Everyone knows that Japan has wonderful things, but Japan is far from perfect, many who live in Japan face many problems. With that in mind, today we are going to talk about 10 bad things that people face when living in Japan.
Be careful not to take what is written in this article as something absolute. There are differences from one region of Japan to another, there are cases and cases, everything is relative. Better to have your experience than to make choices or conclusions based on what others say.
This article was written based on the article by my good friend Rodrigo Coelho, we recommend watching the video below about 10 bad things about living in Japan. The text was just based, I've grouped a few topics together, so it's quite different.
Table of Content
1 - Difficulty getting housing in Japan
Getting an apartment rental in Japan is difficult for the Japanese themselves, let alone for foreigners with different customs. Many claim that one of the most annoying and challenging things is finding a place to rent.
The Japanese sometimes have to pay months in advance of rent, get a guarantor, meet various local requirements and many others. Can you imagine foreigners who don't know the language or know the cultural norms they face?
The owners tend to reject foreigners most of the time, saying that they make a lot of noise, parties and because of cultural and language barriers. Unfortunately, it's the fault of some foreigners who do a lot of nonsense and create this bad reputation.
Even those who turn to companies that are willing to take care of the process of renting a property, face difficulties. We already accept that many apartments don't accept pets, but there are apartments in Japan that don't even accept children.
2 - Medical care in Japan
The hospitais do Japão are enviable, with a great infrastructure and service. The big problem lies in the doctors' service, who seem not to understand the subject, or even if they do, they don't know how to handle or interact with the patients.
Doctors in Japan do not know how to explain things properly nor do they know how to deliver bad news. They do not usually listen to patients, especially because Japanese people do not talk much. This results in many medical errors and they prescribe weak medications or ones that do not solve the problems.
Without mentioning that health is expensive and certain types of treatment don't exist. Have you ever wondered why Japanese people have crooked teeth? In Japan dental treatment is very expensive and using braces is not common in Japan.
3 - Tiring work routine
It doesn't matter if you work in factories or in the office, many are forced to work too much and do overtime. Some still have to endure insults from bosses and coworkers. in Japan, your life revolves around work.
Even if you don't work in a factory or place that requires overtime, bosses often give you more jobs to do than is possible within 8 hours. Leaving you with no way out, forcing you to stay after hours to finish what you started.
Vacations in Japan are short, there are few holidays, which makes your social life and rest very difficult. Another big problem is the salary differences between foreigners and Japanese.
4 - The fear that the Japanese have of foreigners
The Japanese are super shy, strict, and ashamed of making mistakes. This results in a certain fear of conversing or relating to their own people, let alone with foreigners. Many times you feel excluded and even think that the japoneses are being prejudiced.
Many Japanese do not speak English, and do not understand your Japanese. Some simply stay away or walk right by for fear of getting involved in a conversation with foreigners. It's complicated, but this shame that the Japanese arrange bothers a lot.
5 - Japan's lack of communication
Communication in Japan is difficult, you have to fight and put differences aside. Sometimes you are accompanied by a friend who appears to be Japanese but doesn't speak the language. Even if you speak perfectly in Japanese, the person you are talking to will always end up looking at your friend.
The Japanese are also very closed off, they use respect and politeness as a shell to hide from friendships and relationships. Socializing with the Japanese in Japan is really very complicated. They care a lot about what others think.
Sometimes the Japanese themselves take your contact, in person you have fun, talk and get along. But when trying to communicate through social media or cell phones, some simply disappear, do not respond or do not talk. Some are probably holding their phones, scratching their heads thinking about what to respond, and end up saying nothing.
With a little dedication and human warmth you are able to make Japanese people open up and experience human warmth. The Japanese take everything to the extreme, when you meet a warm Japanese you will see how wonderful it can be. Just try to break this lock that the Japanese have.
6 - Natural Disasters
Many are afraid of earthquakes in Japan, but most of the time they are harmless. We should be concerned about tsunamis, volcanoes, typhoons, snowslides and heavy rains and summer heat.
There are more than 100 active volcanoes throughout 日本, even though they have never caused any harm, it’s still scary to think about these things. Fortunately, 日本 is much better prepared for any disaster compared to our Brazil.
7 - Bullying - Ijime in schools
One of the bad things about Japan is the frequent ijime that happens in Japanese schools. It doesn't matter if a person is foreign or Japanese; if they stand out for being different, they will end up drawing attention and attracting bullies.
Most of the time women are the bullies, the shyness of the Japanese and the sluggishness of the teachers make cases of bullying happen without much solution. While for some schools in Japan are a paradise, for others it is a real nightmare.
8 - Sexism
Unfortunately, machismo is quite strong in Japan, even if unconsciously. At work, women are usually paid less than men. There are companies that hire only men.
Even though the Japanese are polite and respectful, in Japan there is still a culture of wives being submissive, there are several customs that differentiate men from women, most of the time they are harmless, but that can scare some.
9 - Late launches
Some may think that the first technologies and releases happen in Japan. Unfortunately, things are not quite like that with movies, games, and other international products. There are movies in Japan that take 6 months to come out, even after being released in Brazil.
The Japanese prioritize their products, so the American and Western stuff ends up being left out and late arriving in Japan. But there are situations that even games developed by Japanese come out first in the West than in Japan.
10 - Too many fees and taxes
We are already used to paying high fees in Brazil, not to mention that taxes in 日本 are really well utilized. Still, the taxes and fees in Japan can be a hassle in our lives.
These fees generate bureaucracy and difficulties to perform certain tasks. Even to change apartments there are excess fees. It probably has less taxes and frills than Brazil, but it still scares foreigners from other countries.
In Brazil we are not used to seeing the value of taxes on store labels. It seems like a wonderful thing, but it can sometimes cause confusion.
This article was not made to compare Japan with other countries, but to show that Japan, like all other countries, also has its problems. I personally still think Japan is a thousand times better than Brazil.