I have never once seen a fight, even with tons of alcohol involved, between two Japanese people out on the street, in a club, or at a restaurant. In fact the only fights I have seen usually involved a lot of alcohol and two foreigners. In general people tend to mind their own business and do their own thing. If something does come up like a bump here or a dropped something there a polite 'sumimasen' does the trick. Interactions with Japanese people are also very pleasant. If I have to talk to somebody at the stations, get directions, or when I'm ordering at a restaurant I am very often impressed with the energy and level of service I get. Whether the transaction is consumer to business, business to consumer, or just two people the interaction eschews a level of aggression we have, I feel, just gotten used to back in the US.
This summer with be my fourth trip back to the US in four years. Every time I always run into this difference in culture, and you know what? I'm not so sure that I am a fan of it anymore. And, don't get me wrong, it's not like some gas station attendant yelled at me, or some waiter was curt when taking my order. I just mean the way we treat each other. I see customers get in fights about places in line, and bank tellers tell off customers. I'm not the kind of guy to say something is right and another is wrong, but I will say when something is more comfortable than something else. Japan is more comfortable.
My girl friend likes to watch a lot of American dramas like Glee, Gray's Anatomy, and some others (she has learned to watch them outside of my presence because of my complaining so if those are old examples, my bad). When I catch a clip of one of these shows I am always surprised how different the feeling is from Japanese TV. The characters are always "fighting" something. I find it interesting how on a show about a hospital (in Seattle of all the liberal places to set it) that these doctors can be competing with each other for men, status, and whatever other bullshit. But I guess it's been on TV a long time so people watch it and find something in it for themselves. The writers know, apparently, what the audience wants (or perhaps what the audience has been programmed to seek).
Mad Money's Jim Cramer. A financial analyst.
I don't usually watch investment news and in Japan there are no finance television shows like Mad Money or Squawk Box. I put finance television show in that last sentence in italics because I had no idea what kind of show Mad Money and Squawk Box were. But according to Wikipedia Mad Money is a finance television show, and according to this page (warning: I just simply googled this page, I can't vouch for it's accuracy or overall truthiness) it is number two right behind number one Squawk Box! If there were a finance television show here in Japan, guess what? It would probably be really boring. Let me explain with a juxtaposition.
Recently I watched two clips on the internet about the recent down turn in the stock market. Both were discussing if the markets were going to rebound. I won't link the clips because I don't think anybody should watch them but I will say that one was entitled Market Really Is Brewing, Don't Get Scared Out Of Stocks, and the other Stocks Slide On Renewed Economic Concerns. Google and watch them at your own risk. Now I am still a novice investor. I started about six months ago and my 'stach is less than 10k. I don't know if the information these guys were talking about was on the mark, or if, like most people on TV, they were just talking to waste air and keep themselves relevant. However, I wasn't even able to get past their aggressive, annoying, staunch attitudes, to get to the heart of their point. When the fuck did stocks become a fucking sport? Since when do financial experts talk like 5 year olds out for recess? Since when do we need a sports center for investing? It's not gambling, and your not some cowboy shooting from the hip. I'm sorry, but if you are on TV and giving advice about what people should do with their hard earned money you should put on your big boy pants and talk like an adult. Oh and take responsibility. Yeah, if you were wrong get back on the TV and explain what you screwed up or just admit there is no predicting the future and stop giving half truths wrapped in recommendations. If you can't do that get outta da kitchen.
The reason, I think, we don't have shows like that in Japan is 1) people don't respond to that pumped up, aggressive attitude like people in the US seem to really be drawn to. Yelling and calling names is viewed as being confident and assertive. In Japan well spoken and logically supported ideas are what get listened to. Especially when it comes to money. 2) The Japanese are incredibility risk averse so to get them to invest you can't just blather some shit and expect them to follow, or watch again the next day. 3) Nobody in Japan, where giving bad advice will lose you your job (as it should if your job is to give good advice), would want to step into that line of fire.
A focus group for the best financial television program.
Maybe this is too simplistic and would ruin business models for cable news, and internet based financial television programs but it makes sense to me. I've learned never to watch these financial television programs ever again. I'll stick with the jlcollinsnh rules of investing: Spend less than you earn – invest the surplus – avoid debt. Wow now that is simple, easy to understand, and not covered in bullshit.
So, here I am. Reading along this very interesting post. Thinking about my comment. When, there right at the end, is a link to my own little blog.
ReplyDeleteThank you Keichi One San. Oh, and I agree with you on the counterproductive nature of financial TV shows.
But what really intrigued me is your contrast between life in Japan and the US.
Without being much aware of it, we here in the US grow accustom to a drumbeat proclaiming our country as the richest, happiest, cleanest, bestest place on earth. Indeed, the poor souls in all other countries are condemned to miserable lives spent mostly pining for the chance to move here.
When I first began to travel internationally the single thing that struck me as most surprising was that the world was filled with other countries whose people seemed to be very much enjoying life and prospering just fine.
Certainly I've also seen some truly wretched poverty. But I've seen that in the US, too.
The USA is a wonderful place with many warm and friendly folks. Rich in monetary wealth and natural wonders. But it is not the only country so blessed.
thanks for sharing your perspective.
Hi Jim! Thanks for checking up!
DeleteAs you know I only recently encountered your blog and read through it with much vigor. I'm a big MMM fan but your blog really brought about an air familiarity to me that I hadn't felt before on other FI blogs. It helped me to bring my goals into focus. First I thought it was all about retirement, but when I encountered your story I discovered "Of course! I want to work and probably will till my dieing day. I just also want the freedom financially to be able to choose what work I do." Maybe that isn't much different from what others find at ERE, MMM, etc., but I just happened to realize it when reading your posts. Anyway I want to share a good thing (hence the mad linkage to your blog).
As for the difference between the US and Japan, it is really incredible. Your right about the USA thinking it is the best place on earth. In some ways it is. In other ways Japan is the best place on earth. But the fact that so many people don't realize that there is another "best place on earth" really boggles my mind. It's probably hypocritical of me to say that as I probably didn't realize the same thing till I did some traveling myself, but now that my eyes are open I'm glad I can see a choice, or at the very least a different perspective.
Japan is a place I've always wanted to visit. As much as anything, the high cost is what has stood in the way and I'm cheap.
ReplyDeleteIs it still expensive?
Thank you for the kind words and for sharing the link to my blog. I am most pleased you have found value there.
Sounds like we are cut from the same cloth. I'm pretty cheap as well, or put another way I'm a "value seeker." :)
DeleteFor tourism Japan is very expensive. Especially now with the very strong yen I couldn't personally recommend someone come and vacation in Japan (even though Japan needs it badly). Having said that it can be done cheaply if you were willing to stay in hostels, and with a JR rail pass. However if you wanted to really have an adventure you could bike across Japan very easily and stay in hostels. You could of course bring you expenses down even further if you cooked there too. But part of the draw of Japan are the exotic restaurants and places so you would miss out on a large part.
Living and working in Japan I would highly recommend! Teaching English can net you a nice paycheck if you put in the time, and you'd be getting paid in yen that if you send back to the US your money will go farther (at least right now). There are tricks to living cheaply as well but that's for the blog. More than the money however you could really experience the culture on a day to day level instead of from a bus or train. That's the real value I think.
value seeker is a good way to put it and that's how my travel (other than business) destinations have been informed.
ReplyDeleteWhat we do each summer now is select a destination, rent a local apartment and settle in with day/2-3day side trips as a local might. Although we are about to embark on a more tour type this year thru Peru and Bolivia with our Spanish tutor from Quito's stay last year.
Is an education degree required for teaching English in Japan? Japanese language skills?
I take it your Spanish tutor is from Spain? I think having someone from the country is the most important part of traveling. Someone who knows the area and hopefully is a personal friend. My GF and I went traveled to a few destinations last year, some just as tours (Bali, Mexico) and other with friends who where from the country or we met friends and family their (Philippines and Taiwan). I loved Bali and Mexico but to be honest the trips felt very similar. Drink, go to the beach, take some pictures, try not to get sunburned. The trips we took with friends become very special memories and I got to become more intimate with the country. My friends and family spoke the language, knew other cool people, and knew cool places off the beaten path for food and entertainment. My picture from those trips are fun to look at as it reminds me more about the people I met than just the destination.
DeleteMy GF loves to travel but I've forced her this year to pare it down to only places where we know people. Our next stop hopefully Zimbabwe!
As for Japan you don't need an education degree just a college degree and an open mind. If you do have teach qualifications it helps but I graduated with an International Business degree and didn't know the first thing about teaching. Japan is funny that way as places in the Middle East, and Europe are much stricter about your qualifications.
Japanese language is also not required for most jobs. At my school for example another teacher can speak very basic pidgin Japanese but the school likes that because the students must use English with him. Me on the other hand I studied Japanese since high school, and did a one year exchange in Tokyo in college so my conversational level is very high. This is also nice because I can participate more in the office or when we have drinking parties. So it's a win/win either way!
If you are thinking about it, or thinking about it for someone else, I would try googling "dispatch services Japan" or "English conversation schools Japan" and there is a lot of information.
She is from Ecuador and we met during our stay there last summer. We agree on traveling! If you haven't read it already, more of my thoughts on it here:
ReplyDeletehttp://jlcollinsnh.wordpress.com/2012/01/27/travels-with-esperando-un-camino/
Zimbabwe should be wicked cool. I gather you know someone there?
While we've never been there my wife is from Zanzibar and the little time I've spent in Africa I've loved.
My degree is English, so that would work. I'm always looking for an excuse to travel somewhere....
I'm sure I checked out that post but your stuff is so good it deserves a second perusing.
DeleteOne of the guys my GF works with is from Zimbabwe and he seemed into showing us around so hopefully next March or next summer we'll be on our way! I've really excited to go to Africa. I always had a dream right after high school of just going and getting off a plane and seeing where life took me. I got a job instead.
An English degree is exactly what they are looking for. If your looking for a way to experience Japan and make some money in a job that doesn't kill you teaching English is a good path. The companies usually don't do much to please their employees (as far as raises and bonuses go) but if you have got the F-U money already in place you could hang out till you felt you got your fill and then flip the company the bird. :)