What do you not like or hate about Japan?

[Ancient_Samurai]

Hi, I just love Japan, and I can't find many reasons to have a problem with Japan in many ways.

I was wondering for those of you who live in Japan or have been there what do you not like or hate about Japan if anything?

Are Japanese Laws tight or loose? Are there a lot of laws? what law do you not agree with, and why?

peace- over and out for now!

[GaijinPunch]

Well, I think you'll find things to hate about ANYWHERE you live. I've since relocated to Hawaii, and could name a few things. In Japan...

-Not all ATMs aren't 24 hours
-TV is awful
-Apartments are small
-Takes forever to get anywhere
-Rainy season

Those are some things that got on my nerves. Minor in the light of everything, that's for sure.

[PopCulturePooka]

The ATM thing definately!
Salarymen and otakus.
The inflexibility of service.

[Iron Chef]

The high cost of living in the city (and everything associated with that)... 8-)

[Mels]

Hello

Not much to dislike about Japan. I find things that may be frustrating or irritating, such as:
guys spitting
obasan tachi pushing me out of the way when buying a train ticket and neighborhood gossip
going to Ginza and being forced into purchasing a cake set when all I want is coffee
Spending way to much money on books at Shinjyuku's Kinokuniya
Having to race for that last train
Wishing there was furigana for all Kanji charaters

The laws never bothered me, except the animal quarantine is a bit long and harsh...my dog was in there for months.
At least Japan isnt like Singapore....the laws there are actually very funny..such as - no chewing gum..etc.

More things to love about Japan and things I miss:
Shimokitazawa's Okonomiyaki- the best
Dunken Donuts free coffere refill.....no place else
Kuri being roasted, ramen ya , chahan and gyoza
Yokohama Shyumai
Effecient transit..whether its bus or train
Buying fresh shoku pan at the bakery....the best pastries are in Japan
Love watching nihon no programs
Miss calling the neighborhood rest to order anything I want and they deliver..piping hot food in regular dishes, not plastic or foil

[kawaiisan]

-TV is awful

I was actually under the impression that tv there pwns? I mean, all these anime, and those wacky japanese reality shows.. haha I recall "TV-Champion" being aired in Indonesia ;)

[klacid]

I like Japan mostly because of the culture and the anime.

[Mike Cash]

Originally Posted by kawaiisan

I was actually under the impression that tv there pwns? I mean, all these anime, and those wacky japanese reality shows.. haha I recall "TV-Champion" being aired in Indonesia ;)

Japanese TV sucks so hard that all the trees in Korea grow at a 30 degree tilt to the east.

[RockLee]

Originally Posted by mikecash

Japanese TV sucks so hard that all the trees in Korea grow at a 30 degree tilt to the east.

I liked Japanese tv actually...but if u mean commercials every 5 damn minutes, that got on my nerves too !! But the human interests shows and things like that were fun to watch !

[iwao]

Japanese do not understand being ironic - you always have to add "nanchatte"
administrations treat foreigners as aliens (from another planet)
changing tourist visa to buisness visa - you have to leave the island!

but if I compare all the bad things with the good features ... I still love Japan

[f4senkyo69]

Oi!
I'm from Singapore okay..


heh heh.. but anyway, Singapore's not too bad, if you don't count the last time I enjoyed a stick of gum as being around 10 years ago..

[kuntow]

Hey, gum's overrated. You know how much of it I've encountered on the underside of desks while in school?

As for hating stuff about Japan...I haven't spent enough time there to have developed any real antipathies. I never made it out of the honeymoon stage.

[Brooker]

I love Japan, but there were a few things that bothered me....

-Flourescent lights everywhere that give you a headache.
-Difficulty in getting your money out of the bank.
-Too much packaging on everything.
-The constant fake politeness in stores gets a little old after a while.
-People are leary about being approached in public.
-Overcast skies and grey buildings everywhere.
-Garbage covered beaches.
-No benches to sit on in the streets.
-Lack of public art and architecture.

Bear in mind, I had to think hard to come up with some of these.

[blade_bltz]

Grey buildings
Overcommercialization

[f4senkyo69]

I always thought they had pristine beaches... no wonder some of the tourists here have commented that our beaches look really fake.

[TwistedMac]

Originally Posted by mikecash

Japanese TV sucks so hard that all the trees in Korea grow at a 30 degree tilt to the east.

hehe. paints a clear picture.

[Brooker]

I just thought of another one....

-Everywhere you go you hear announcement, songs, and inane jingles playing all at once.

...and another...

-Lack of trees (but I'm used to the Pacific Northwest).

[PopCulturePooka]

I agree with all of Brookers!

[Iron Chef]

Never a garbage can when you need one... people picking their noses in public with nary a thought of "ewww..." being stared at while I shop for groceries at the same place for the past year like I just stepped fresh off the boat... etc. Overall though, the pros outweigh the cons 10-1 imho. 8-)

[jread]

Originally Posted by Brooker

-Overcast skies and grey buildings everywhere.

Okay... you live in SEATTLE and you mentioned this? Japan must be the most depressing place ever

[smoke]

the only thing i hate about japan is the fact that i don't speak japanese so i'd feel like a pleb when i visit...technically, i've never been so i shouldn't really comment on this thread

[Brooker]

Originally Posted by jread

Okay... you live in SEATTLE and you mentioned this? Japan must be the most depressing place ever

I don't like the fact that Seattle is overcast either, but in Seattle we get relief from it in the summer and have perfectly sunny days. It seems like it's overcast year round in Japan. I look back at all my pictures and I don't see any with clear skies. I lived in Fuji City at the base of Mt. Fuji and saw Mt. Fuji about once a week.

[GaijinPunch]

Never a garbage can when you need one...

AMEN! Forgot about this one... guess I got used to it.

I don't know what you guys are saying about the weather. There were plenty of Sunny days when I was there. Spring and Fall are absolutely beautiful. I even like the summer. Rainy season is the only time I'm really miserable.

[Brooker]

Yeah, the lack of garbage cans is another good one. Not to mention, the people handing out advertisements everywhere and then once you get them you can't get rid of them.

[senseiman]

Concrete, asphalt and destruction of natural beauty everywhere you look is the one thing I positively hate about Japan. Or, to be more accurate it is the one thing in Japan that I positively hate. I hate this everywhere, but in Japan it seems to be a much more accute problem for various reasons.

For example, a couple weeks ago I took the ferry across the Seto Naikai to Shodo shima. I counted three mountain islands that were in the process of being completely levelled in order to produce landfill and rocks, presumably for the construction of the useless additional runway at Kansai international airport. This pisses me off to no end, the Seto Naikai is one of the most beautiful seas in the world and yet its beautiful islands are being systematically destroyed. Even on Shodo Shima, which is the tourist spot that sells itself as a place of natural beauty, I counted no fewer than 9 mountains that were in the process of being completely razed, leaving the most horrendous eyesores to mar what would otherwise have been a breathtakingly beautiful natural environment.

I've travelled pretty extensively throughout Japan and this is happening everywhere, which is a real shame. I can't help but think that the only way this'll end is when they run out of mountains to destroy.