Life In Japan - The Low Points

[TAG Manager]

We're starting up two threads in this general section to talk about two points:

- The high points of living in Japan
- The low points of living in Japan

Please share with us both your good and bad experiences while living in Japan.

These threads are not limited to just those people calling Japan home but also those of you that visit Japan for tourism or business related reasons.

This thread is about the low points or those frustrating things about living in or visiting Japan!

 

[TAG Manager]

I already posted over in the high points thread, so here is my first entry for the low points!

Basically, I detest the passive aggressive nature of the Japanese culture. I also hate meetings that seem to go on forever but never accomplish anything in the end. I catch a lot of crap because I push people to make decisions and take responsibility.

Sometimes.... I hate it when someone says ”おいいし！" every time they eat something....

 

[John Chavers]

I also hate meetings that seem to go on forever but never accomplish anything in the end.

Everyone is just waiting around for that zangyo to kick in...

 

[TAG Manager]

Everyone is just waiting around for that zangyo to kick in...

I'm usually in management meetings, those level folks don't get over time. We're expected to suck it up and pray our 'real' bonuses are fat.

 

[John Chavers]

Ah, that's because they all hate their wives and don't want to go home.

 

[TAG Manager]

Ah, that's because they all hate their wives and don't want to go home.

Partially true, in some of their cases.

I heard from a new graduate employee the other day that he stays at work because he has no friends since he left school and he's not married of course.
Compound that with a new grad salary.... it equates to staying at work because you have nothing better to do.

OTOH, some new grads, especially women, still live with mom & dad and they don't want to go home and deal with their family. Typical "When are you meeting a man and getting married?" converstaions.

 

[k1234k]

The bad about Japan? The willingness to chalk up any misfortune and run away from real positive change by saying three simple syllables:

'Sho-ga-nai'

 

[TAG Manager]

The bad about Japan? The willingness to chalk up any misfortune and run away from real positive change by saying three simple syllables:

'Sho-ga-nai'

Wow, well said. That's so true...

I've got a new one, I'll post later. On my way home and for whatever reason Marunouchi line is packed... Hard I type... lol.

 

[Username1]

Lack of Common Sense - why are rules in place for shit that don't make sense?! There are so many things which do not make any sense but since some old guy created the rule years ago, they follow it to this day. Drives me mad!

Here are some other annoying low points of my life in Japan:

1. The small house I live in - for the same amount, I could be living in a real mansion with a double garage
2. Working hours and lack of real social life - miss the days where I could be home, changed and out for dinner with friends while the sun was still out
3. Car parking space - owning more than 1 car suck when I have to pay for carpark with no double garage to work on my cars
4. Real friends - ones like back home
5. Alfresco cafes - my fellow Aussies will know what I'm talking about
6. Too many beautiful women - how can one be satisfied with all the hot girls around!

 

[Goshogawara]

Japanese funerals. Instead of comforting each other people just hand over some money, do the incense and then bow to the relatives. While I'm not a believer in catholic or christian values in general, I think that a funeral has a much deeper meaning and provides at least some comfort.

Sometimes.... I hate it when someone says ”おいいし！" every time they eat something....

Including a cute girl shaping a heart with her fingers and saying お米, illustrated by pink letters on the TV screen.

 

[meiji]

Bad stuff:

- The main problems I have is the homesick stuff. Friends and family are on the other side of the world, live sporting events are on at 3am, some kinds of food is hard to find and/or expensive, etc.
- The unwritten rules and the passive-aggressive stuff
- Language barrier issues
- Japanese companies don't pay as well as US companies do (at least in my industry)
- Lots of cute women are willing to go out with foreign guys, but it's usually just for English language practice.
- Honestly, I've had much better hobbying experiences in the US or other Asian countries, even disregarding the price. Better looking girls, better attitude, etc.

 

[TAG Manager]

Including a cute girl shaping a heart with her fingers and saying お米, illustrated by pink letters on the TV screen.

Exactly.

Anyone ever notice how many food related topics are being shown on TV around a normal dinner time? I usually on turn the TV to catch some local news, but there is always something showing about food either just before or just after.

 

[Username1]

Exactly.

Anyone ever notice how many food related topics are being shown on TV around a normal dinner time? I usually on turn the TV to catch some local news, but there is always something showing about food either just before or just after.

I used to say the same thing but now I kind of like it. Must be turning Japaneseeee....

Speaking of news, NHK news suck. Half of the things on their English news is not important. Wish I could have the same but with one of the other real news channel.

 

[TAG Manager]

I used to say the same thing but now I kind of like it. Must be turning Japaneseeee....

Speaking of news, NHK news suck. Half of the things on their English news is not important. Wish I could have the same but with one of the other real news channel.

Haha... maybe so.

What's NHK?

There's a guy that comes around to my place every so often mentioning something about NHK but I can never understand him so ROFLMAO I just tell him (in English) "I'm not interested in purchasing anything by solicitation." *closes door* *finishes dinner watching Netflix....*

 

[John Chavers]

*closes door* *finishes dinner watching Netflix....*

 

[TAG Manager]

View attachment 298

You just assume I'm alone.

 

[John Chavers]

You just assume I'm alone.

 

[John Chavers]

Japanese funerals. Instead of comforting each other people just hand over some money, do the incense and then bow to the relatives.

Here's Debito's take on it. If you've ever been to an 葬儀式 and been invited to the crematorium afterwards, you'll get a firsthand understanding of the hashi-to-hashi faux pas.

 

[TAG Manager]

Here's Debito's take on it. If you've ever been to an 葬儀式 and been invited to the crematorium afterwards, you'll get a firsthand understanding of the hashi-to-hashi faux pas.

Been there, done that. Creepy, but interesting nonetheless.

 

[trueplaya]

low points: curry rice
high points: the ladies

 

[johnnyboy84]

Speaking of NHK, I hate wasting money in those damn fees.

And the ATM and bank operating hours are a pain in the ass on me and my schedule

 

[just4fun]

Haha... maybe so.

What's NHK?

There's a guy that comes around to my place every so often mentioning something about NHK but I can never understand him so ROFLMAO I just tell him (in English) "I'm not interested in purchasing anything by solicitation." *closes door* *finishes dinner watching Netflix....*

I usually just drop a few "F" bombs and ask why he's bothering me......seems to work......they don't come back.......Jehovah's Witnesses on the other hand.....

 

[Username1]

I usually just drop a few "F" bombs and ask why he's bothering me......seems to work......they don't come back.......Jehovah's Witnesses on the other hand.....

There's no need really. These guys are just doing their job. I've seen them roaming the streets at 10pm and feel for the guys. Anyway in Tokyo they now carry an English translation. Just say sorry I don't have a tv. They will generally leave you alone and not come back but if they are persistent then get a little persistent yourself.

By the way, I believe that a couple of years ago they made it law that one must pay for every tv they have regardless if they watch it or now - technically also including the ones in your car.

 

[Goshogawara]

I've only been to the Otsuya, but my impression was that the ceremony is much more important than grieving and comforting each other (ceremonies are always important in Japan, orz). During my early 20s I played the tuba at our local brass band in Germany and as I had a rather flexible schedule (went to university during that time) we played a lot of funerals as four-man-combo in the morning. We often were invited to the party afterwards (more like a lunch in catholic Germany, without the binge drinking because some people return to work after the meal) and I never experienced such a stiff and formal atmosphere. In Japan it felt awkward, like a funeral-version of the matrimony in Nagisa Ohshima's "Gishiki" .
It may be different at other Otsuyas, though.

And indeed, Jehova's witnesses. They'll come back with some pamphlets in your language if you don't speak Japanese and try to get rid of them. Met two of them during my last visit to the Sanriku coast two years ago, they wanted to bring Christ to the victims there.

 

[johnnyboy84]

-The legal system fucking sucks. Yeah, it has a 99% conviction rate but at the cost of not having the equivalent to Miranda rights.