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  • This is why you shouldn't move to Japan

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  • So many people tell me they want to move to Japan,

  • which I completely understand cause I love it here!

  • I love the food, the culture, and how safe it is, relatively speaking

  • But obviously not everything is perfect in Japan

  • It's a small island with a lot of people living close together,

  • especially in the cities,

  • so there has to be some compromise

  • I think some foreigners moving to Japan

  • don't come in with that compromise mindset

  • and are rudely surprised when things aren't as they expected

  • I wanted to make this video so I can share with you

  • some issues that foreigners complain about when living in Japan

  • So maybe I can help manage your expectations before you decide to move

  • your entire life to Japan,

  • just to later realize Japan wasn't for you

  • But before I start, If you wanna see

  • what I'm doing daily, check out my IG

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  • If you have any questions about Japan or your travels,

  • check out the Discord

  • Let me know in the comments if any of these are deal-breakers

  • for you to move to Japan or

  • if you think some of these issues are not worth complaining about

  • Alright, let's get started!

  • It's kind of true that homes in Japan are a little bit small,

  • especially when compared to Western homes

  • But it's important to understand that in

  • densely populated cities like Tokyo,

  • space is limited and the limiting factor would be rent

  • For example, a 1DK apartment,

  • meaning 1 room, dining and kitchen area,

  • about 25-30 meters in Tokyo's 23 wards

  • would be on average about $780 per month

  • That's $780! In US measurements,

  • that would be about $780 for 270-320 ft²

  • On top of that, you may be paying

  • 2 months deposit, 2 months key money, 1 month agent fee, plus misc. fees

  • averaging between 5.5-7 months of rent

  • before you are even handed the keys to your apartment

  • For some foreigners, that's too much to be paying

  • for that size of an apartment

  • Not only do some foreigners complain about apartments being too small,

  • they also complain about clothing

  • Obviously, many Japanese clothing stores

  • market to Japanese people who are

  • on average relatively smaller in stature

  • when compared to foreigners

  • So when larger foreigners try to find larger sizes in Japan,

  • it's usually unavailable

  • But you may get lucky with a few select stores

  • and there are 'big and tall' stores

  • that cater to larger sized people,

  • but usually they're not as fashionable

  • Interestingly, it's easier to find helmet sizes

  • In fact, I got this one last year

  • I was pleasantly surprised that Japanese helmets are sized larger

  • than what I was used to in the US

  • For example, in Japan a small sized helmet

  • is equivalent to a US large size

  • Go figure!

  • If you're a larger sized foreigner, then be prepared

  • If you've purchased any products from

  • bookstores, electronic stores, furniture stores, etc.

  • you generally can't return things

  • unless there is a product defect and

  • even then sometimes it's quite a hassle

  • Apparel shops though are a bit different and it really depends on the store

  • Some are ok with it, some are not

  • But in general Japan doesn't have that

  • shopping culture where you buy it,

  • take it home, try it out, and bring it back with a tag if you don't like it

  • Although Japan has gotten a little bit better over the last few years,

  • Japan is still notorious for paper pushing

  • Especially when it comes to official registration forms

  • such as with the local city hall, creating a bank account, and even

  • signing up for home internet connection

  • A lot of it must be done in person or

  • submitted via post as paper documents need

  • to be official signed or hanko stamped

  • Basically, Japan hasn't caught up to the digital age yet

  • When some foreigners finally start

  • filling out bank forms, or any other forms in general,

  • they soon find out that some of the forms

  • don't have enough boxes to fill out their name,

  • especially if they have a longer name

  • and even worse if they have a middle name

  • Japanese don't have middle names and they're usually only a few characters long

  • When Japanese created their forms

  • they never anticipated providing enough space for foreigners

  • Which creates a lot of problems down the line

  • especially when foreigners are trying to make transactions

  • The other party can't verify who the foreigner is because

  • their half-written down bank name doesn't match their government issued ID

  • Furthermore, as many businesses have moved online

  • you'll find the same issue with online forms that require

  • you to enter Japanese characters for your name or

  • again not having enough boxes to fill out your full name

  • It's a real headache for some foreigners and

  • it lasts their entire stay here in Japan

  • Portions served in Japan are generally smaller because

  • Japanese tend to eat smaller meals

  • This is one part of Japan that some

  • foreigners can't get used to when living here and

  • each meal becomes a cause for complaint

  • But on the bright side,

  • Japan has one of the lowest obesity rates in the world

  • at only 4.3% compared to the US at 36.2%

  • All I can say is that if you're really in the need for some more food,

  • just order another plate

  • Before we continue,

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  • That said, let's continue on with the list

  • Many foreigners that end up living outside of the city in Japan

  • are gonna end up getting a car

  • and when they do, they're gonna need to get shaken

  • which is a mandatory vehicle inspection conducted to confirm

  • whether a car meets Japanese safety standards

  • The initial inspection is effective for 3 years and

  • renewal inspections are required every 2 years

  • The inspection costs about $960 each time for a standard car

  • The fee is always the same no matter the value of the car

  • And even if the car is perfectly maintained by the owner,

  • the inspection is still required

  • After 10 years, the requirements become even stricter and

  • some foreigners complain about this as well despite

  • every car owner in Japan having to do this every year

  • Well, surprise, surprise

  • Many Japanese don't want to stick out from the group

  • There's a heavy social pressure to be part of the group

  • which is very difficult for some foreigners to accept

  • Take work for example, many Japanese offices will ask

  • their employees to drink after work with the team

  • Most will attend despite not wanting to

  • in order to avoid being an outsider

  • Some foreigners argue that you lose your individuality in this case

  • But at the same time, this type of conformity

  • has shown advantages as most people in Japan this year

  • have been complying with wearing masks

  • That said, foreigners who have trouble working with a group

  • or those who don't notice how important it is to conform to the group,

  • may have trouble living in Japan

  • Some foreigners will claim that over-the-counter Japanese pain medication

  • is not as strong as their home country,

  • but from my experience it's probably more an issue of dosage than strength

  • For example, take this box of Japanese ibuprofen

  • Each pill is 200mg and it says take 1 capsule every 4+ hours

  • up to a max of 3 capsules in 1 day

  • While this US bottle of ibuprofen also has 200 mg capsules and it says

  • take 1 capsule every 4-6 hours,

  • but if the pain or fever is not reduced,

  • 2 capsules maybe used

  • Up to 6 capsules in 24 hours

  • In general, Japanese medicine is prescribed in lower dosages

  • than what some foreigners may be used to

  • But there maybe an argument for over-the-counter pain medication in Japan

  • to be more expensive

  • This 240 capsule ibuprofen bottle from the US costs about $15

  • And this 24 capsule ibuprofen box from Japan costs about $14

  • In general when comparing prices in Japan to other countries like the US,

  • Japan is usually more expensive

  • So if you're gonna live here, you just gotta get used to the prices

  • When it comes to overseas products such as

  • technology, apparel, and even movies

  • it usually comes months, sometimes years, after it's original release

  • A lot of times it never even makes it to the Japanese market,

  • that's just how it is

  • At the end of the day when living in Japan

  • you're just going to have to appreciate Japanese products

  • Overall when you're living in Japan,

  • you're just going to need to accept how Japan does things even

  • though it's different from your country

  • If it's going to be difficult for you to do that

  • then you probably shouldn't move to Japan

  • If you liked this video, hit that 'like' button

  • If anything stuck out to you, let me know in the comments

  • If you wanna see more of these types of videos, Japan guides, food videos,

  • hit that 'subscribe' and 'bell' button

  • I'll catch you in the next one!

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