Japan: the Good and the Bad

I originally intended for the last post (which I just posted a few minutes ago) to be a list of things I like and things I dislike about living in Japan, but obviously it turned into something else because I really had a lot to say about one point. Since that post was rather negative, I'd like to give you all a more balanced view of life here. So here's the post I meant to write.

Things I like about Japan:

-Japan has four seasons. The seasons here are very distinct, so you can really enjoy the good things about all of them. Spring is beautiful with the cherry blossoms and other flowers blooming, summer is hot and balmy and there are festivals and firework shows, in fall the leaves change colors and crowds of people flock to famous "leaf-viewing" spots to appreciate their beauty, and winter is cold and crisp and everyone bundles up in warm coats and scarves and drinks hot tea. Japanese people really know how to appreciate the changes in the seasons. Everyone knows what fruits and vegetables are in season different times of the year, and every season has its own events that really help create the atmosphere.

-Japanese food is healthy and delicious. Unfortunately my current lifestyle doesn't allow me to eat as much Japanese food as I'd really like to, but it is really good.

-You can buy (almost) anything you want here. People moving to a foreign country usually worry about not being able to buy certain things there, but in Japan you shouldn't have much of a problem. Certain things may be harder to find than others, but if you know where to go you can easily get any food item you want from just about anywhere. Tokyo also has pretty much every kind of restaurant you can imagine. If you want to try the cuisine of some exotic country, chances are you can try it in Tokyo. There are no problems with toiletries and things like that either. The only thing that might inconvenience some Westerners is that things might not come in a big enough size (in my case, I can't get shoes in my size, as I'll mention in my "dislike" list.)

-It's very convenient. There's a convenience store every few blocks, and they're open 24 hours. Most of them have ATMs and you can do things like pay your bills there, and buy food items like rice balls wrapped in seaweed that tastes like plastic. (Okay, so convenience store food doesn't taste very good, but it is convenient.) Public transportation is excellent, very frequent and always on time (unless the weather is bad or there's an accident). And as I mentioned above, you can buy just about anything. I should add that all this applies mostly to living in or near a city, though, and more rural areas are obviously less convenient. (In Gunma, where I lived before, the public transportation isn't that good and most people drive cars.)

-People are very polite, and customer service is excellent. Okay, maybe I should change this to "People (except teenage delinquents and bratty children) are very polite." Some of the high school girls I teach are incredibly rude. Obviously there are rude people everywhere to some extent, but it is true that Japanese people in general are very polite. And customer service really is amazing-- employees always address you very respectfully and thank you for your business, and they'll go out of their way to make sure you're satisfied.

-People keep to themselves. This is a good thing for me personally, though it might be more of a bad thing for you if you're a very outgoing person. I'm very quiet and reserved by nature, so it's difficult for me to fit in to American culture where you're expected to be friendly and talkative. Here, people never tell me I'm too quiet or think I'm rude because I don't talk enough. I fit in just the way I am, so it's a lot easier for me.

-There's a very strong sense that you should appreciate what you have, and people never fail to say "thank you." This is one of the things I love most about Japan. Whenever they're about to eat or drink something received from someone else, people always say "itadakimasu"-- which means something like "I humbly receive this food". People always notice when you do something for them, and they go out of their way to thank you-- usually more than once. This spirit of appreciation is something I think people of other cultures could learn from. On the flipside, though, it can be difficult because people do expect you to be thankful in return. A couple of times I have ended up offending people because they felt I didn't seem thankful enough. Even if you think you're a thankful person, you really have to go the extra mile to show it here.

-Modesty and humility is highly valued. In the Japanese mind, if something goes wrong, everyone involved is responsible. People don't point fingers, because everyone apologizes first. And people really know how to apologize-- they bow deeply and apologize several times. This isn't seen as weak, but as the right thing to do. And if you apologize, you'll pretty much always be forgiven. People also never brag, and tend to downplay themselves and their abilities. One thing that may be shocking to Westerners, though, is that parents sometimes say negative things about their children (i.e. "My son is a terrible student.") This is because people think of their family members as parts of themselves, rather than separate individuals. So bragging about your kids would be like bragging about yourself.

-It's clean. You see very little garbage strewn about the streets, because people take it home and throw it away. They also clean up after their dogs when taking them on walks, so you don't have to worry about stepping in doggie doo here. This is definitely a good thing.

-It's safe. Of course, crime does happen here, and you should always use common sense no matter how safe you think someplace is. But I feel safer here than I've ever felt anywhere. What really amazes me is that things almost never get stolen. You can leave your purse sitting out in the open somewhere and return to find it right where you left it (or someone will turn it in to the police for you). Not that I'd recommend leaving your purse somewhere, but I actually see people doing this all the time (i.e. going alone to a restaurant or cafe and leaving their purse while they go to the bathroom, etc). You also see small children running around in public places like train stations, far off from their parents. In the US people would consider this extremely irresponsible parenting, but no one seems to have a problem with it here-- because it really is quite safe.

-You don't need to drive a car (at least not in the city). A good thing for me, because I don't like driving, and owning a car is a lot of responsibility. It's better for the environment, too.


Things I dislike about Japan:

-People work too much (see previous post).

-People keep to themselves a little too much. In contrast to the fact that my reserved nature fits in here, it is sometimes a bit lonely because people won't talk to you unless they really have a reason to. It's extremely rare to have a friendly conversation with a stranger on the train, for example. (It's happened to me like... twice. And I've ridden the train a bazillion times.) So it can be difficult to make friends here because people generally won't reach out and try to befriend you. You have to be in a situation in which you necessarily end up talking to someone, and then, if you have the chance to interact with that person regularly, you might be able to develop a friendship. A lot of single people here are lonely because of this-- especially in the Tokyo area. (I get the impression that people tend to be a little more friendly in other areas like Kansai, though I can't say much on this because I've only visited there briefly.) Sadly, a lot of people here commit suicide because of overworking and because of loneliness.

-If you don't look Japanese, you'll always be a foreigner. I may act Japanese, but I certainly don't look it-- I have red hair, green eyes and very pale skin. Even so, there are a lot of foreigners here, especially in the city, and most people treat me just like anyone else. Those who get to know me usually realize that I'm not a "typical foreigner" and do treat me accordingly. (People who get to know me also usually joke that I must actually be Japanese.) Once in a while, though, there's a random stranger who uses gestures when talking to me, as if I can't understand, or who immediately addresses me in English. And yes, some people do stare. Such people are relatively rare here though (they're more common in China and Taiwan), so for the most part I feel very accepted and it's really not a big issue.

-I can't buy shoes here. For women, the largest size they have here is a US size 8. I'm a size 9, so I'm out of luck. It's impossible for me to buy shoes anywhere, unless I go to a specialty store for people with larger feet (I hear there are some stores like this in Tokyo, though I've never gone to one). It's unfortunate too, because I love shoes and there are a lot of cute ones here. But anyway, it's just a minor inconvenience-- I just buy my shoes whenever I go back to the states. And fortunately I'm relatively small everywhere else, so I have no problem buying other clothing items here. (I hear a lot of other Westerners do have trouble though.)

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There are probably more things in both categories that I'm not thinking of, but as you can see, the good things do outweigh the bad. =) Japan is a lovely place, and I wouldn't discourage anyone from visiting or coming to live here for a while. Much of my life up until now has been devoted to this country and its language, and it's not something I regret at all.