Even After X amount of years in Japan I'll never get used to____

[MikeH]

And they never use the bell provided on the bike. .. .

The funny part of that is the kids are taught that using your bell is impolite in school.

Another peeve. .. Having a bill that has my Romanji name but not one word of english ...Shows how antiquated the systems are

Last I checked English was not an official language in Japan. But writing barbarian names in romaji is officially kosher.

I also love saying wakari nai ....Eigo De honishei o kuda sai . .And they continue speaking in nihongo

I would probably too. Because it's pretty much impossible to understand what you were trying to say.

 

[TAG Manager]

Having a bill that has my Romanji name but not one word of english ...Shows how antiquated the systems are

It is Japan after all, reading bills isn't that hard. Your name is only in romanji because the name fields allow the input of the characters. It's not exactly cheap (nor worth the investment) to add English fields to all of their existing infrastructure.
I feared having to move and redo all my utilities but it wasn't that hard in the end, just a bit of patience and making some effort with Japanese, things went well.

And last but not least .. ....TAG AND FELLOW TAGSTERS. ... .
amazing community of people and never boring .. Regardless of topic being discussed

Well, thanks..... I think?

 

[oLUXo]

Just remembered another thing since it's literally right in front of me. The elderly seats are available and this old guy stood in front of this younger girl and she gave her seat to him and he took it, but the whole elderly bench is available

 

[Simonka]

Just remembered another thing since it's literally right in front of me. The elderly seats are available and this old guy stood in front of this younger girl and she gave her seat to him and he took it, but the whole elderly bench is available

Interesting. Elderly people on trains always refuse to get seated when I offer them my seat. Then I blatantly lie and tell them that I’ll get off on the next station. They find this piece of information convincing enough to gracefully accept my offer Sometimes we do small talk until I have to go. Japanese elderly are so sweet.

 

[Sudsy]

they never use the bell provided on the bike. .. .

Fun fact - it's actually illegal to use the bell to get pedestrians to move.

 

[DireWolf98]

Fun fact - it's actually illegal to use the bell to get pedestrians to move.

Holy s**t! WTF! Illogical.

 

[Sudsy]

Holy s**t! WTF! Illogical.

Not really, bicycles aren't supposed to be on the sidewalk either, unless it's a specifically allowed stretch (as in, has a bike lane on it).

 

[MikeH]

Holy s**t! WTF! Illogical.

It's illogical only if you look at it from your barbarian western view point.

Even in the sea the faster vessels are supposed to avoid the slower ones so in that context it would be totally logical that the faster one cannot force his way through by using bells, horns or whistles.

But now the mystery of the school education is also revealed to me.

 

[Ken4fb]

Interesting. Elderly people on trains always refuse to get seated when I offer them my seat. Then I blatantly lie and tell them that I’ll get off on the next station. They find this piece of information convincing enough to gracefully accept my offer

I do that from times to times too. Made me wonder why don't they just take it. I even have get out of the train and get back on a different car to make it convincing!

 

[joeking]

You've got to get up and guide them into the chair. If you ask while you are sitting, they will say no, but if you are already up and out, they assume it is less trouble to sit there than to make you sit down again. And you add you are getting off soon (but don't say the next stop, just sugu)

 

[DireWolf98]

Not really, bicycles aren't supposed to be on the sidewalk either, unless it's a specifically allowed stretch (as in, has a bike lane on it).

Yes, but we all know that rule is widely ignored everywhere; and many people ride past police officers. As long as they don’t ride too close to me, I’m fine.

 

[TheScientist]

In regards to the train thing..I find it interesting that it's more socially acceptable here to body check everyone out of your way when getting off the train..as opposed to just saying "excuse me"

Once I learned to really vocalize and fully project ORIMASU that problem went away.

Now, if I could just scare off the religious nuts, we'd be golden.

At my last place that solved itself when I answered the door in my underpants while I still had a morning erection.

Fun fact - it's actually illegal to use the bell to get pedestrians to move.

I learned that in a funny way. My friend bought one at a 100 Yen shop for walking around and would use it to clear people ahead of him. One day we're going along somewhere crowded and a cop saw him do that and we got a lecture.

 

[MikeH]

At my last place that solved itself when I answered the door in my underpants while I still had a morning erection.

The only religious person I have ever seen in my neighbourhood was a really good looking black woman. I would have gladly welcomed her into my house but alas, she never came to knock.

 

[TheScientist]

The only religious person I have ever seen in my neighbourhood was a really good looking black woman. I would have gladly welcomed her into my house but alas, she never came to knock.

That particular case was a couple JW obasans, neither one of which was as interesting as the woman in my bed at the time anyway.

 

[bergmann]

Japanese "entertainment" TV, you know the kind with about a dozen tarento including Beat Takeshi (fun fact: the presence of Beat Takeshi in all TV entertainment programmes was mandated in the 1947 constitution), a set which looks like someone vomited up in a Barbie doll house, canned laughter and FUCKING DING DONG DING DONG every 3 seconds.

 

[Simonka]

I do that from times to times too. Made me wonder why don't they just take it. I even have get out of the train and get back on a different car to make it convincing!

Elderly people are tough. They survived many things unimaginable to millennials and having to stand up on train is no biggie

 

[MikeH]

Japanese "entertainment" TV

The best thing about Japanese TV, or any other TV in that matter, is that the constitution doesn't mandate you actually watch any of it. I have no idea who anyone famous for being famous people are either here or back in the home country. Priceless!

 

[bergmann]

The best thing about Japanese TV, or any other TV in that matter, is that the constitution doesn't mandate you actually watch any of it. I have no idea who anyone famous for being famous people are either here or back in the home country. Priceless!

Oh I don't actually watch it, just sometimes catch fleeting glimpses of it when it's on by accident because I put the news on and go and take a crap or something and when I get back Beat Takeshi, the guy dressed like the Japanese Batman, the pudgy transvestite one, the kind of cute rolypoly young-ish girl and about a dozen androgynous grass eaters are gurning into the camera between DING DONGs.

Now there's something else, weather reports which tell you what kind of clothes to wear. Oh, it's going to be cooler in the evening so I should take something to put on just in case? Well fuck me, I would never have thought of that by myself.

 

[bergmann]

And the Tokyo weather reports in winter when it snows and they give tips on how not to fall over, cracks me up every time.

 

[bergmann]

Housing and planning standards which would be illegal in most of western Europe.

 

[bergmann]

Cockroaches.

 

[MikeH]

Now there's something else, weather reports which tell you what kind of clothes to wear. Oh, it's going to be cooler in the evening so I should take something to put on just in case? Well fuck me, I would never have thought of that by myself.

You would love the American military radio then. They at least used to have acted conversations about the weather and Japan in general.

Male: "Oh, it's so cold in here"
Female cheerfully: "Yeah, it's winter. You should put a warm jacket on!"

My friend who actually lived in a base told that even if you are not an idiot when you move in just listen the station for couple of months and you will be.

 

[Sudsy]

Made me wonder why don't they just take it.

Because sometimes it’s more trouble to sit down and get back up again than to stand. Old knees and backs hurt more than old feet.

 

[bergmann]

You would love the American military radio then. They at least used to have acted conversations about the weather and Japan in general.

Male: "Oh, it's so cold in here"
Female cheerfully: "Yeah, it's winter. You should put a warm jacket on!"

My friend who actually lived in a base told that even if you are not an idiot when you move in just listen the station for couple of months and you will be.

While out drinking with friends in Shibuya or somewhere we made the acquaintance of a couple of navy guys who had ventured up from Yokosuka where they'd evidently not long got off the boat direct from deepest Iowa or somewhere, very nice guys but I did get the impression they would be the target audience for that kind of content.

 

[bergmann]

Baseball.

Sorry North American peeps, I'm bad enough with the sportsball types dominant in the cultural environment I grew up in, all I know is that there is a Pa League and a Se League and the Hiroshima Carp, and that only because I had a girlfriend who used to cook for them.