Japanese Expatriate Perspectives


“Hyougushi” some rights reserved. flickr

According to Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, over one million Japanese people currently reside abroad. The various cultures and the ways of living might be unfamiliar and hard to get used to for Japanese expatriates. Needless to say, for those people, going back to Japan occasionally and spending time (even a short time) in familiar surroundings is quite enjoyable. I found a list of what expatriates would shout “Yep! Yep! It could happen :)”, about when they go back to Japan after time abroad.

 

[Good aspects]

– Everything is super tasty!

– Facial tissue is amazingly soft and feels extremely pleasant!

– Rich selection of quality products at convenience stores is worth taking pictures of!

– Glowing vending machines on dark streets reminding how safe Japan is.

– Japanese hair stylists sure have the “hands of God”!

– Every toilet bowl has a seat.

– Plastic wrap can be amazingly sharply cut.

– Every single package can be easily opened.

– sweets sections at department stores looks like a jewel box full of jewelry!

– No lazy store clerks.

– No iron‐barred windows.

– Edible raw eggs, and plenty of them.

– Home delivery or service appointments are promised within very brief time windows – and that’s when they happen.

 

[Bad aspects]

– Get tiring looking around town for a free-wifi spot.

– Even when I hold a door open for the next person, s/he doesn’t hold it open for the following person. So, I sometimes have to hold the door for many people and become kind of like a doorman…

– It takes time to again get used to low ceilings.

– At train stations, people passing by rarely help me going up/down the stairs with my baby buggy.

 

If you live somewhere that is not your home country, you must also have many “Yep! It could happen!” kind of things. Share your stories, too 😉

 

Source: Wikipedia / NAVER Matome

Author: Junko

This is JAPAN Style!