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[cornishmuppet]

Recently got back from 3 weeks hanging out in China (Beijing, Shanghai, Xian, Nanjing and Hangzhou - regrettably I didn't get out into the country much) over my summer holiday, and thought I'd share a few of my thoughts with you.

Firstly, here's what I've learned about living in Japan:

1. Living in Japan makes you soft. Man, I got scammed so many times in the first few days by people who were initially very friendly to me in my loneliness.

2. While we might complain about how much they work here and all that, there can't surely be a nicer, safer place to live.

3. I had a 3 but I can't remember it now...

Now, while personally I think China was more like London than Tokyo, as I live in Japan and both countries are Asian I'm obviously going to compare them.

What I like more in China -

1. The food. While it screwed up my bowels completely some of it was divine. Japanese food seems somewhat bland in comparison.

2. The historical sites. When you see, for example, something like a 27m high Buddha statue carved out of a single piece of wood, and its considered a 'minor' sight, places like Kyoto and Nara suddenly seem very lame.

3. The cost. For a complete tightwad like me, China was heaven. Staying in hotels for 1500yen a night, eating in top class restaurants for about　1000Y ... it was great.

4. Bargaining. It makes shopping so much fun!

What I like more in Japan -

1. The toilets. Oh god, they were foul in China. Seriously. And I went to enough of them I can tell you.

2. The people. While I　met some great people in China, on the whole people just wanted to scam me. The worst example was a security guard outside Mao's mausoleum in Beijing who wanted payment for showing me the baggage lockers. Disgraceful. Of course, poverty is the cause for this, which leads me on to ...

3. The political system. Whatever greatness Mao and his communist cronies achieved in China, it didn't do any good for the legless guys begging outside Mao's mausoleum, or the unregistered street kids in Shanghai. I could count on one fingerless hand how many beggars I've seen in my two years in Japan. However much people might complain about it, as far as I'm concerned the evidence is right there.

Anyway, just thought I'd share that with you. I'll probably come up with a couple more when I've thought about it. But time to go home now....

[matador]

Good points. I lived in Shanghai for 6 months. I would ask any of these moaners in Japan to go and live in China for 6 months...THEN come back to Japan.

...then post on this site again. We have it easy here. But you only appreciate it when you have been out of Japan for a while.

[cornishmuppet]

Very true. Don't get me wrong, I thought China was an amazing place, and I'd love to go back. But my preferred lifestyle would definitely be living and acquiring lots of money in safety and comfort here, and then travelling there.

[cafebleu]

Matador - your logic is a bit puzzling.

Cornish muppet posts some observations, positive and negative, about China and you then act as if somebody can't criticise Japan. If they do, they need to live in China and presumably this means they then have no right to criticise the negative aspects of life in Japan.

It seems like the 'Fragile Japan Syndrome'. Foreigners can't point out negative aspects of life in Japan even though that has been their experience as have the positive aspects. How about the Japanese? Are they allowed to criticise foreign countries? Yes. Do they? Yes. Frequently.

Some of the bitching I heard in Japan often revolved around trivia such as grievances against food in the UK, Australia and the US. Never mind that these countries have authentic cuisine of virtually every culture on the planet on offer - and mostly far cheaper than you'd get for poor substitutes in Japan.

Other complaints - no Australian version of "Itadakimasu" before meals. The faces of Brits, my compatriots. They give a "Kimochi warui" because they don't smile in the streets. Funny, I thought Japanese people would understand that!

J tourists, homestayers and J workers abroad all had their complaints about life abroad. They didn't feel the need to keep to some kind of no complaint social contract that seems to be expected of foreigners in Japan.

Cornish muppet - China is a big country with a huge population. You need to get out and see as much as you can. I've been privileged with my husband and relatives contacts to do that. I even experienced clean public toilets!

Yes, there's poverty and ugliness but China was never given the benefit of the American presence after World War 2, and being developed as a western ally in Asia. As for Mao - his Communist Party successors have become greedy new capitalists exploiting new economic directions. He had his bad ways but he's not behind what's going on now.

[pastis]

[tom.s]

[cornishmuppet]

Good comments guys.

Gonna sit on the fence a bit though. I can see Matador's point, for example I get sick of listening to people complaining about Japanese drivers. They really have no idea. Drivers who slow down to allow pedestrians to cross the road aren't so bad, and so what if they pull out from time to time without indicating, etc. I lived in Italy for a year and was in fear for my life whenever I stepped out of the door, and once was lucky enough to watch one driver bump two other cars out of the way to get into a space. It was just as bad in China and I've heard in some Asian countries its worse. Japans drivers are TAME.

On the other hand, you still have grounds to complain about life in Japan if you want to. I was screwed by both bosses I had during my time in an eikawa (though they were British and American respectively), and some of the anality of the country drives me mad. On the whole, though, I would still say its better living here.

I can't wait to get back to China to travel though. The tourist sites were amazing, and the food was divine. I did use one clean toilet too. It wasn't so bad...