Drugs in Japan
 

I remember long ago I started a discussion on Cannabis and this guy told me "they have very strict laws against drugs in Japan". And I was thinking what fucking country DOESN'T have strict laws against it (except Holland and Mexico etc)??

Actually, the stricter the laws against a drug is, the more it'll be smuggled in and distributed. Considering Cannabis is the most widely used drug in the world next to Alcohol and Tobacco, I'd say a lot of poeple in Japan distribute it and use it. No doubt whatsoever.

EVERYONE smokes weed. The person you least expect is the person who's smoking it. I bet a lot of famous people in Japan use it too, including j-rock/pop artists etc.

I wouldn't be surprised if say... Miyavi (big fan of him) smokes or smoked weed at some point. And I bet it does him good too with that fucking ADHD spasm shit that he has hahah.

Besides cannabis I would say all other drugs like ecstasy, antidepressants like benzo, morphine drugs like tramadol etc are also used. Even though it's not necessarily distributed IN japan, I bet there are still a lot of users. Same with psychedelic mushrooms and LSD and all that stuff.

Japan has probably some of the strictest drug laws in the world. I understand what you are saying about smuggling, but what Japan doesn't have is the underground drug culture that exists in many parts of the world.

Yes, athletes and rock stars do get caught with drugs, and it is often a career-ending scandal.

Your statement "EVERYONE smokes weed" is simply not the case in Japan. Marijuana is considered a hard drug, and culturally it is very taboo. It is considered dangerous and risky behavior.

My point is, if you go to Japan looking for an underground marijuana culture you will likely be disappointed. Most Japanese looking for the desire to smoke weed do so overseas. You can find weed in Japan, but don't expect reasonable prices or the quality, quantity or variety you can find in many other parts of the world.

Maybe everyone you know. Rightly or wrongly, marijuana is seen as on a par with heroin in Japan- here, a drug is a drug. I know a few very alternative Japanese people who occasionally smoke marijuana, but they are very much in a tiny minority and they are taking quite a risk.

Have a look on the internet to see what happened to the Russian sumo wrestlers who when given blood tests were found to have used marijuana, and also the huge media uproar when a celebrity called Noriko Sakai was found to have used illegal stimulants last year. You'll see that some countries do indeed have stricter laws than others, and also very different social norms.

In China and Singapore for example, being caught smuggling drugs means execution- are they that strict in Sweden? I doubt it. Just because drugs are viewed a certain way where you come from doesn't mean you can assume it is the same everywhere else, including in other social groups in your own country, I think you'll find.

Seconding this. A lot of people there don't even know much about it. There's a lot of general ignorance about drugs in Japan, compared to England where mostly everyone knows about them regardless as to whether they have ever taken anything or not; indeed we are openly taught about drugs in school.

Case in Point:
I owned a hemp handbag for several years and took it to japan with me. The key-ring on it had an image of a marijuana leaf sewn onto it, which I was so accustomed to (and hemp is quite common material in my town, so it's not even that closely associated with drugs in my mind, i more commonly see it on clothing labels) I didn't even think to take it off. In Japan, if and when it was noticed by curious friends, it was frequently confused for a green maple leaf. Even more oddly, more than one person responded to it with a smile and 'hey, did you get this from America?', thinking it was some lesser known national symbol of the USA. To be honest I was pretty surprised by this as a lot of the Japanese students I knew were quite culture savvy.

When I did (inevitably) have to explain why the leaf symbol was on my bag and what it generally meant, the general reaction was shock and/or recoil. Actual physical recoil, I mean. This was information that made my Japanese friends sit back and re-evaluate their whole opinion of me; that's how socially strong this kind of issue is.

And remember, this is just a harmless hemp handbag. I'd already categorically stated that I don't and have never used marijuana or any other drug and it was just a symbol of the material; not even the same plant. It still really pulled the carpet out from most peoples feet. The fact that a) I knew about drug culture and b) I knew people from school who had at some time taken drugs, all singled me out. And emphatically NOT in a positive light.

Lucky for me I find the idea of drugs revolting, or else I think I could have swiftly ended up something of a social pariah. Certainly if you do take or have taken drugs, even just marijuana, I'd keep that very quiet.

Where I live it is not uncommon to see people walking down the street smoking pot even though it is not legal. Most locals consider it to be a soft drug like having a beer so if someone is smoking pot outside of a bar nobody seems to care. Cops don't harass anyone about as long as it's not being smoked right in front of them and you're otherwise obeying the law. The police certainly get called if anyone is seen trying to take any other drugs on the street though!

I do recall that the first time I went to Japan in 2002 there were Rastafarian themed shops that had neon psychedelic mushroom signs in their windows. I was told that psilocybin mushrooms were completely legal at the time but that the law was changing.

I have wondered when seeing Japanese Rastafarians in Tokyo if they are able to live the full lifestyle or if it's just about the fashion? With the harsh penalties for drug offenders and the difficulty in concealing the smell of marijuana in such close quarters I would think it would not be much of an option even though it is a part of their religion.

What I have seen in Tokyo are people who use methamphetamines. If you know what to look for, you notice there are quite a few of them and it's not pretty.

Try to smoke weed in Japan without anyone smelling it. Too many people there.

To be honest I simply don't believe that. I feel that it's just not talked about.

I'm not claiming to have any first hand experience, I'm just going off intuition. Japan, like many countries, has it's traditions and cultures, but with the internet there's hardly any way I can believe the majority of Japanese citizens consider majiruana to be a "dangerous and risky behavior'. There's just far too much information on the web to counter that idea.

Granted, like any recreational drug (I'm including caffeine, Cigarettes, and Alcohol.) it's not healthy. But it's definitely not a hard drug by any classification.

There's plenty of ways to mask the smell.

The simples has only 3 components commonly found around any modern household.

and contrary to popular belief the smell doesn't really sink in and linger that much.

The way of thinking really is different in Japan when it comes to drugs. Everyone doesn`t smoke weed in Japan. Really. Choose to believe what you want, but there is truly a world of difference in the way people think about drugs in general.

There really IS no drug culture. You don`t get people going around offering their opinions about it, you don`t get sites all over dedicated to the positive benefits of some drugs, etc. There may be a few, but you`d really have to go out looking for them. And as there isn`t really much exposure - people do not. The drugs you are more likely to encounter are heroin and meth - and I say "more likely" in just that direct meaning. More likely than 0, not likely to encounter.

Somewhere drugs are prevalent, and there are tons of pot users, and people sort of come to doubt all the anti-drug stuff... Which sends it in a sort of spiral. But in Japan, drugs are very hard to come by in the first place, so there is no real prevalence. What people do see as examples of drug use are huffers, whacked out meth users, and the occasional heroin user who has destroyed their life. There is no mainstream use of anything, so most people never think beyond this and never doubt anti-drug literature... So pot DOES fall into the same category as the most heaviest drug in the public mind.

In English, usually coming out of America, which is looked on as a den of drug use and crime to begin with. Try to find the similar in Japanese and all you`ll come up with in most cases are weird anonymous sites that teeter on the edge of being conspiracy sites. In other words, not at all mainstream.

Most people really DO view it as dangerous and risky behavior. It doesn`t matter if they could find information countering this - if they have no particular interest and no one around them uses... why would they seek it out?

It seems to be very hard for people who live in countries and communities where drugs are a normal thing to imagine, but Japan really really doesn`t have the same way of thinking about it - and the penalties and such really are much much larger than I can imagine elsewhere.

For an example - A former student of my husband`s university was caught in Tokyo trying to buy a small amount of marijuana in Roppongi. Not only did he get arrested, lose his job, and had his university degree removed... the information was sent out in the alumni news, and contributions he had made to various projects during the past were considered to be of no value and removed. Chances are, customers also stopped business with his company.

He`ll probably never find work again. His family will probably not want him around and chances are he has been "disowned". My husband came under observation at his own company simply for being within 2 years of graduation of this guy. The university head and two former teachers of this guy went and personally apologized to the police and at least one of them went and apologized to the guy`s family for not having instilled better values in him during their time as his mentor. I have also heard that his high school became involved, but I don`t know to what extent because we only have contacts at the university...

Oh, and of course, the prison sentence. 5 years, I think?

It`s SERIOUS. You don`t get a slap on the wrist.

I won't repeat what Nyororin said, and take her first hand experience as up-to-date and correct.

There are 10's of thousands of websites espousing the wonderful benefits of Christianity in Japanese. A google seach of キリスト教 elicits more than 3,000,000 hits. However less than 1% of the population of Japan is Christian.

There is more information in Japanese about how wonderful Christianity is than there is about how wonderful marijuana is, but still nothing close to a majority...a very very tiny minority...pick up on it and respond.

Just as it is hard for some Christians to imagine a First World and modern nation that isn't Christian, it also appears it is hard for modern marijuana users to imagine a First World and modern nation where marijuana use is not prevalent.

So please accept the fact that the majority of Japanese treat marijuana as a hard and illegal drug. Nyororin would know better than I, but in my experience it is treated the same as cocaine, heroin, or what most people in the West consider "hard drugs".

It really doesn't matter that this information is countered on the Web, just as it doesn't matter that the web is full of pro-Christian, Muslim, Hindu, information. The web is flooded with information about how amazing Justin Bieber is...that doesn't mean the majority of Japanese know who he is or believe it.

The web if flooded with information on everything.

Or to translate from typo: Less than 1% of the population of Japan is Christian.

I agree with MMM and Nyororin though. If the information is there it is NOT well advertised and people generally don't seem to go looking at it. At most universities in the UK there are posters about drinking, STDs, unplanned pregnancy, violence and drugs, and it's easy to find numbers to helplines and so forth. There were none at the university I was at in Japan. I don't know if drug awareness is taught in schools, but I don't think it is, or at least not to the extent I am used to because a lot of girls I met there weren't aware of drink spiking or that they should be cautious of it.

Smuggling marijuana to an island nation like Japan is not easy, and customs is very aggressive when checking anything which comes into the country. Some of you may remember a few months ago that the new principal of the Sacred Heart International School was arrested when her husband attempted to ship a small amount of marijuana to her. Like all other foreigners who get caught with drugs, she was arrested, tried, and deported without even getting a chance telephone her coworkers or to change her clothes.

Drug use in Japan is extremely uncommon. One can get arrested for narcotics possession in Japan even for marijuana residue in an ash tray. The Japanese make no distinctions. And one must remember that Japanese police possess far more powers than the police of of western nations. If you are arrested you don't get any phone calls, and there is no requirement for an attorney to be present when you are questioned. And when you are convicted (which happens pretty close to 100% of the time) you are going to spend time behind bars. Drugs mean jail in Japan if you are caught.

If you want to know why Japan is such a safe country, you now know part of the reason. No drugs means no drug money and no drug gangs. It means no one has to steal or prostitute themselves to buy drugs. It means that the prisons are not full of drug dealers, and that the hospitals are not full of drug addicts. Japan is a good example of a country where strict drug prevention policies has been a success.

Japan may not be a Christian country, but it is certainly a moral one. The punishment a drug user endures in prison is probably nothing compared to the shame his family endures when news gets out of his arrest. The first thing people think here when someone gets arrested is "His poor parents, how are they going to face their neighbors?". The families of those arrested for drugs or other crimes often move to another city rather than endure the shame.

Having long lived and worked in an area where drug use was common, along with the associated crime, poverty, and death, I much prefer the Japanese attitude about drugs.

Actually, in the "health" aspect Alcohol and Tobacco should be classified as "hard drugs". Tobacco gives you lung cancer, and Alcohol kills your liver. Pot does NOT give you lung cancer even if you smoke it (THC lessens the effect of cancer cell formation), and it DOESN'T fry brain cells (they go to sleep in lack of a better explanation, but eventually "wake up"). Anyone who told you that is wrong. Also, after all these hundreds of years of Cannabis use, not a single death has been documented to the direct use of Cannabis (so obviously you can't get lung cancer if no one has died from smoking cannabis).

Also, Alcohol and Tobacco (and caffeine) are physically addictive. Pot isn't, it's only psychologically addictive at worst. Which is VERY rare to become, since withdrawal from Marijuana isn't a problem unlike most other drugs out there.

It actually goes away pretty quickly if you've only smoked it. I usually have to like spray deodorant on my jacket (after I've been outside with a friend smoking a joint) if I've been smoking some really strong skunk weed (which has a crazy strong smell). But it goes away pretty quickly, unlike Tobacco.

Damn, really? That's just fucking... overkill. Wow just wow...

Yeah I was going to say Meth too since it's sort of like a party drug. Even I've taken meth and I don't like taking chemical drugs. I'd say Cocaine would be in the same league too, but heavier. Definitely has to be used in Japan to some degree=D

As the others have said, you can choose to believe what you like, but those of us who have lived in Japan for years can tell you that you are wrong. We are basing the info we have given here on what we have actually observed in the people we know and in the media while living here, and you are basing your ideas on what you have probably quite selectively read on the internet.

Overkill? No - that is what "they have very strict laws against drugs in Japan" means. So when someone says that, it is TRUE, and not just the same as average drug laws wherever.

You totally missed what I was saying. NOT that it is common, but that if anyone runs into someone using drugs it`s more likely to be someone using meth or heroin. NOT that it is likely they will run into the drugs.

You are still looking at it through the window of your own life and experiences. You could go to a thousand parties in Japan and chances are you`d never see anything other than alcohol. Ever. There just simply is not a drug culture in Japan. There simply aren`t "party drugs" here. The culture when it comes to these things really is completely different.

Kungmartin, I spent most of my life in and around London and some time in NYC and Florida. I was in the music business for a while, you can guess what that means right!
It means I have seen it all when it comes to drugs and drink.

In Japan you can't buy Rizla. (To locals, I know that, don't flame).
But the main factors that others have pointed out is the social stigma.

In the west you will get laughed at by your spliff smoking parents, sisters and brothers if you don't suck the weed. Your friends won't talk to you and your Boss may fire you for not having a spare paper.
Kids in the west now use drugs as fashion. It's more down to what you can score then what you wear.

In Japan, life is still going on as usual. There has been an increase in immigrants who take drugs and by association introduce drugs to Japanese. There are Japanese who try to smuggle drugs into Japan for an easy buck.
For the most part, and I mean 99% the Japanese are not interested in that part of western culture.

And it is this point. That Japan has by and large protected it's people and their welfare that is the reason you won't find a drug culture here.
While western governments have failed and Islamic states have used religious and barbaric deterants. Japan has helped it's people avoid the onslaught of drug culture.

So, if you are a tourist in Japan I guess you could find a smoke quite easily. If you don't mind hanging around in the same place as people who will rob you or spike your drinks, that is. When I say Japan I mean Tokyo, oh! when I say Tokyo I mean a small part of Tokyo.

Well, I think the incidents with Noriko Sakai and Manabu Oshio last year make it clear that there is a minor drug culture in some areas of society here, and that some celebrities are well into it. In the clubs in Shibuya and Roppongi you could find 覚せい剤 (stimulants for those who don't read Japanese) if you were interested, and as I mentioned above I also know people who regularly smoke marijuana, so to say there is no drug culture at all here is inaccurate in my opinion. Marijuana use, while nothing like KungMartin was assuming it is, is a bit more widespread than you might think.

Having said that, the rest of what you have said on this thread is very accurate, and should have helped to convince other posters that smoking marijuana is not something you just get a slap on the wrist for doing here.

I`ve never said that drugs are impossible to find - but having grown up (unfortunately) very very deep in the "drug culture" of the US... It would really be a stretch to call the small strings of people into drugs in Japan a "drug culture". You honestly could go to a thousand parties and concerts in Japan and really never encounter anything at all... Whereas in the US, you`d be lucky to not find something at every single one. In the end, it really is social suicide even if you don`t get caught and into any legal trouble.

When it comes to availability, I think that dirtyroboto hit it on the head pretty well when he said "If you don't mind hanging around in the same place as people who will rob you or spike your drinks, that is. When I say Japan I mean Tokyo, oh! when I say Tokyo I mean a small part of Tokyo."

Hey I wasn't really claiming much more than that honestly! Pretty much just the fact that you know people who smoke it regularly is what I was assuming.

I definitely hear you though Nyororin=)

Before 2002 all those people who were legally ingesting mushrooms were a part of the drug culture. I'm sure farmed drugs like marijuana and cocaine may be harder to come by but like I said I have seen obvious meth users in Tokyo. You only need easily found chemicals to make the stuff.

I don't hang out in clubs or bars when I visit Japan, I rarely stay out past 10PM and I have still seen the drug addicts. They are mostly stumbling around in the early morning still wearing yesterdays clothing. The last one I saw was trying to cut into line for the bathroom at a Starbucks in Harajuku at 4 in the afternoon! She was skinny, looked sweaty, smelled vaguely of gasoline and was broken out in meth bumps. I mean, she still had a nice handbag but she was otherwise a hot mess.

And what about prescriptions? Most urban kids around here don't bother with street drugs these days. They hit up mom and dad's medicine cabinet. Is that something seen in Japan at all?

Are you sure she was native and not a imported sex worker? I only ask as I know there is a problem with girls being imported to work in the sex trade after already being abused and hooked on drugs before they are bought here.

It must be said that even in organised crime in Japan, drug use is frowned on. It may be sold, but never used by a member.
BUT!!!
Now there are many non Japanese crime setups who are moving into the drug business in Japan, and you can find public information posters warning against drug use on many streets.

For me, I would want my children to have the chance to grow up in a drug free environment. Japan affords that chance. I don't want to see 10 year old kids smoking weed on the street like in the UK. I want to see them enjoying life as normal children.

Back in the day in the UK (about 30 years) people who smoked drugs mainly smoked Hashish, and were very secretive about it. It was expensive and smoked by bohimian types.
Now, every man, woman and child seems to have access to the strongest skunk being bred, and for a small price too.

I am really not against the plant itself, but the culture that has now flocked to worship it's distinctive leaves. It does have many beneficial uses, but so many people are now using it as a crutch and teaching their kids to do the same.
Gone are the days of "Mum! can I get some pocket money for a bag of cola cubes and a fanta". Welcome to the days of "Mum! can I get some pocket money for a few spliff's, rizla and a packet of fags".

(note: Fags are English slang for ciggarettes)

I think you bring up a good point, dirtyroboto, which can help us define the "drug culture" in Japan.

Where there is a "rich" marijuana culture in parts of the West, I doubt anyone would go so far as to say there is a "meth culture" in the West. What I mean is, no one is advocating for the legalization of meth. People that do meth do it in secret and with the attempt to not get caught. There are no meth festivals, public usage, advocates, lawyers, t-shirts, music, etc. It is not joked about on TV or encouraged at live concerts.

Consider marijuana in the same regards as meth in Japan, and you will understand the "drug culture" as it exists there.

If you smoke pot then you likely hang out with other people who smoke pot, so it is understandable that you would think that EVERYONE smokes pot because probably everyone YOU know does. I do not smoke pot. I live in a college town with 20,000 college students and I do not know anyone who currently smokes pot (and yes, I know more than 5 people...)

This last semester there was only a single reported incident where someone off campus smelled pot, and around 15 incidences in the dorms.

I also find claims that marijuana doesn't cause lung cancer and isn't addictive to be misleading, because marijuana that is sold on the streets is frequently mixed with tobacco specifically to make users constantly want to buy more marijuana without realizing it (which also has the effect of causing LUNG CANCER when smoked.) So marijuana by itself may not kill you, but the stuff it might be mixed with could.

The idea too that the Japanese get much exposure to world out there through the internet, be it on drugs or anything else just isn't the case. Japan has one of the lowest rates of personal computer ownership out of all the big developed nations. It would be hard to find any home without a game console and they practically live their lives out of their keitais but sitting down behind a computer in the home and surfing the net is not overly common. Looking up english sites on the internet is very uncommon. I've worked with numerous Japanese people over the years who had never used a search site like Google before! The Japanese are nothing if not very accepting of what they are told. If the government tells them that drugs, including marijuana, are dangerous then that's exactly what most will believe. It would occur to very few to ever seek out information that is contrary to what they are told. The Japanese, in my opinion, are an extremely ignorant people who have little knowledge of anything beyond their own little world. This does have some benefits of course ;)

I don't think your ideas are necessarily wrong, but you make two glaring mistakes in this post.

1) Japan is one of the most internet savvy nations in the world. The nation of Japan produces the most blog posts per capita than any other language.

Japan leads in blog posts per capita | ZDNet

Japanese people are Internet-savvy. They may have been late to the table, but they are there now.

2) It is not the government, but the culture that is reflecting the attitude about drugs. The government reflects that in the laws, but on the whole the Japanese people are pretty blasé and indifferent to the national government compared to the US.

To say the Japanese are very accepting of what they are told implies something pretty demeaning. They believe what their parents and mentors tell them...just as everyone else does in the world.

This is not a particular trait of Japanese people, but of people in the world in general.

This may be one of the most backward statements I have ever read on this website.

Japan is a nation of travelers, readers, and students of the world.

You must live in Tokyo MMM where all the Japanese are beacons of enlightenment. Up here in Hokkaido it's a completely different story I can assure you.
In my 5 years here and all the conversations I've ever had with my Japanese friends has shown me just how little they know about the world outside of Japan. Even those who've travelled have mostly travelled on tours where they get the briefest, sanitised glimpse of wherever they have gone. They have virtually no knowledge of the history of any other country and to be honest have little knowledge of their own history. You're probably American where such an insular view of the world is normal but it is quite unusual where I come from. :mtongue:

And I disagree the Japanese are internet savvy. They may spend half their lives blogging away from their keitais and messaging each other but truly internet savvy? I think not.

It wasn't enough to insult Japanese, but now you have to insult Americans, too?

Nice.

Finding people who are not worldly is easy to do in any country of the world. However Japan is ranked in the top 10 of most traveled citizens.

Three quarters of Japanese people use the Internet. That's about the same as the UK and those knuckle draggers in the US.

So how would you define Internet savvy?

The main problem with your post is calling the Japanese "extremely ignorant" and that they are "very accepting of what they are told". Maybe the Japanese you have met in your little corner of Hokkaido fit that rather unlikely bill, but that doesn't mean many or most of Japanese are like that.

I did say in my opinion. You don't have to agree. In my little corner of Hokkaido many of the Japanese working here are doing so purely because of the foreign prescence and companies set up here. They are generally well travelled, speak english and want to work in foreign companies as they aren't too keen on the Japanese alternatives. Even so I still find them incredibly naive and ignorant of the world around them. I often engage them in conversation about politics and world events and more often than not it's a completely fruitless excercise as they have no idea what I'm talking about or just have no opinion of their own to contribute. As lovely a people as they are I find them to be very credulous. They are rarely sceptical or critical and from very early on appear to be taught to follow the status quo and conform to social norms. The individual is not really encouraged to form their own opinions and question the opinions of those who are older or in power. So you end up with a society of very same thinking people which includes their views on drugs like marijuana.

Maybe you're experience is different to mine. Maybe you're not interested in talking politics and such with your Japanese friends, I don't know. But this is my experience and is all I can base my opinions on.

I don't know how long you have been here but you are showing an ignorance of basic Japanese culture. I guess you don't stab your rice with chopsticks or keep your shoes on in people's houses. So why don't you understand the Japanese way of expressing your opinion?

While the average Japanese holds many views and opinions on many things, they rarely discuss them with anyone that are not "close" friends or family.
1. They do not wish to upset the conversation by offering an argumentative view, they say nothing or act vague.
2. To talk about a taboo subject casually is tantamount to admiting you have done this thing.
3. Many Japanese do not like to make a mistake or say something wrong, they will act as in point 1. say nothing or act vague.

These things do not mean they are naive or lack worldly wisdom. Just that is not good manners to talk about these things in a casual way, with people you do not know well.

Many Japanese study English abroad and witness many of our home town habits. Some even join in. But when they get home it is never talked about.

GoNative, just because something is your opinion doesn't mean it isn't insulting.

I agree with dirtyroboto that you are making conclusions based on faulty logic.

You are right that Japanese people tend not to make a big fuss, disagree publicly or share their opinions openly with those they do not know or trust fully. However to conclude that makes them "very credulous" would be an error. Just because they are not sharing their feelings and opinions with you does not mean they do not have feelings and opinions.

With close friends I have had long political discussions. I think the Japanese are more apathetic politically compared with some parts of the world, but the reason is they don't get to elect their prime minister, and the office changes hands incredibly often, so Japanese people know not to get too attached or excited about the PM because he will probably be gone in a few months. This doesn't make them sheeple. Many Japanese are very critical of politics in Japan, and are very frustrated by the political scandals that happen week in and week out.

They tend to be very interested in my feelings about the American president, and policies about guns and, believe it or not, drugs.

Maintaining community or group harmony is more of a priority in Japanese culture than it is in the "me-culture" of the West. This doesn't mean one cannot share their opinion, it just means it is done differently. For those in the West it is so vital to have one's voice heard, that in the end they can drown each other out. Japanese know the correct timing and means to make their opinion known. I won't even get into KY and subtle communication.

Again, I am not discounting your experiences, just disagreeing with the conclusions you have made from them.

So if I wait another 5 years or so then just maybe I'll be close enough to some of my Japanese friends that they'll start opening up and expressing their opinions to me? Something to look forward to I guess. In the meantime I guess I'll just have to keep frequenting internet forums in an attempt to have any meaningful and stimulating conversations and debate or just hang out with other foreigners.

I can't imagine why people don't feel close enough to you to share their opinions. It didn't take me five years, but I also was also in Kansai, where people are a bit more open with their opinions than some other parts of the country.

You do realize that politics and certain opinions just aren`t accepted conversation in Japan, right? There is a LOT that is taboo in casual conversation. Consistently bringing these things up is going to keep people from getting close enough to you to really talk about them as it is throwing a wall up pretty early on.

I also think you need to keep in mind that what people are comfortable talking about in English is often different and quite a bit less involved that what they are willing to talk about in Japanese. Even with very good English, a lot of people balk at the idea of getting into anything complex where their opinions could be misunderstood or possibly even offensive to you should it be about world events.

Maybe 5 years will work for you if you learn Japanese fluently. Otherwise... You will probably never get to the point of having those sort of conversations. There really is a language wall, and it really does change how people perceive and relate to you - and using English in Japan, no matter how well those around you speak English, does keep you very much in the outsider bracket.

People around me have no problems expressing their opinions on politics, social issues, etc - sometimes very strongly. But it`s all in Japanese. I don`t think I`ve ever heard much of anything on hot topics from even wonderful English speakers unless they`ve been pushed to write an essay or do some sort of presentation.

Outwardly following the status quo doesn`t have anything to do with internal thinking and actual opinions. I know quite a few people who are extremely critical, and very opinionated. The thing is, people in Japan don`t like to fight/argue/debate about these things in most cases... Which is inevitably what being very outspoken leads to.

ETA; I was just thinking a bit more, and realized something else.
In Japan, if people outright ask about political issues, social issues, religion, and the other various "hot" topics... Chances are they have some sort of agenda and are outright saying they want to judge you on something or try to lecture you. In these situations I think that pretty much everyone`s reaction is going to be of vagueness and ignorance (As if you say you don`t know about something, you can`t be pressed for an opinion on it). It is pretty well understood by everyone that this is a dodge tactic, and clear that the intention is to avoid the subject... Not that the person saying it has no clue about the world, doesn`t have an opinion, etc.

I didn't realize GoNative doesn't speak Japanese. Well no wonder he isn't getting into deep political conversations with Japanese natives. All my deep talks have been in Japanese (and sometimes over my head).

I wasn`t sure, but it was easy to take a look back at his other posts and see his introduction saying he didn`t speak Japanese well. I didn`t want to make that assumption without checking and being certain.

It really does make an incredible difference what language you are interacting in. Even very outspoken people in Japanese tend to tone things down when using English - regardless of their ability.

Well unfortunately there's no chance I'll be getting fluent in Japanese anytime soon. Never studied it at all before coming here and now here I work full time, have an active social life, my wife is also Australian (so no motivation to learn to try and pick up girls) and my daughter takes up a fair amount of my spare time. Maybe when my daughter goes to school and starts learning Kanji and stuff she can help teach me. :D

Sorry to go back in the thread but to clarify, the girl I saw was Japanese. If she was a sex worker she certainly did not look or dress like one. Having seen my share of meth abusers in the US, she stood out in an obvious manner. To people who have never seen this type of addict before she could have blended in as someone who is on the go, very stressed out and way over-caffeinated.

I don't have the experience of living in Japan but I do get tired of reading that it must be a criminal foreigner's doing when there is something illegal going on. From whet I have read, meth/shabu is the most consumed illegal drug in Japan and I don't think it's all being consumed by illegal sex workers. Realistically it's probably students cramming for tests, overworked office workers, people with multiple jobs, bored teens or teen girls who think it will keep them extra slim and awake for the next party. And truck drivers.

Honestly most of my post was directed towards weed. Drugs exist everywhere obviously in one way or another, doens't really matter in which quantity.

But my biggest point was that Japanese people (not in general) definitely do smoke weed. Weed is so widely used in the world (and generally accepted) that I don't think there are many civilized countries who don't have a "marijuana culture"=D

Bow to the Tree of Life, because it's a huge fucking sativa plant=P It's the tree of peace, aka the magical herb of peace=D

Sure Dude...

Yaman u know it