I had appointments where some people (this is Hakodate) were hour late, blames traffic(winter time with snow but I there drove there ok), so not everyone is ontime but better than Taiwan still. As far dress to Family Mart/ Lawson’s in local (residential) areas I seem ladies in sleeping wares there.
Oh, you’re the possible employee. So you can’t be late but it’s okay for them to be late.
Something I dealt with too. These things feel extremely unfair and this happens pretty often in Japan. Part of the “patience” that you’re expected to display.
Certain things in Japan just seem downright wrong, and this is one of them.
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My wife didn’t want to go to the local Lawson because she didn’t have makeup on. It was 30-second walk down the road.
A suit and a tie are almost like a t-shirt and jeans there. I stood out with my casual attire during the morning commute.
The morning commute began to slowly kill me. I’ve never felt that lonely while being packed like a can of sardines into the train every morning. It’s surreal to see that many people on the train but you don’t hear anything because you have to be quiet when you ride.
Lately, people seem to care less about how they look in Japan. There are so many non-Japanese living in Japan now and they add to that notion.
A bit off course, but Japan is changing for sure. Most of the convenient stores are hiring immigrants. They speak perfect Japanese too! These cheap labors are taken over by many immigrants who are willing to work for a low wage.
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I saw a lot of people wearing full suits, riding pushbikes to work in Osaka. I hope they do shower when they get to work 
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That’s the exception, not the rule. I would feel offended if they didn’t end with またお越しくださいませ。
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When I visited it was easy to tell the difference between a resident and a tourist on those trains. The residents pretty much all looked like hell, slumped over and exhausted.
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I often visit Shinagawa station area.
Man the rush hour crowds of salary men and women there are something to behold.
What is obvious is the INCREDIBLE WASTE of time and energy that all the commuting involves. Japan is the most efficient country at being inefficient in the world ! An oxymoron to end all oxymorons.
Time that could be devoted to their self development and families. We are talking about three to four hours a day here, up to twenty hours a week. They get home so late that they often don’t see their kids on the weekend. They may also be drinking and smoking to excess due to the requirement for evening socialising so that damages their health as well. The salary man lifestyle can be damaging physically and emotionally.
The towns and smaller cities seem a lot better and one thing I like about Japanese is they have very diverse interests and more globally minded.
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My Korean friends they all look for jobs really far from the office because otherwise their boss will ask them to go for whatever shit at whatever time after or before work… is crazy. they prefer to travel more than 1 hour than live near the office. And they work all day, just crazy life.
So, I am visiting Japan now, and here are many obvious tourists who do not dress in suit in a convenience store and the clerks are foreigners. Streets are very clean and flat. People I have interacted are kind and helpful. Weather is not good now but much cooler than taiwan. Japanese stuff are cheaper.
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Most of the workers don’t even really like each other after being forced into the grind all day and then being forced to hang out with them and the boss drinking all night too.
You then miss the last train so you’re stuck in a crappy capsule hotel to get 2 hrs sleep before getting up to be in the office at 7am sharp to do it all again. All the while having to put on a smile because look how loyal the company is to me, I need to be loyal back.
I’d jump in front of a train too with that lifestyle.
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I didn’t know about this, but I guess that’s the FM’s lazy policy. I don’t like FM in Japan anyways…My first choice is always Lawson or Yamazaki Daily.
I was one of those 6 or so years ago!
You nailed it! When I worked for a decent sized Japanese company, people just refused to do things that made sense but rather revert to the traditional approach.
This video sums it up pretty well.
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You compiled the social issue pretty well here. We also had to do this “nomi-kai” where you supposed to drink with your company and staff, just as you aforementioned above. I hated it because I had to pour drinks to my bosses and if you didn’t it’s considered rude. It was even worse because I had to have lunch with them every day! I eventually began to bring my lunch so I didn’t have to waste my lunch break with them (These people were wasting my time and weren’t beneficial at all) and finally I stopped having lunch with them. (I did join them occasionally to stay engaged in a company and people…)
What I learned in Japan, is that person who shows a strong will and acts upon it will have his/her ways. I did what I wanted to do without disrupting the company and eventually, people accepted the way I work and made progress. Japanese people are more patient in general, so even if people initially disapprove, stick with it and they will adapt to your ways. This is why Japan is wonderful and awful at the same time.
And when people can’t adapt, they jump into the train track…I feel terrible for the station workers. (Quick FYI, if you jump and kill yourself by this method, the train company will sue your family and relatives for the damages. Delaying the train can cause severe economic damage by altering the workforce, and your family will be socially stigmatized locally and nationally.) I hear gruesome and grisly stories where they have to pick up torn, bloody body parts 
quickly to resume the train service as millions are relying on the system.
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@Akisan2
It seems crappy to blame and fine the family for someone jumping. Considering the stress that society forces on them. Seems like a final F you to a person that was used up mentally and physically that they can still extract some type of value from the dead person
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Yeah, it’s pretty F’ed up. Even in a dire situation, people tend to judge your final action to kill yourself. It’s crazy to see people cussing someone who committed suicide and stigmatize them because their last action alive was socially disruptive to others. Even if you want to end your own life, it seems like you have to be selective and act accordingly in Japan.
I often see people saying things like “kill yourself quietly and don’t bother others.”
As much as I love Japan, there are things that need to change. But then, this is also what makes Japan so it’s a mixed bag.
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I’ve lived here for 10 years plus. Oh, almost exactly 11 years now, on July 29…
Love it. But I would hate to live in one of the big four cities (greater Tokyo area, Osaka/Kobe, Nagoya or even Fukuoka).
Smaller towns are great, but probably lack the job opportunities for expats. And even in the smaller towns, you really don’t want to work in a traditional big Japanese company. Smaller newer hi-tech companies or design shops, etc., are much better.
Kids may find schooling difficult if they stick out at all, but if they’re 5-6 when they start and assimilate well (including the whole kawai culture) then they do OK. International schools are hard to come by outside the big cities.
Of course, Okinawa has so many more things going for it compared to the mainland, such as the sea and the different attitude and the island vibe. But I could find places to enjoy living in real Japan as well, like Nagasaki, for example.
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I can understand Tokyo, but why the rest? I lived in Osaka for a year and loved it. Good transport, easy access to Kobe, Kyoto, Nara or even Wakayama. Nature too. Can easily go to places with millions of people, or few people, depending on your mood. Easy shopping, quick deliveries, low rent (I pay more in Taiwan now for a similarly sized place).
It also lacks one major thing that makes the rest of Japan, “Japan” - rail. Sure there’s one, short monorail line in Naha but that doesn’t count. Also too hot like Taiwan.
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Of those four places, Kansai would be the one place i could live. I have friends there, I like the food, the atmosphere is not so intense as Tokyo, etc.
but i’d miss the diving, surfing, kayaking, sailing, camping experiences i have within a 10 minute walk from my house. You just don’t get surf beach front living in Osaka.
Plus, way too many people. I’ve lived in big cities all my life (including 6 years at Zhongxiao/Fuxing), and this place is soo much better. Plus, should i need it, there’s a million person Japanese metropolis 40 minutes by car. Who needs the train here?
Yes, we have a fake tourist train. But who cares? nobody except tourists ever take it (i.e., airport to Shuri Castle)
and the weather is great. never cold, always humid, awesome typhoons. Exactly how I like it.
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Of the big cities, I prefer Fukuoka. I was there last month and in New Years and go at least once a year. I weather is milder, it has four seasons but seldom has snow or extreme heat (though it’s been a cool summer, the same last week in June as was in Naha it was quite hot). Fukuoka for me has as the big cities things, but not fast moving big city life. (I have relatives from there, Tokyo and in Okinawa (now living in Hawaii) so I may get viewpoint different than a tourist visiting those areas), I also like Sapporo a lot, but may not like long term cool/cold weather.
Well yeah who wouldn’t miss that anywhere if you are into that stuff 
.
It’s not really relevant to urban living generally . 
It’s interesting[quote=“Brianjones, post:79, topic:181594, full:true”]
It’s interesting, on what people consider urban. I meet an American guy and Irish girl (my mom meet them chat a bit in a Chinese café where they were working as wait staff while students at the local uni)in Beppu (Kyushu) which is about 2 hours by car from Fukuoka. Anyways in a small city (around 100,000) and they both mentioned how urban it was (small streets, walkable, close in homes). The guy from Iowa (small town) and girl from Cork (which seems to be bigger city) that they expected a small town but it was not by their standards. It was more urban to them with some nightlife and lots of places to eat and drink (gives them a part time job)
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