Recording summary · September 2022
5 Things I Hated about Living in Japan
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Overview
Living in Japan across more than 14 visits spanning nearly four years involved multiple frustrations, contrasting sharply with experiences in England.
Retail experiences in Japan featured stressful question barrages from staff and an inconvenient reliance on cash and coins, contrasting with preferred self-service checkouts in England.
Customer service in Japan felt overly detailed, robotic, and soulless, such as lengthy explanations of basic amenities at traditional inns, compared to warmer service in the UK.
Japanese cuisine felt overrated and disappointing, including an expensive five-course fugu meal prior to a divorce that was outperformed by a convenience store cheeseburger, as well as decorative but unappetizing food at traditional inns.
Administrative tasks such as setting up bank accounts, acquiring mobile phone plans, and securing housing in Japan were excessively complicated without local assistance, leading to a decision never to live in Japan again.
Themes
Retail interactions, cash reliance, and self-service checkouts in Japan compared to England.
Food served at traditional Japanese inns and personal culinary preferences.
Differences in service interactions and perceived customer connection between Japan and the UK.
Bureaucratic and procedural difficulties when arranging banking, phone service, and housing in Japan compared to England.
Developments
Daniel and Daniel's ex-wife dined at a fugu restaurant for a five-course meal just after Christmas and a few weeks prior to divorce.
Following the fugu dinner, Daniel purchased a microwave cheeseburger for ¥300 at a convenience store.
Uncertainties & gaps
Whether renting an apartment alone in Japan without speaking much Japanese or having friends to assist would be completely impossible.