Job Discussion Forums

[luckyloser700]

Let's hear 'em. I dare ya.

If this post falls to the bottom of the list quick, then I'll be 100% confident that most people posting on this forum should get the f out of the country.

[callmesim]

1) You can feel like no-one hates you because 99% of the people are friendly. Store clerks don't show contempt and information centres give information with a smile.

2) Eating out is cheap. In a country of "singles" places to eat. Meaning you can go on your own and not feel like you have no friends. Good value too.

3) Public transport is phenomenal. Clean, on time, people follow the rules (most of the time) and easy to understand.

How's that? Though I do fall into the "planning on leaving next year" category.

[Apsara]

I have actually been through the "had enough" and "leaving" stages but have come back- with a much better job this time, and a Japanese husband, so now staying indefinitely.

The first few things that come to mind that I like about Japan:


1) So many interesting things and people here. In my area I often see sumo wrestlers in yukatas riding bicycles. I mysteriously saw a geisha (or someone dressed up as one) getting into a taxi here a couple of weeks ago- and this in a Tokyo suburb! Or I can go to Harajuku to see the rockabillies and weird kids- I love people-watching here.

2) I get so many presents, especially food. In the last week I have been given a bunch of huge grapes, a jar of jam, 2 small jars of honey and a dora-yaki. Last month I was sent 80 gyoza by my old home-stay family who still haven't quite figured out what vegetarian means...I appreciated the thought though...

3) My husband was born here

[denise]

I left about a year and a half ago (so obviously wasn't attached enough to Japan to stay!!), but I do have fond memories of...

1) ONSENS!!! I've found the occasional spa, thermal pool, etc. in other places, but nothing that has come close to the onsen experience (culture?). Of course, it helped that my favorite local onsen had an outdoor bath just across the river from my favorite local snowboarding resort, so after a hard day of riding I could soak away my aches and pains and watch others come racing or toppling down the mountain.

2) various food and drink items (from a vegan perspective): kapa maki, inari sushi, manju, popuyaki (which I was told was only available in Niigata-ken--the rest of you are missing out!), those hot green teas available in all of the convenience stores... mmmmmmmm...

3) small-town festivals

I don't think I would want to live there again, but I do have plenty of good memories.

d

[cafebleu]

I had to admit this one but here goes ...............

1) Can coffee (hot!) I can't understand why I took to the taste as it has loads of sugar and sus milk and isn't real coffee, but it was a great way to get ready for the day when I had to leave my place by 6.30am a couple of days a week.

Georgia or Boss to give me a kick before working at different places during the day and night. Also while hiking - those machines are ugly and don't blend in but they give access to hot kohi while hiking on a cold autumn/winter day!

2) Service with manners most of the time. It always made a great change from the "Yeah?" vocabulary and attitude of people in the UK when you go to buy something.

3) A few of the dramas in Japan are outstanding.

There was one where two well known actors (Megumi somebody, and I can't remember the other's name, maybe Asuka Asano?) were in conflict because of a murderous secret the older one had, hand in glove with her psychotic male lover. The two women worked together in the same office. Things moved very slowly and suspensfully, and the music and atmosphere were excellent.

[pastis]

There's so much one could say, here's just a few I could think of off the bat:

1) Japanese food is my favorite. I love all the nutritious things from the sea they use in a lot of their cooking. I especially enjoy eating in Japanese restaurants, where sophisticated presentation (talking in big cities here) is the norm and service is great.

2) I find Japanese standards to be above average in a lot of things, whether it's using excellent ingredients in foods, keeping everything nice and tidy, or enhancing their daily lives with technology. I often find Japan to be synonomous with good quality.

3) The country itself is gorgeous. While some people understandably don't think much of Tokyo or other huge concrete-laden cities in regards to "aesthetics" (though I personally find a lot of modern Japanese architecture to be fascinating and often stunning), the countryside is breathtaking and full of regional and seasonal variety. If I had the time and money, I'd absolutely love to take a motorcycle trip around Japan for a year, just taking my time to stop often along the way and take it all in at my leisure.

(I was also going to mention onsens, but another poster beat me to it... ...man, I absolutely *love* onsens)

[Like a Rolling Stone]

1. Egg samwiches from Lawsons
2. Hot tea in cans (Royal Tea)
3. Can wear what you want in even posh restaurants and nobody is snobby in Japan I think.

[Sweetsee]

Been here for ages and have no plans of leaving.

Some good things:
1. It's safe and doesn't have the in-your-faceness of some places.
2. Police are cool, not like in some places where they bust you for weed and smoke it themselves.
3. Pretty killer service overall.

[JimDunlop2]

1. Customer service

It's unheard of! Where else but in Japan are you made to feel like the Emperor Himself when you enter or leave an establishment. Heck, when you drive away from the gas station, they stop traffic and bow so deeply, you are convinced they would gladly commit seppuku on your behalf. Alternatively, have you ever been in a department store when they open or close? The entire staff lines up on either side of the door and they all bow deeply and welcome/thank you for coming... It's almost uncomfortable. No, it doesn't just happen in the movies... It's true.

2. COD / Paying bills (Convenience stores that are actually convenient)

Awesome stuff. Mail order anything and just pay the delivery guy. Whether it's Yahoo Auctions or Amazon or whatever -- COD is alive and well in Japan. North American all but abolished this practice years ago... Also, I love the way I can pay just about every bill I receive at the local, neighbourhood convenience store... Speaking of which, convenience stores really are convenient. Not only are they in abundant supply, but I can get/do just about anything there. I can use the ATM to withdraw cash from my account, purchase tickets to a rock concert or the next J1 league game, buy a full meal for supper (and not just junk food), and get my beer & whiskey on for later. The only things I MISS from back home, are a self-serve coffee refilling station, and the Slurpee machines...

3. International friendships

You'd think that coming from a multi-cultural country like Canada, this would be nothing new to me -- but surprisingly enough, my friends back home were mostly Canadian in some form or other -- whether their parents immigrated there or even if they themselves had landed there five years prior. Whereas in Japan, I have friends from: (loooking through my keitai address book)... Canada (many provinces), USA (many states, including Alaska and Hawaii), Japan, Peru, Argentina, Brazil, Czech Republic, France, England, Scotland, Wales, Iran, Philipines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Jamaica, New Zealand, Australia, S. Korea, China... (I think that's all -- it's easy to miss a few)....

Aside from my current list of friends, in Japan I have also met people from: Ireland, Israel, Germany, Thailand, Nigeria, Uganda, Congo, South Africa, India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Russia, Latvia, and probably a few I've forgotten too.

Voted "Other" in the poll, however, as none of the other sentiments match mine exactly. Japan (to me) is a love-hate relationship. But as long as the love outweighs the hate even by 51% to 49%, we will probably remain in Japan for a few more years to come.

[Sweetsee]

I agree with you Jim, very good points!

[canuck]

1. Hanshin Tigers' fans
2. There aren't wars over religion. People can believe whatever they want, with repercussion.
3. How many traditional things are so entrenched into society but at the same time how the young people are changing, evolving and shaping the country compared to their parents, grandparents, greatgrandparents etc.

There are many positive aspects about Japan.

[Nagoyaguy]

The Best 3;

1/ Beer in machines, that can be consumed while in public. Nothing like having a cold brew on a hot day without worrying that Constable Interruption will bust you for the crime of drinking alcohol out of your residence.

2/ Safety. I have travelled to what people think are the worst areas of Tokyo and Osaka, and it's tame.

3/ Compactness. I come from the Great White North, where everything is a 500 mile drive from everything else. Here I can go from big city to mountain to ocean to spa to amusement park to beach all within a 2 or 3 hour drive/train ride.

[JaredW]

1) Punctual public transportation without the smell of urine or undesirables.

2) Safety

3) The culture of accepting responsibility when one is wrong.

-1) In-laws (ick)

-2) School system

-3) Everything's in japanese

[deadpoet]

arts steeped in zen
clean and respected environment
immaculate and well organized train system

[nawlinsgurl]

Wow...everything I like has already been said...humm...

I guess the 100 yen shops. They have a killer selection that even the evilest empire of all, Walmart, can't beat!