Pros and cons of living in Japan: My Best Advice

Japan Through Rose Tinted Glasses

What is it like to live in Japan?

I lived in Japan for seven years and I’ve learned a lot of pros and cons of living in Tokyo and in Japan. There are a lot of advantages of living in Tokyo, from vending machines on every corner to enjoying the annual cherry blossom season. However, living in Tokyo as a foreigner brings its own unique challenges, as does living in Japan’s inaka (countryside). As an expat living in Tokyo, I got to gain a lot of insight into what it is like as an outsider looking into a different culture.

What You Will Find Here:

After living in Japan, I often get the same questions: Is Japan safe? Do you have to be a workaholic to get far? Will I have to teach English? This post will tell you the pros and cons of living in Japan. It will specifically focusing on the pros and cons of living in Tokyo. I lived in Tokyo for seven years, and also studied in Kumamoto while I was in my university years. I will be sharing my personal opinion as an expat living in Tokyo with some understanding of smaller city life in Japan. So, lets get onto the pros and cons of living in Japan!

Japan is super convenient, even if you live outside of Tokyo

Let’s start with the obvious of the pros and cons of living in Japan. Picture this: It’s Monday. You finish work in the evening and head over to the department store to run some errands. There is plenty of time since the mall closes at 10pm. So you browse all your favourite fashion brands, and then stop by Starbucks for an evening frappuccino. You catch the metro to your favourite restaurant to have dinner with your friends. It’s getting quite late. You and your friends still have room for a couple of cocktails so you head out to a cute bar. Then maybe some karaoke. OK, so you went a little overboard for a Monday.

It’s 2am and you’re heading home. You know you will need to get a good night’s sleep before work tomorrow, so you quickly drop into the convenience store on the ground floor of your apartment complex and pick up some medicine and a hot take-away meal to soak up the alcohol. But wait! You forgot to grab some stationery for work tomorrow. Never fear – Amazon has you covered. You order your Prime Now delivery and the courier is with you within the hour. Yup, you can do all of that on a Monday.

Japan never sleeps, and you only have to walk a few steps (sometimes none at all) to find anything. Even when roaming the inaka (countryside), you’ll be pleased to find vending machines almost at random on the side of the road everywhere you go. Who is using them? Who knows. Japan is the epitome of convenience. Just don’t try and get a coffee before 10am. 

Japanese service excels in their area of expertise

In every aspect of life, Japanese culture demands excellence and perfection. This can be seen in monodukuri (the making of things) and hospitality. Perfectly wrapped goods and food brought to you without a salad leaf out of place. In the words of Gen Z, everything is so aesthetic. Whether it be pottery, textiles, or porcelain, if you’re looking for a product there is a high chance there is a town in Japan that specialises in making it (and have been making it perfectly for hundreds of years). Towns don’t just intend to excel at craft. You’ll also find each town has a specialty food and industry, too.

Public toilets everywhere!

You’ll always be able to find a public toilet which makes it so easy to walk around the city or travel around. Granted, some toilets leave much to be desired (I am not a fan of the washiki squat toilet). However it is nice that there is an option no matter where you go. Japan also has some of the fanciest toilets, including colourful toilets and toilets enclosed in an aquarium. You’ll also find that luxury smart toilets are standard in most malls and cafes. If I was president, I would make all toilets a Toto toilet. 

You’ll never be expected to know anything or do anything right

Do you know how to say hello in Japanese? Well done, by Japan’s standard for gaijin (foreigners) you’re basically a rocket scientist. Get ready to hear squeals of excitement and exclamations of surprise as you impress everyone by doing the bare minimum. Just try not to feel belittled when people tell you how jouzu you are for being able to hold chopsticks. The decision you will need to make is whether to use your powers for good or for evil. You will be granted the almighty gaijin-smash power, which will allow you to commit any social faux pas under the guise of ignorance. 

Japan’s public transport is some of the best in the world

Now that I live with the daily struggle of the vast wasteland that is Australian infrastructure, I really am grateful that I was able to travel so easily in Japan. Japan is relatively small (a bit bigger than my home country New Zealand). Transportation is excellent and easily accessible in most parts of the country. Japan invested a lot of money into good infrastructure. Even if you find yourself doing a road trip in more off-the-beaten-path areas of Hokkaido, you will be surprised to find well constructed roads and tunnels. As the transportation is so fantastic, it is not uncommon for people who live outside of Tokyo in neighbouring prefectures to commute to Tokyo every day for work. 

You can leave your bag anywhere

I really like this practice as it makes it easier in busier places – you find a seat, leave your stuff, and go and order. You won’t need to worry, no one will steal it! This also works with picnic mats. During cherry blossom season and festivals, people often come in the early hours to set up a picnic mat and then come back later in the day when the event is on to enjoy it. Just don’t leave your umbrella in the stand outside a convenience store on a rainy day – that will disappear instantly.

You’ll get all the attention you’ve ever wanted

I don’t think that I’ve met an expat in Tokyo that hasn’t had the ‘fabulous’ opportunity of being on Japanese news. You may have blended into the background in your home country, but many people flock to Japan to shine in the spotlight. 

You’ll get all the attention you never wanted

The reality is that if you’re a woman you’re probably going to get harassed. Unfortunately, I don’t know a woman (Japanese or expat) who hasn’t experienced harrassment, and it’s a huge problem in Japan. As many as 70% of women have experienced this in Japan, and apparently the best way to avoid it is to dress like a badass mf (more on that conversation here). In Japan, you’ll find female areas on the train to try and make it safer for you to travel.

Carrying personal safety weapons like pepper spray is a grey area in Japan and if you cause hurt or damage to someone you will need to deal with the police. Most foreigners will tell you dealing with the police in Japan is a major no-go, and you want to avoid them at all costs. You might come across the police if you’re out late at night in places like Shibuya or Roppongi as it is quite common for foreigners to be asked to show identification (you will need to carry this on you at all times).

Retro technology is all fun and games until you have use it

I encourage every person to visit a school, Japanese office, or ward office (council building). They are like stepping back in time to when the world was made of metal filing cabinets, fax machines, and chalk boards. If you ever need to go to the bank – it’s a whole thing. You will need your passbook. I had never heard of these until I went to Japan (because I’m not 100). Then you put it into the ATM machine and it prints every. transaction. you. ever. made.

When I first moved to Japan online banking wasn’t a thing yet (crazy, huh?) so this is how people could view their transactions. You will still need this passbook when you go to the bank and talk to customer service. Then there is hanko. Hanko is a personal seal that has your initials on it. You can get them from almost every store (LOFT, dollar stores etc), and they act as your signature. Who needs a password when you’ve got this level of security?

There are no rubbish bins anywhere

But how do they keep it so clean? Next time you’re wandering down a street, have a look inside the nearby shrub. There are hardly any rubbish bins in Tokyo, so unless you plan on carrying it home with you, you’ll probably have to hide it somewhere! If you are eating, make sure you sit down at the cafe or convenience store so you can leave your rubbish behind, otherwise you will be holding onto it until you get home.

You’ll have to keep an eye on your umbrella, bike, and… underwear

Unfortunately these three things are apparently too good to not steal. My advice is to never let these items out of your sight. They won’t be there when you get back! At some places like hospitals, businesses, and onsens you might find a place to lock up your belongings. Yes, that is what it’s come down to. Lock up your underwear!

Japan sucks if you’re a woman

Oh, you want to get married and become a housewife? Cool, because that is the only socially acceptable option you have. In fact, if you are over 25 and not married don’t be surprised if you get called a Christmas Cake. This is Japanese slang for a woman that is past her prime (as Christmas Cakes are discounted on the 25th of December). Cool and normal. When you are working, you’ll enjoy the benefits of getting paid much less than men. This is because companies don’t see a need to invest in your career as it is expected you won’t have one for long!

You might think it is ironic that a country as ‘futuristic’ as Japan could be so behind when it comes to gender equality (Japan sits in 120th place out of 153 countries with a gender equality gap of 34.4%). It is important to note that Japan is fundamentally a very traditional country, holding strong collectivist and hierarchical ideologies. It is very hard for women to climb up the corporate ladder in Japan. This is because women are still expected to take sole responsibility of managing the household (including finances) and child-rearing. Out of all the pros and cons of living in Japan, this is the one that really makes staying long term hard to fathom for me.

You’ll never, ever, get what you really want

The flip side of Japanese service being really good is that it only applies to what (and who) the company is willing to serve. There are no compromises in Japan. If a place is concerned that they will not be able to deliver what you are expecting, you can expect to not be served at all. This is why you’ll struggle to remove or add anything on a menu or you may be excluded from services that ordinary Japanese citizens can use because they worry they won’t be able to provide you exceptional service in another language.

…And you’ll never be able to complain about it!

It’s important to remember that every country is not perfect, however we can’t grow without acknowledging our mistakes and setting new goals. But people get really defensive about Japan. Like, really, really defensive. That is in part because the Japanese government is a marketing guru – they spend millions and millions promoting Japanese culture overseas each year. And it works! In the 21st century, Japan has become as romanticised as Paris. If someone has drank the Kool Aid, they’re going to take your criticism personally. Weirdly, it is the people that have never been to Japan that get the most upset when you tell them that Japan is just a normal country and not an anime dreamland…