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What do you like about living in Japan?

What do you like about living in Japan ?

  • Tasty and cheap food

    Votes: 94 54.7%

  • Speciality restaurants, which means quicker service

    Votes: 47 27.3%

  • Reliable trains

    Votes: 104 60.5%

  • Huge department stores

    Votes: 49 28.5%

  • Order and respect of authority

    Votes: 67 39.0%

  • Peaceful people

    Votes: 103 59.9%

  • Clean streets

    Votes: 105 61.0%

  • Politeness and helpfulness of the people

    Votes: 82 47.7%

  • Cute girls with a real sense of fashion

    Votes: 67 39.0%

  • Mild and dry winters (in Tokyo at least)

    Votes: 38 22.1%

  • Onsen (hot springs)

    Votes: 71 41.3%

  • Japanese nature (better than in my own country)

    Votes: 56 32.6%

  • Japanese seasons (more clear-cut than in my own country)

    Votes: 39 22.7%

  • Matsuri (festivals) and other traditonal celebrations (setsubun, shichigosan, obon...)

    Votes: 76 44.2%

  • Love hotels

    Votes: 32 18.6%

  • The energetic atmosphere (of big cities)

    Votes: 54 31.4%

  • Japanese TV

    Votes: 53 30.8%

  • General non-religiousness of the Japanese

    Votes: 48 27.9%

  • Non-argumentative character of the Japanese

    Votes: 31 18.0%

  • Low taxes (by European standards)

    Votes: 27 15.7%

  • Japanese aesthetics (wabi-sabi, sado, traditional architecture, gardens...)

    Votes: 67 39.0%

  • The ability to integrate aspects of foreign cultures and systems

    Votes: 29 16.9%

  • The relative lack of political debates and demonstrations

    Votes: 25 14.5%

  • Japanese-style houses (with o-furo, tatami, kotatsu...)

    Votes: 80 46.5%

  • The numerous mountains, good for hiking and skiing

    Votes: 53 30.8%

  • Good service and attention to customers

    Votes: 70 40.7%

  • How easy it is to move around cities in bicycle

    Votes: 49 28.5%

  • The homogeneity of society

    Votes: 25 14.5%

  • The original street pattern, with very broad avenues and very narrow back streets

    Votes: 33 19.2%

  • The fact that Japanese banks don't charge monthly fees on bank accounts

    Votes: 25 14.5%

  • Kitsch decoration (pink, neons, cute characters...)

    Votes: 30 17.4%

  • The relax attitude toward sex (lack of Judeo-Christian shame about nudity, porn, etc.)

    Votes: 47 27.3%

  • The kindness and interets showed toward foreigners

    Votes: 48 27.9%

  • The blissful joy and excitement of Japanese women

    Votes: 45 26.2%

  • The dedication to work of the "salarymen"

    Votes: 18 10.5%

  • Shopping on Sundays

    Votes: 53 30.8%

  • The ambiance music in train stations and cute voice of the announcers

    Votes: 39 22.7%

  • The ease to set up a company in Japan (little redtape)

    Votes: 18 10.5%

  • The numerous bilingual Japanese-English signs in big cities

    Votes: 39 22.7%

  • The sense of honour (linked to the concept of "face" and "embarassment")

    Votes: 40 23.3%

  • The customs of "omiyage" and "duty presents" (who doesn't like giving and receiving gifts ?)

    Votes: 28 16.3%

  • Seeing women in kimono from time to time

    Votes: 65 37.8%

  • The Japanese imperial family (the oldest in the world and still respected)

    Votes: 24 14.0%

  • The abundance of convenience stores and vending machines

    Votes: 80 46.5%

  • Fast-food restaurants serving more kinds of teas than soft drinks

    Votes: 56 32.6%

  • The low cost or mobile/cell phones compared to the quality

    Votes: 41 23.8%

  • Living in Japan made me know JREF

    Votes: 24 14.0%
  • Total voters
    172
I forgot one very important thing I very much appreciate: NO inflation!

In the 8 years that I've come to Japan on different occasions, prices have barely gone up! I can still get beer for the same price in bars as I could in 2008, whereas it has almost doubled where I come from. The same goes for public transport, food, etc.

This might change of course with tax increases, but so far it is the only country I've been to with this low level of rising prices.
 
Safety, public transportation, and customer service.
 
Life in Japan is very amazing. Japanese cuisine is really tasty
 
I like the fact that I don't have to drive. Sure, a car would be nice and at times more convenient, but I'm saving a bundle of money using the subway and trains, and that's fine with me... for now. I wouldn't even have that choice in the States, at least not in any of the areas I lived in.
 
i am happy about Japanese people.these days i am much sad of earthquake in japan.hope they are all fine
 
To be honest, you simply can't beat the transport! always on time and so efficient!
 
josharoo said:
To be honest, you simply can't beat the transport! always on time and so efficient!
Click to expand...

You live in Japan?

(And, no, it isn't always on time and in many places it is far from efficient).
 
Have been lived in Japan for almost six months.
What I like the most (so far):
- Train and mass transportation (the best I experienced so far)
- Well organized systems (insurance, office, schools, streets etc)
- The atmosphere of summer festivals
- Fashionable cute girls LOL

What I (quite) dislike:
- Expensive vegetables and fruits
- Way too much paper works for almost everything.
 


It's kind of true about inflation, but I like what some restaurants are saying, "market price menus". What has happened though is the prices have gone down a bit. For example, the price of potato chips can be bought for 69 yen at costmos, but now they are only 60 grams or whatever weight it is. Before, 100 yen would buy you like a 90 or even 100 gram bag of chips. Best buy these days seem to be popcorn!
 
The cold weather is killing me...

Walking 10 km per day between visits, with a bunch of time waiting on train platforms with no heat has convinced me that Tokyo is not where I want to be. Next year I'll either have a vehicle with some heat, move south, or be out of the country. I'm too damned old for this.
 
I am Japanese and I live in Okinawa, and I love Japan! There are many places to see superb views in Japan. I often go driving Okinawa Island with my friends. There are also many beautiful place to visit. I think Japanese people are little bit shy, they are also kind and gentle!
 

Winters in Kanto are actually quite mild. It's fabulous to be able to use the bicycle almost all year round. Short bibs in December, that's a first though.
 
thomas said:
Winters in Kanto are actually quite mild. It's fabulous to be able to use the bicycle almost all year round. Short bibs in December, that's a first though.
Click to expand...

I just got through driving the Tohoku Expressway from Kazo down to Tokyo. Window rolled down. T-shirt.
 
Right now, that is a very difficult question to answer accurately. I have to think really hard to even remember why I came to this country in the first place.

First I liked a lot of things, then after a few years things started to bother me and I disliked several of the things listed in the poll. Now, what I think about Japan is completely neutral. So much that there is nothing specific that I really like or dislike. Neither completely satisfied, nor frustrated with anything in particular.
 
I love my home country, America, but I will not return unless forced (political tensions with S. Korea and Japan are on my radar for this as the U.S. might cause disdain in the region).

Nonetheless, I'll ride it out as long as possible in Okinawa.
 
okinawaholic said:
I love my home country, America, but I will not return unless forced (political tensions with S. Korea and Japan are on my radar for this as the U.S. might cause disdain in the region).

Nonetheless, I'll ride it out as long as possible in Okinawa.
Click to expand...

How long have you lived in Okinawa?
And why is S. Korea and Japan on your radar. Distrust between the 2 countries have existed for over 46 years. Might not believe this, but when Japan allowed TV's made in Korea, no one would buy them. They quit selling them, now a lot comes from Korea and China. Money talks and bullshit walks these days in Asia.
 
musicisgood said:
How long have you lived in Okinawa?
Click to expand...
Stationed here in 07, returned to the US for about 6 months in 09 trying to find any sort of work, realizing that it wasn't the best place to raise a family, and left by mid-09 losing all of our transported household goods to begin all over.

I say 12 years, unofficially, even with that long of a gap post-service.

Officially, per visa breakups going back to SOFA, 5 years (last SOFA job in 2014).

As far as the rising tensions, they're both still being children. However, at least it appears that the latest ploy favored Japan and might be a tactic to the South to say "get along". Hopefully nothing comes of it; it's just a bit of paranoia on my end after finally getting permanent.
 
I, too was stationed in Okinawa years ago. I wish I could get my Japanese wife to move to Miyako-jima or even Okinawa. I'm a bit south of Iwakuni here and I'm not really liking the very short summers and long winters.
I suppose you have a military job there? As for me, retired but willing to work.
I know how it is to start over in a foreign country with no kin, life is tough. But save your money and buy a house with land if possible and grow some fruit trees.
 
US Navy here(CTR3-HFDF). Stationed in Fukuoka in 1971-72 at our spy base there. I fell madly in love with Japan and my dream girl. I really wanted to live in Japan when I finished my 4 years. Trouble was , I was a gun nut who started shooting and hunting in 1955 and just could not bring myself to give it up. I ended up going back to Maine and my girlfriend refused to move to Maine , so in of that love story , LOL.
 
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