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  • I would say one of the things is the convenience people very much keep to themselves

  • Japanese people are real hard workers being an artist

  • There's so many things happening here caring more about the group harmony than caring about maybe the single person in it

  • Sometimes people can't be as flexible throws a gigantic because some people are so fixed on certain traditions

  • Hierarchy in Japan is a big things that is actually the foreigners not allowed places

  • Hey guys, this is Cathy cat and today we're gonna talk about the things I love and hate about Japan

  • There are so many things I love about Japan, I mean that's why I'm here

  • So it's really hard to start with something

  • But since I'm already holding this drink here, I would say one of the things is the convenience in Japan. It's incredible

  • How much Japanese people have worked and how many intelligent people have made de life here a lot more convenient

  • This is also a thing that many Japanese people will say about their own culture

  • There is like vending machines in every corner in winter. You can get a hot coffee out of a vending machine

  • My family was absolutely excited to see that the convenience stores in Tokyo opened 24 hours and in other parts of the country as well

  • There's quite a lot of things

  • I just tailored towards making life more easier in Japan and more convenient in Japan and a couple of things that when I go back

  • to Germany

  • I kind of miss like in the middle of winter heat of toilet seats are a brilliant invention stuff like that

  • You kind of would miss sooner or later

  • I mean, of course you can live without it. But if you got used to it, it's really hard to sometimes let it go

  • Yes

  • One of the things I really love here in Japan is that people very much keep to themselves. There is a big

  • Live-and-let-live kind of mentality even if people don't like especially what you're doing or maybe don't agree with it

  • No one will rub it into your faces

  • so one of the things is this stranger would never just randomly come up to you and like

  • Tell you their opinion on what you're wearing your choice of fashion

  • This is the thing that really puzzled me in Europe in Japan people. Just they see you. They noticed you but they won't like

  • Really really steer or come up to you and say like, why do you dress like that? I think you shouldn't dress like that

  • They don't wash their opinions on other people and they just let you be and I really really appreciate that

  • Especially with my kind of fashion

  • Japanese people are real hard workers that kind of thought of gambit ISM about trying your

  • Very best is one thing. I really inspired me. Nothing in the end. It brought me here

  • For example one of my classmates when I did an exchange here

  • He was not only learning on - really late at night for his university entrance exams

  • He was also at the same time teaching himself to instruments while also having a school clock running

  • There's so many things he was doing in one week and I was really highly

  • motivated and impressed how hard some Japanese people

  • Will work to just get the most out of their lives make the most with their lives and just experience their lives

  • I found that really really inspiring

  • What many people say that they love about Japan and not also counts for me is that the opportunities here are great

  • So if you are a person who tries really hard

  • Who's inspired to do things you can actually have more opportunities to do that here?

  • For example in Japanese fashion and expression being an artist. There's so many things happening here. I've seen lots of downtown theaters

  • So just like on the lower floor under like another store or just people saying yes

  • I started my own brand or I'm exhibiting things

  • Lots of people are making loads of things happen here, and I don't think it's maybe easier than it might be in your country

  • But they're just more opportunities here and people are taking these

  • Opportunities trying to make a change and trying to push what they really want to do

  • So something people will have a full time job and still have a really cool hobby. I found that super inspiring

  • But to be honest the thing I love the most about Japan

  • Is on a much deeper level in a way and when I feel here in Japan is because Japanese

  • Culture is a wee culture another my culture meaning it's caring more about the group harmony

  • And I'm caring about maybe the single person in it

  • I find that so many things work here that wouldn't work in other countries and I really really love that idea

  • My example that usually give as five people meet and for example in Europe, it'd be the one who has the strongest character

  • Who shouts the loudest saying?

  • I want to go to the cinema and everyone just goes like I didn't really wanna go we went they'll be okay. Everyone just goes

  • But in Japan is a different way. In Japan five people will come together and everyone will say "What do you want to do?"

  • I mean once one person wants to go to the cinema really quiet and shy

  • person want to maybe go and do go to a cafe and stuff like that and people will try to find a group harmony and

  • Say hey, how about okay, we could go to the cinema

  • but how about afterwards we go to that cafe that she wants to go to or we go to the cafe and make some we

  • Go to the cinema because you've already watched it recently stuff like that people

  • Just look at what after the group harmony and sometimes people won't say very hurtful things to other people

  • In order to just keep up the group harmony

  • I think in Germany we were very direct and will sometimes say things that maybe we just

  • Shouldn't say or just maybe look after each other a little bit more

  • And I think that thought of just caring more about the group harmony than just about yourself

  • Is the thing that we can all learn something from of course?

  • everything has its plus and minus and some people will not look out for others, but

  • Generally the idea of looking out for each other is the thing

  • What makes Tokyo run so well here because people look out for the other person even in the crowded trains

  • We have a system that works and I think without this Tokyo wouldn't work the way we see it now

  • The customer service in Japan is absolutely amazing

  • But sometimes what I have realized and some of my friends have realized here, sometimes people can't be as flexible

  • So for example in America

  • it's okay to can I have this dish without this but instead of this with that and I change it around with that and people

  • We're like, oh it's fine as the kitchen

  • Well in many places in Japan

  • It doesn't work like that certain things come as a set and you can't change anything in it

  • Even though it's maybe them just taking an item or switching it for something

  • It doesn't work like that. Now if you use to that culture, it's a very it's been impractical. I mean, it's the

  • Psychology the sales rack dilemma

  • One of my friends saw an item in a store the next time she came in it was on sale

  • so she wanted to get that item and

  • Try it on first and they said no you can't because it's on the sales rack and she was like, yes

  • But I could have tried it on last week when it was on the sales rack. So can I just try it on it?

  • They were like no because now it's on the say lipstick and the argument

  • She just kept repeating is it's a sales item and that's why you can't try it on so she wasn't being able to flex about

  • That so she asked the manager and says why can I not try on items that are on the sales rack and her answer was?

  • Because it's on the sales rack. So some things are not as flexible as they might be just be prepared for that

  • It's sometimes a little bit inconvenient. But apart from that customer service here is pretty great

  • The nature here in Japan is a lot different to the nature in Europe

  • For example, which means there are typhoons there earthquakes. There's tsunamis that quite a lot of natural disasters

  • Also the insects here are huge compared to Europe. This is the whole thing

  • So I'm not used to even the crows a gigantic and I understand that certain things are different

  • But sometimes I'll just be absolutely scared apparently in Tokyo

  • You are always close to some kind of roach somewhere because a lot of roaches out because people put that garbage out

  • In front of their places just in a plastic garbage bag the crows open it the roaches eat it

  • This is the only thing I'm just like a little bit freaked out about that. I

  • Don't particularly like and I'm up. So do you freaked out and scared by the roaches because they're really big and

  • Really intelligent and yeah

  • Yes

  • Japan is a culture of

  • Traditions and I think thanks to those traditions

  • We still have some really valuable aspects of Japanese culture that haven't been removed by the new culture

  • But you know the new area which is great and I'm grateful for that

  • However, because some people are so fixed on certain traditions

  • We sometimes don't have things that I wish we had a little bit more of like equality issues

  • glass less of the glass ceiling and

  • Also just late LBT LGBT inclusion certain things like that

  • There's some things that are still a couple of years behind for example compared to you Europe in such a case

  • And it's a little bit of a shame, but I know

  • The times are changing some things are changing already right now

  • But sometimes I just I just wish we had a little bit more of these things to make a lot of people a lot happier

  • Hierarchy in Japan is a big thing

  • So there's the whole senpai kohai?

  • How you react to?

  • The person was over you the persons under you and I think due to that we have some very great things. For example

  • That the same pie looks out after the kohai so they might for example

  • If someone joins the company they pay them a meal they help them out. That is really great. But um

  • Everything in culture always has a plus and a minus side and I find sometimes what I see is that the hierarchy in certain?

  • situations especially business situations is

  • So far away that new people young people who come into your company of great ideas. They can't really voice them

  • they can't really bring them up because the higher

  • Generation the older generation doesn't quite understand it or the younger

  • Generation is not in the position yet to voice such ideas

  • and I think that is such a shame because I think with the

  • connection between younger and older people on people of different hierarchies

  • We could make so many more things happen in Japan

  • We could create so many cool things and I know their companies

  • We're not trying to break this up and trying to change that patent

  • So, like I said, they're really good things about hierarchy in Japan

  • but sometimes I feel some people suffer from

  • Being on the bad side of the hierarchy and not being able to do what they really want and voice your opinions and ideas

  • So I think Japan will hopefully change that a little bit

  • So it's a little bit easier for everyone

  • No matter if you just start out or if you've been in something for a long time to do that

  • I know that we need the feature of the higher-ups of the people have more experience than us totally and agree with that

  • But sometimes I think if it's just a hierarchy thing and you can't say certain things. It's a shame we can make it better

  • To be honest, the first 4 points is something a I can still live with you know, I know that times are changing

  • However, this special one is one that I'm really

  • Personally sad about that

  • I have cried about because it's upset me so much and that is actually the foreigners

  • Not allowed places and what I mean like there are if you look for apartments

  • You will get turned down at many apartments if you are a foreigner

  • And it's makes me so sad

  • I've seen perfect apartments where I really wanted to live and a real estate agent called them and they were like

  • Oh you are you free, and they were like, yes, we're looking for tenants

  • And then it turns out that they just don't accept me because I'm a foreigner

  • It doesn't matter how well your Japanese skill is it doesn't matter how long you've lived in Japan?

  • They'll just see foreigner and they straight turn you down. And that makes me really sad. I know there are reasons for that but

  • It's just one thing that I hope will change because

  • You know, you're foreigners are really trying to make a change in here trying to you know

  • Be good tenants and do all of that and it'd be nice if what Japanese people give them a chance to do that

  • I mean, it's the older generation who might still have negative views about having a tenant who is a foreigner

  • so I hope that will change but um

  • Yeah, does one of the things I love personally has upset me quite a lot and hope that will change

  • But I love living in Japan it's a great adventure

  • And before you come to Japan or if you intend to live in Japan

  • maybe make yourself aware of the things that are negative every any

  • Culture every culture has plus and minus points to it and you just need to find out if your priorities

  • Much with that culture and that country because you will sooner or later have to adapt to certain

  • Cultural standards that are in the country. So I hope you learned something

  • I hope you enjoy the sweetie, please

  • please leave a like it makes a big change for us as

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  • Week to give out in whichever country. All right. Hope you enjoyed this. This is me being real honest

  • So I hope you leave some nice comments down below about what you love and hate either about Japan or maybe your culture

  • What is great about your culture? What is not so great about your culture? Let us know. Let's be honest with each other. I

  • Because I hope I catch you soon for more staff on Japanese

I would say one of the things is the convenience people very much keep to themselves

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