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View Poll Results: What do you dislike about Japan or Japanese people ? (choose all that apply)

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  • Concrete buildings and the lack of urban planning

    15 23.81%
  • Lack of respect of nature (concrete all along the coast, hills, few parks in cities, etc.)

    12 19.05%
  • Non-buried electric lines everywhere

    18 28.57%
  • Lack of thermic isolation and central heating in houses

    20 31.75%
  • 5-month-long muggy summers (except Hokkaido and Tohoku)

    21 33.33%
  • Natural disasters (earthquakes, typhoons...)

    13 20.63%
  • Lack of preservation of the historical heritage

    15 23.81%
  • Political corruption (amakudari system, government using postal savings...)

    14 22.22%
  • Police checks on non Japanese (e.g. gaikokujin torokusho)

    14 22.22%
  • People pointing or staring at foreigners, or saying "gaijin, gaijin !" or "Hello America !"

    16 25.40%
  • People telling you that gaijin come to Japan to make money, when salaries are higher in your country

    13 20.63%
  • Assumptions that foreigners in Japan commit much more crimes than the Japanese

    24 38.10%
  • Assumptions that almost all foreigners living in Japan cannot speak Japanese

    14 22.22%
  • Remarks inspired by jingoism (4 seasons, farmer vs hunter, etc.)

    13 20.63%
  • Ignorance about the rest of the world (cultures, geography, history...)

    21 33.33%
  • General denial or downplaying of war atrocities

    13 20.63%
  • Discrimination in general (toward women, young people, foreigners, burakumin...)

    30 47.62%
  • The education system (school + juku + homeworks and they still do not learn anything)

    19 30.16%
  • The exceptional Japanese ability to copy what China or the West did/does

    5 7.94%
  • Other (please specify)

    8 12.70%
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Thread: What do you dislike about Japan ?

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  1. #1
    Banned ricecake's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Spyder93090 View Post

    Pretty much only their humid Summers and their (lack of) Dental Hygiene.


    Hmmm .... I've read and heard some ( truth and half-truth ) little unpleasant comments to baseless anti-Japanese crap about them,lack of dental hygiene is the first for me.Can you elaborate further,isn't " cleanliness " a deep-rooted cultural trait ?

  2. #2
    Master of the Universe Bucko's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by ricecake View Post
    Hmmm .... I've read and heard some ( truth and half-truth ) little unpleasant comments to baseless anti-Japanese crap about them,lack of dental hygiene is the first for me.Can you elaborate further,isn't " cleanliness " a deep-rooted cultural trait ?
    This is something that still shocks me everyday and was one of the first things I noticed when I came to Japan. Still, no one has given me a good explanation as to why so many Japanese people's teeth are so bad. (we're not just talking crooked here, we're talking crooked, rotting, plaque covered, black, brown, stinking teeth)

  3. #3
    Banned ricecake's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bucko View Post

    Still,no one has given me a good explanation as to why so many Japanese people's teeth are so bad. (we're not just talking crooked here, we're talking crooked, rotting, plaque covered, black, brown, stinking teeth)


    Are those individuals from lower economic class in Japan,can't afford dental plan ?

    None of Japanese nationals I've been in contact with person to person ( for many years ) here in northern California has any of those mentioned denture symptoms,no bad breath or stinking teeth.

  4. #4
    puzzled gaijin
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    Better dental hygenie awareness seemed to come to Japan later than some other modernized countries. Many young people here still could use braces, but stinking teeth seem to be a thing of the past.

  5. #5
    Twirling dragon Maciamo's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by gaijinalways View Post
    Better dental hygenie awareness seemed to come to Japan later than some other modernized countries. Many young people here still could use braces, but stinking teeth seem to be a thing of the past.
    I also noticed that many young people still have very apparent metalic teeth fillings in Japan. Here it is over a decade (maybe over 15 years) that fillings are white and invisible. My wife had her fillings changed in Belgium because she couldn't find a dentist that did white fillings in Japan, after I told her about it when we were living in Japan. I noticed that Japan was very late (usually over 10 years) in matters of medicine compared to Belgium or France. My wife has a few Japanese friends who have given birth in Belgium or France, and they said that hospitals and gynaecologists were so much better here than in Japan. Two of them had already given birth in Japan and could compare knowingly.

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  6. #6
    Junior Member DoctorP's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Maciamo View Post
    I also noticed that many young people still have very apparent metalic teeth fillings in Japan. Here it is over a decade (maybe over 15 years) that fillings are white and invisible. My wife had her fillings changed in Belgium because she couldn't find a dentist that did white fillings in Japan, after I told her about it when we were living in Japan. I noticed that Japan was very late (usually over 10 years) in matters of medicine compared to Belgium or France. My wife has a few Japanese friends who have given birth in Belgium or France, and they said that hospitals and gynaecologists were so much better here than in Japan. Two of them had already given birth in Japan and could compare knowingly.

    White fillings are/have been available in Japan for several years...how long I am unsure, but they do have them.

    As for dental hygiene. It seems as though there has been a swing in the last 10 years to where there is more trust in dentists and more teaching going on as to the importance of good dental hygiene.

    Many children still have terrible teeth, but it is getting better. Braces are extremely expensive, and I think that Japan should find a way to make it less so. My oldest son will be getting braces soon, and I am dreading the costs involved.

    Many mothers do not brush their babies teeth. This combined with breastfeeding, contributes to rotted teeth in babies. Once the children grow, they have not been taught any good habits, and tend to not brush themselves. I have see changes to this though. There are three dentist offices withing 6 blocks of my house. Many children go there right after school now for their appointments. Two of the dentists have installed monitors on the chairs so that the kids can watch TV/DVD's while being seen. They can also use the monitor to watch what the dentist is doing inside their mouth. It has made the dentist quite fun and entertaining, and the children actually enjoy the visits. Maybe more of them will continue to go now.

  7. #7
    Regular Member KirinMan's Avatar
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    There are a few things that I have found to "not" like about Japan, but that doesn't mean that I want to leave, heck I think there are probably a million things that I could write, figuratively speaking of course, about my own home country that I hate as well.

    I guess I have just learned to take the good along with the bad and leave it at that.

    I would probably say the same thing about anywhere I lived so it just doesnt pertain to Japan alone.

    However if someone chooses to dwell on the negatives that they have experienced here then "they" have the problem and not the Japanese people.

    Oh I want to add here that this comment is directed at noone in particular, it is just my own opinion, that's all.
    Last edited by KirinMan; Feb 5, 2007 at 19:50. Reason: Clarification on one point.

  8. #8
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    Kaoru Hino, share your thought not here, but in the History & Traditions.

    One of the examples: when you came here, you always think everyone can speak at least English (at least around Tokyo area), but you just have to ask:
    -ちょっと、英語分かりますか。
    When I answer your question above in English, "Yes" or "No", then someone else points out, "I don't know why all Japanese always answer my questions in English, even though I ask them in Nihongo".

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by Obeika View Post
    However if someone chooses to dwell on the negatives that they have experienced here then "they" have the problem and not the Japanese people.
    I have to disagree with that one. If I glance over the dislikes, it is amazing how many foreigners find the same dislikes in common. One I notice that is missing is the pollution. But that might be relative to where you live and where you came from.
    Take discrimination. I no longer notice it on a day to day basis, but I am often the only one on the train with an empty seat beside himself. Even when I take the company bus, jam packed with people often no one will sit beside me. Yes, I shower twice a day, so it isn't a hygene issue.
    Now if I notice and dislike the discrimination I see and feel, that is my problem, rather than being a problem with Japanese culture/people? Sorry, I don't buy that. Just people a culture/people discriminate, doesn't mean you have to accept it.
    There are some good aspects about Japan. My 95 pound wife can walk home at 11 oclock at night from the station through dark alleys and I don't have to worry about her. When I go to the pub, I never feel that I will need to defend myself at any time. And I even enjoy the smoking hot humid summers.
    And some problems people point out (like ID check by police) has never happened to me. For one, often these guys getting the ID checks are riding bikes that either are stolen or look stolen. I make a effort to look like I belong. I have even called the police to my home to deal with some noisy construction workers. It worked, and the police were very helpful.
    Side note: the police here don't crack down on everyday crimes, speeding, noise violations, drunk driving, ect. They can certainly improve their image a bit in my eyes.
    Certainly the dislikes outweigh the likes. Pollution, concrete and wires are easily the biggest dislikes. It is just depressing, no wonder so many people smurf themselves.
    If you don't like it, leave - sounds good to me. When I get back home, I suspect there will plenty of things that annoy me and piss me off. But the big difference is, back home I can do something about the things I dislike, and if you make enough noise and other people agree with your view, then things will change. Here, you can't change anything.

    Kilt.

  10. #10
    Regular Member KirinMan's Avatar
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    But the big difference is, back home I can do something about the things I dislike, and if you make enough noise and other people agree with your view, then things will change. Here, you can't change anything.
    Really, what can you do about people not sitting next to you on a crowded bus back home?

    Really now, if you read my post you would see that I said dwell on the negatives, it is that particular persons problem not the Japanese people's problem.

    I have no idea where you come from so I can not say whether or not you can change circumstances there, but here if one learns to pick and choose the battles that they CAN win you can make a difference here.

    But dwelling on the negatives does no one any good.

  11. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by Obeika View Post
    Really, what can you do about people not sitting next to you on a crowded bus back home?
    I have no idea where you come from so I can not say whether or not you can change circumstances there, but here if one learns to pick and choose the battles that they CAN win you can make a difference here.
    But dwelling on the negatives does no one any good.
    You are grabbing at straws here.
    Off topic, I dont take buses back home if I can avoid them, and as a male I would generally let an elderly person or a woman take a seat instead of myself, so you question isn't applicable.
    I do know that if someone decided to not sit beside me it would be for personal reasons, rather than general cultural ignorance.

    I think one of the very reasons why Japanese people dont try to change things is that they feel they are powerless to do so. I do understand your pick the battles you can win, its very Japanese, but, most people get in a habit of dealing with it, rather than fighting.
    I agree it doesnt do one any good to dwell on negatives. But to sit and watch your country rot into oblivion and pretend everything is peachy does not help either.

    The original post was, " what do you dislike about Japan ". I have met alot of foreigners in Japan. Many of them say they like it here. Some of the reasons I find are stupid, but that is my opinion. Interestingly, when these people leave Japan, I often hear back that they are happy they left and would never want to come back. On the flip side, many who dislike Japan often come back because, although they dislike, when they move away, they find there are many things they miss.
    I know I will miss the food. And the convenience. I also find in the business enviroment, service is generally good and people are very polite, although often quite ignorant. But I will never come back. I used to hope Japan could fix itself. Now I know it is the nature of Japanese people (the culture or something Japanese) that defines Japan and it is precisely why Japan can't fix itself. But, that is another topic.

    Kilt.

  12. #12
    帰りたくない!! fuma_kamui's Avatar
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    Thumbs down ...

    Quote Originally Posted by Kilt View Post
    If you don't like it, leave - sounds good to me.


    (excuse my poor english)

    i agree with this sentence. Really, i don't understand how several people can live in a country that they really dislike.
    The most part of the answer on this forum 'what do you dislike...' are complains.
    Ok, it was the goal of this forum, but in fact, it looks like a meeting for home-sick persons.
    me too, i have never had any problem with the police, and i can come back home after the midnight without a lacrymogene bomb (i don't find any traduction for this word in english) with me.

    please, i would like an answer about why are you in japan if you can't live here?

    and for them who are complaining about the japaneses who don't speak english... aren't you complaining if a foreigner in your country isn't able to speak your language?
    Of course, i don't say it for those who are here since a short time, but after a half year, or one year, i quite don't understant why you feel obliged to ask it.

    maybe if you were living or trying to enter in the system of this country, you could be more able to understand and accept this customs, etc.

    i don't pretend this thread to be a kind of lesson, but just a kind of point of view.
    帰りたくない

  13. #13
    Regular Member KirinMan's Avatar
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    I can understand the need for people to rant and rave about the things that they dislike or have problems with in living here in Japan, or for that matter any foreign country. Adjusting to living somewhere else takes time and quite a bit of energy.

    Yet the "problem" I have sometimes is the people that continually post their rants over the course of a period of time, somthing which tells me that they are having a really hard time adjusting or are just unrealistic in what they expect from living here.

  14. #14
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    我慢

    Quote Originally Posted by fuma_kamui View Post

    Really, i don't understand how several people can live in a country that they really dislike.
    The word is gaman. I know it well. I know several families who continue to live in Japan despite everything they dislike about living here. For some, this is because of investments they can't leave; for others it's family, kids, divorce; I've met some veteran expats who are afraid they'd not find a job "back home", and so put up with it here for years.

    For me, it's because I came here expecting to show my kids something wonderful about their heritage, but before I was competent enough in the language and culture, I got us stuck with a bad investment in an area with a limited job market. Five years passed. Now that we have chosen to go home, we're facing an immigration process that could take a year.

    These things happen. Our problems are not the fault of the Japanese, they're mistakes we made years ago. But the result is that my family and I have to put up with discrimination every day on the streets, on the trains, at work and at school, no matter how good my Japanese gets, or how native-sounding my kids are.

    Try raising kids here in an ugly, working class neighborhood and see how "cool" Tokyo is. Forget seats on the train: my toddlers have been indiscriminately pushed, squeezed, and knocked down, elevator doors closed in their faces on purpose, just so someone could get to work on time. Try inviting families over... kids here play in parks, at school, and at the youth centers, but birthday parties? Play dates? Sleepovers? Trips together? "Best friends?" Hasn't happened for us, not once, not with Japanese families.

    I envy those of you who would criticize the negativity of this post, you with your bright, cheery feelings about how hip everything is here, or how you found yourself in Japan, or how Japan's problems are no worse than anywhere else's. But this is not a political view: it's a personal view, of a Dad who wants more for his kids.

    Earlier quote: "Go home!"
    I wish! I never liked it here, and I'm taking my family home as soon as I can. But in the meantime, our mere presence here does not justify the ostracism that we face every day.

  15. #15
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    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
    Last edited by Hoshinoko; Jan 6, 2012 at 04:14. Reason: typos

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