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After living and working abroad for a while, Japanese expats coming back home may find themselves thinking they’ve lost touch with their own culture. But we found a list of things that Japanese expats say are some of the best parts of life in Japan that you just can’t find anywhere else.
1. Being asked to wait
When Japanese expats come back to Japan, one of the first things they are surprised at is the level of politeness while waiting in a bank or post office line. Staff will often apologize for not being able to immediately serve a customer and ask them very politely to wait until an employee can help them. One of the biggest shockers is that when a staff member says “can you wait 15 minutes?”, it will actually take 15 minutes.
Although waiting is an inevitable part of life inside or outside Japan, no one can deny that Japanese customer service makes the waiting game a little less painful. Japanese expats often complain that routine tasks like making a deposit at a bank, buying international postage or renewing your driver’s license are pretty terrible experiences overseas because “no one respects your time.” Unlike in Japan where the line is well-defined and employees are communicative, Japanese living abroad claim there’s just no way to tell how long you will be in a line overseas.
2. Apologies for train delays
Besides being clean, reliable and just about everywhere, Japanese trains are incredibly punctual. Even during the insanity that is the Tokyo rush hour, trains are still pretty much on time. In fact, trains are so rarely late that most offices require a delay certificate from the train company to prove that your morning commute was actually delayed.
And besides being on time, another reason Japanese expats love being back in Japan is hearing train conductors or station staff apologize for delays, whether the delays are their fault or not. This, they claim, would never happen overseas where an apology is a sign of accepting responsibility for the problem. Japanese culture tends to emphasize harmony and peace, so apologizing and moving fits in well here.
3. Seeing airport mechanics bow to greet passengers
After being away from Japan for so long, people coming back to the country probably experience a wave of emotions as their plane lands seeing the country for the first time. And many people report that seeing airplane mechanics bowing to each arriving plane as one of the best things about Japan. While particularity happy airport employees may wave sometimes outside of Japan, bowing as a group to arriving airplanes seems to be a very Japanese habit.
4. Japanese business men sleeping on the train
While an everyday occurrence (or annoyance) in Japan, seeing businessmen completely passed out on the train home is nowhere near as common outside of Japan. Certainly you see some people sleeping every now and then, but Japan definitely has dibs on the sheer number of businessmen who treat the train as their personal bedroom, and the speed at which people nod off is phenomenal.
Although in some countries, sleeping on the train is just considered rude (or in the case of New York: “disorderly conduct”), Japanese expats say that seeing sleeping white-collar workers is a reminder of Japanese public safety, whereas falling asleep on a train abroad is akin to wearing a “please rob me” sign.
5. Hard-working shop clerks (even when the boss is gone!)
A common theme throughout this list has been Japan’s legendary customer service. And another thing Japanese expats coming home notice is how shop employees will work just as hard regardless if the boss is around. Whereas some complain that they have been to places overseas where workers are on their phones or watching TV if alone in the shop, Japanese workers are usually still hard at work even if absolutely no one is in the store. While going to an American 7-Eleven isn’t as terrible as some of these expats make it seem, it’s definitely true that the vast majority of Japanese convenience store employees resemble worker bees on the clock even when their boss is away.
6. “Eye-catching” fashion
One of the more unbelievable things that Japanese expats appear to miss is “eye-catching” fashion and the cliques that cling to it. While not every Japanese person dresses in the latest “gothic Lolita” dress as seen in Harajuku, it’s not exactly strange to see groups of young people wearing the same type of incredibly striking and even gaudy outfits. They say they miss the wacky fashion from home, which is usually only seen at Halloween parties overseas. Japanese expats say that it’s because that while it’s true that Japanese culture stresses conformity, that urge to confirm means that people will often rally around ways to stick out.
How accurate is the Japan that these Japanese expats love? Is this a case of nostalgia for home putting a rose-colored tint over the real Japan or do they have a point about some of these unique aspects of Japanese life?
Source: Madame Riri
Read more stories from RocketNews24. -- 7 things you should know before moving abroad -- Foreigners reveal the moments they felt they really “got this whole Japan thing” -- Japanese experts and expats react to parenting norms from around the world
© RocketNews24
59 Comments
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nath
I mind as well live in Japan haha
Viclovesdrama
I don't know about the above but my Japanese friends who lived more than 5 years abroad usually mention health care and food (and being closer to their families but that doesn't count as such).
Marilita Fabie-Fujisawa
This article should not/doesn't apply to expats alone. Just about to anybody living/leaving in Japan.
ReformedBasher
@Scott (writer)
Nobody missed the food or sightseeing? (Yes, I realise the story is about expats but a lot if us still travel)
@JT
Please make a site header that does not expand when I try to enlarge the font on my phone to make it readable without the use of a microscope.
No, I don't want to use your mobile site or app. Please invest some time in making your normal site more user friendly. I'm not a professional web guy but I know it can be done. None of the sites I've made have these problems.
An edit feature to fix misspellings would be nice.
Come on really
I don't know what expat audience this was, however, when I speak to former colleagues who were expats here and abroad, some things mentioned are:
Safety, such as children going to school on their own on the trains (not Salary men sleeping).
No tipping (this is especially big for US expats)
Lost Items returned (wallets with money still returned to them) intact.
Food, definitely the quality of the food (last week a former colleague from NY was here and he said he missed the whole culinary experience in Japan and quality soo much)
quality of service (enough said)
level of politeness (which was alluded to slightly in the piece by the "apologies for train delays" and "being asked to wait"
and for those in Asia, the four seasons (especially for Expats in HK).
I think that if the top things the expats mentioned here were the above, then they truly missed out on the real Japan experience.
JeffLee
The first thing, overwhelmingly, is the eye candy. I think the guys here know what I mean.
"...renewing your drivers license are pretty terrible experiences overseas"
Last time: 15 minutes no waiting. The office, located in a quiet strip mall, was open on a Saturday. Nope, way better at home.
International DL's, which i get almost every year, are usually around 20-30 minutes and the office is quiet and supplied with big comfy sofas.
nath
SO true! Girls who dress very stylishly and are not grossly overweight.
Come on really
I wanted to say that the quotes mentioned not only apply to the Japanese Expat communities returning, but to non Japan expats.
Magnet
Defintely do not agree with No.4. Who came up with this? Really surprised that the food, matsuris. cheap beer, cleanliness, and just the general scenery/natural beauty of the country and its people aren't on this list.
Spoony
Definitely service level!
Contractors who come to your house, and actually do what they are paid to do, and arrive when they say they will. Package delivery that gives you an hour window when they will be there, rather than a 6 hour window (which they hardly even manage to adhere to). Basically just almost everyone actually trying to achieve what they are paid to do! Rather than try and do as little work as possible for the most money.
My nihonjin waifu is constantly disgusted by the service level in Australia. (and rightly so)
Ishiwara
I strongly doubt this list. Here is what most Japanese miss most:
1) Safety 2) Healthcare 3) Polite and good service; 4) Reliability of products; interesting choices of products (e.g. more choice than Zara) 5) Food: ramen, curry, truly fresh fish & veggies
What they don't miss: omiyage-culture, hierarchical relationships, Fukushima, politicians, "isogashii," overhours
nath
Why on earth would they miss Japanese 'healthcare'?
nath
Because it's pretty good.
ka_chan
The writer must have a bias against NY. A lot of commuters sleep on the the train. They usually leave their tickets on the front seat so the conductor don't have to ask. The commuter trains are safe. As for punctuality, I guess they must not be talking about Germany. I think they do better on that score than Japan. What eye-catch fashions? The freaks in Harajuku? A small section of Tokyo. Give me a break. The real fashion trend you see in Japan is uniforms. Everybody wears uniforms of some kind or another. You look at people in Japan and you should be able to tell their occupations, including those in Harajuku. Goth seems to be a uniform for goths. Sherlock Homes would be bored out of his mind. As for healthcare.... Taiwan please....
timtak
I went to America for a week and in that time I missed 1) Roads without holes in them. 2) Realistic portion sizes (from meals to bags of crisps) and healthy food, comprised of vegetables, instead of steak, pork and beef, that would not result in the obesity that seemed endemic. 3) People who are not on the hustle, the 'American Hustle.' I have not seen the movie yet but, the word, notoriously difficult to translate, sprang to mind. (Not everyone was on the hustle). 4) Japanese people who do not treat me like a con man. If I speak to a Japanese person in Japanese in Japan, then its no big deal. But if I speak to a Japanese person in America in Japanese then they recoil, thinking that I must be on the hustle. I think that Japanese people become distrustful of even other Japanese people in the USA. 5) Not feeling scared of having my possessions stolen. Someone stole the partly used $1.5 bottle of water in my bike drink holder. ew. 6) Bow or nodding slightly as a greeting. Most Americans said a big toothy "hi" but at least one got pissed off when my "hi" lacked decibels, and another to whom I said, "hi" ("I've got the hang of this, I thought") and then ignored me. The Japanese greeting nod ("eshaku") is small enough to be friendly, and even occasionally to ignore or be ignored without offence.
tmarie
I missed none of the above when I left Japan. I missed izakayas, cheap booze, cherry blossom parties, Japanese beer and sochu (I see a theme), free tissues being handed out, my friends and being able to cycle without being one of "those" people.
I didn't miss the waiting in lines and being served and then being told to sit down and wait again. I didn't miss silly machines bowing to me, I didn't miss cold customer services and being screamed at the minute I walked into a shop but getting no eye contact, I didn't miss the stinky oyaji on the trains who sit with their legs wide open who take up two seats and refuse to blow their nose, didn't miss the constant noice pollution at train stations... To each his own but I have to wonder who on earth came up with the list above.
Boris Yarovoy
Why I love Japan in everyday terms. 1) No tip. 2) Carp in the river in the center of Tokyo. 3) Very beautiful women. 4) Service for the disabled.
harvey pekar
Like, from across the ocean when I remember back on my home country I see things through rosier-colored glasses sometimes. I think its the same for many expats, when things are rough in your new home you forget some of the bad of where you're from and just say, back in X, it's so much better than here in Y. I think Japanese expats are just experiencing what foreigners in Japan feel at time, homesickness.
ReformedBasher
And none of us missed you.
Didn't know you left, but thanks for the great news.
wtfjapan
"...renewing your drivers license are pretty terrible experiences overseas" I renew my licence by post, send in my details and new photo pay the fees online. very simple and dont even need to go home to do it. now compared to Japans full day wasted renewing your licence. actually anything that involves the public service in Japan takes forever. try getting a new car registered, trips to the Koban then to the registration office etc can take up to a week. I can get my car registered in less than a day back home. everthing in Japan takes mountains of paperwork and time. if they were to computerise everything then nobody would have a job.
gaijinfo
You mean all the hot girls in high heeled boots and mini skirts, right?
Laguna
Ah, Overseasland - I've been there!
Jimizo
@Ishiwara I like Japanese food but your inclusion of 'curry' was baffling. I understand that different countries make modifications to dishes to suit the palate but curry in Japan reminds me of the restoration work on the Christ fresco by Señora Jiminez.
Pandabelle
Before I gave up my overseas license, the last time I renewed took hours on a weekday. Horrible, horrible experience.
Last time I did it in Japan was so simple.
Cand1date
My Japanese friend from university decided to move back to japan with her Canadian husband. He was totally game for it and she missed Japan after so long away. They lasted 2 months and went back to Canada. She hated it. Another Japanese friend from Canada decided with her Chinese husband to move back to Japan after she finished her university schooling. They ended up moving back to Canada too, because he couldn't get a job because he's Chinese.
As for health care in Japan. Well, I've had good experiences with doctors at Handai Byoin in Osaka. But they all had training in the US and teach at the university so they are up to date on the latest medical advancements in their fields. But I've also had absolutely wretched experiences with various other kinds of doctors. See, the problem with doctors in Japan is, once you get a liscense, you never have to pick up another book or medical journal again. There us no need to keep up with new advances or anything. In North America doctors have to attend conferences, they have to keep up to date on their knowledge and skills. Not in Japan. Dentists are usually quite good tho. If you can get them to change their gloves between patients.
Elbuda Mexicano
Japan is ok, but look, it is NOT for everyone!!
hidingout
I'm sorry, but this is just false. I agree that customer service in general is pretty good in Japan, but my God there is no clue at all how to form a line. And even in places where it seems like an effort has been made to establish a space for lining up, there are the inevitable obasans who think that if they just stand off to the side they can rush the next available till/staff member and bypass the line altogether. More often than not they get away with it too. Like to see them try that in NY.
Not even close to accurate.
nath
This is absolutely true.
slumdog
I see you have not actually met any doctors in Japan.
JoiceRojo
El buda, your commentary was the one with the most sense!
I got confused by the comments, about if is good or bad getting a driver's license, as far as i understood the point in the article was not of speedy attention but knowing exactly how long is going to take, I agree that doing that in the U.S. is fast, but many are comparing these point with the U.S. In other countries, public services (licenses, ID, car registration, etc) are very bureaucratic, slow and the people doesn't treat you that well.
The only point that baffles me is number 4. what's up with that?, the meaning that you can even sleep and not get robbed? if is that so, that's a very poor example of safety, you could have mention walking up late at night, or something else, because watching people sleep on trains like it is their own bedrooms is kinda disgusting. Now, if the meaning was the expats miss "sleeping on the train" (themselves) has another context, that way is kinda natural.. like how whenever I go abroad a visit beautiful landscapes I will always miss the desert and the scenery of my hometown...
avigator
Oh, the discount time at grocery shops like Marufuji, Ozam, etc.
Serrano
"Seeing airport mechanics bow to greet passengers"
I'd rather see them working on the planes.
dbsaiya
What I missed most and didn't realize until I returned home was the sound of an elderly Japanese lady speaking in a very gentle and polite tone.
sighclops
No mention of Japanese food? That's always top of my list whenever I head back home!
iLikeTurtles
I spend 2 or 3 weeks in Japan every year. Things I always miss when I come home
being able to buy sashimi in the supermarket great public transport amazing customer service cleanliness and respect shown for public areas (ie no vandalism/ graffiti) izakaya and karaoke!danalawton1@yahoo.com
There are a few things I don't miss but I do miss the food... although that said, I did live mainly in Tokyo where one does have many choices. Out in the countryside choices can be wanting but that is normal anywhere. I miss the simplicity of Living in Japan. When I'm back home it seems I'm constantly paying bills and fixing things.... plus family is nearby and, as much as I enjoy them around, after living the simple life in Japan, they can be a handful. I, for health reasons, miss the walk to the train station. Everything back home involves just walking to your car... and burning practically no calories. I really don't miss the politeness or safety of Japan.... don't get me wrong I like it.... but I find that in most places if you greet people with a smile and cheerful attitude they will reciprocate and quite often a more meaningful conversation might ensue. I do miss the public transportation.... although expensive.... the idea that one can easily go almost anywhere in Japan without a car is appealing. We used to take the train to Onjuku Beach in Chiba often... bringing our Boogie Boards with us on the train. We tried driving there but the Traffic Jams were horrendous and gave up. Luckily we had the train option.
justbcuzisay
Personally for this expat in Japan, #2 is my absolute least favorite thing, Well, not the apology itself. I am a big fan of the reliable trains, and it it nice that they say sorry, of course. BUT I guess all these people are a lot luckier than I am. At least twice a year, I end up stuck at train stations for 1-2 hours (sometimes 3) with no kind of estimate about if and when the trains will run again. See this is where the #1 backfires, because when then can't promise you a exact time, you get no information at all. I wish they would just tell me 'it could be a long time, so you might want to look into alternative transportation' Sorry loses meaning when you are not actually acting in the best interest of the customer.
oh, and #1, the line 'no one respects your time' made me laugh hard. I totally agree that Japanese service is faster. love it. But think of it another way; when you are working in a foreign country you most likely are working a considerable less number of hours per week than in Japan, so you have some time to spare.
Yardley
@timtak
Wow, a whole week. You sure missed a lot in a very short amount of time, but then, travel isn't for everyone.
ex-japan-visitor
The Japanese healthcare system is the best I have seen in the world. A hernia operation in Nagoya is $3500, with a wait time of 5 days. In Ontario, Canada, it is $4000, with a wait time of 4 - 7 months. No comparison at all. I always laugh when I hear Canadians tell me they have the best healthcare in the world.
NathalieB
Clearly these ex-pats never lived in London - you get to hear apologies for the delays all flaming day there.
Some other thoughts: bureaucracy drives me crazy whichever country I live in, but at least in Japan it WORKS. It took me 3 attempts for them to get my name and address right on my UK driving license before I finally gave up, and waited over a year for my US license to come through.
Sushi. God, I miss the sushi. The good stuff, not the overpriced junk they offer up outside Japan.
Definitely the shop staff thing.
I loved leaving the UK from Heathrow and waving goodbye to the stained carpets, slovenly airport staff and mysterious burka-clad women washing their feet in the sink in the toilets. Yes, the sink. The same sink people brush their teeth at after a long flight. And walking into Narita - spotlessly clean, polite, smart staff who look like they actually want to do their jobs, and a polite smile and welcome back from the immigration guys. The ones doing the same job as the Heathrow ones but who grill me when Im coming back into my own country when they dont look as if they should legally be there themselves.
On the other hand, I enjoy the genuineness of being home. People dont put on a pretense the way they do in Japan. the politeness is a double edged sword. On the one hand it makes things run smoothly. On the other, you just know that bowing smiling girl hates your guts because your boobs are bigger than hers, or because you are a foreigner, or because her ex boyfriend cheated on her with a Russian chick, or because.......
Tahoochi
Cand1dateMar. 20, 2014 - 05:33PM JST
I think you're missing the point of the article. The article is about things that expats miss about Japan. Your examples are things that expats don't miss about Japan.
JTDanMan
Top FIve Things the Mrs. misses:
Note: the Mrs. is from Kyoto. We now live in Bay Area (Not San Francisco)
NaganoSkiing in Nagano is one of our favorite and relatively affordable luxuries. She really misses the Momonoki Hotel. A package tour costs somewhere around 4 man for the weekend.
MaltzIt is not that it is that great. It is. It is that you just cannot find it anywhere over here.
Onzen/Kani nabeKinosaki, Fukui, anywhere on the Nihonkai. Oh, what fun.
trains/taxisGoing out for a drink with some friends? No worries. Going to the seaside for a day? No worries.
Consistently quality serviceIn the US, you gotta pay out the nose to be treated ok. In Japan, you pay a bit more for everything, and always get decent, polite service.
Fadamor
Ehh... this doesn't strike me as a resounding endorsement of Japan. That's "one of the best things"?
Tahoochi
@ JTDanMan: Onsen! Good one! I think my top 3 are: Food, onsen, and quality of service in general.
ensnaturae2
yes !!.....onsen, ....plus people almost always being civil to each other, no one-upmanship, & no thieves, no thieves and ....no thieves. (and safe city streets at night)
Elizabeth Heath
Sorry, this list is nonsense. Where have these ex-pats been? Apologies for the frequent train delays, sleeping on trains and eye catching fashions are an everyday thing in the UK. This is just more codswallop dressed up to to perpetuate the myth of Japan's co-called uniqueness. I surprised no one mentioned Japan having four seasons, that's the usual trope.
Patricia Yarrow
The article mentioned having 4 seasons, which if you are from HK, would be a bonus.
MapleG
Don't understand your comment at all. I live in Canada and have had a hernia operation in Ontario. Wait time was a few weeks. Totally free as it is for all residents of Ontario with health coverage (which all permanent residents have). All hospital stays and operations are free for Ontario residents.
gaijinheiwa
Wait people miss the drunken sleeping salarymen on trains...? I call shenanigans on this one.
ludlt
Japan is to me what Disney Land is to childen.
OneHapa
Surprised no one has said Japanese toilet seats! I heard several university students admit to this upon their return to Japan. They missed the food and warm cleaning toilet seats the most...in that order. Haha.
igloobuyer
I agree with most of these things to miss in Japan, but it works both ways.
When I'm away from home (NZ) I miss the general friendlies, openness and smiles of service staff. Japanese staff rarely smile, make eye-contact, but yes, they are very polite. I also miss the open, green spaces and trees everywhere in NZ which are sorely lacking in Japan unless you live in the country. oh, and Kids walking alone from school is not an indication of safety in Japan (plenty of kids have been kidnapped of the streets in Japan), it's a sign of neglect and taking too much risk (kids are more likely to get run over here with the narrow streets).
FruitsBasketFan
I miss being allowed to carry cash and not being hold suspicion of doing anything illegal with it like most Western countries.
bicultural
tmarie, part-timers would probably only make around 2,000,000 a year. They would only have to pay a few thousand yen for health insurance.
tmarie
I agree Bi but some don't so they don't have coverage.
randomman
Things I like about japan:-
Chicks Sushi Cheap Single Malt Well, cheap plonk Can get pissed and not get in a blue Chicks Cheap accommodation past midnight (but lots of tattooed dudes snoring around me) HEALTHCARE!! yeah............ Chicks Cheap rural land ChicksMoby Grape
natto
bcmoney
Is no one going to mention super-fast Internet broadband download/upload speeds as well as 4G+ mobile network?! Some of the world's fastest...
Also, Not Tipping is a good one but my personal #1 is the "Kakutougi MMA boom", but for the time being it seems that's gone for people who still live in Japan too!
timtak
Six more 1) Being in a place where about one in 8 people can do a martial art, and could put your lights out, but no one brags about it, and unless you attempted to attack them, you'd never know. What is with the US raging-testosterone-I-am so-tuff-ness? 2) The ability to drink alcohol in a public place, at least under cherry trees, without having to sip from a brown paper bag. 3) The feeling that the price remains the same irrespective of the customer, rather than the feeling that the price has just doubled by virtue of my nationality / accent (this in a market in Guam). 4) Legal tender that has numerical values on the coins (!?#&*!), and notes that do not look like they were produced using a cheap duplicating machine. 5) Comedy shows without canned laughter. And to think, I read an article about how constrained Japanese comedy is on the United Airlines plane. "Ha, ha, ha. (laugh NOW mindless viewer!)" 6) Apologies. I bought a 'smoothie' that had yet to freeze, and a "siopao" (niku-man) which had yet to be steamed, and the lady at the checkout was like, "mistakes were made."