Life In Japan - The Low Points

[Goshogawara]

Japan is not a state of justice. You could draw a comparison to the DS9 episode "Tribunal". Japan works like the Cardassian jurisprudence.

 

[roots reggae]

My absolute number 1 quibble:
I've lived her since 1999 and I have not found a good Mexican restaurant!!!

 

[TAG Manager]

My absolute number 1 quibble:
I've lived her since 1999 and I have not found a good Mexican restaurant!!!

Can I get a "Hell Yes!" -- This is so true and I cannot believe I forgot it.

The only place I go in Tokyo these days is La Jolla in Hiro. (http://www.la-jolla.jp/english.html)

It's better than nothing, but nothing like what we have in the states.

 

[John Chavers]

El Caliente is very good too.

 

[roots reggae]

I've been to La Jolla, OK, but not enough to satisfy my longings for great Mex. I'll give El Caliente a try. What do you recommend? I live in Hayama, so I don't often make it to the big city.

 

[meiji]

There used to be a pretty fantastic burrito place right outside Ebisu Station, but it's gone now. You can try Frijoles, which is identical to Chipotle at a 50% price premium.

 

[TAG Manager]

Chipotle

God... last time I went to a Chipolte, I felt like I stepped into another word. A special kind of people eat at that place.... lol.
(It may just be relative to the east coast of the U.S., no offense. )

 

[jacqueh]

• Women look fantastic when they're dressed up, and their faces are cute, but I don't like most bodies around (not enough tits/ass).
• Legal system
• Renting a apartments just suck here. Rules, paperwork, key money, no-gaijin, etc...

 

[Solong]

. Fakeness

Too many acting unlike their true selfs, pushing a fake image to everyone.

. Apartments, too expensive and too much discrimination against foreigners.

Paying all kinds of gift and key money in addition to high rents is ridiculous enough, but discrimination by housing agencies/owners is terrible.

. Passive-aggressive and micro-aggressive behavior.

Outright violent racial confrontations are unlikely and nothing like the issues in Western countries; Japan is a safe place, but...

There is a lot of underhanded behavior and backhanded comments. Picked up on even more if you understand Japanese. And Japanese don't tend to get violent, as Japanese police don't tolerate this, but they will ostracize you from their groups or talk shit.

I have a thick skin on such matters, so my overall opinion of Japan is favorable, but "pluses" and "minuses".

 

[GoldenDalton]

1. The staring-this is an issue that I've encountered quite a bit. Of course, while I've spent considerable time in Japan it's never been continuos enough for me to adapt. Maybe this next trip I will learn to ignore it.

2. Girls rarely have curvy bodies. This is the downside to the lack of obesity.


3. A small element of the expat community consists of ultra-nerds. I'm a little nerdy myself at times but I believe in moderation. I'm talking about super nerds here. Way beyond Dwight from the Office. I'm talking almost deviant. These kinds of extreme nerds make Americans look bad. Furthermore they tend to despise soldiers in particular, and players in general. It's the downside of being immersed in an alien culture. Sure you can reinvent yourself, but so can the Furry who writes erotic thundercats fan fiction, and he will definitely be drawn to both that fact as well as some elements of Japanese culture. Finally these guys tend to go native so much that they lose the ability to relate to themselves and you, which is something that makes me uncomfortable as an Indian taught to value his own tribal identity. I love other cultures, but I value my own traditions also. I believe in "when in rome" but I don't believe in people acting like they've forgotten how to speak English, are afraid of you, Etc.

4. The old guys grabbing your junk. Don't know if this is a Kyushu thing though.

5. The T.V. ! God do I despise variety shows. Also the shows where the hosts go to some other area of Japan and eat the local food. And it's always good. Never any variation. Americans are by and large what they are, but at least our culinary shows often showcase food from other cultures, instead of just regional fare. I'm an amateur chef (unskilled in japanese cuisine outside of sushi) as a hobby so it irritates me more than most I guess. And to reference the poster talking about Mexican food earlier-I have zero idea why Fukuokans seem to think ham sandwiches are Mexican cuisine!

 

[Username1]

4. The old guys grabbing your junk. Don't know if this is a Kyushu thing though.

Lol.

 

[GoldenDalton]

It is not. Everywhere you go old JDudes want to lay hands on foreigners.

I am reminded by the sound trucks how much I hate election time.

Damn. I wonder why that is?

All in all I don't mind it too much-it's really just annoyance, not a severe problem, and I get that it's their country and not mine. It's just so damn strange to me!

One time in Fukuoka two older men approached me and asked " is it big?" While pointing at my crotch. I didn't know any of the language then and didn't understand the interaction and just said "hai." Then the guy turns to his friend nodding his head and smiling excitedly, then turns and gives me this weird, awkward thumbs up. It was like they were excited about it. I figured there was some kind of strange stereotype I was missing. I figured that since most people abroad think I'm Latin, it had something to do with that maybe? I don't know lol.

 

[Username1]

Slightly off topic but on the junk topic, but you guys notice how close Japanese get to the urinals?? Some are touching the sides with their clothes and coats. Hygiene is not on their mind!

 

[k1234k]

Really? I actually thought the opposite. I've never seen so many floors in FRONT of the urinals as wet with piss as I do in Tokyo!

That shouldn't happen if a j-dude is mashing his torso into the urinal.

So maybe it's us dirty barbarian gaijin to blame for the wild firehose piss drips all over the place!

 

[Sudsy]

Slightly off topic but on the junk topic, but you guys notice how close Japanese get to the urinals?? Some are touching the sides with their clothes and coats. Hygiene is not on their mind!

Really? I actually thought the opposite. I've never seen so many floors in FRONT of the urinals as wet with piss as I do in Tokyo!

That shouldn't happen if a j-dude is mashing his torso into the urinal.

So maybe it's us dirty barbarian gaijin to blame for the wild firehose piss drips all over the place!

In both cases, it's got more to do with the majority of public toilets being used by sloppy drunks. I've even seen one guy drunkenly talking to his mate turn mid-stream to make a verbal point and soak his buddy from knee to ankle.

 

[jgirlcreeper]

Can I get a "Hell Yes!" -- This is so true and I cannot believe I forgot it.

The only place I go in Tokyo these days is La Jolla in Hiro. (http://www.la-jolla.jp/english.html)

It's better than nothing, but nothing like what we have in the states.

really? I was actually surprised at the number of mexican restaurants here. was expecting none whatsoever...I've lived in Canada and Europe, and tokyo beats em out in this department

 

[Vulkan]

- 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.

I had my first European p4p experience in Europe two weeks ago and remembered your post. Absolutely nothing to compare with what you can get here for 30k. Incredibly beautiful model like woman, great enthusiasm, absolutely stunning body. Total satisfaction.

 

[Hugh_G_McAbslover]

• Ridiculously high kitchen cabinets
• Terrible kitchen design overall
• no insulation (really drives me up a wall)
  
• covertly overt racism
• really hard to hook up with girls cause they're working 24 hours a day (not literally but it sure seems like it)
• I dunno about anyone else but at my job they have a habit of pulling this "you're expected to know" shit. what I mean by that is my co workers will know about something and will not tell me about it and then after its over be either indignant or inquisitive about why I didn't do or wasn't at said thing.
• personal one for me, women are difficult to approach.
• (I have others, lots of them seem to deal with home design or the town I happen to live in )

 

[Expired Beef!]

I've only been here for four months but I miss a lot of things that I took for granted back in Sweden:

- VEGETABLES AND FRUIT. Seriously, I understand that Japan has to import tons of vegetables as they cannot grow enough nationally, but if I want fennel it's going to be the size of a yuzu and cost 1000 yen. That's just ridiculous.

- Sizes. Whenever I try on a pair of nice pants they always look like tights and end at my knees.

- Bureacracy. It's their religion. Just the fact that they take your photo and fingerprints when arriving is creepy enough.

- Gender roles. I am so very thankful that I'm a gaijin because I could never stand having to conform to what the Japanese society regards as "kawaii". I'm a woman, not a five year-old child.

Then again, there are a lot of things that make up for all of this. The rich culture, all the festivals, temples and nature is enough to make me want to stay here for more than just half a year more.

I feel your pain!

 

[Keiji]

I move a lot within Japan, I am having difficulties to find apartments that allow pets. In some apartments I hate the bad design and location of plugs. I remember living in places where there was no plug for the refrigerator at the kitchen and I had to use a large extention from the next room.

Compared to other places in the world, sunset is around 6pm while in other countries is after 8pm. So less people outside in the streets.

Kafunshou: In other places of the world you can enjoy Spring better.

 

[meiji]

I remember living in places where there was no plug for the refrigerator at the kitchen and I had to use a large extention from the next room.

Compared to other places in the world, sunset is around 6pm while in other countries is after 8pm. So less people outside in the streets.

Man, no plug for a fridge is nasty. I had the occasional apartment in college where all I could get is a tiny fridge. A lot of the places in Japan I looked at had really bad kitchen areas. It's not fun.

Early sunset in Japan is bad times, too, and early sunrise isn't so great either.

 

[Expired Beef!]

I move a lot within Japan, I am having difficulties to find apartments that allow pets. In some apartments I hate the bad design and location of plugs. I remember living in places where there was no plug for the refrigerator at the kitchen and I had to use a large extention from the next room.

Compared to other places in the world, sunset is around 6pm while in other countries is after 8pm. So less people outside in the streets.

Kafunshou: In other places of the world you can enjoy Spring better.

I live in one that did, cho expensive!

 

[just4fun]

I move a lot within Japan, I am having difficulties to find apartments that allow pets. In some apartments I hate the bad design and location of plugs. I remember living in places where there was no plug for the refrigerator at the kitchen and I had to use a large extention from the next room.

Compared to other places in the world, sunset is around 6pm while in other countries is after 8pm. So less people outside in the streets.

Kafunshou: In other places of the world you can enjoy Spring better.

When asked the question about daylight saving time in Tokyo a couple of years ago......the Gov said that Japanese weren't smart enough to figure it out......I just remember that vividly......and snickered......

 

[Sudsy]

When asked the question about daylight saving time in Tokyo a couple of years ago......the Gov said that Japanese weren't smart enough to figure it out......I just remember that vividly......and snickered......

Nah, the old oba-sans are just worried that all the extra sunlight will fade the tatami.

In all seriousness, though, there have been a number of studies that show that the time changes involved in DST are actually detrimental - the rise in traffic accidents and associated fatalities in the week following the change is quite significant, and the reduced productivity for same period is endemic. There's also an increased risk of heart attack throughout the population, and the main purported benefit of DST, reduced energy use, was disproven years ago - people use more lighting in the morning AND run the AC longer into the evening.

As to Japan - Japan has shoehorned itself into GMT +9 when geographically we should be in GMT +10. The governor of Tokyo has been pushing for the central government to change the time zone to GMT+11 - which would be awesome in a lot of respects.

 

[Qong02]

I've only been here for four months but I miss a lot of things that I took for granted back in Sweden:

- VEGETABLES AND FRUIT. Seriously, I understand that Japan has to import tons of vegetables as they cannot grow enough nationally, but if I want fennel it's going to be the size of a yuzu and cost 1000 yen. That's just ridiculous.

Man I hear you on this, I'm still in culture shock on the prices and it's been 3 years since I've moved here. Though on the upside you know that 90% of the time you'll get a good one that tastes it's best. Though I have to say even within Japan, the prices are drastically different, I remember goin to Osaka once and being surprised at how much cheaper it was than Tokyo, and then going further south to Kagoshima I was again surprised.

- Bureacracy. It's their religion. Just the fact that they take your photo and fingerprints when arriving is creepy enough.

i think you need to blame the U.S. for this one I believe they started it after 9/11 for all foreign nationals and them many countries followed suit.