Everyone's veiwpoint will be discolored by thier personal experiance anyway.

When I was there the only time I was lied to was when a friend and I tried to get a drink at a coffee shop in Kyoto, and there was only one person working there, but she told us the store was closed when I wasn't.

I bought it at first but my friend says to me she lied to us, there were people in side and the lights were on. Then I'm just like well that's just rude <.<

I think it's because the girl who was working there didn't want to deal with other languages, so that's why she lied.
Aside from that, I didn't encounter any other problems while I was there.
It wasn't a big deal, it just means not everyone you meet is nice or polite.

It's true that people rarely complain about crime and dishonesty in Japan, and people often brag about it being a safe and honest place (whatever the hell that means) -- but these days, the "Japan haters" are so common that I hear more "Japan is racist" comments than I hear praises about it being "honest"


But as far as my experiences, Japan seemed almost too safe. I would often walk or ride bike to the コンビニ at night, and it was creepily safe and silent... maybe there was a dishonest Yamaha thief lurking in the shadows that I never came in contact with :rolleyes:

I have found that when a Japanese is dishonest, they will attempt to hide it to the limit, constantly trying to prove as honest.

Isn't almost everyone like that, not just Japanese people?

you wonder why people dont pay attention to canada? because their trustworthy, nice people,lol. theres not that much gun crime, most people sleep with their doors unlocked, and most of them are pretty considerate or others.

but first experience is everything. you wouldnt go back to a resturaunt if their were rats running around, *cough* Jersey *cough*. but im not saying Japan is bad, just certain parts like any other place in the world. cities have a higher rate of crime than towns or villages.

Yes, but in Japan it is much deeper as to be proved dishonest can have devistating suicidal consequences of which Japan rates as one of the highest in the world. Dishonour is a shocka.

comparing to the US, i prefer Canada better. (although i live in the US)
i remember going to Canada twice, and it's better there. plus, there's too much going on in the US (that's negative), unlike Canada (which is much more pleasant).

The suicide rate is not very relevant to honesty or dishonesty. The country with the highest suicide rate is Belarus, which is nearly double Japan's rate. Second place belongs to Russia, and the remainder of the top 5 or so can be found in Eastern Europe. Japan rates as #7 on the WHO's national suicide rate list. Of course, this list is missing great many countries. As an interesting fact, the suicide rates in Canada and America are pretty much identical, even though guns are common and legal in America, and that crime in America is supposed to be more common than in Canada.

Japan is quite an honest country, though I too have have been a victim of theft since I arrived here. Someone stole a bicycle which I had locked to a tree in front of my GF's apartment building in Tokyo. Not a big deal, when living in America I had my car broken into on several occasions, and someone attempted to break into my house at another time. Luckily for me I kept 2 dogs in the house, which frightened the burglar/s away. On the other hand, I would not be worried at all if I left my door unlocked in Japan.

In business, most Japanese are very honest. I've visited other countries on continents where dishonesty and corruption is the rule, whereas in Japan (and America, and other developed nations), it is the exception.

actually i would say that dishonesty and corruption in japan as well as other developed countries are more prevalent than they appear, and thus alot more dishonest. ie you have to get pretty high up before you see something as obvious as blatant corruption.

having dealt with japanese companies as a subcontractor in the past, the number of times the issue of kickbacks comes up, no matter how diplomatically put, has only been eclipsed by the arabs i've dealt with. atleast with the arabs, as well as some other developing nation companies, it is openly discussed and not hidden away.

the japanese are honest, however, when the deal is done, and they dont ask for any "extras" unlike some of the more unscrupulous.

it all evens out one way or another.