Is it Difficult or Easy Living in Japan?
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- Опубліковано 7 вер 2024
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My podcast is Journal of Japan Journeys on your favorite podcast service.
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amazing narration and deep dive in the details. Your youtube channel will grow for sure! But please promise to us you are not gonna change, keep it real! Thank you for your videos!
I have zero intention to change my format - just talking my mind and walking around. :)
My favorite videos are the walking and driving videos. I am looking at the surroundings while listening to your stories!
Thats what I hope people are doing, it would be a total waste if people were looking at me! 😂😂😂
Me too!
I like the talks with walks around the towns.
Thank you. Its more fun for me too!
i know that back in siberia where i came from i would have been a janitor, or a street sweeper, or something like that, so i appreciate japan a lot for allowing me to enjoy a lifestyle i might not have been able to afford if i stayed
Sure, if Japan let's you follow a lifestyle you enjoy, then that's great!
I think the privacy regarding students seeing you out and about is not just a foreigner in Japan thing, it's a teacher thing. I get that from my students in Australia, and it hasn't mattered whether I've been working in a small town or a capital city - students are going to see you and they always comment, "Hey, I saw you at ~~ the other day!" I think the younger ones are just so surprised you have a life outside of school they always blurt it out when they see you in "real life", haha
Very true, teachers out of school context will always stand out to students. Now imagine blonde hair and foreign features dialing that up to 11! 😄
Am a big fan of your videos Paul, so insightful compared to others. Have been to Japan twice and as an introvert it was paradise. I also had enjoyable interactions with the locals, it really is a mixed bag so although for example the rental difficulties are annoying, westerners should not generalise. Sometimes attitudes can be a generational thing too so i guess it helps if you can learn to live with the occasional kick back. Am sure as a resident the positives outweigh the negatives. Keep up the great work 😊
Thanks for watching and commenting!
Thank you for always providing me with the opportunity to learn about comparative cultural studies.
I often hear about the concern of privacy being compromised due to standing out as a foreigner.
Isabella Bird, who traveled through Japan in the late 19th century, wrote that when she was staying at an inn in the Tohoku region, countless curious eyes peeked through the holes in the shoji screens as she slept. Our apologies (laughs).
One of my favorite books is "The Deer Cry Pavilion" which is a look at Meiji era Japan through the diaries of foreign visitors. Isabella Bird's experiences are included, and it is all completely fascinating. Sometimes I wish I could go back in time and see Japan at that time!
今朝は伊勢佐木町😊毎週土曜日が楽しみ
I agree with your analysis. Yokohama was open for western countries 160 years ago. People have had various experiences with foreigners since they grew up. First American, English, French and Dutch consulates were located in the old temples in the small village of Kanagawa, Yokohama. It's relatively easy for foreigners to live in Yokohama.
Structure of the Japanese language is quite different form western languages. So it's difficult for westerns to learn Japanese.
These 70, 80 years all Japanese junior high school students study English for three years. Some smart students use English.
Recently traffic signs are written in English all over Japan. Maybe it helps foreigners to live easily. PEACE✌
Any recommendations? 😊
i am from india and speaks hindi ( there are many other languages here), people do find it easy to learn Japanese. There are similarities in our language including grammar structure.
Thanks we’re coming to Tokyo for two weeks in October. No plans just wander and have fun and I appreciate this video
Wandering is the best way - I always recommend that even for people who prefer tight itineraries - leave a day or two open for adventure, because there is always the chance you stumble across something you want to do after you are here, and you don't want to feel locked in to anything!
I`m from Ukraine. I wish someday I would be able to move to Japan. I totaly agree with the author of this video. Most common problem for foreigners in most of the countrees is language. My current level of knowledge is N4-N3 but its still not enough to comunicate with japanese people.
Good luck and keep studying!
To be fair: the western perception of Japanese women is just as bad, if not worse to worse. Example: i was in a small meeting with for my professional occupation, and the business discussion tapered off and we engaged in small talk. Once one guy learned my spouse was from Japan, he said, “So what did you do? Just wave a green card around and got her that way?” It pissed me off. The fact he had a stutter made it even more frustrating. I rebutted, “No, she was a professional at a large corporation”. Some other guys with experience in Japan came to my defense. 😢
Totally true, and the stereotypes are often mixed up with general "asian" stereotypes. I had someone in the US ask me if they still did foot binding in Japan...
@@Exjapterlol😂
Hey, I randomly got recommended this video and I love it, you got a new subscriber! I lived in Japan in 2016-2017 in Fukushima City working for AEON and everything you're saying is so true. I had zero privacy in that town. Everyone knew who I was even though I knew barely no one. It was a very surreal experience, especially because my japanese is pretty limited. I ended up moving back home to start my career but I'd love to live in Japan again sometime.
@@TheDigitalPanther wish wht propel go back to Europe
@@Hay8137g cry about it you big baby
Where would you want to try living if you came back?
@@Exjapter Ideally Fukuoka or Osaka. Btw what's with Hay8137g's racist comment above?
Beats me. "Go back to" comments make pretty much zero sense in the modern age, or in a world where we value any individual autonomy.
Thanx for your view.
Thank you for watching and commenting!
I always enjoy your videos as you provide the perspective seldom found from other foreigners UA-camrs from Japan. Please keep up the excellent work.
I have no intention to change! Glad you like the topics.
Great level headed advice at a time that people are moving to Japan just because its a popular thing to do
I hope some people find it useful. Thanks for watching!
If Arabic is harder than Japanese to learn than I am very hopeful. I found Chinese to be quite difficult because of the four sounds for each letter the grammar the expressions
i am over 35(no working holiday visa for me), no spouse visa eligibility, no student visa possibilities, no japanese skills. Limitations are huge. While I have a Bachelors degree in English, this comes from a non-native English background. I once had a chance in moving with GABA but as soon as I made my research about them I just withdrew my interest.
Paul-san,
Again and again you are distinct and true! Excellent presentations! You are really are our ambassador for Japan life. You are honest and clear, no holds barred. Japan as an 'asian starter country' is vitally true.
I know that the language (Kanji) can be insurmountable. But that is as it should be! Perhaps it should be viewed as just that, insurmountable! Humanity takes on so many forms, so that we should sometimes stand back and accept it's incomprehensibility. That is part of Life.
This is also true of discrimination when one confronts it. We should never accept such behavior but try to understand it in terms of a sometimes failing humanity. I was very sad to hear of your Vietnamese friend, John, and the discrimination that he has to undergo. Equally, I was dismayed and angered by the treatment of foreign women in Japan. God! Are we living back in feudal Japan? The treatment of foreign women indicates a rift that is probably evident in how Japanese men treat their own women.
Let me tell you of an incident that happened to me here in America. I am Japanese-American, born in Twin Falls, Idaho. Yet as I was shopping in a Von's grocery store here in Long Beach, CA. a child in a baby carriage strolled by and started mimicking the Chinese language and making his eyes slanted to mock me. This took place in a couple of seconds. You could say it's the upbringing of the child that should be blamed. But, I believe it goes deeper than that. There is an element within each of us that fears the foreign, the intruder, the unknown one. Will we ever get rid of it? Perhaps there is something about self-preservation behind it. Again, I return to the incomprehensibility of it.
Thanks ever so much for your risking to be a bridge to Japan.
Carry on, brother,
Clyde Fugami
Thank you so much for the long and insightful comment. I am equally bothered by your experience as if it had happened to me. All we can do is keep acknowledging that prejudice and stereotyoes exist, and push back against them. Best wishes.
@@clydefugami544 need Jpn person to be ambassador
Thank you very much for your videos, it helps me alot for my moving to Japan 🇯🇵
Glad to hear it. Any questions or topics you would like me to cover?
its like the refrain of def lepards song two steps behind...
At what point would you suggest a foreigner living in Japan to get a personal hanko?
Honestly, asap. I started using one within a month of being here. I know they are trying to phase them out, but honestly whenever i use mine there seems to be a sense of relief or happiness on the part of the Japanese that I have one instead of signing my name. I will even ask which they prefer and when they realize I have a hanko they ask for that.
I would find the paperwork, taxes, contracts to be overwhelming.
They can be sometimes, but there are other times when something goes way easier than you might expect. For example, renewing your drivers license in Japan is much more streamlined and easy than in the US (in my experience).
I'm sure Mr. Paul has said this somewhere, but to stand out on the street day after day is an extreme challenge. It goes unnoticed for you mostly, until you see ME across a crowded road or a busy Mall...'holy moly'! , you say, 'do i look THAT foolish'?! (Yes, you do) AND i won't ever talk to you..why should I? Of course at the workplace we will be allies, for sure, it's just that foreigners don't generally give a hoot about some other 'guy' in the crowd. ( again a caveat...when passing on the street we'll say hi, you know, close quarters and all...) my two bits
Good points, although in a city like Yokohama I tend to not notice other foreigners because it's not unusual at all, but in the countryside that changes. I did a parody video demonstrating this a while back.
You are Right in all Aspects,except one( my opinion only:):Most people are not even prepared to go by all the situations,paper work, problems,EC.ec.Because all problems and the way to deal with that is Completely New for most of the Foreigners, Excellent they are: Half Japanese...No one can even prepare themselves to have it a little Easier .All New.Even for a short stay I encounter Softbank SIM card problems ,that even Japanese stuff never saw before 😂.Thank you so much for the 👍 Great work of yours
You should of taken a break from the video.
And stopped to talk to the honey that walked by at 11:13.
Btw, thank you for the video bro.
Great info 👍
I was in the zone - next time!
I actually find Japanese culture very similar to traditional Latin America…which I found shocking
Any interesting examples? I haven't been to Latin America....
Being here on SOFA makes everything so easy. I don’t have to deal with any of the bureaucratic nonsense. I do agree that the fascination that men have is awkward. As a 49 year old, I find it’s mostly staring but I have a beautiful young friend and what she receives is not cool.
Thank you for your comment. I actually have an interview on the backburner I want to do with a friend who studies the gender gap and treatment of foreign women in Japan, and she has LOTS of stories. She lives in Nagoya though, so we haven't figured out when to meet yet, (and I don't want to do it over Zoom if I can avoid it).
@@Exjapter I’m in Nagoya.
😊😊😊😊😊
6:20 personally i feel a life in Kenya, for example, would be easier than in Japan. I would still stand out in the crowd- like a true eyesore for everyone- but socially i believe i would make friends way easier...way way easier. My reason is the concept of Frankness. When locals tread softly on yer heart strings, well, not good imo....it may be coming from a good place, but best to be honest-even brutally so! Why? 'cause life is too short, and essentially it is a kin to lie or a dishonest position socially ( i.e. to leave a guy feeling hopeful he made a friend, etc. or for a girl not to know her new circle of girlfriends are laughing behind her back, etc.
Yeah, I am actually trying to be less Japanese and more foreign these days in the sense I am trying to have more conversations in my daily life with strangers - if only to practice my Japanese!
@@Exjapter Hey, thanks for allowing my comments to stand...
i'm staring down another of yer videos come up in my 'feed'...'why living in the USA is better...' absolutely no contest! the best aspect ( i mean arguably) is permitless open carry...you gotta love it ( or we gonna part ways here on this concept of freedom...) not to put down California or Illinois, to name a couple outliers, but man oh man do i ever feel safe to see/ greet a guy with a 'piss toll' on his hip ( incidentally, we can own a real samurai suword, don't ya know..no problem. carry it around in yer trunk or even the back seat... (the cops just advise that you cover it up, ha! . Just can't strap it on yer belt like weopons back home (( spelling to cover my tracks...)) sorry to go off on a tangent
Another great vid 👍
Thank you!
In the many times I've been to Japan, I'm an Australian white male which I assume unless I'm wearing an Australian shirt (which I rarely do) that local folks will probably think I'm American. Those in food shops will possibly know I'm different when I verbally order something to eat but yeah, even in Australia I don't know where Westerners are from unless you ask them or hear them talk. I'm married to a Japanese lady for 30 years and live in Australia but as we are nearing retirement age, we are strongly considering a move to Japan. We usually stay with Family in Chiba Prefecture. Even though I'm a largish (chubby) guy, I feel comfortable in Japan even though I know people look at me, I'm not really bothered by it. As I don't need to look for work even though I can on a spouse visa, I can finally relax and enjoy and learn my hobbies such as Photography and bicycle touring. I love going to Japanese shops as they are so different to ours but there's always many international brands that are trusted. I've enjoyed this video of yours, I'm a new viewer and glad you popped up on my YT screen so as a new subscriber, I've liked the video and as Arnold says "I'll be back"!!😁
Thank you for the comment. Not caring that people will be watching you is one of those key things for feeling comfortable in Japan. For me it has gotten to the point that I don't even notice anymore, and these days I only notice people looking at me when I have the vlogging camera out...so I am still a bit self conscious about that!
@@Exjapter Yes in one of your vids I seen right at the beginning where 2 school girls walked past you as you were talking to the camera and they quickly whipped around and started to talk amongst themselves as if what they witnessed.
Don't forget to mention the beautiful girls bro !!
I think it goes without saying.... ha!
@@Exjapter You're the man. I will be visiting Tokyo for the first time next May.
Hello from Phoenix Arizona 👋
Thank you for the interesting video
Thank you for commenting!
I am a subscriber and "liker" of your videos. May I ask what hardware and software you use to produce them? I am looking into this UA-cam thing...
I edit with Filmora, I use a Sony A6400 mirrorless camera and a Rode Mini microphone, all balanced on a Zhiyun CraneM2 gimbal. Super basic setup and have been using the exact stuff the entire time. But the best advice I have heard is just start, without worrying about having the best equipment, because you learn so much just by doing it (and that may effect what equipment you get). I started with a totally different setup before settling on what I use now, and I did buy some things that I ended up never using (like an action camera).
@@Exjapter Thanks for the info. And for the useful advice about starting with the equipment you have at hand and learning from there.
I wonder if omakase but could you please take my allergies in mind and recommend something I can eat, is doable?
Yes, places will be as accommodating as possible when it comes to allergies. It may be difficult in small places where they have prepared some things in advance, but allergies is a different thing than trying to customize everything.
Just moved to Shizuoka from Hawaii. I'm glad I don't fit into the four categories ;-)
Haha! Good to hear. Good luck, hope you have a great time!
How about you were born in San Francisco and people kept asking you “Where are you from?” And if you replied “San Francisco” they insisted “I mean where are you from originally.” You can say from an African tribe who journeyed out into the world. Just kidding. So the American born and naturalized American get the same question. We can ask back “How about you? Unless you are Native American, those who crossed the Arctic land-bridge into North America, where are you originally from?” End of encounter. You were right Paul. Decent people don’t call you out easily.
I wonder if people in Europe ask those same questions? I feel that Americans have a particular obsession with where people are from "originally". This is also seen in the people who love telling others about their ancestry - I am 50% French and 25% Norwegian and my Grandma is from Sicily..etc.etc.
@@Exjapteryeah, the only difference being that europeans usually can tell quite previsely where you are from originally after a couple of words exchanged or even just by looking at you. They classify you even more than the average American.
To my experience, Americans never really ask me where I'm from, they assume from the get go that I always lived in the USA and don't make any assumption.
@@soulysouly7253interesting. Here in Japan I am pretty good at judging who is from North America and who is from Europe, before they say anything. Fashion and mannerisms are a huge tell. But I have a hunch that is easier here since the assumption will always be 'from somewhere else', so guessing where becomes fun.
im assuming its about as difficult as navigating that town I built out of legos when I was 10.
One would think...
I am moving to TOkyo in September after living in KORea 4 years...and Japan does seem harder to live than Korea lol but I fell in love with Japan everytime i went on vacation.
What about it feels like it will be harder?
@ExJapTer getting an apartment and returning to live in the big city I had moved from Seoul to Jeju island. Although now I've been back in Florida but I live near the beach and tokyo is such a concrete jungle.
My understanding, when it comes to apartments not wanting to rent to foreigners is that it has nothing to do with any inherent racism. Japanese apartments often have extensive lists of rules and regulations when it comes to, for example, trash disposal, pets, common spaces, etc. These rules are written in Japanese and often foreigners can't read them or don't bother to have them translated. This can result in a lot of annoyance by other tenants. Makes sense to me. Foreigners who speak and read Japanese well, rarely have a problem renting.
Unfortunatly not true. When we hunted for apartments our agent phoned owners and even when he told them my wife was Japanese, it didnt matter. No foreigners.
I use to live in Japan for a few years. Housing discrimination based on “race” or group is racism. Requiring a “guarantor” for renting, who is usually of Japanese descent, is racism. That’s about as on the nose as you can get 😅. Considering that there are also “Japanese Only” establishments, and the opportunities for advancement in Japanese companies “hits a ceiling” for foreign residents, you literally are defining overt systemic racism in a culture. 😞🤷♂️
The Japanese have a long standing history of discrimination against even other Asians such as Koreans, Chinese, and Okinawans 😳. NOW, that being said, the racism in Japan is not nearly as antagonistic or violent as in other countries, like say the United States, comparatively. 🧐
However, I’ve come across quite a few who wish to romanticize or justify the situation, and it’s not a valid defense. To make generalized sweeping judgments, or in this case, policies based on your perception of a people is racism. 😤
All that being said, the Japanese are generally more polite and “civil” as a culture. The chances of you being physically harmed or even approached are very low, especially comparatively 🙂. I enjoyed and appreciated Japan, and many are welcoming there 🤗👍. We just should call it for what it is, when racism is presented, and Japan seems to be trying to address concerns 🙏.
@@Exjapter hmm. My son and his Japanese wife have moved multiple times and never encountered this. Now that they have bought a condo, he even serves on their Board of Directors. None of the places they lived have been "ex-pat" buildings.
I, myself, have never experienced racism in Japan outside of being refused service at some “Japanese Only” establishments…which is racism 😂. It’s also not as simple as a “language barrier”. I lived there and interacted fine knowing a handful of words at the time. Yoshi (restaurant owner) was accommodating and welcoming every time, as were most others. The ones who weren’t, sometimes it’s just as simple as they don’t like foreigners, but I digress.
The absence of personal experience with racism does not mean the absence of reality. The discrimination faced by foreigners in Japanese housing is well documented locally and internationally. There is a bias there, and discriminatory practices.
Terms like “gaijin” and “hafu” with their sometimes negative depictions exist for a reason. There are also, to my recollection, no laws preventing discrimination towards foreign born residents in Japan.
Other Asians have received it very bad over the years, especially Chinese, Koreans, and even Okinawans.
My experience with racism was mild, but I do remember the “Japanese Only” signs, ESPECIALLY when you are hungry and just trying to find somewhere to eat 😭😅.
That’s so true.
some people say Shanghai is more easier acclamation than Tokyo for Americans. You forgot to mention Americans are direct So the indirect communication style would be maddening to most.
That's interesting, I hadn't thought about it that way. That said, my experience and also the experience of my friend who lived there for 5 years or so makes me believe the directness is even stronger in China (or Shanghai at least) than America. If I had to describe it, it felt like you have to argue and fight for everything. The number of arguments my friend had with staff, nearly every time we went somewhere, was eye opening. I think the less aggressive Japanese character is more suitable for me.
@@ExjapterShanghai/chinese directness or aggressiveness is on par with some cultures in US and high drama. But agreed in some ways Japanese style more appealing but not always.
@@Hay8137g
You visited both places
@missplainjane3905 I dont know enough about China. I have only been there once, and havent lived there, so my understanding of the daily life and society is very limited.
White privilege is a thing here for sure.
I have heard people try to deny it, but it most certainly is.
are you gonna get the mole removed?
Join my patreon and help fund it. Ha!
First!
It’s the saddest country but it’s getting worse due to massive immigration from authoritarian countries and third world
Anime, hentai, porn, intense work culture are all bandaids for a sad sad soul.
Wow, and I thought Japan would not make Europe's mistake. Where are immigrants coming from into Japan?
@@jamesm.9285 It’s china.
@@jamesm.9285 We have concluded that it is USA military and CIA who is behind this massive migration in Europe and japan! Country does not exist for economical development, but US funded politicians and media tells us GDPs is more important than tradition or anything else