(I grew up in Japan, and have lived here for over 50 years). A good evaluation of Japan, and insight that is good for seeing more of the truth of this country. May I offer a few suggestions? Before the 90’s, when kaitenzushi (carousel sushi) became popular, sushi was always seen as a delicacy that people only on special occasions ate. It was too expensive for people to eat on a regular basis. The advent of mass commercial fishing allowed sushi to become more mainstream. Even today, though, sushi is not seen as “unhealthy”, and certainly not as fast food. You’re right about the residential areas in Tokyo being very quiet (and anyone who comes from New York, London, or Paris, can attest to how quiet Tokyo as a major city is), but part of the problem with living in Tokyo is that you have to contend with the train system, no matter where you live, and dealing with rush hours in Tokyo can be unnerving and suffocating. A huge portion of suburb dwellers daily deal with massive crowds during their 1 to 2 hour commutes on the trains. (What’s with the clips of the Maiko? You’ll almost never see that in Tokyo... or anywhere else...) One thing you didn’t mention, is that the declining population throughout the country has caused a major crisis in regions outside Tokyo and Osaka where less and less people are living. Travel around and you’ll see entire towns falling into bankruptcy and the populations disappearing. You’ll find ghost villages in the rural areas where only a few elderly live. This means that many parts of Japan are very quiet now, with few people living there. Japanese may not be needed for everyday living, but if you want to do any kind of work besides teaching English or IT, where non-Japanese are prevalent, you’re going to need at least a business level of Japanese. You’re not going to get very far without it. The common view outside Japan is that Japanese are dour and take everything too seriously. That’s a view you might have as a tourist, when you never see the basement izakayas or hang out with people after work or on the weekends on hikes in the mountains. Japanese constantly laugh and make fun of each other (almost too much here in Kansai). They do take serious things seriously (like work and consideration for others), but also like to play hard.
1) Do you still consider Japan as a developed and advanced country ? 2) How would you personally rate Japan (from culture to technology, architecture, food, scenery/landscape etc.) on a scale level of 1 to 10 ? 3) If you have 3 or more words to describe Japan, what would it be ?
(I grew up in Japan, and have lived here for over 50 years). A good evaluation of Japan, and insight that is good for seeing more of the truth of this country.
May I offer a few suggestions?
Before the 90’s, when kaitenzushi (carousel sushi) became popular, sushi was always seen as a delicacy that people only on special occasions ate. It was too expensive for people to eat on a regular basis. The advent of mass commercial fishing allowed sushi to become more mainstream. Even today, though, sushi is not seen as “unhealthy”, and certainly not as fast food.
You’re right about the residential areas in Tokyo being very quiet (and anyone who comes from New York, London, or Paris, can attest to how quiet Tokyo as a major city is), but part of the problem with living in Tokyo is that you have to contend with the train system, no matter where you live, and dealing with rush hours in Tokyo can be unnerving and suffocating. A huge portion of suburb dwellers daily deal with massive crowds during their 1 to 2 hour commutes on the trains. (What’s with the clips of the Maiko? You’ll almost never see that in Tokyo... or anywhere else...)
One thing you didn’t mention, is that the declining population throughout the country has caused a major crisis in regions outside Tokyo and Osaka where less and less people are living. Travel around and you’ll see entire towns falling into bankruptcy and the populations disappearing. You’ll find ghost villages in the rural areas where only a few elderly live. This means that many parts of Japan are very quiet now, with few people living there.
Japanese may not be needed for everyday living, but if you want to do any kind of work besides teaching English or IT, where non-Japanese are prevalent, you’re going to need at least a business level of Japanese. You’re not going to get very far without it.
The common view outside Japan is that Japanese are dour and take everything too seriously. That’s a view you might have as a tourist, when you never see the basement izakayas or hang out with people after work or on the weekends on hikes in the mountains. Japanese constantly laugh and make fun of each other (almost too much here in Kansai). They do take serious things seriously (like work and consideration for others), but also like to play hard.
Thanks for your feedback & sharing your experiences in Japan! Overall, I would agree with most everything you said.
I want to watch more videos, please.... I like your content^^
Really enjoyed your video, very informative!
Amazing, thanks so much buddy! 🙇♂️🙌
that was another great video thank you so much
Thanks so much Tony!! 💪🙌
Are you still there? How can I reach you as you are not posting anymore?
This is one of the best channels, found it very entertained and worth watching, Subbed and Liked ! a fellow creator...
That was great. Thank you
Thanks so much Gary! 🙌🙇♂️
1) Do you still consider Japan as a developed and advanced country ?
2) How would you personally rate Japan (from culture to technology, architecture, food, scenery/landscape etc.) on a scale level of 1 to 10 ?
3) If you have 3 or more words to describe Japan, what would it be ?