What do you dislike about Japan ?

[Murs]

The thing is, theres no way you can be really western without knowing the language. Yes, you can listen to msuic but would you understand the lyrics? I think the Japanese youth can only imitate the west in consumer products but its really difficult to, for e.g. understand western humour, customs etc. Being "G'd up" and "rolling on dubs" doesnt mean their even close to being hip hop as people in the US. Just making themselfs look stupid.

[scorpion da black]

The thing is, theres no way you can be really western without knowing the language. Yes, you can listen to msuic but would you understand the lyrics? I think the Japanese youth can only imitate the west in consumer products but its really difficult to, for e.g. understand western humour, customs etc. Being "G'd up" and "rolling on dubs" doesnt mean their even close to being hip hop as people in the US. Just making themselfs look stupid.

you gotta point there
but some r no longer proud of who they are and try to imitate other western societies.....oh and they can adapt to western society.....i find knowing about it and the jokes or what ever easy to understand

[Murs]

True, alot of things can easily be attained by the people, but I think their is a fundamental difference between us that is very difficult to be a part of a foreign culture. Like being Japanese is more than Manga, videogame etc which us westerner eat up like theirs no tomorrow. The same is true for Japanese to western.

I think that a lot (not most) people in each country (depending on exposure to the world) doesn't really care much for their own country. For example the English love Spain and alway say they like the culture, I just think unless your governement tells you you're the best thing ever (America) then the populations eyes will tend to wonder around other nations and cultures than you start comparing yourself to them (not a bad thing tbh).

[Homerduff]

I voted for the education system. I have heard stories from some of my Japanese friends about the entrance exams system in all Japanese universities and that attending yuku school during weekend or evenings during week is a must. I don't understand why Japanese high school isn't sufficient enough to get entrance to a university. In Belgium, you can go for any degree (except if you want to become a dentist or specialise in medicine, these are one of the few degrees where you do need to pass an entrance exam) in any college/university. So either Japanese high school is from a poor level, or universities in Japan are from a very high level. But again from what I have heard, universities in Japan tend to be rather 'easy' ?

It must be frustrating for Japanese students to 'waste' so many hours in high school and to know that's not even enough to get yourself a university ticket. Some students even have school on saturday which only give them one day of rest.

Though I must say, I like the system of club activities after school in Japan. It's a great way to stimulate students to do sports or play an instrument. This is more or less the same case in the USA but in Belgium (and maybe a big part of Europe in general) this is not the case.

Some other things bothering me: the fact that if a Japanese person sees me he/she immediatly thinks im Americain. It's like there's only one 'great' country out there which is called 'America', while we all know Europe has a bether social wellfare system but ofcourse you don't see those things in movies. So I could also vote for the 'ignorance to the rest of the world' part of the poll, but im probably accepting cause the USA has the same problem. When I met someone outside of Europe and we are talking about politics, geography and etc. I always think that only students in Europe learn about the history of the USA, China and Africa. That is just a feeling though.

[Thuglife]

Um....

How about people littering everywhere??

Nasty habit that stuns me, as my image of Japan never included the epidemic that is "litter".

[kireikoori]

Concrete buildings and the lack of urban planning
Not something I know much about, but the buildings I saw when in Japan were quite nice.
Lack of respect of nature (concrete all along the coast, hills, few parks in cities, etc.)
Japanese people don't respect nature? That's not the vibe I got. I saw some beautiful parks in Hanamaki.
It seems to me that Japanese people respect nature far more than Chinese do. Look at what happened recently in China, a wonderful breed of Dolphin went extinct!
Non-buried electric lines everywhere
Not something I noticed, but not a problem.
Lack of thermic isolation and central heating in houses
Yeah, the lack of air conditioning while I was there wasn't the greatest.
5-month-long muggy summers (except Hokkaido and Tohoku)
It felt pretty hot and humid I must say. Actually about the same as where I live.
Natural disasters (earthquakes, typhoons...)
I fear for Japan because of those things, but it doesn't particularly make me fear for my life.
Lack of preservation of the historical heritage
I don't? Doesn't seem to be that way.
If so that's sad. Japanese history is quite a precious flower.
Political corruption (amakudari system, government using postal savings...)
Yeah, that kind of bugs me. Makes Japan seem even more dark and mysterious though. I do wish there were less corruption though.
Police checks on non Japanese (e.g. gaikokujin torokusho)
Sorta sad, but I kinda understand where they're coming from.
People pointing or staring at foreigners, or saying "gaijin, gaijin !" or "Hello America !"
That's not too bad. Not everyday you get to see a foreigner. America would be appropriate considering I am an American.
Doesn't bother me. Infact it seems kinda cute.
People telling you that gaijin come to Japan to make money, when salaries are higher in your country
That bugs me. Definitely. I mean, I'm from a first world country just like Japan. So going to work in Japan definitely isn't for the money.
Assumptions that foreigners in Japan commit much more crimes than the Japanese
It makes me sad. Though I can understand the stereotype. Japan does seem to have less crime than alot of countries.
Assumptions that almost all foreigners living in Japan cannot speak Japanese
I think that's a fair assumption considering Japanese has only 130 million speakers. I mean, it's quite hard to learn Japanese outside of Japan, so they probably figure you didn't know any before hand, and are just learning a little coming in.
Remarks inspired by jingoism (4 seasons, farmer vs hunter, etc.)
What the heck is with that four seasons thing anyway? All countries have a Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter. Well, maybe not all, anywhere tropical is pretty hot much weather all year round. But thinking that your country is the only one with four seasons is kinda naive.
Ignorance about the rest of the world (cultures, geography, history...)
Not a big deal. America does quite a bit of that too.
General denial or downplaying of war atrocities
Not really actually. It's similar to the way depictions of African American slaves as happy being slaves doesn't bother me.
Discrimination in general (toward women, young people, foreigners, burakumin...)
Incredibly terribly sad.
The education system (school + juku + homeworks and they still do not learn anything)
Engrish seems to be proof that their education system does not work well enough. I dunno what it is, but it needs fixing.
The exceptional Japanese ability to copy what China or the West did/does
I feel no jealousy towards Japan's amazing ability to copy from others and improve the copy. Go Japan!

[Murs]

The exceptional Japanese ability to copy what China or the West did/does
I feel no jealousy towards Japan's amazing ability to copy from others and improve the copy. Go Japan!


And pretend they invented it!

[Incognito69]

The electrical wirings all around Japan kills the scenery. Even Hakone's pine trees can't hide those stupid wires well. I thought I hate Tokyo's housing but I guess I cannot blame them as they had their reasons there. I hate the discrimination especially sex discrimination. Good thing that the discrimination isn't so bad as in the past. At least now women can go home a little later than usual and not get beaten. The thing I hate most about Japan is earthquake. I don't want to sit in the toilet and wait for people to rescue me, I don't want to get sick as my house sways her and there T_T

[akakaze]

being tall, I hate low fire exit signs, low light chandeliers and anything that is low for a tall westerner, but high enough for Japanese!!! I had so many bumps in my head after my first visit!

Ah yes, the ATF (Anti Tall Foreigner) Fields. I've seen many, and been a victim of them as well... especially in Kobe...

Another thing, yes I stand out a bit, but is all the staring really necessary?

That said, the people in Kobe were VERY friendly, I was approached a lot more often than in Tokyo, I guess they're not as used to Gaijin.

[konki_d]

The things I did or did not like about Japan were, in essence, not significantly different than what I do or do not like about other places. That is, there are many things I found very Japanese, but nothing that seemed beyond the norm for any given human culture. That being said . . .

I did NOT like the process of getting a driver's license in Japan. Ugh! That was a four month long torture process. Of course, that I was able to get one without ever having to submit to one of the driving schools in Japan makes me somewhat proud of myself. Silly, I know.

[JerseyBoy]

I tried to like Japan for the last 1.5 years. But, I could not. I am going back to New York as I feel I am more comfortable in the American culture. I admit I had good paying jobs in Japan but I decided to let go of them and go back where I won't be constrained by the J-business culture.

[minime]

so far so good...

[kukuruu]

What don't I like about Japan... hrrrmmm....

It's too expensive for me to visit at the minute.
I've been saying that I wanted to learn Japanese since I was 14 and still havn't. So I'd be useless over there.
Plus... it's a LONG flight and I'm scared of flying. lol.

So it's not really Japan that is the problem, it's me.

[Larry Battle]

It's hard finding a trash can outside.

[Kappa]

I'm interpreting this question to be about things I personally find unpleasant or inconvenient when living in Japan, rather than matters of policy or suchlike (though I think the choices given straddle that).

My biggest complaint would be the climate. Japan certainly does have four seasons: a little too hot, a little too cold, way too hot and way too cold (^_^). But then, I'm from California so most anywhere seems a step down on that score.

I disliked the crowding and how cramped things are, and some of the things that flow from that. Even fairly small towns have a dense, urban mid-rise feel to them. I'm the first to admit that they're better than American cities in many ways, but concrete is concrete and traffic noise is traffic noise.

I also found the "one right way to do anything" attitude increasingly annoying the longer I stayed. As a foreigner, you're excused from a lot of it and your lapses often seen as more endearing than anything else. It can become a nasty issue if you get into closer relationships though, especially with the Japanese reticence to openly discuss disagreements.

[Zatoya]

I have only been here 3 months. I dont care much about political issues. What I dislike most is the uncomfortableness of accommodation. It was too cold when I arrived and it's already too hot now. Summer is not yet there and I fear it will be unbearable. Houses surely are shaggy and poorly insulated. I can hear everything going on in the street from my room.

[ushiwakamaru]

I'd have to say cults. Every large train station there's always people handing out flyers and you never know which one's wanna throw you in a commune and take your bank account info. I also hate that "no-pants" look that women are all sporting now.

[Maciamo]

I also hate that "no-pants" look that women are all sporting now.

What do you mean by "no-pants look" ?

[ushiwakamaru]

The big trend of women now to show their entire leg, without tights of stockings. I call it "no pants" because its followers, except for high-schoolers, who have to wear school-issue jackets, tend to wear a big sweater, which is about as big as my raincoat, except there's only skin beneath it down to their shoes.

I don't see the appeal at all. It's not attractive, it just looks like the woman was stupid enough to forget her pants.

[Hoshinoko]

My Heart lies in Japan. Though I haven't yet been able to physically get there yet (that shall be remedied just before Christmas this year) It has even replaced Switzerland (where I was born) as my country of love. The Tetsudo (JR and private lines) are in my most humble opinion second to none on Planet Earth. I am a Nichiren Buddhist (Nichiren Shu) and (so I have been told) I carry Japanese ancestry as well.

The only shocker that I have run into is the requirement that one must MANDATORILY have a four year college degree -- even if the prospective employer does not require such -- and a two year degree is apparently not acceptable! This is a problem for me as I live for the moment(outside of Switzerland) in a place where higher education that offers 4 year degrees are horribly expensive (非常に高い！) and inaccessable to those less fortunate on an economic or financial level. I only wish that this would be relaxed a bit.

Also Domestic partnership. It would be so nice if the Japanese government would reconsider and allow for domestic relationships that are not necessarily exclusively heterosexual in nature to bring their "significant others" to live with them in Japan proper. Otherwise, I am already considered to be "Japanese" in my mannerism and culture. 私も自分の日本語に取り組んでいます。

どうもありがとうございました！ 星の子