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I cannot really compare it with other countries, but isn’t it fairly common everywhere that a noticeable percentage of late-night passengers are heavily drunk?
Also, if someone vomits there, the vehicle often cannot continue operating afterward. Considering the cleaning costs and lost business time, the fee seems pretty reasonable to me.
Considering the recent increase in highly individualistic names in Japan, it would not be surprising if names written in hiragana also become more common.
However, many modern “unique” names tend to share a particular characteristic, and I suspect that this is also one reason why kanji names still remain dominant.
That characteristic is intentionally separating the kanji from their expected pronunciation.
One thing that often confuses people learning Japanese is that exceptions in kanji readings have existed for a very long time, especially in place names and proper nouns. Long before recent naming trends, Japanese already had a tradition of assigning unconventional readings to certain names and locations.
For people choosing names, this creates interesting possibilities. They can combine the visual meaning of the kanji itself with a completely different intended pronunciation and nuance.
As more parents try to create highly distinctive names, this flexibility naturally gets used more and more.
As a result, even though many names still use kanji, it has become increasingly difficult to guess how some names are actually pronounced. I often hear that schools, hospitals, and government offices already experience confusion because of this.
Thank you for the comment. That is exactly what I mean.
People who are neither the original victims nor directly involved often use past historical events as a political or moral weapon against descendants who themselves had nothing to do with those events.
The degree to which people consciously do this probably varies. Still, I feel deep anger and resentment toward the way history is sometimes used as a tool to morally dominate or shame completely unrelated people in the present.
Thank you for the comment.
Personally, I think vertical writing is one of the richest and most expressive writing techniques we have.
Even from a practical perspective, for example, if you are writing text on a tall vertical signboard, vertical writing naturally creates a more readable and visually fitting appearance.
I do not deny the mistakes of the past.
However, no nation in history has continued forever to define its entire identity as something shameful. If that were to become an eternal obligation, then future generations would be forced to carry the cross of being treated as sinners from the moment they are born, because of events that happened before they even existed.
I do not believe our descendants should be forced to live that way forever.
Your country probably also has many stains and mistakes in its history if you look back far enough. Yet people still try to see meaning and hope in their nation’s past and future. Otherwise, people would eventually lose the ability to live positively within their own society.
A senior coworker at my former office was a big fan of hers and used to attend her concerts regularly. From what I have heard, she still has a very loyal fanbase that wants to relive the atmosphere of those days, so tickets are usually expensive and often difficult to obtain. If you truly want to make that wish come true, I think you would need to prepare seriously in advance.
As for “artists from the same era,” the situation varies greatly. Some still maintain popularity close to hers, while others are technically still active but live almost like ordinary people now. For the latter type, you can sometimes see them at relatively affordable small events if you get the chance.
That said, many of them may not remain active for much longer. If this is something you really hope to do, it is probably better to start planning sooner rather than later.
Personally, when it comes to food, I am actually a very conservative and picky person. I prefer sticking to familiar variations of meals I already know.
(Even when I traveled abroad, I often ended up eating snacks or McDonald’s.)
That said, as many people already know, Japanese society in general tends to be very enthusiastic about food, and cuisine from many different cultures has already been introduced into Japan.
I would not be surprised if Japan eventually becomes one of the countries where you can eat the widest variety of international cuisines in the world.
In the 1980s, it would not be considered an outrageous statement to say that her music and fashion had some of the strongest influence in Japan.
But that was already 40 years ago. Enough time has passed for her daughter to grow up, become active in the entertainment industry herself, and tragically pass away years ago.
Of course, her popularity today is calmer than it was at her peak, and there are probably younger people who do not know her well.
Still, her achievements remain enormous, and the value of her music has not faded.
Thanks for the clarification.
Foreigners in Japan are often discussed in the media and on social media, so people may end up overestimating their presence in areas outside their own everyday environment.
In reality, there are quite a lot of foreigners walking around the Shibuya Station area, although most of them are tourists.
I tend to be quite particular about stereoscopic 3D. From that perspective, I can see that the conversion is done very well, but there are still some noticeable imperfections when you look closely. I do acknowledge that both the efficiency and overall quality of the conversion are impressive, but I feel we may be approaching the limits of what AI-based conversion can currently achieve.
In that sense, I’m personally very grateful that the device also supports native side-by-side formats, including half-SBS. With properly prepared content in those formats, we can enjoy a more “true” 3D experience rather than relying on AI-based pseudo conversion.
I’m not entirely sure about the premise here.
Where exactly is your school located? Is it in a moderately urban area or a rural area? Is it a tourist-heavy place, or an area with many foreign workers? Is it a highly academic school, or just an ordinary public junior high school?
What matters most, I think, is having an accurate understanding of the actual situation. However, people do not always perceive reality accurately, and there are also reasons why they may imagine things to be larger than they really are. That perception itself can also have meaning.
That said, I do find it interesting that you haven’t really shared your own thoughts about the result yet. If possible, I’d actually like to hear your personal impression first.
People living in Osaka are often said to have a strong sense of comedy, so if you set up a joke, anyone will play along with it. At least, that’s how TV shows and media often portray it.
I think only people who actually live there can really say how true that is in practice.
I’ve never lived near Osaka myself, so I can’t really comment from personal experience.
For this question, I don’t think it’s really something that should be explained specifically as part of Japanese culture.
People probably just judge the situation around them and think that there are tired people — or people trying to sleep — nearby (including themselves), and act out of consideration for them.
I see. So despite me explicitly explaining the contradiction between the actual wording of Article 9 and Japan’s current military reality, you still reduce it to “it bans war.”
At that point, it’s pretty clear you’re not interested in seriously examining the issue itself, so there’s probably nothing more to discuss.
I did spend my youth during that period, so technically I am part of the demographic you're asking about. But we're talking about 40 years ago, and a lot of those memories have faded over time.
If you have more specific questions, I'll answer what I can. But if it's something I've forgotten, or something that was outside my interests even back then, I may not be able to give a good answer. Thanks.
When you enter a society where most people look and behave very differently from yourself, you may end up being seen as unusual or treated somewhat differently. I do not think that experience is unique to Japan. As long as humans live in groups, that kind of reaction can probably happen anywhere.
You are not necessarily wrong to interpret some of those experiences as racial discrimination. However, I personally do not think every uncomfortable social interaction can realistically be solved through laws or etiquette campaigns alone.
Honestly, I think the most practical solution is simply becoming accustomed to that kind of discomfort. If that is difficult, then unfortunately the only thing you can really do may be to wait it out until your trip is over.
その問い、むしろ r/AskTheWorld で聞いてみたい気がする。
日本人がありがたがって努力している傍ら、他国ではほとんど関心がないのでは？という恐れね。
この件についての情報あったら教えてくれるとうれしいです。
Yo quick question.
First of all, have you actually read Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution?
Article 9 does not merely renounce war in a general sense. It literally states that Japan shall not maintain land, sea, air, or any other war potential, and that the right of belligerency will not be recognized.
And yet Japan possesses missiles and various weapons, while the Self-Defense Forces are officially treated as something other than a military through constitutional interpretation.
Personally, I find this situation rather artificial, or at least politically convenient. Doesn’t that contradiction bother you?
As others have already mentioned, the use of katakana for Korean names in Japan largely came from requests and conventions on the Korean side.
South Korea has largely abandoned the use of Hanja in everyday official and public writing, and I understand that the number of Koreans who cannot personally write their own names in Hanja has also increased.
Given that situation, I actually find it more natural that people in other countries are becoming less aware that many Korean names are derived from Chinese characters. To be honest, I find the premise of your surprise more unusual.
I have also heard that there are movements within Korea that wish to revive Hanja education and usage. If that situation changes significantly in the future, then perhaps this discussion may also change as well.
This is my first time trying to join a meetup like this.
I’m a native Japanese person and basically only speak Japanese.
I used to explore Akihabara very often in the past, but I haven’t really visited much in the last five years, so I probably can’t guide people around anymore.
My main interest this time is shops that deal with retro Japanese PCs and games from around the Famicom era or even older.
That said, I’ve continued playing games ever since then, so depending on the genre and preferences, I think I may still be able to have conversations about games from various eras.
Would that be okay?
Sorry if this makes things more confusing, but just for reference, I would like to explain how these terms are generally distinguished in Japan.
“Manga” and “anime” are not necessarily understood as the same thing in Japanese usage.
Manga = Japanese comics
Anime = Japanese animation
Doraemon originally started as a manga series, and was later adapted into anime.
Of course, I cannot really say how these words are understood in your own country, but this is the basic distinction in Japan.
I think your impression is fairly reasonable.
In general, Japanese people tend to feel positively when foreign tourists wear traditional Japanese clothing—it is usually seen as appreciation rather than disrespect.
The same applies to anime T-shirts. While they may look a bit humorous at times, it is still often seen as enjoyable and harmless enthusiasm for Japanese culture.
You should reconsider how your question is framed.
It seems to treat Japan’s declining birth rate as the core issue, but then shifts toward immigration as a conclusion. If your real interest is immigration policy, it would be clearer to frame the question around that directly, rather than linking it to a different underlying issue.
Japan once had community cultures somewhat similar to Reddit during the era of PC communication services and the early internet. However, many of those communities declined over time as the internet evolved, and nowadays many people probably do not even know they ever existed.
Because of that, if you want to do community-based market research in Japan today, I think it is more realistic to look across multiple platforms, including X. That said, I am not very familiar with the actual know-how of that kind of research myself.
I assume you are speaking sarcastically, but not only Takaichi — most postwar Japanese governments have been in a position where they ultimately need to follow American intentions to some extent. This is naturally true from an economic perspective, but especially in terms of military power, since Japan cannot realistically deal with threats from surrounding countries without American support.
In recent years, those regional threats have been increasing rapidly, while at the same time Japan has had to deal with Trump’s highly self-centered style of politics, which probably makes this tendency appear even more noticeable.
Of course, I do think there are visible paths toward gradually changing this situation in the future.
One is for Japan to possess sufficient military capability to defend itself more independently. If that happens, Japan would be able to act with less concern about American intentions. From that perspective, constitutional revision is, in my opinion, essential. Japan’s current constitutional framework was created under strong American influence after the war, and as a result constitutional revision has become politically very difficult. However, the Japanese government appears to be steadily preparing for such changes.
Another path is to maintain a close relationship with the United States while also having Japan’s own intentions better reflected in American policy. Under the current situation, where Trump is extremely unilateral, Japan is probably occupied just trying to maintain stable relations. Still, I personally believe that if circumstances become calmer in the future, the two countries may eventually be able to coordinate more closely again — although that may happen under the next American president rather than this one.
As you yourself mentioned, I think the value of this kind of experience depends heavily on personal taste, so other people’s opinions may not be all that helpful. (Personally, I am not very interested in geisha gatherings myself, so I would consider that price far too expensive.)
I also think the “distance” involved should be included in how you evaluate the value of the experience. For native Japanese people, going to Kanazawa is relatively easy if they really want to. But for many people overseas, even having the opportunity to visit Japan at all may be something limited or special.
I think there is also the question of whether the people commenting here are actually Japanese in the first place. And even if someone claims to be knowledgeable about politics, most people here are probably not experts.
That said, I would not say this place is useless as a reference. The reason is that you can find opinions here from people with many different perspectives and values regarding Japanese politics.
In other words, on social media like this, I think there is value not so much in a small number of supposedly expert opinions, but rather in being exposed to a wide variety of ordinary viewpoints. If there is a specific perspective you would like to know about, try creating another topic here. There have already been many discussions on various subjects in the past, so I also recommend searching through older threads.
I do not particularly have anything to say about people who come to dislike Japan based on their own personal experiences.
Japan is neither entirely good nor entirely bad, and it is unfortunate but possible that someone may have a negative experience there. From the perspective of such a person, Japan being “bad” is their own reality.
If I were to add anything, it would be that I find it somewhat narrow-minded when such personal experiences are generalized into universal claims.
On the other hand, I am also aware that there are people who use such personal anecdotes to speak negatively about Japan as a whole. When I encounter opinions that differ from my own understanding, I simply explain my perspective in a calm manner. Of course, that does not necessarily change the other person’s view, but I believe that expressing my view that I do not want people to be influenced by impression manipulation is the only thing I can do.
I am aware that many people in South Korea support the idea of their country possessing nuclear weapons. I also understand that some people believe that if Japan were to possess nuclear weapons, it would imply that South Korea should have the same right.
However, speaking from my own perspective as a Japanese person, I feel that among those in South Korea who support such views, there is sometimes a tendency to somewhat underestimate the true horror of nuclear weapons.
Possessing nuclear weapons would certainly increase a country’s security against external threats.
However, Japan is a country that has experienced both the devastation caused by nuclear weapons and the disasters of nuclear power plant meltdowns, and is arguably the nation that most deeply understands their horror in the world.
I do not think this issue should be avoided in discussion, but it is not something that can be concluded lightly.
(Also, the premise of “if Japan were allowed to develop nuclear weapons” is somewhat unclear. Who would allow it, and under what framework? The assumption itself seems ambiguous from the beginning.)
Whether or not a company responds to fan requests is entirely up to the company.
Of course, there are many circumstances on the company’s side, such as cases where it is not commercially viable due to low expected sales, or other practical constraints that make it difficult to respond even if they wanted to.
In this regard, it does not really matter whether the request comes from overseas or domestically. I think it is rare for fan requests to be implemented exactly as they are.
Even so, I believe fan feedback is encouraging for developers and can be useful for future reference. I think it is best to share such requests without expecting too much.
If I consider various possibilities, there are likely other candidates as well, but at this moment, the Japanese person I personally respect is Satoru Iwata of Nintendo (deceased).
Nintendo’s position as a major company in the video game industry was built under its former president, Hiroshi Yamauchi. However, at one point, that position was taken by Sony.
In that situation, Yamauchi appointed Iwata as his successor.
Iwata was a highly skilled programmer, and at the same time a person widely respected for his warmth and strong empathy, and deeply committed to providing entertainment to others. His abilities were already well known within Nintendo, which was a business partner at the time. Yamauchi appointed Iwata, who had been president of an outside company, as his successor for the first time in Nintendo’s history as a family-run company.
Several years later, Iwata succeeded in regaining leadership in the game industry from Sony by increasing the number of people engaged in gaming.
He has many anecdotes, and I believe that some of his ideas have meaning beyond the game industry as well.
One of his approaches was placing importance on direct communication with users. At the time, game media influenced by Sony, the competitor, was dominant in reporting, but he established a method of releasing behind-the-scenes information about game development directly from the company, thereby ensuring that Nintendo could provide the information it intended at the appropriate timing.
I find it interesting that the current Takaichi administration of the Liberal Democratic Party, which was established about half a year ago, appears to be attempting to distribute its progress and achievements directly through social media, thereby freeing itself from framing by political media. This method reminds me of the know-how that Nintendo has used.
While being a genius programmer, and from the perspective of both development and management, he produced games that many people could enjoy and helped change society. Satoru Iwata is a person who showed me the way of life I wanted to become but could not achieve.
Personally, I define “Japanese” by nationality. It’s simple and clear.
That said, based on my own life experience, I probably have a habit of initially assuming that people who look ethnically Japanese are Japanese.
Of course, I can’t speak for everyone. But I think quite a few Japanese people, including older generations, still place some importance on appearance or ancestry.
As Japan’s relationships with immigrants and foreign residents continue to deepen, I feel it may already be time to reconsider what this definition means. In any case, we’re likely entering a period where this question becomes more complex.
