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Do you like Japan?


Clephas

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Do you like Japan?  

43 members have voted

  1. 1. Do you like Japan?

    • Yes (JAPAN IS THE BEST... *makes robotic sounds*)
      5
    • No (I might like what comes out of Japan, but I don't necessarily like the country)
      16
    • Mixed thoughts (I'm a weaboo but I'm starting to/have realized that Japan isn't perfect)
      22

This is a question I wonder if many people here have asked themselves... do you honestly like Japan, as a country (whether you've visited or just look in from the outside)?  My own feelings are... mixed.  Japan has a pretty fascinating culture that is essentially a scrapbook of various elements drawn from cultures that contacted it that were then evolved based on what the people of a given era wanted/needed.  However... the country itself is pretty problematic looking at it from the outside.  Political corruption, resurgent nationalism, toleration of organized crime, and the tendency to ignore all 'domestic issues' by those outside the household in question (including the police) are all reasons to be ambivalent about Japan.  However, the closeness of police to people's lives (the kouban system), otaku culture, and the traditional aesthetic values of Japan are pretty interesting. 

We all have our reasons for the way we feel about Japan, if we feel anything.  If you'd asked me fifteen years ago, I would have unhesitatingly chosen option 1, but the more I studied, the more I realized just how many problems the country just fails utterly to deal with.  That said, if you asked me the top three countries - other than my homeland - that I'd be interested in living in, Japan would still be number one.  Why?  I got addicted to hot springs after a visit to one in Arizona, and studying history is one of my major hobbies.  Pretty hedonistic of me, eh? 

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Japan is a pretty neat country with a fascinating take on society. However, their work culture stinks, their school culture stinks, they're not so cool on gender equality - many factors add up to my opinion of 'while Japan would be an awesome place to visit, I probably wouldn't want to live there. Unless I became a successful writer, and could work from home. Maybe then ...'

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1 minute ago, Rooke said:

Japan is a pretty neat country with a fascinating take on society. However, their work culture stinks, their school culture stinks, they're not so cool on gender equality - many factors add up to my opinion of 'while Japan would be an awesome place to visit, I probably wouldn't want to live there. Unless I became a successful writer, and could work from home. Maybe then ...'

Yeah... given a choice, I'd rather live here in the US... unless I could get a job working from home in Japan.  To be honest, I don't have the energy or the right personality to survive working in a collectivist culture or in Japan's working environment.  Of course, even staying here, I'd still prefer to move to a different state.  Texas is incredibly frustrating to live in if you actually like two-sided political environments and want to have actual seasons.

 

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I think I've said it in some other post a while back...While I do love a lot of things that they make/produce, be it gaming, cooking, music or cultural I'll also acknowledge how many flaws it has as a culture and country, like any other society.

Personally I have plans to go visit Japan and see everything I can first hand, I think the most beneficial thing is the process of sharing...in which you can adapt to a culture and embrace the things you see fit and vice versa for the other culture that may adapt to things from your own culture. There's no such thing as a perfect society or culture and Japan is no different or exception to that rule, they have and do many fucked up things but still just like you said if I were to live elsewhere rather than where I live now my first choice would be Japan for many reasons.

My thoughts are mixed aswell because while I recognize the good things Japan has to offer and has given already aswell as their history and traditions, I can also see the flip side of the coin with all it's very own set of fucked up issues.

Interesting question though, I'm eager to see how others respond to it.

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1 hour ago, Rooke said:

Japan is a pretty neat country with a fascinating take on society. However, their work culture stinks, their school culture stinks, they're not so cool on gender equality - many factors add up to my opinion of 'while Japan would be an awesome place to visit, I probably wouldn't want to live there. Unless I became a successful writer, and could work from home. Maybe then ...'

If you become a successful writer, you would not need to limit yourself with Japan, I believe there is lot of much better places to live.

I do not like japanese society as a whole and there is lot of things I do not like in their politics. I watched and read lot about Japan (I believe you did same researches as well), and I generally dislike quite a lot of things there, which would bother me a lot if I immigrate.

So seems people who like "japan is the best, go-go Nippon!" are just not aware about the gaijin's real life in their society. Only +- successful foreigners in Japan I know - or work freelance/outsource (so means work like fashion models or actors in their movies) or self-employed (like own shop or clothes design line). And most of them just go there, marry japanese guy/gal and idle doing nothing (as no job for foreigners). After a year they divorce and come back - that's how "japan is great" myth usually ends.

For me the best place to live is where I born and/or lived most of my life. You can always visit your relatives, speak with anyone in your native language - this is really a joy, which you will undoubtedly miss after immigration... Like a ton of other things, which work differently.

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My first contact with Japan in a serious, cultural way actually wasn't from anime (that is to say I had watched a few popular anime by then, but I thought they were just "cartoons") but from an Arabic show called "Khawater" that was extremely popular during its time. The idea of the show is to shed light on (mostly positive) aspects of cultures and societies outside the Arab world, and it had an entire season focused on Japan. How the society deals with modernization while keeping its identity, politeness, how school works... It was magnificent. It was a pretty biased show, but at the time I fell in love wiz Japan. Afterwards I got into VNs and anime (which actually lowered my opinion of Japan lol), and atm yeah, it's mixed. I don't really consider any modern country to be all that great, they're all clusterfucks of contradictions, it's just a matter of preference where you choose live. 

Anyways here's an episode (just watch the opening, the rest of the show is in Arabic, but it gives you a good idea of the show w)

 

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I have mixed thoughts about it. The culture itself doesn't really interest me (maybe someday it will), but I find the language pretty fascinating. Also, I love landscapes and forests and mountains and Japan has lots of those. Like, I would definitely want to live in a small Japanese village...

But this makes me think: if people like anime and manga, how could they dislike Japan? Like, those are just cartoons and comics from Japan. Whatever sets them apart from Western media is related to their culture somehow, so this means liking anime and manga is liking JP culture?

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1 hour ago, starlessn1ght said:

I have mixed thoughts about it. The culture itself doesn't really interest me (maybe someday it will), but I find the language pretty fascinating. Also, I love landscapes and forests and mountains and Japan has lots of those. Like, I would definitely want to live in a small Japanese village...

But this makes me think: if people like anime and manga, how could they dislike Japan? Like, those are just cartoons and comics from Japan. Whatever sets them apart from Western media is related to their culture somehow, so this means liking anime and manga is liking JP culture?

If speak about me - country I live have tons of forests and various landscapes. Mountains not so much, but still a lot. So actually if you want to see forest and mountains, I doubt you should go in Japan for that reason, as in Brazil there is bigger amouts of unique forests and mountains in Serra do Imeri are really fascinating.

I like just a few VNs and only 2-3 manga stories, anime is degrading with each year passed, so I cannot tell that I like it as well. Most of anime/VNs I like are not about japan history or society (means they are not centered on culture or they use fantasy settings). I like stories and japanese authors seems exploited themes I like more than western cartoon/comic authors (and there are too few cartoons which were deliberately made for adult audience in the west).

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I have lived in Tokyo since 2014 and it is pretty awesome so far! I'm a political science major so I totally understand your points of view (and there is no habeas corpus here either which can be concerning). For me personally, I feel like personality wise I like more of the people here and vibe with them better I guess. I like that there is less crime rate. Since I am not straight not having gender neutral marriage is unfortunate, but since their reasoning against it isn't really religious (the lack of religiosity is one of the best things about this place), there isn't that much bad will towards people who aren't straight compared to more religious places. Since I am a foodie Tokyo is pretty awesome for that, and when I eat things outside of a western norm, I get judged a lot less by people here.

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27 minutes ago, Scorp said:

If speak about me - country I live have tons of forests and various landscapes. Mountains not so much, but still a lot. So actually if you want to see forest and mountains, I doubt you should go in Japan for that reason, as in Brazil there is bigger amouts of unique forests and mountains in Serra do Imeri are really fascinating.

Other places than your own home will usually look more interesting even if it is not the truth.

 

Japanese people like to come to Finland to see our nature and I would like to go to the Japan to see their nature.

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Just now, Kiriririri said:

Other places than your own home will usually look more interesting even if it is not the truth.

The more you travel the more you value your own home. At least in my case it is so.

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1 hour ago, Scorp said:

If speak about me - country I live have tons of forests and various landscapes. Mountains not so much, but still a lot. So actually if you want to see forest and mountains, I doubt you should go in Japan for that reason, as in Brazil there is bigger amouts of unique forests and mountains in Serra do Imeri are really fascinating.

Serras are not mountains. They are not beautiful and they don't have snow on top. Brazil is hot, and I hate heat. Brazil forests are tropical, and I don't like those types of forests because they're way too dense, like everything is together and there's tons of shitty bugs and stuff. On a taiga forest or a seasonal forests, the trees are separated from each other, it's not hot, and there aren't so much annoying bugs. Also, Brazil forests are not beautiful.

And I definitely wouldn't want to live in a small town on Brazil. Big cities are better when it comes to this country. The small towns and the countryside completely lack infrastructure, plus they're not pretty or something you'd like to look at to ease yourself.

I've visited some cool places in Brazil, but my best trip was when I went to Chile. Like, I saw snow for the first time and it was more beautiful than anything I've ever seen in Brazil. One of my dreams is to leave this country someday; I never liked it since I was a kid and I never understood why I'm supposed to like it just cuz I was born here (like I didn't choose to be born here to begin with?). I also hate the Brazilian people, they like to touch others a lot and I hate to be touched by other people, plus the girls here are all sluts (not that other countries do not have their sluts as well, but Brazil is just way too much).

Are you from Brazil? (sorry, your answer wasn't very explicit). People here do not tend to be very nationalistic like this, especially taking into account the recent issues.

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Like many have said, Japan is likely a wonderful place to visit, but the way their society works is radically different than Western societies, and it's undeniable Japan has some big problems relating to work and school ethics. However, I still think it would be a nice place to live so long as you manage to find a stable job and stay in a nice area.

I might be the odd one out, but I love Japan's northern dialects and I would like to spend a good amount of time in prectures like Akita and other less urban regions. Dunno if that's a good idea in practice but I would really love to go there some day.

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I agree with most people here btw, would love to make stuff with japanese people that has a burning passion for the same stuff as I do, maybe like stay there for an extended period to work on an album or something, would never consider moving there permanently unless I got a japanese lover that couldnt move out for business reasons for example.

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8 hours ago, Scorp said:

The more you travel the more you value your own home. At least in my case it is so.

This is true imo, except for Japan.. I doubt I would want to move there permanently (and definitely wouldn't without trying it for some time beforehand).

I love how they've kept their culture and seem to be mostly unaffected by the rest of the world (in most cases), but there is a reason for this. I think it's attributed to their real dislike of change and new ideas.

Anyway.. I'd love to work there for a few months to experience more of it.

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9 hours ago, username_ds said:

Since I am a foodie Tokyo is pretty awesome for that ...

I'm also a bit of a foodie, and have to agree on this point. I visited some five years ago, and I remember enjoying pretty literally every meal I ate in Japan. I visited there before I turned into an otaku, so I wasn't blinded by rose-colored glasses, either; it really was great. The only other place I've been to which had comparably good food (probably better, but it's a close one) was Italy.

Anyway, I have to agree with the general "like anywhere, it's got pros and cons" sentiment. Living in the US, I like a lot of things here, and I also dislike a lot of things (and if Trump gets elected, there'll be one more thing that I really don't like...). I expect I'd feel the same wherever I went, Japan included, except that I'd undoubtedly find it easier to be somewhere that I'm not an outsider, which for me pretty much means the US or Canada, since the US's Pacific Northwest and large parts of Canada are practically indistinguishable.

I can certainly see where the welcoming-but-keeping-at-arms-length attitude towards foreigners makes it difficult for anybody wanting to actually move to Japan, but anecdotally many people do manage it. My old company had a large office in Japan (support/consulting positions rather than product, though, so I never looked into it myself) and I knew someone who leveraged that to switch from a typical engineer job at the US office to a role of some sort over in Japan, living and working for about four years in Tokyo. I should really ask him about his experience sometime, but at any rate, depending on your career there are certainly ways you could work out a job, even outside of working from home, if you were really dedicated to living in Japan.

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I've never actually been to Japan so I don't know if I'd like being in the country. I'm not even going to say I currently like Japan as a nation, I do however immensely enjoy certain things originating in and with ties to Japan. I like Japan the same way I like China, which doesn't mean I like rampant nationalism or communist dictatorships, I just enjoy select aspects of their cultures and often they overlap, as do they with the other countries I 'like'; Korea and Vietnam.

As an example: I would say I like anime but I don't necessarily like something just because its anime *clenches fist and holds back tears while thinking of the Golden Time ending*, as do I like video games even though I actually dislike Mario platformers, GTA, Destiny etc.

Living in Japan would be unnecessary and inconvenient for me. Maybe I could live in the Hokkaido countryside, hot summers and big cities don't appeal to me. Maybe this is cynical but as I'm a shut-in, it doesn't matter where I live. Besides, I doubt the Japanese authorities would give me disability pension like the Swedish ones do. The only plus I could think of would be that I'd have easier access weeb shopping if I dared going outside to travel to Akiba and Zen priests I could consult for meditation guidance, assuming I learned the language fluently.

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9 hours ago, starlessn1ght said:

Serras are not mountains. They are not beautiful and they don't have snow on top. Brazil is hot, and I hate heat. Brazil forests are tropical, and I don't like those types of forests because they're way too dense, like everything is together and there's tons of shitty bugs and stuff. On a taiga forest or a seasonal forests, the trees are separated from each other, it's not hot, and there aren't so much annoying bugs. Also, Brazil forests are not beautiful.

And I definitely wouldn't want to live in a small town on Brazil. Big cities are better when it comes to this country. The small towns and the countryside completely lack infrastructure, plus they're not pretty or something you'd like to look at to ease yourself.

I've visited some cool places in Brazil, but my best trip was when I went to Chile. Like, I saw snow for the first time and it was more beautiful than anything I've ever seen in Brazil. One of my dreams is to leave this country someday; I never liked it since I was a kid and I never understood why I'm supposed to like it just cuz I was born here (like I didn't choose to be born here to begin with?). I also hate the Brazilian people, they like to touch others a lot and I hate to be touched by other people, plus the girls here are all sluts (not that other countries do not have their sluts as well, but Brazil is just way too much).

Are you from Brazil? (sorry, your answer wasn't very explicit). People here do not tend to be very nationalistic like this, especially taking into account the recent issues.

If Amazon Rainforest is not a forest, then I do not know what it is. And I do not know how you could tell it is not beautiful (obv part untouched by human). You seems never was in real taiga, so lemme guide you a bit :) Trees are really dense there as well, they are separated only in some parts near the openings, and in the main forest you would not be able to just walk in, would have to find different way usually. And yes, full of insects as well, maybe less that in rainforest, but still. Of course, if you come in winter - you would be able to go without any problems with trees densety (as there is no leaves, naturally), but 1-2 meters of snow would slowdown you a lot :) And forest without leaves is quite a bleak sight.

Serras definitely have mountains, like Pico de Neblina and I liked the views. I was in another Serras than you have been? http://gustavoinfol.blogspot.ru/2012/12/os-dez-picos-mais-altos-do-brasil.html You seems do not value them enough.

Countryside is countryside in every country, no matter where you live. In Japan village you would see a better version of countryside in your country (obv better, as salaries in Japan are bigger), but still no comparison with the town life. Lack of infrastructure is the problem of any small place on Earth, as anything which do not lack infrastructure is usually named "town" :)

No, I am not from Brazil, I just saw it in your profile and remembered what I saw when I visited it. Each country have some ridiculous customs/behavior/etc, if look from another angle. Like, in Japan some families have a custom to celebrate daughter's first menstruation, eating red rice... Or kancho, In Pakistan there is a tradition to raise girls to behave like a man (bacha posh)... In Norway it is insult if you would give your seat to an elder woman in municipal transport... In USA (and recently saw same in UK) you should not pay for woman in restaurant, or she could decide you're insulting her by showing your finances... Russians smile only when they really want to smile, but they are 100% opposite from the USA and Norway when speak about women - elderly women supposed to be helped in subway, and you supposed to pay for girl in restaurant if you invited her. In Denmark they are throwing cinnamon at you, when you are 25 year old...

So do not tell me, that you do not like something in Brazil - at least they do not cut your fingers like these guys from Indonesia - http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2012/09/15/ikipalin-finger-cutting-tradition.html :)

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The more I learn from Japan the less I like it as a country and their people, I still love the things the do, talking about how creative they are.
Also while we can talk about how cool it would be to live in Japan the reality is that it is not, at least not for us pure Gaijin lol, we are and always going to be Gaijin at the eyes of Japanese people and that's not something cool or something that's is going to change any time soon, so yeah living in Japan (if you can because there are so many restrictions for foreigners to live there) sucks for us, well to be honest it can be worst than that, you can be a gaijin but from Korea living in Japan :P 

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While I have never yet been to Japan (I will be going for the first time this summer for a paid internship though), my interactions with Japanese people have always been pleasant. Even though I couldn't say Japan is 100% the place for me, I am sure that I don't want to live in my home country. While I am an American, I have never been able to relate to Americans very well. Growing up (particularly in High School), most of my friends were of Asian descent. And admittedly, around half of them were Chinese. Now in college, I get along pretty well with the Japanese exchange students. Ironically, I can relate to them (and often their way of thinking) better than I can with other Americans. I have studied Japanese culture for around 2 years now, and am well aware of its flaws. But I don't want to live in America for my professional/adult life, and I see myself enjoying Asia. And since my Japanese is better than my Chinese (almost all of which I have forgotten at this point), and my knowledge of any other asian languages are non-existent, Japan wins by default. 

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I'm really conflicted on this topic.

Recently I have considered doing a teaching degree once I finish my current one at the end of the year but I'm constantly plagued by this doubt that I'm making a bad choice. I hear a lot of good things about living in Japan, especially if you're teaching English there but I'm also constantly hearing about negatives such as it's poor economy and strict working conditions. I went to Japan last year for a study tour (it was really just a glorified holiday but still) and I can't get ever the possibility that really I just want to go back for a holiday and not to live there.

I'm getting really optimistic and worried at the same time about this choice before me but I just can't get off the fence. It isn't helping that by the end of the year I'll have finished my degree and will be expected to have a job lined up. 

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I would move to Kyoto in a heartbeat with my entire family. Of course I am an african american so there isn't much keeping in america in the first place, I do love how Bushido and Shinto Buddhism makes people so peaceful, clean and hard working.

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Not gonna go ahead and vote yet, as I honestly don't have an opinion set in stone as of right now.

I have taken a few lectures on Japanese culture, religion and the sort, and non of it seems absolutely perfect and flawless, but it still interests me a great deal. Its not just the stuff that comes out of Japan, like anime, VNs etc that I am interested in, but the culture as a whole.

I'm going to be studying there for an extended period of time in the coming future, so I'll be able to see a little more for myself how things are there.

Think I'll be a transfer student in a university in the outskirts of tokyo, unless they change the university we'll be sent to by the time I'm going there. Really looking forward to it.

My current opinion of Japan is "HELL YES!!!" :miyako: But that could quite easily change once I see it for myself. Only time will tell.

Bottom line is that I am very interested in both the entertainment that comes out of Japan, and the actual Japanese culture as a whole.

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10 hours ago, Black Sands Entertainment said:

I would move to Kyoto in a heartbeat

It was a beautiful place. The shrines, mountains, quiet streets, nicely situated Uni - at least this was my perspective from my holiday there.

 

8 hours ago, Dergonu said:

I'm going to be studying there for an extended period of time in the coming future, so I'll be able to see a little more for myself how things are there.

I am a bit envious. If you get the opportunity definitely go for it!

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