What is life like in Japan?

Answer 1

Here are a few points that my wife and I have come up with. This is a list we worked on informally since about 3.5 years ago when we moved to Tokyo. I base my list on life in the 23 wards of Tokyo, in my case Shibuya-ku.

Travelling - Back home the average person gets into their car, and drives to their destination. Here in Tokyo, we take trains to 90% of the places we go. Time, cost, and location all factor into the decision. If you have small kids or toddlers, you have to bring the stroller onto the train. On the flip side, strangers would help my wife with the stroller when she would get off the bus. They would see that the toddler fell asleep and her hands were full. People are so nice in our neighborhood.

Weather - Hot and humid in the summer, cold and freezing in the winter. Rain can fall all year round. Combine that with having to take trains and subways everywhere instead of driving a car. You get used to it.

daily life
shopping for groceries, back home, families drive up to their local jumbo mart, fill up the carts and the load it into their SUVs that never go off road. Here, we have to carry everything that we buy. That means we make two trips to the local super market per week. It is interesting when you see Japanese moms with two small children riding a bike, one kid on the back in a seat and the other in the front handle bar seat. The groceries are hangin from the bike's handle bars and front basket.

Store employees in Japan are 10 times more helpful and polite than the average "I hate my job" employee at a retail store.
If you cannot read Japanese, you learn what is what by trial and error. My friend use to email pics from his mobile phone camera and me and ask me, "what is this?"

Food products cost more, especially if you buy imported foods from the US, Europe and AZ. Most gaijin buy a combo of Japanese and imported foods.
Food portions are smaller at retaurants, execpt McDonalds. You can super size world wide. KFC is still greasy. We wait up to one hour for ice cream at a Cold Stone Creamery.


Entertainment - not all US movies are released in Japan. Sometimes the release date is 6 months after the initial US release date.

Since we live near Shinjuku and Shibuya, bars and clubs are near by. You can drink and not have to drive. No risk of DUI. If I miss the last train, a taxi ride home is less than 2000 yen ($20) for me from most nite life areas. If you frequent a place, the barkeep or tencho will eventually break the ice with you. At first it was quiet, now we get a warm hello all the time from the local tea house that we go to. The same goes for the babrber that I take my kids to and the tofu store.

Everything is crowded, lines are long, housing space is less and more compact. National and local taxes are high compared to the US, but low compared to Europe.

Answer 2

Hello,

I am temporarily living in kyoto. It is not the entire japan though it represents a part of it.

Life in Japan is a matter of perspective I guess. I come from a country without much opportunity so I guess that is why I find life better here. But dont get me wrong, I will go back to my country someday.

Japan life for me is, working with some of the world's topnotch engineers, cheap if not the cheapest modern electronic gadgets, the fun but tiring tennis matches with japanese people, the sakura trees, watching very ancient traditions celebrated, not discussing too much religion, seeing beautiful japanese women everyday, very cold winters, and a lot of other stuff.

However, life here is also lonely at times, tiring, and sometimes too stiff.

Well, nothing and nobody is perfect. Life and culture, will always be different from one place to another. So the degree of difference is a matter one has to settle on his own. And wisdom will make you understand and appreciate the difference.

I hope you go and visit japan too, whether you will love japan or not, it does not matter.

Answer 3

Life in Japan is much like life in any other country. You get up, do to work/school, come home with eating in the middle.
It is very different to Western culture, so if you have never lived in an Asian culture you may be shocked or surprised.
I really enjoyed living there, and will be going back in a few months. Some people like it, some people don't.
There is a lot of pressure to conform to society.
That is difficult for many people who come from a free-thinking western society.
If you want to know what REAL life is like in Japan, you should move over or do an exchange or working program or something.
:)

Answer 4

NOOO!!!! Trust me I don't say this in anger or hate. But Japan is the one first global nation in which racism continues to be bear in mind appropriate. And so much eastern are rough middle nationalists. Most younger eastern aren't like those you notice in anime. When I used to be little earlier than I got here to the us. I watch indicates like peers, complete condo, and disney films. During then I proposal the us is rather like the characters I noticed within the exhibit and films. When I acquired right here seems it used to be particularly one-of-a-kind. Americans are well persons however there are small quantity of them who're particularly slim minded. Also I on no account knew approximately unpleasant nature of yankee hip hop and rap enjoyment. It's a tremendous global and somethings that you simply consider you already know aren't particularly what it sort of feels.

Answer 5

life in japan is awesome...i have been here for 8 months, originally from australia. things are so different over here. but its an experience you have to try. everything from the way a house is run, going to school, to how you shop is different in japan. but as i said its awesome...

Answer 6

i've been here just about a month and am heading back to the usa tomorrow, I like it here, the food is really good, trains are always on time, (or dang close) foot/bike is the primary mode of travel, there are a lot of cars, but the number of people walking and on bikes far dwarfs them.

trains during rush hour are packed to the gills. off peak hours are usually not too bad.

The people on average are very friendly, prices on some stuff is higher, music, video games, ect. on a few things it is a bit cheaper, the portions when you order are usually smaller, but many times I have ordered a cheap japanese meal and couldn't finish it.

I head back tomorrow, and I am already starting to plan my next trip, I would love to come back around April so I can see the cherry blossoms everywhere, I would love to bring my really good camera and go nuts with photos of them.

Its not all sunshine and roses here, you will see guys taking leaks just about anywhere, lots of stray cats, neighborhoods can be very cluttered and confusing, and some buildings especially along the train tracks look like they are minutes from falling down.

Overall however, it has been a very positive experience

Answer 7

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Regards

Answer 8

Very stressful, I guess. Many people find it difficult to get jobs. My boss has a nephew there who has four kids and a wife. The nephew works as a salesman for a motor oil firm. He was able to keep his job because he knew how to speak Mandarin, aside from Japanese, otherwise he says, he himself will be unemployed. To assist him in his finances, my boss (from Manila) sends dollars to him via telegraphic transfer. Now the nephew is making overtures that their home is getting too small for them because the kids are growing. Can you beat that? He is asking my boss for help!

Answer 9

I love japan, my favourite place so far. Everyone is so polite and helpful.

Answer 10

Hop on a plane and find out for your self