what's bad in japan?

[Okimoto_Tatsuki]

Originally Posted by Gloobey

What`s bad in Japan? Where do you want me to start?
Firstly, it’s probably the most racist country I’ve ever seen. It is not at all uncommon for people to rush on to a packed train, see that I’m a gaigin and head for another seat or stand up rather than sit next to me. The kind of racism I’m talking about is not overt but just accepted. We - by which I mean all foreigners - are second class to them.
Then there is the insincerity of the Japanese in business. Forget all this honour stuff, there is none. They will happily screw you over the first chance they get. They are a very insincere race and, frankly, not very trustworthy.
Then there is this myth of the Japanese being the politest people in the world - rubbish! I have seen more rude and inconsiderate behaviour in this country than anywhere I have ever been - and I am very well traveled. OK, if you go into a restaurant or shop, the service is always good and they always have a smile on their face...but this is them making money. Again, very insincere.
Then, they are just really weird. Every other night, there is a story on TV about someone chopping his sister up and putting her in plastic bags in the bottom of their wardrobe or a wife killing her husband and carrying his head on the train to dump it somewhere. Trust me, they are sick.

To be honest, I don’t understand why you are all so fascinated with this place. I promise you, you would not feel this way if you lived here.

...Public transport is awesome, though.

yah know...that sounds alot like Tokyo, not the whole of Japan XD
That sucks =[ i have to admit there are SOME ignorant people in Tokyo, but not all. And many respect "gaijin". You can't really blame them for moving another seat or something. They do not know what you are to do next unless you speak the language and make them feel, "comforted"?
I never really use that word XD i just say "hey there, what's your name? nice to meet ya matey" XD

IN REALITY , Japan is like every other country in the world. You have the poor and the rich, the racist and the non, the good weather and the crappy, the good and bad people. so don't say it in a way that ONLY japan is bad or whatever. its reality = =, people just have to tackle it in order to get on their way.

although if that was the case, american military would have been shipped off of okinawa before you could say "osuwari"

and wow...pachi =]

[jasonbvr]

I'm having central heating withdraws, my apartment is so COLD!

I think the title of this thread should be changed to Room for Improvements in Japan rather than what's bad.

[Nyororin]

Thank you Pachipro. You said everything I *wish* I could have said. A perfect explanation of the Gloobey phenomenon that is ever so common.

Seriously, this is why whenever anyone asks me about visiting/working in/living in Japan, I always tell them to avoid other foreigners - particularly English teachers. That was the exact type of person I was referring to when I said:

The teachers who I have encountered so far have bashed every little bit of Japanese culture. I don`t think it has all that much to do with English-teaching stress, as none of it has much of anything to do with English. Cultural ignorance? Yes. My point is - Do you really want to be around such negative people while you`re trying to learn the language?

I don`t know if Gloobey is an English teacher. He may not be, but I`ll say the odds are 10 to 1 that he is. There are wonderful and great people teaching English in Japan - Jasonbvr seems to be one of them - but trust me, you`ll encounter far far far more of the Gloobey type. And the funny thing is, just as Pachipro said the better someone knows the language, the less they seem to think that way.

Or, I could've done a little studying and understood that the reason for this is based on past experience in that many a foreigner trash their apartments, are loud in palces with paper thin walls, Do not take off their shoes, and disturb the "Wa" (harmony) of their neighbors;

Don`t forget that they also seem to love to run out and leave the country without giving notice so that they don`t have to pay their last month`s rent and utilities... I think that is the *biggest* problem. I know some building owners in the city, and all but one of them has been screwed over by foreigners they rented to. (Not every foreigner, not every time, but at least once.) Apparently short term English teachers are the worst, as they leave everything trashed in their apartment, have left water/electricity running at full blast when they leave - god only knows why, to spite the owners? , Tend not to pay their utilities for a couple months before they leave - leaving the landlord with the bill... And of course, never ever pay the last month`s rent. Because they know that no one is going to come hunt them down once they leave the country. From a business standpoint, it`s just not worth it.
I think this is the biggest reason stuff like not renting to foreigners continues. All those no discrimination groups (Or one pretty high profile one... ) just say that it`s against the law to refuse to rent, that they HAVE to rent to foreigners whether they like it or not, etc... Without ever acknowledging that there are real reasons - caused by the foreigners themselves - at the root of it all. Perhaps things would go better if they worked on making sure the foreigners who were rented to actually followed up on their responsibilities.

As it is, I`m embarrassed to be associated with those Gloobey types - and believe me, they`re a dime a dozen.

[Tyler]

This thread is good in that it helps people realize that Japan is a country like others with its positives and negatives. People shouldn't paint a rosy picture of life in Japan before they have lived there.

I sure hope gloobey wasn't expecting a warm welcome by posting what he did in the manner that he did it in. He sounds pretty bitter. :P

[kiwipinjapan]

Who on earth, apart from an Englishman would complain about there being no vans in Japan? The world's highest selling van, the Toyota Hilux is made here but there is very little use for them. The weather is, by the way and thank God, nothing like England.
Things not to like in Japan... well... I have been here for a while and to tell the truth I have nothing bad to say about Japan. Not that there is nothing bad, just that the bad things are so far outweighed by the good things that they hardly seem worthy of mentioning. I dont know what some people expect in a country the size of Japan with its population. I may have had some negative feelings when I first came here,about what I thought to be racism, but I soon realised that the Gloobey types of this world were never meant to be human magnets. As for the people, you can think of them what you will. I happen to like the Japanese people very much, and for me to just walk past a group of drunk young Japanese people with a far higher likelyhood of being invited to join then than to be called a wanker and to be asked if I want a fight, is refreshing to say the least. Don't need to say anymore, Japan is good, it has been good to me and I have learned the language, gotten my black belt in karate and loved being a part of this culture.

[curious_jane]

I''m sorry I left so quickly yesterday, Gloobey had me so rialled . As if Japan might have been the "only" country with racizm, or other problems. We have a tendency to do the samething in other countries (avoid people that are from other places). Just because we might be spoken to and can't understand them. Even in this little town I'm in we have a wide veriety of foreign visitors; English, South African, Ucranian, Japaneses (which I do find to be quite shy), Swedish, Norwegen, German, etc. And I try to at least give them a friendly smile to let them know that I welcome them. I only hope they understand.
I lived in Denver for a while, and found I couldn't even make eye contact with anyone except a sales person. That was an adventure!
My point being that, even in the US each city or town differs. Why wouldn't Japan?

[Pachipro]

Nyororin added some very important points as to why gaijin are often turned down for housing in Japan and I am so glad that she did as that is the basis for most of the discrimination. As long as foreigners continue trashing places they live, discrimination will abound. It is also the main reason that, when foreigners are rented apartments, they pay a much higher rent than Japanese would. It's to cover the costs of the last months rent and the trashing of the place.

[Pachipro]

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.

[curious_jane]

I agree. It would make it hard to tolerate such behavior, and I would do the same, if I was in there shoes.

[kainpendragon]

Originally Posted by Ichirin

So everyone is called Gai-Jins ? even if you're on a trip ?

because it's ture meaning is outsider and even if you are just visting you are an outsider and you will aways be one if your are white. Because whites where the frist non aisan outsiders. in courts all that are not boren in Japan and japanese decent are called Gai-Jins. But asians are usely called by there nationalty, while white are all called Gai-jins , i am not sure how they treat hispaics, Blacks or People of middle eastern decent.


I hear the polotics are the worst thing there. Even as a outsider some people may eventual warm up to you but you will still always be an outsider. this is phycological thing over there and it not changeing even in there youth. Young people are the frist to embrace you because they are intresting in your outsider costume but this is just a phase they go thru to rebel against there parents as all children do. They grow out of this eventual and those that truely bond with you usely leave the country because they are looked down appon.

You can say they are like this for the same reason the middle east is the way it is. it is becasue it been like that for 1,000 years or more and 1,000 or more years before it changes.