The following "bad" things about Japan are what I have personally experienced and come to accept if I wanted to live in Japan. They are by no means gospel and others may well have a different experience and opinion:
- Dealing with governmental offices and immigration can be very tiresome and cumbersome, but it is that way for the Japanese also. You just learn to live with it.
- Trains are very crowded as are most of the major cities; more than most people have ever experienced in their life, but you either get used to it or you leave. As for myself, I enjoyed the hustle and bustle of the major cities. However, you can set your watch to the second as far as trains are concerned as they are always on time right to the second! The Japanese take pride in that. I also disliked the fact that trains stopped running at around midnight when I was out with friends in Tokyo.
- If you want to live in Tokyo it is very expensive. You can get a much larger apartment in the suburbs for less than half the price. Don't expect large apartments or central heat and air and you'll probably hear your neighbors snoring or making love next door in the older apartments. Some foreigners never get used to it and come to despise it. Also, expect to shell out, in advance, 3-4 months rent in "thank you money" as in "thank you for allowing me to rent this apartment" and "key money" in case you trash the place. I didn't like it, but that's the way it is there.
- It is impossible to conveniently drive anywhere. The roads are narrow and crowded and it is often faster to walk, ride your bicycle or take the train. Also tolls on the major expressways are very expensive and one must pay extremely high fees just to park your car. But since trains are so efficient and useful you can get anywhere in Japan by train much faster than you could a car. I owned a car in my later years because of the tax breaks in owning my own business on the advice of my accountant, but often took the trains to Tokyo and such.
- If you are a foreigner you
WILL be targeted by the police and asked for your passport or alien registration card on some occassions. Expect it! If you are riding a bicycle you will also be targeted by police to ensure that you didn't steal it as many a foreigner do steal bicycles in Japan. I'm ashamed to admit it, but I was one who did steal one many years ago out of frustration at not being picked up by a taxi near a military base because I missed my last train home and needed a taxi. However, in all my years living there I was asked for my "gaijin card" maybe 5 or 6 times and once I didn't have it and was brought in to the police station.
Contrary to what Gloobey said, the Japanese police are very helpful and will assist you in any way they can. I have asked the police for assistance more than a few times including once when a small company truck hit me on my bicycle. The police tracked down the driver!
- As a foreigner you will be stared at many times, especially in the country and kids will point at you. If you are male women will take notice of you and, if you are female, males will also. Do not take it personally. In Japan a foreigner stands out like a sore thumb but being a foreigner will allow you to meet many people even when waiting for a train!
- Japanese will call you "gaijin" （外人） because
gai （外） means outside and
jin （人） means person. In other words, you are not Japanese. That's it. Therefore, you are "not Japanese" no matter how long you have lived in the country or how well you speak the language so don't expect to be accepted as one even if you do gain Japanese citizenship. There is no prejudice or animosity attached to the word at all although many would like to attach prejudice to it when the Japanese use it. As for me, it never bothered me and I often called myself a gaijin because, in reality, I was.
- No matter how long you have lived in Japan you will be asked the "20 question routine" by many Japanese including those who have known you a long time. Questions such as do you like sushi? Do you like Japanese food? Can you speak Japanese? Can you sleep on a futon? Do you like a Japanese bath? Can you use chopsticks. etc., etc. They ask these questions out of curiosity and to start a conversation with you because it is a rare gaijin indeed who can speak the language and enjoy all aspects of Japanese life. The Japanese find this type of person fascinating and desire to get to know them more. The questions can either be in Japanese or English depending on your ability. This really irritates some foreigners to no end, especially when they have lived in Japan a year or more, can speak and live like a Japanese and are asked the same questions over and over again. As for me, I got used to it and learned to enjoy the "conversation starters." It made life a whole lot better and I met many a friend because I accepted it as part of their culture. Also, there is a certain "celebrity" status attached to foreigners.
- Japanese culture is very unique in the world and when a fad hits, it hits the whole country all at once in what the Japanese call a "boom". Everywhere you look, when a boom or fad hits, everyone is doing it, wearing it, singing it, or saying it. Many foreigners find this irritating and feel the Japanese are only lemmings and followers with no mind of their own. But it is Japan and that's the way it is. Get used to it.
- Many people put down the Japanese because of their sex industry and their treatment of women. With the sex industry, name me one country that doesn't have one even though it may be hidden and not talked about. The Japanese are just more open about it whereas many countries pretend it doesn't exist when it does. It is often far worse in these other countries. It is what it is.
As for their treatment of women, I do have a problem with that to some extent, but they are making strides and advances in that area. They key point is Japanese women, especially the wives and such, weild a lot of power over the men and the family just as they always have. They just let the male think they rule the roost and make all the decisions when the opposite is more often fact. Not all, but many Japanese women enjoy their status in Japan and for many their only dream is to get married, have children and run a family. Nothing wrong with that IMO. Who are we foreigners to demand change in that area? If the Japanese women desire change they will have it.
- Many foreigners find Japanese TV to be childish and stupid. I enjoyed Japanese TV.
- Yes there is crime in Japan and horrendous murders as with any other country, but you will more often than not find that most of the crime is committed against family members by other family members and people the perpetrator knows. Also, one look at Japanese "mystery doramas" on TV will tell you that the Japanese are fascinated with crime and murder for some reason. Maybe because it is so rare.
However, the crime rate in Japan is far, far, far lower than in the US, England, or other countries of the world. In fact I found Japan to be one oif the safest places I have ever lived. I could walk down a deserted street at 2 am, as I did and when I visit, with a wad of 10,000 yen notes in my pocket and am confident in the fact that I will not be mugged. When my wife is out visiting her friends and is coming home on the last train I am confident in the fact that she will not be molested, raped or murdered. I once lost my wallet on a train in Japan with 120,000 yen in it and it was returned to the station with all the cash in it!
Yes, there are pickpockets in Japan, or so I've heard, but I was never a victim. For the foreigner, especially females, Japan is a very, very safe place to live and even more so outside of major cities.
- If you are European or Canadian, Japanese will automatically assume you are an American. This really irritates those Canadians and Europeans, but it is the way it is. Japan was defeated and occupied by Americans and their culture is greatly influenced by the US. Try to understand this and you will have a much better stay in Japan. Just tell them you are not American. Easier said than done I know, but don't let it get to you. It is the same here in the US when everyone automatically assumes that all orientals are Chinese. Case in point: When my wife and I visited a Korean restaurant, the Korean waitress started speaking Korean to my wife mistaking her for Korean! I also overheard some kids say, "Look at the Chinese lady" once. It is no different as even Asians cannot tell one from another! It did not bother my wife as she came to understand.
What else is "bad" about Japan? I cannot think of anything else at the moment, but I'm sure some will arise as the thread continues or new threads are made. In concluding, Japan is what you make of it as mentioned before. It all depends on you, your disposition, and your tolerance level for a country and culture far different than your own. Accept it for what it is, learn about the people and culture and you will have an enjoyable stay. Or, don't accept it, don't learn the language and culture, try to impose your beliefs and culture on the Japanese and assume their way is the wrong way and your stay will be a "Gloobey" one that you will come to despise.
