Korean Job Discussion Forums

[transmogrifier]

Jesus, this board is up to recycling the same topics every two weeks now. Must be time for a Korean food thread soon. Maybe something about Western women.

[optik404]

I'm sure some of the stuff you say is true, but spending a few days or weeks in a country isn't enough time to really experience it.

Curious though, have you ever been to a cafe in Korea? They are basically filled with people sitting alone and studying. You really think other people are just watching them sitting there?

[NohopeSeriously]

Despite I'm a gyopo, I would defend Japan over South Korea most of the time, but not all the time.

[Stan Rogers]

I say the further away from Fukashima the better. Wait till the next earthquake splits that rotten radioactive egg open.

[rabidcake]

[Weigookin74]

[3DR]

In before the first "apologist" gets thrown out!

[Weigookin74]

This has got to be something they both have in common. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/25/world/asia/japanese-scientist-blames-china-for-yakushimas-dying-trees.html?pagewanted=1&_r=0

I use to see smog or humidity in the air blocking the view of the mountains here and whitish sky compared to the blue sky back home and had previously thought nothing of it. But, now I wonder how much this has to do with China. Apparently, there were air quality warnings in Fukuoka as per my google searches. (Though I recall none here.)

Anyways, I'm no scientist. But, it may be time to get out of Asia.

http://www.economicvoice.com/beijings-pollution-alarms-neighbors/50034948/

Always mentions Japan, but must be worse in Korea.

[joelove]

Japan seems very different to any other country. So does South Korea. So does China. Hell, I get the impression they're all different.

[Wiltern]

Japan is cleaner.

Japan seems to lack the massive, high-rise housing clusters found all over Korea.

Korea is more English friendly (i.e. signs, menus, etc..).

Seoul's subway is easier to navigate than Tokyo's.

[Jodami]

Japanese are smarter.

Japanese are more mannerly and civilized.

Japanese food is much better than Korean food.

Japanese language is much more useful to learn.

Japan is a beautiful country with lots of interesting places to visit. Korea is rather dull in comparison.

Japanese are far far more secure and confident than the insecure and racist Koreans.

Etc, etc, etc.

To sum up - Japan is better than Korea in every single way.

[sendittheemail]

I've lived in both places as well.

The Japanese generally act more, for lack of a better word, 'civilized'. No littering, no tossing cigarette butts onto the side walks, absolutely no spitting on sidewalks or in subway stations (I know it might be a bit of a shocker) etc.

The Japanese don't enter the subway like it's some kind of do-or-die situation. They politely, in two single file lines, wait for people to exit before entering. This is one thing that makes Korea stand out among Asian countries in my opinion, as the Chinese and Chinese Hongkongers, and Thais have also figured out how to enter a subway car without looking like desperate peasants fighting for the last ticket to Willie Wonka's chocolate factory.

Oh yeah, the distinct lack of road noise in Japan is AMAZING. Even in a big city like Tokyo, you can get a hotel right next to a large intersection, and you don't hear a SINGLE car horn honking; not during the day, not during the night. What gives? Is it common decency or something? I've been living in Korea for too long, so small things like this always shock me when I go to Japan.

The Japanese don't shout at one another when they speak on the phone, nor do they shout at eachother when speaking face to face. Old people in Japan don't use the subway system as their own personal living quarters, which is nice. Old people in Korea seem to ride the subway in circles all day long because it offers them free heat or aircon, and a comfortable place to sit while they shout at eachother, or on their cell phones.

Japanese convenience store food is immeasurably better than in Korea. Fresh, varied, delicious snacks are available. This is one thing that depressed me when I moved from Japan to Korea years ago. I'd enter a large Korean convenience store, and literally find nothing that I wanted to buy. I had pockets full of 500 won coins sometimes, and couldn't find a single thing worth buying, aside from cans of foreign beer. Korean snack food flat out sucks, and the beer.......hah!......I don't even need to mention how beer from the two countries compares.

Let's see, what else; the Japanese tend to obey basic laws, including traffic laws (I know this may be shocking to some of you Korean long-termers). The Japanese police appear to ENFORCE laws (also shocking). The sidewalks are all flat and even, which when you think about it, doesn't seem right, considering that (A) Japan suffers from continuous earthquakes, and Korea is basically earthquake-free and (B) Construction of one of Korea's largest industries, and yet they cannot manage to get simple sidewalks to line up or flow smoothly? What gives? Road are also smooth in Japan (honk if you love smooth roads), whereas in Korea, Seoul's roads are in horrendous condition, even in the richest parts of the city, with potholes, uneven pavement, large gaps, random lumps etc.

The Japanese don't wear tacky, shiny, sharkskin business suits. They seem to put more effort and pride into their appearance (well, at least the men do).

Shopping is much more varied and interesting in Japan. They have more international brands, and though their income is generally higher than in Korea, the Japanese don't seem to pay much more for consumer goods. In fact, Korean department store prices are often times higher than Japanese department store prices, which boggles the mind. Variety is the keyword when it comes to shopping in Japan. Huge variety. Something for every taste. It doesn't feel plastic, cheap and cookie cutter like shopping in Korea does.

The food? LOL. Hands down, an irradiated piece of sushi served on a clean plate in a restaurant without anyone shouting on their phones, or any screaming children beats out nearly every Korean dining experience. Two of the highest rated (Michelin Starred) Korean restaurants in the WORLD are in Tokyo for Christ's sake. The Michelin people have been "invited" by the Korean government, and responded with a "you don't need to invite us; we'll come when we see fit" letter. So according to the people who write about food for a living, and publish the worlds definitive food guide, Japan even has better Korean food than Korea does, but to be fair, environment and atmosphere play into it quite a bit. You can have decent food, but if the restaurant is crammed with scream brats, or middle aged hags shouting at eachother, they can't expect very high ratings, can they?

Japanese apartments, for the most part, do not look like dilapidated soviet area housing blocks with cracks in the walls. People don't ride motorcycles on the sidewalk in Japan. Apple and Ikea were able to enter the Japanese market without the peasants crying and the government trying to hinder their entrance. Apple can (gasp) own their own stores in Japan, and so does Costco (which is partially owned by Samsung in Korea). The Japanese seem proud of their culture, while at the same time happy to be living in a modern society. The Koreans seem ashamed of their culture, except for a few handpicked nuggets that the K-government plugs on "Visit Korea" TV shows, and which Koreans have been taught to be proud of. Korean women seem to suffer from lower self esteem than women in Japan, hence the astronomical rates of plastic noses, chins, and shaved jawlines and giant fake cartoon character eye surgeries in Korea. I've never been to another country where the women hated their natural appearance so much, and did their absolute best to remove the distinctive ethnic features they were born with. I've also never seen an ad for a plastic surgery clinic on the side of a bus in Tokyo.

So what then, does Korea do better?

Well....let's see......

-Public transportation is cheaper.
-Prostitutes (and nearly all sexual services) are cheaper.
-They successfully commit suicide at a high rate.
-Koreans speak English (much) better than the Japanese, on average.
-Korea's politicians are better at brawling.
-Koreans are better at giving and receiving plastic surgery.
-There seems to be a higher concentration of love motels in Korea.

The Japanese seem quite happy with life in Japan. Overall, the Japanese appear to be more wealthy, but less greedy and materialistic than the Koreans. The Japanese spend more money on leisure activities that are intangible, while the Koreans spend more money on mindless, status trinkets that they like to show off to their friends, but that serve no actual use. There are countless "Koreatowns" around the world, but not so many "Little Tokyos", which also re-enforces the notion that the Japanese are more satisfied with life in their home country than the Koreans.

At the end of the day, it is not really fair to compare Korea with Japan, as the two countries are not at the same levels of industrialization, or even social development. You cannot objectively compare Korea to Japan, without coming off as someone who hates Korea. It's like comparing a Hyundai to a Mercedes Benz, or something. The Hyundai is ok, but it does nothing better than the Benz, aside from being more affordable, nor would one expect it to be any better in most aspects.

[Jodami]

sendittheemail,

Fantastic post. I agree with all of that.

A few other things Korea is more successful at;

(1) Being hostile and racist towards white people
(2) Messing up the most basic of tasks and services
(3) Lying, cheating, blaming foreigners for their shortcomings, etc
(4) Hiding closet gays
(5) Giving shitty directions when asked
(6) Husbands beating up wives
(7) Wives siphoning money from husbands
(8.) Bus drivers peeing on the street
(9) Having stinky breath
(10) Making noises resembling a pregnant cow having an orgasm, when eating lunch/dinner
(11) Wearing glasses
(12) Not flushing public toilets (lumps of shit floating on top is common)
(13) Not washing hands after bathroom use
(14) Leaving shit stained toilet tissue in full view, after public bathroom use
(15) Sleeping on the street, toes up, briefcase in hand, wearing a circa 1975 shiny suit
(16) Destroying proper (non Korean) food by putting grapes and potato on pizza
(17) Ambushing random foreigners on the street, with standard Korean social awkwardness
(18.) Picking nose/ass in public
(19) Sleeping on the job
(20) Using swear words in the classroom thinking it's cool (rude little dumb asses)

(21) ??? - anyone care to add to the list?

[Steelrails]

[byrddogs]