I am considering teaching in Japan.
Noise pollution is something I find a little rough in Taiwan and I wonder how Japan compares.
Best regards.
There are a handful of places where Japan is hysterically hyperactive: some TV shows, some pop music, some entertainment districts in the big cities, some right-wing political messaging trucks.
The rest of the time, Japan is blissfully quiet. The slogan repeated to me by Japanese in the Tokyo area was: Silence is golden.
In short, it’s nothing like Taiwan.
Guy
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Rural Japan is quiet and getting quieter due to depopulation. Cellphone use isn’t allowed on trains, for example, as Japanese culture teaches sensitivity to noise pollution so the baseline was already good.
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Even old lady’s and misbehaved kids are quiet in Japan.
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Worse in Taiwan.
A bit off-topic, so feel free to ignore the following, but I’d say there’s bigger considerations about whether to teach in Japan. It is, of course, the most popular East Asian country for western expats to want to work in… and it was among the first to get tapped out for worthwhile ESL gigs. If you think it’s tough finding a good teaching job in Taiwan, well…
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As someone who actually lived in Japan for 4 years I’m seeing a lot of misinformation in this thread. First of all, you are allowed use cellphones on trains. Everyone is glued to their phone playing candy crush just like everywhere else. As for calls or talking, again, that is permitted, it is just good etiquette that you keep a low voice while doing so.
As for it being difficult to find a job as an English teacher… No. It isn’t hard at all. Especially in this current pandemic where no new ones are coming in. But even before that (using a few years ago as example) it was not difficult. Have blue eyes, nice smile and white skin? You’re in the door. Just like Taiwan. To get a work visa is a bit more specific than Taiwan’s requirements. You must have a bachelor’s degree. I knew a few who actually had fake degrees and they still got there visas. A friend of mine was a young American with no degree at all and just happened to be a good looking guy and ended up working at a university 5 days a week. And he dated a lot of his students which ultimately led to his downfall but still, any kind of teaching is possible in Japan. They are not picky, same as here in Taiwan.
Now, to get back to the original topic of noise pollution. Japan is serene. Far, far quieter than Taiwan. One of the first things that hit me in Taiwan was the noise. It was everywhere. My apartment is right next to a road and you can hear the roars of cars all the way into the early morning. Fortunately I’m used to it. Unless you’re annoyed by the sound of cicadas everywhere in the summer (even in the big cities like Osaka) than you will find it very quiet. Taiwan is just plain loud. This is the country where people light loud firecrackers at 5am waking everyone in the neighborhood just because they can.
I’ve lived in Osaka, Fukuoka, Kobe and Hokkaido to name a few places so if you’re looking for more info. Even in the suburbs of Osaka you will find a lot more relative peace and quiet than a Taiwanese suburb. Hit me up if you have any more questions and I’ll do my best to answer them/give recommendations.
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I’ve lived half the year in Japan since 2009, own a house there and have a Japan business visa. Poor choice of words on my part, it was early when I posted. The context was noise pollution. There are notices posted on every train not to talk on your phone in the passenger area. You are to go to the area between trains and speak in a low voice if you have to make phone calls.
MOBILE PHONES AND CHATTER
Make sure that your mobile phone is set on “manner mode,” or vibrate, when you are traveling on public transportation.
On trains and subways, never talk on your cell phone! It’s extremely bad manners in Japan.
Also, you’ll find that most Japanese people do not talk loudly on the train. It’s a good idea to follow their example and keep loud conversation to a minimum.
In Tokyo you can be in a hip, fun neighborhood with cool bars, cafes, etc. and still somehow have a quiet bedroom at night.
In Taipei you can live in a super boring neighborhood and still be woken up at night because even the boring old people are loud and kids are somehow up at all hours. That’s not even to mention the dogs and scooters.
This is one aspect of Japanese culture that apparently didn’t stick around from the occupation.
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it seems like there’s little or no consideration for others when it comes to noise levels in Taiwan. If you complain, many people will often get really aggressive towards you.
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I wonder how Japanese people feel about Taiwan when they visit Taiwan.
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coming here after living in Tokyo for a year, no comparison. even with the occasional political vans driving around and the regular above ground trains, it’s nothing compared to the sound of petrol scooters, cool guys in loud cars, garbage trucks, constant sound of construction, etc. historically the Japanese have been perceived by foreigners as being secretive or perhaps “talking sh*t” because they speak in hushed tones, when in reality that’s just how Japanese people speak with one another. Japanese is spoken in the front of the mouth much like Australian English, and is therefore in general more quiet sounding and less resonant than foreign folk who’s native language is more based in the larynx and low-back of the mouth (for example English).
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Not favourably, based on my experience. It’s a curiosity to them but it seems they find it loud, dirty and lacking in elegance. But that’s not surprising as Japan and Taiwan are polar opposites in terms of culture. Taiwan has its charms but it’s a bit too rowdy for the average, quiet and not so outgoing Japanese person.
I dated a Japanese lady who was living in Taiwan and she abhorred it. She worked in tourism btw which was kind of ironic. Trapped in a country she didn’t like, forced to sell a country she wanted to return to.
Another I knew was a quaint, typical Japanese mother who got serious anxiety from day to day life. I remember one day she was forced to veer of the pavement (which are never occupied in Japan by scooters like they are here) and she got clipped by a car. People like to make a comparison between Taiwan and Japan that just don’t hold water. They are night and day in terms of difference. I’ve always found South Korea to be closest to Japan on a superficial and cultural level. Taiwan reminds me of Hong Kong or China. Which is no surprise to anyone given the history, I guess.
I actually strongly agree with you on this. People here like to pretend that Taiwan is very different from China. In terms of politeness, Taiwan is more polite than China, but not necessarily much more polite. Sometimes, you can see the same rudeness in China as you can see in Taiwan.
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I also agree with this. I find it amusing when people say that Taiwanese culture has strong Japanese influences. It feels like Taiwan just tries to imitate Japan to feel more elegant and refined LMAO.
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They usually say people are nice and they like the food.
Geez I wonder why they keep coming then. 
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I have Japanese friends who live in Taiwan and love it. Less societal pressure, cheaper golf…and mangoes!
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Japan is excetionally quiet, but I think Taiwan’s noise level is nothing special. Most big cities will be very noisy.
I found London extremely noisy, for example. The ambulance and fire truck sirens are offensively loud.
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Less societal pressure
What do you mean? I think the concept of “face” in Taiwan actually creates a lot of societal pressure. People are forced to repress their thoughts, ideas for fear of others losing “face”.
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Seems you’re not familiar with Japanese behaviour. Another area Japan and Taiwan are very different. Japanese firmly follow “Tatemae Honne”. In short it can be surmised as: Don’t display your true feelings. It is huge in Japan. Absolutely critical to what makes a Japanese a Japanese in some senses but also what frustrates Japanese and stifles them from being able to express themselves as say a Westerner or even a Taiwanese would do.
Anyways, based on this behaviour you will rarely encounter a Japanese who is gonna be direct and tell you openly “Yeah, I hated that part of Taiwan etc.” Especially if you are a local. No way. Will not happen. Doubly so if they are a guest in your country. Even amongst non - Japanese nobody goes to somebody’s home and trash talks it. "It’s nice " or “it’s good” are basically stockpile ways for Japanese to play it safe and offend nobody. Unless you’re in a close relationship or family you may never ever know their true feelings.
They may, in the privacy of their own home or in the company of family reveal their true thoughts but it’s not gonna happen in public.
Here is more information about it: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honne_and_tatemae
These are the kinda intricacies and layers of Japan you can’t gain from just visiting Japan but from living and immersing yourself in it for a long period of time. Japanese are considerate of others feelings (even if it’s a facade) whereas Taiwanese are just right there in your face style. For better or worse
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Now times that by 100…
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