Everyone knows that Japan has wonderful things, but Japan is far from perfect; many who live in Japan face various problems. With that in mind, today we will talk about 10 bad things that people face when living in Japan.
Be careful not to take what is written in this article as absolute. There are differences from one region of Japan to another, there are cases and cases, everything is relative. It’s better to have your own experience than to make choices or conclusions based on what others say.
This article was written based on the article by my great friend Rodrigo Coelho; we recommend watching the video below about 10 bad things about living in Japan. The text was only based on it; I grouped some topics, so it is quite different.
Table of Contents
1 – Difficulty in finding housing in Japan
Finding an apartment to rent in Japan is difficult even for the Japanese themselves; imagine for foreigners with different customs? Many claim that one of the most annoying and difficult things is finding a place to rent.
Japanese people sometimes need to pay several months’ rent in advance, find a guarantor, meet various requirements of the place, and many others. Imagine what foreigners who do not know the language or cultural norms face?
Landlords often reject foreigners, claiming that they make too much noise, throw parties, and because of cultural and language barriers. Unfortunately, the blame lies with some foreigners who make a lot of mistakes and create this bad reputation.
Even those who turn to companies that offer to handle the process of renting a property face difficulties. We have already accepted that many apartments do not allow pets, but there are apartments in Japan that do not even allow children.
2 – Medical care in Japan
The hospitals in Japan are enviable, with great infrastructure and service. The big problem lies in the doctors’ care, who seem not to understand the subject, or even if they do, do not know how to handle or interact with patients.
Doctors in Japan do not know how to explain things properly and do not know how to deliver bad news. They do not usually listen to patients, especially since Japanese people do not talk much. This results in many medical errors and they prescribe weak medications or those that do not solve the problems.
Not to mention that healthcare is expensive and certain types of treatment do not exist. Have you ever wondered why Japanese people have crooked teeth? In Japan, dental care is very expensive and wearing braces is not common in Japan.
3 – Exhausting work routine
It doesn’t matter if you work in factories or in an 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 do not work in a factory or a place that requires overtime, bosses often give more work to do than what is possible within 8 hours. Leaving you with no choice, forcing you to stay after hours to finish what you started.
Holidays in Japan are short, there are few holidays, which greatly hinders your social life and rest. Another major problem is the salary differences between foreigners and Japanese.
4 – The fear that Japanese people have of foreigners
Japanese people are very shy, strict, and ashamed of making mistakes. This results in a certain fear of talking or relating to their own people; imagine with foreigners? Many times you feel excluded and even think that the Japanese are being prejudiced.
Many Japanese do not speak English and do not understand your Japanese. Some simply stay away or walk past for fear of getting involved in a conversation with foreigners. It’s complicated, but this shame that the Japanese have is quite bothersome.
5 – The lack of communication in Japan
Communication in Japan is difficult; you need to fight and set aside differences. Sometimes you are accompanied by a friend who seems to be Japanese but does not speak the language. Even if you speak Japanese perfectly, the person you are talking to will end up always looking at your friend.
Japanese people are also very closed off; they use respect and politeness as a shell to hide from friendships and relationships. Socializing with Japanese people in Japan is really very complicated. They care a lot about what others think.
Sometimes even Japanese people take your contact; in person, you have fun, talk, and get along. However, 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 can make the Japanese open up and experience human warmth. Japanese people take everything to the extreme; when you meet a warm Japanese person, you will see how wonderful it can be. Just try to break through this barrier that the Japanese have.
6 – Natural Disasters
Many fear earthquakes in Japan, but most of the time they are harmless. We should be worried about tsunamis, volcanoes, typhoons, snow slides, and heavy rains and the summer heat.
There are over 100 active volcanoes throughout Japan; even though they have never caused any damage, it is still scary to think about these things. Fortunately, Japan 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 the person is foreign or Japanese; if they stand out for being different, they will end up attracting attention and bullies.
Most of the time, women are the bullies; the shyness of Japanese people and the slowness of teachers cause bullying cases to happen without much solution. While for some, Japanese schools are a paradise, for others, it is a true nightmare.
8 – Machismo
Unfortunately, machismo is quite strong in Japan, even if unconsciously. In the workplace, women tend to earn less than men. There are companies that hire only men.
Even though Japanese people are polite and respectful, there is still a culture in Japan of wives being submissive; there are various customs that differentiate men from women, most of the time they are harmless, but they can scare some.
9 – Delayed releases
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 be released, even after being released in Brazil.
Japanese people prioritize their products, so American and Western things end up being left aside and arriving late in Japan. However, there are situations where even games developed by Japanese come out first in the West than in Japan.
10 – Many fees and taxes
We are already used to paying high fees in Brazil, not to mention that taxes in Japan are really well used. Still, the taxes and fees in Japan can be a hassle in our lives.
These fees create bureaucracies and difficulties in carrying out certain tasks. Even to change apartments, there are excessive fees. There are probably fewer taxes and hassles than in Brazil, but it still scares foreigners from other countries.
In Brazil, we are not used to seeing the value of taxes on store tags. It seems to be something wonderful, but sometimes it can cause confusion.
This article was not made to compare Japan with other countries, but rather to show that Japan, like all other countries, also has its problems. I personally still think Japan is a thousand times better than Brazil.
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