{"id":7212,"date":"2026-08-07T06:06:39","date_gmt":"2026-08-07T06:06:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sometimesraw.com\/?p=7212"},"modified":"2026-08-07T06:06:41","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T06:06:41","slug":"japan-2-0-or-why-i-could-never-live-in-japan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sometimesraw.com\/?p=7212","title":{"rendered":".Japan 2.0 – Or why I could NEVER live in Japan."},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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During my second time in Japan, I ran the full gamut of emotions. More so than the first time. I enjoyed the change of pace from the previous time. I loved the somewhat friendly, yet reserved culture, and at the same time discovered a place of racism. I was blown away by the bizarre and outlandish things that make Japan shine. And sushi. I ate lots\u2026and lots\u2026.and lots\u2026of sushi. I was also confused and at times disgusted\u00a0by certain aspects of the culture. I was bamboozled by the language. And I was overwhelmed by the masses of people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"on<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I made some harsh observations about the Japanese culture that, for me, are weird or deal-breakers in choosing Japan as a place to live. So today, I\u2019d like to share with you some random observations about Tokyo that hopefully will give you a slightly more well-rounded sense of what it was like for me to visit Japan. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Transportation is Expensive, but Effective<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2026to which you might reply \u201cDUH, Daniela! It\u2019s Tokyo!\u201d Hear me out. I know things like taxis are murderously expensive. But even the trains-\u00a0the trains that everybody takes every day to and from work, shopping, and play- they\u2019re really expensive. You pay for the train according to the line you ride on, and the distance you travel. So every trip is different.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Crowded<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

But there\u2019s good news: since public transportation is the way most people in Tokyo get around, it\u2019s everywhere, and everything generally runs on time. Like exactly on time. The trains are NEVER late. Tokyo is one well-connected, efficient city.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tip:<\/em>\u00a0<\/strong>If you\u2019re coming to Tokyo, get a Suica card<\/em> right away. You can get them from vending machines at any train station. They cost 1000yen (a deposit that\u2019s refunded to you when you turn in the card, minus an admin fee). Charge up the card with cash at any of the same vending machines. When you ride the trains, you simply swipe your Suica card when you enter and leave each train line.
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But Sushi is Cheap<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oh, glorious sushi. It\u2019s available everywhere, even in convenience stores. For less than 4 euros you can get a tuna roll, and the quality is even better. I regularly stuffed myself to oblivion on sushi at 7\/11 supermarket sushi, which was super fresh. Now, as with many things in Tokyo, the sky is the limit on price; the more you spend, the better the quality of sushi you\u2019ll receive.
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It\u2019s Super Safe<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Considering Tokyo is the most populated metropolitan area in the world, it\u2019s ridiculously safe. I left my shopping bags and drink unsupervised at my table while I went to the bathroom; not something I\u2019ve ever considered before.\u00a0I bet you could leave your phone and wallet on the table as well. As a female traveler, I can walk around at night in most areas of Tokyo without worrying.\u00a0Driving a car in Japan is also very safe! We rented a car and drove all the way to Fukuoka without any issues. No road rage in Japan.
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Garbage Separation is an Art<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is a distinct lack of garbage cans on the streets of Tokyo. If you have something to throw away, you take it home with you and figure out how to get rid of it.\u00a0There are different pick-up days for wet\/burnable\/organic waste, plastic wrappers, plastic bottles, cans, glass bottles, milk cartons, cardboard, clothes, and more. And don\u2019t screw up, because they won\u2019t take your garbage (it\u2019s in colour-coded transparent bags so you can\u2019t sneak stuff in that doesn\u2019t belong there). I thought the garbage separation process was finicky in Austria; Tokyo takes it to a whole new level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interestingly, this attention to separation of garbage (and lack of ability to throw things away while you\u2019re out and about) makes for a very clean urban landscape. I didn\u2019t see any litter in Tokyo \u2013 the world\u2019s most populated metropolitan area; that\u2019s impressive.
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Packaging is Over the Top<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For a city so attentive to the separation and recycling of waste, I was mildly horrified at the amount of packaging. First of all, because of the work culture, people don\u2019t often have time to cook their own meals, so buying prepared meals at stores on the way home is common. Almost a quarter of every grocery store is dedicated to such prepared food. Every prepared meal comes in its own plastic container, with a plastic pack (or two, or three) of accompanying sauce. That\u2019s a lot of plastic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Or maybe you want to get some ramen at the 7\/11 supermarket to make at home. Each ingredient is separately packaged in its own plastic wrap for you to assemble. Maybe you want some cookies or snacks; within the double-wrapped package are more individually wrapped goodies. And it\u2019s not just food!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I guess all this packaging is a testament to the general sterility and cleanliness of the culture. Which in a place as packed as Tokyo serves a purpose in not enabling the spread of germs and disease. But when it came to separation of garbage,\u00a0the most garbage I produced \u2013 by far \u2013 was plastics. And I don\u2019t honestly know if and where these plastics are actually recycled at the end of the day.
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Toilets are Funny<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Tokyo<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

I\u2019d heard about Japan\u2019s confusing toilets from afar. So the first thing I did on landing in Tokyo was race to the airport washroom to take a picture of the \u201cdashboard\u201d of my toilet.\u00a0There are buttons for everything, from ambient music (to drown out the sounds of your ablutions), to bidet spray, to \u201clady\u201d spray, butt dryers, seat heating, and more. Every toilet is different, so make a point of visiting the bathroom in as many places as possible if such things amuse you as much as they did me. Also, some toilets are squat toilets; a commonality in Asia. They lack dashboard functions, though.
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A Culture of Overwork<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I find Japan\u2019s working culture to be disturbing, with overtime expected and changing jobs frowned upon.\u00a0There\u2019s a uniquely Japanese term for working yourself to death. There\u2019s also a uniquely Japanese term for leaving work on time, and it\u2019s akin to a miracle.\u00a0After a highly publicized suicide that highlighted Japan\u2019s culture of overworking its employees, they implemented \u201cPremium Fridays\u201d, allowing people to leave work early, at 4:30 pm. Most people continue to stay late. People seem super tired and exhausted all the time, or as my son said, they look like robots. In my opinion, they do not have a work-life balance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Stability (of Job and Home) is Revered<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Changing jobs within your first three years out of school is considered taboo, because it labels you an unreliable employee. Moving house too often is also a no-no. Actually, it\u2019s financial suicide to move too often; every time you sign a new lease it\u2019s an expensive proposition with costly \u201cgifts\u201d and \u201cdeposits\u201d owed to the landlord, much of which you don\u2019t actually ever get back. In fact,\u00a0there\u2019s a uniquely Japanese term for becoming poor because you move too often. The term is\u00a0hikkoshi binb\u014d, which translates directly to “moving poverty” or “moving poor”. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tattoo Taboos<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I have tattoos, big ones, and I\u2019m proud of them. They each mean something very dear to me, and I think they\u2019re pretty to look at. But\u00a0in Japanese culture tattoos are very much taboo, and still today are considered a sign of connection to the\u00a0yakuza<\/em>\u00a0(Japanese gangsters).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I want to go on a little rant about how tattoos are taboo in Japan, and how it meant I refused to go to any onsen\/sento (public hot springs\/baths) for fear of being kicked out or ostracized. Although this social policy is apparently relaxing, to my eyes it\u2019s not quickly enough. There are places where you cannot go when you have tattoos. Also, many Japanese people looked at me in a weird, almost disgusted way when they saw my tattoos, which was kind of uncomfortable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, I dressed mostly in a way that covered my tattoos. Most people dress pretty conservatively in Japan anyway (eg: spaghetti straps and flip-flops are uncommon). And if you can\u2019t (or won\u2019t) cover up your tattoos, wear \u2019em loud and proud. Just don\u2019t expect to blend in, and don\u2019t be surprised if you get the odd dirty look.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Such a judgemental close-minded attitude is offensive to me. That\u2019s all. And although the prevailing sentiment is that this attitude towards tattoos is changing, it depends on who you talk to as to whether it truly is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s a Fashion Show<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Every single time we left the house, I was impressed by how well put together people in Japan are. The people-watching opportunities are everywhere; Japan is not just about Harajuku Girls and cosplay either. There are many styles on the street, many of them understated and classy. Other styles are fresh and flirty. Both men and women are consistently well-coordinated and accessorized. I guess all this \u201cgirl power\u201d stuff pays off in producing a generally pretty population.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Girl Power (or Not)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Girls<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

In the West, we define Girl Power as that of a woman\u2019s independence, empowerment, control of her life, and expression of femininity in a courageous and still flirtatious way. Although I would never have called myself a raging feminist, seeing the attitude towards women in Japan has made me reconsider my stance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This picture above is a very prevalent ad on the subway. With this sort of slogan, you\u2019d think it\u2019s for something empowering to women. Instead, it\u2019s for a hair removal product. Because Japanese women apparently like to embrace their \u201cGirls Power<\/em>\u201d by ensuring their arms are hair-free. It\u2019s part of a whole cultural movement encouraging Japanese women to be pretty, and \u201cfeminine\u201d in the most delicate (and labourious) of ways. Weird to me. <\/p>\n\n\n

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\"exploitation<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

My rude awakening surrounded the graphic and at times vile exploitation of women (and let\u2019s get it right \u2013 more like little girls) in anime and video games, books and magazines. Now, I\u2019m all for some racy content in the right context, but this stuff was\u00a0everywhere<\/em>, for adults and children, women and men to see and use like it\u2019s just another day. Exit any one of these stores and walk down the street and you\u2019ll be approached by women in a slutty maid outfits trying to lure you into their \u201cmaid cafes\u201d \u2013 a place where people (mostly men) go to be doted on by scantily dressed women in an over-the-top cutesy-pie (dare I say \u201clittle girl\u201d??) manner. Very weird. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When I arrived, I loved the place. Everything is new! The food is great. The smells are different. The people are friendly. The scenery is majestic. It\u2019s magic. And then, as I settle into daily life and dig around a bit culturally, I often start to see the ugly underbelly of the country (and trust me, every place has one). It always happens; in some places it just takes a while longer for a variety of reasons, and in some cases it\u2019s easier to take the bad with the good. But depending on\u00a0how bad \u201cthe bad\u201d is,\u00a0I start to change my stance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Years ago, after a friend showed me a crazy anime movie set in Tokyo, I coined a phrase that became a silly go-to among my group of friends: \u201cTokyo is years ahead of us in nonsense\u201d.
And while Tokyo is certainly ahead of western countries on many levels (not the least of which is technologically), it\u2019s also steeped in what we in the west would call antiquated ways.\u00a0This juxtaposition of futuristic and antiquated is one of the most culturally bizarre phenomenons I\u2019ve ever experienced.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Overall, I forgot how jarring the culture shock can be. This was my second time in Japan , which likely exacerbated my feeling like a fish out of water. Cap it off with a transition from Austrian quiet village life to Tokyo skyline, and it\u2019s no wonder I suffered a \u201ccrisis of dislike\u201d with the place. But I\u2019m not giving up on Japan or Tokyo; in fact I just might return to the same gig; but not in the summer anymore. Sucker for punishment, or open-minded? We\u2019ll just have to wait and see. For now, I am just glad to be back safe and sound. Afterall, there was an earthquake (two days after we left this particular area!), a volcano erruption (again after we left!) and now a typhoon (our plane still took off while many others got cancelled!). Gotta love Japan. Something is always boiling. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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During my second time in Japan, I ran the full gamut of emotions. More so than the first time. I enjoyed the change of pace from the previous time. I loved the somewhat friendly, yet reserved culture, and at the same time discovered a place of racism. I was blown away by the bizarre and … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “.Japan 2.0 – Or why I could NEVER live in Japan.”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_ml_titleColor":"#000000","_ml_titleFont":"Roboto","_ml_titleFontSize":1.136,"_ml_titleFontWeight":"400","_ml_titleLineHeight":1.3,"_ml_metaColor":"#708090","_ml_metaFont":"Montserrat","_ml_metaFontSize":0.6785,"_ml_metaFontWeight":"400","_ml_metaLineHeight":0.92,"_ml_bodyColor":"#a9a9a9","_ml_bodyFont":"Open Sans","_ml_bodyFontSize":0.85,"_ml_bodyFontWeight":"400","_ml_bodyLineHeight":1.2,"_ml_wooPriceColor":"#666","_ml_wooPriceFont":"Open Sans","_ml_wooPriceFontSize":0.9,"_ml_wooPriceFontWeight":"400","_ml_wooPriceLineHeight":1.27,"_ml_headingColor":"#000","_ml_headingFont":"Merriweather","_ml_headingFontSize":2.02,"_ml_headingFontWeight":"700","_ml_headingLineHeight":1.47,"_mlglobal_userfontcolors":{"headingColorUser":[],"titleColorUser":[],"metaColorUser":[],"bodyColorUser":[],"wooPriceColorUser":[]},"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7212","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-minimalism-lifestyle"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t