in the US.
I’m from the west coast of the US so I’m very aware of the issues it’s created and how devastating it can be.
Additionally, there are very few gun deaths here and no school shootings.
Not having to worry about random physical violence particularly near bars or clubs, no longer finding syringes in front of where I live, reliable and affordable public transport, people not screaming into their phones or blasting music on public transport constantly, not having to live in an absolute shithole apartment with a load of randoms just to be able to afford to live somewhere.
I could go on but short version is that generally things are much better here
bidets… 🤣
No need to own a car like in the US. It’s a big help on the budget as well and the public transport is amazing. The consistency of life here is what I love.
Safety, bidets
The abundance of public toilets
And washlets
Dental care is so cheap here
I think the living standard is high.
I can live in a newly built apartment without breaking my bank account. That would not happen in where I’m from.
The food is good and most restaurants, even if it’s a cheap izakaya usually has pretty good standards. Unless it’s Italian or French. Always avoid.
I absolutely love the Shinkansen.
No tipping
In summer, Orion beer. In winter, Sapporo
The overall lack of a punitive mindset. The idea of getting along and keeping your opinion to yourself if it doesn’t matter as opposed to “keeping it real” for some reason. The overall lack of violence— violent crime, violent cops, etc. The “just do the right thing and do it properly” mindset that isn’t everywhere but much more apparent than in most societies.. and yea, it leads to some inflexible times as well but on the whole— i will take it.