With the increase of social media usage and coverage people are coming more and more interested in Japan thanks to manga, anime, J-pop, J-fashion, travel channels and of course porn. With so much weird and crazy stuff being seen and shown to us everyday about Japan, it is natural for people to have misunderstandings about it's culture and people.
It is easy to go to YouTube or watch the news and come to the conclusion that Japanese people are sexless robots who marry vocaloids, live in dwarf homes, eat 1 piece of sushi, and a table spoon of rice for every meal but this is simply not true!
It goes both ways as most Japanese people think that all foreigners are rude, fat, tall, lazy, hamburger enthusiast, and shoot people with AK47's for fun.
If you have time and hate to read then you can watch the video for this post on YouTube as well.
10 LIES THAT YOU BELIEVE ABOUT JAPAN
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| YOU KNOW NOTHING FOOL!!! |
1.) Japanese salary men are hard workers.
They're really not... They are often times socially obligated to stay at work until they're senpai and managers leave in order to appear as hard workers and to show their dedication to their "work fam". Most of these salarymen only work from 9:00am-6:00pm and they have a 1 hour lunch break. They are typically given the freedom to use their phones and computers (although like any work place its supposed to be for work and their usage shouldn't interfere with getting stuff done on time). After 6:00pm most of them are just browsing their social apps and liking pictures and watching videos. They will commonly play around at their desks, work on stuff slowly, or even play in the bathroom to kill the time until their boss is ready to go.They will often times be invited to hang out with their boss and coworkers. They can usually say no and some of them do. However it is difficult to reject these kinds of invites as it will make you look as though you aren't a team player.
If most men worked such ridiculous hours there wouldn't be a rush hour until midnight but if you lived here you'd see a steady flow or salarymen and career women from about 5:30pm-8:00pm and 7:30am-9:30am every weekday.
So it's a partial lie. Yes they're at work sometimes for ridiculous hours but they're not actually physically working and definitely not doing anything hard or tedious while they're there but of course nobody wants to be trapped at their job all day.
2.) Japanese people don’t like sex.
They absolutely love sex (especially men)! However a lot of women seem to think that men don't. There's a disconnect somewhere as the biggest complaint men have about their women here is that their partner withholds sex (particularly after getting married and having kids).
Also casual sex is not as commonly done here in comparison to Europe and America. People work long hours so their simply isn't the time or money to have or pay for it.
Couples don't normally have sex early on in a relationship and casually having a fling, while it does happen here, it is not something that most women are willing to do unless they're a gaijin hunter and trying to please their foreign boyfriend (because they think this normal in America which it is not).
They love sex but it's hard to find the time, space and money for it. Prostitutes exist here and it's a big business and industry just like porn here is.
Women revery materialistic (even more so than in America) so if you didn't graduate from a prestigious university, you don't have a good career, and you're not fashionable or very attractive most women will have no interest in dating you. It's hard to have sex when you work all day, and you don't have all of the above stuff.
Not to mention a lot of young people live with their parents until they get married because they can easily save money by cutting back on the majority of their bills since their mothers will clean and cook for them and their fathers will pay the bills for the house etc. asking for a very small contribution if not anything at all from their kids.
Times have changed here just like they have in the U.S. People are marrying later on in life to focus on finishing school, traveling the world, and starting their careers before making permanent decisions such as starting a family.
Japan is over populated. Their isn't enough space here on this little island for everyone to even have a small house. A reduction in it's population isn't going to be all that bad in the distant future but of course in the meantime this is problematic for running businesses and the economy etc.
Anyway my point is that people do like sex and are having children but not as early and as frequently as Americans do. I'm sure this all contributes to the significantly lower number of single parent households and STD cases as well...
3.) Japanese people don’t like black people.
While it is true that most Japanese people (just like any other race of people) generally prefer white people over black people there is not a huge dislike or hate for people simply because they have dark complexions etc.. As long as you are visually attractive here people will like you just as much if not more than your white counterparts.
Everyone has their own taste in men and women. Attractive is attractive. Most people here don't have a real racial preference but they haven't seen or met enough black people to form a real opinion of them. Most of the black people here are Africans who are middle aged and purposefully poke fun at themselves at the expense of their race in exchange for money (no shade...). When people think of black people they think of the African touts who harass them in major cities, or they think of the comedians from TV whereas most of the white people in the media here are actors in commercials or models who are displayed as being sexy beautiful people with light colored eyes and hair. People always want what they don't have and find whatever is most rare within their race to be the standard of beauty. For example, small noses, light skin, colored eyes, long hair, and lose curl patterns are all sought after in the black community. Japan is no different! Big eyes, white skin, light colored eyes and hair, curvaceous bodies, and tall men are seen as beautiful here.
You will be judged on an individual basis so don't worry! I am black myself and while my skin may be lighter than most, I am still seen as a black woman here and I still have large features. I am constantly complimented on my complexion and lips. I look "exotic" as they say and I am constantly compared to Rihanna (whom I look nothing like).
4.) You have to bring a gift for everyone.
Nobody is expecting you to bring a gift from your home country, but it is a nice gesture if you do choose to do so. Only your homestay or a pen-pal should be getting a foreign goodie from you NOT everyone that you interact with for the first time. They know that this is a "Japanese thing" so it's not expected of you just like they aren't offended by you eating ramen with a fork haha.Most Japanese people just buy green tea Kit-Kats or pocky when they visit foreign countries to meet their friends and when they bring gifts from travel within Asia or even Japan they simply buy cookies, crackers, or small chocolate candies.
Don't over think your gifts! Something small and simple (preferably that's edible) is all you need to buy.
It shouldn't be big, bulky, lavish or expensive. If it is, you'll make them feel obligated to buy you something like that which is kinda rude.
5.) Most Japanese people can’t speak English.
Most of them can both speak and write some basic English but they're really shy and humble about it. This is mostly because unlike Europeans and other Asians, they tend to not be native fluent English speakers thus they will downplay their English abilities.
6.) You need to be fluent in Japanese in order to work or attend a Japanese university.
You most certainly do not. People here will assume that you can't speak Japanese and will accommodate you (even if you can). I am still not a pro at Japanese. I am still studying and I am not confident enough to consider myself as fluent, but I now know enough to get by. I came to Japan with no knowledge of anything. I couldn't even read and write hiragana and katakana. I didn't know basic words or even how to count in Japanese. I learned a lot from living here, making friends, working, dating and interacting with staff at stores.
Don't stress out over your language skills. All of the major Japanese colleges here offer 4 year courses in English and there are American and European schools that have campuses her win Japan that are entirely in English.
You don't need to speak Japanese to work in Japan. You can become an English teacher in Japan even if you're not a native English speaker. You can do other jobs in Japan such as IT, customer service, restaurant work etc. as well. Of course your options are limited but you will learn Japanese overtime as long as you make an effort to study and avoid being in the "gaijin bubble".
7.) Japanese portions are small.
While the meat portion is noticeably smaller in most circumstances the addition of larger portions of soup, rice, tea, and random vegetables and fruit will not only make you feel satisfied or full but it is much healthier for you than a large meat portion. You won't feel like you're being put on a diet or starving to death here after eating a normal Japanese style meal. I have never left a restaurant or purchased a bento and felt hungry (and I am a greedy pig at heart).8.) The cost of living in Japan (groceries, utilities, rent) is very expensive.
Japan is very cheap in comparison to America especially if you live alone and don't have any children. Housing is not only more affordable, but you will get a better location too. The proximity of your home to public transit, shopping, work, tourist destinations etc. is unmatched. As for groceries, as long as you're not still cooking foreign meals such as American or European dishes, or eating large amounts of fresh fruits then you will find that food isn't all that expensive. You can still eat healthy of course but you should consider buying items that aren't being imported and that goes for fruits & nuts too not just American junk food!
Your utilities are very cheap in comparison to the U.S since you will have a much smaller space there isn't central heating, having guests or parties not really a thing here, and you'll be at work or school most of the day. My bills are never more than about $100 USD total but they're general $4-$60 USD. Most apartments here offer some free utilities such as water & gas or they will cover your internet & cable costs.
9.) Japanese men don’t like foreign women.
You're right they don't like foreign women. They love them! Most men here dream and fantasize (*cough cough* and fetishize) about being with a foreign woman. They are seen as significantly more attractive not just physically but emotionally. One of the biggest reoccurring complaints that men have about Japanese women is that they are childish, easily angered, and passive. On the other side they also complain that they all have the same body type and make bad sexual partners. I am not agreeing with this statement nor am I disagreeing with it. I am simply telling you what my friends and dates have told me.10.) You can’t buy plus-size clothing in Japan.
Obviously the smaller you are and the less you weigh the easier it will be for you to go shopping here both in store and online. However don't be fooled! There are tons of overweight and obese men and women here. Japanese people aren't genetically thin but they don't eat as much meet, they drink more water and tea and they do light exercise everyday by walking, running and riding their bikes everywhere everyday.
Anyway you can buy plus size clothing here are speciality stores just like you can in America. If you are above a size 16 in America you also can't shop at most "normal" clothing stores. Japan is no different. You options will be limited, but I don't see it as being much different besides the fact that plus size here starts at a much lower size about a U.S size 8-10 (in my opinion). Again if you are over a size 10 you will have difficulty finding clothing in a regular store (that's not western such as F21) just like a size 18 woman would have trouble finding clothing in an American clothing store that isn't marketed/aimed towards plus-size women. You will have to shop at stores that cater to larger women here too! There aren't many (same as America) I'd say theres less than 10 well known stores here but you can always find small sections with plus-size clothing, order special sizes online, or buy clothing from overseas. You will inevitably lose weight here because you will be forced to exercise everyday and you may find that you're eating here less often for the fun of it and more out of necessity. I personally loss a lot of weight within my first year of being here before I even started to diet.
Have any more lies that you'd like to add to this list? Please feel free to leave a comment down below and help out another foreigner who is planning to live abroad. I will be making a separate post with some more lies that are commonly believed.
Stay Tuned!
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