12 things I am grateful for living in Japan

[@birdman4565]

It's so easy to take for granted all the great things about this country, and videos like this remind us to be grateful. Another way I remind myself is by visiting my home country :)

[@RetireJapan_OG]

Ha, ha, I often feel like that when I go back to the UK...

[@JossHarris-pv6wj]

I love that in restaurants, you automatically get given water, unlike in the UK where I would always feel guilty for asking for "tap water".

[@RetireJapan_OG]

That is a great point! I'd forgotten about that.

[@jonathanbrowne7213]

I agree with your baker's dozen. Here are a few more that I would add: > The outdoors: Although I live in a huge city, it's easy and affordable to get to the mountains. > The urban environment: City air quality is pretty good. The streets are clean. Urban infrastructure works. > Tenant rights: Reikin and renewal fees are a drag, but I am more secure as a tenant than in my home country. > Reasonable immigration procedures and costs: Visa renewal costs a few thousand yen and isn't onerous. > Domestic travel / Tourism:. Lots of regions and sites to enjoy exploring. > Sense of community: I am accepted and participate in community events and groups. > Stability and calm: People aren't at each other's throats over polarizing political differences. > Artisanal products: The skill and effort that goes into many products from food to furnishings. > Traditional arts: From kabuki and calligraphy to karate and carpentry.

[@RetireJapan_OG]

Wow, that is an entire second video right there 😀

[@MichaelGrossman-v1i]

Great list. Agree with all. Would add clean, free restrooms just about wherever you go.

[@edik9184]

Same here! Number one on my list! Clean, free, available toilets anywhere! 🎉

[@RetireJapan_OG]

That is a very good point.

[@CassieG.]

I had a phobia (?) okay, severe aversion to public restrooms while living in this US because they can just be nasty. Besides for the old-fashioned smelly ones that still exist, most bathrooms in Tokyo are renovated and very nice now!

[@robertgulfshores4463]

Agree with all 12+. Also .. Snow skiing (so much fun in Japan!!), Baseball!! I don't even like baseball, but somehow going to a game in Japan is so much fun! Scooters and Keitora! My fav scooter / motorcycle in the world is the Honda Super Cub and I've always wanted a little Kei Truck, with a lift or dump feature, and maybe a camper too.

[@RetireJapan_OG]

The Super Cub is definitely iconic 😃

[@douglasXwilliams]

Agree with all... people are very kind & polite; people taking their work/jobs seriously; rarely, if ever, feeling anxious or afraid walking around at night;...but especially the SUN!!! Even in the winter, when it is super cold 0°C or lower, when it is sunny it just feels so much better.

[@RetireJapan_OG]

Sitting here now with the sun streaming through the windows, 2 degrees outside, glorious day 😁

[@andretoyo]

Totally agree with u. Especially 3 & 10. Everytime i go bk to Brazil those i miss much from here.

[@RetireJapan_OG]

I want to visit Brazil again!

[@Ypsilion]

I agree with your picks, and as a woman, I like how we can walk out at night in safety when coming back home from nomikais or just any plain ol' overtime. Japan's countryside is also beautiful and has much to offer.

[@RetireJapan_OG]

Glad to hear!

[@julioperestrelo3859]

Vert nice video. I would also put on the list: - Cleanliness. Never underestimate the effect on your mental health of walking in a clean environment. - Nature. Although beaches in Japan are not the best, it still has some of the most beautiful mountains, rivers, valleys, and since most Japanese are working non stop or are not into nature, you have all this scenery just for you. - Tradition. I love the fact that most Japanese people keep up with their traditions a thanks to that there’s a lot of opportunities of entertainment like festivals and it also keep people United by their culture. - Controled immigration. When compared with most countries in Europe, Japan has a very selective immigration procedure and this helps to prevent massive immigration, especially of people who are not willing to adapt and end up causing trouble for the society.

[@RetireJapan_OG]

Love Japanese mountains.

[@morganp7238]

+plenty of racing tracks, off-road and tarmac +plenty of hiking, mountaneering, etc

[@RetireJapan_OG]

The hiking is great.

[@r8m8s8]

Interesting video and reflective exercise! Many of your finance related videos I am meaning to watch and learn but haven't made time >< Thanks for the content Ben!

[@RetireJapan_OG]

Welcome anytime 😁

[@neilmcdonald4818]

Cheap and decent enough coffee available at konbini, Japanese people being generally happy and non violent when drunk, bicycle parking available at most places, reasonably priced healthcare, reasonably priced home internet and mobile phone bills.

[@RetireJapan_OG]

I like your list. Bicycles, coffee, and internet 😁

[@VR_JPN]

I'd also add the health service, but apart from that... oh, the vending machines everywhere, but apart from that... oh, people not tramping around your place in outdoor shoes, but apart from that... oh, your employer paying for travel expenses, but apart from that...

[@RetireJapan_OG]

Nice!

[@SwissTanuki]

Finally, you look like a retired person. Nice beard 😊

[@RetireJapan_OG]

Ha, ha, every couple of years I grow a beard and remember that I don't like having a beard 😂

[@guillaumek8035]

The simple fact that Japanese people are still like in Thailand and India or many other places in Asia still praying to the shrines and temples of Japan, yet the only one in a developped country, being Shinto or Buddhist, it makes the invisible world alive and it feeds the spiritual land. Humans are connected and happy, a good people and good children due to the fact that mothers don’t work because that’s their job, to educate and give love to their children rather than the state taking care of them . Children are happy and lovely to see and be around, not neurotic brats here! Many more things but I ll stop

[@JOHNJFRZ]

Hi Ben, Wonder if you can answer an unrelated question for me! Do you know of any decent and credible companies in Japan that can translate a koseki tohon (to be used for registering a birth in japan with the uk government?) J

[@RetireJapan_OG]

I don't specifically, but you may be able to do it yourself. I would ask the British Embassy, they should know or be able to point you in the right direction: www.gov.uk/world/organisations/british-embassy-tokyo

[@JOHNJFRZ]

Thanks Ben! Will give them a call tomorrow!!@@RetireJapan_OG

[@benfukuyama2112]

Beautiful ladies

[@RetireJapan_OG]

😁

[@emikami1]

You forgot "no tipping", Kawaii culture, Anime culture, and unspeakable sin city activities. Polite and considerate - There's the flip side of this. Because kids are trained to be polite in school, you don't really know what's in the other person's mind. There's a concept called "Honne To Tatemae (本音と建前)" Honne - True feelings Tatemae - What is acceptable and expected in the particular situation. Let's say you are the boss and you gave assigned some work to one of your subordinates. He/she will usually respond as if they are "happy to help" but in reality, it might not be what they want to do at that moment, they might have their own ideas as to how this work can be eliminated or done more efficiently. They might not express that at all. Part of fitting into the group done to extreme sacrificing individual opinion in the name of teamwork and avoiding conflicts at all costs. That's the expectation in Japan. Since this is common knowledge in Japan, you are expected to already be aware of this norm and expect to read people's mind to some extent and act accordingly. Safety Japan is a real thing. Even in the supposedly most dangerous place in Japan with two groups of organized crime headquartered there, I saw elementary school kids walking to school on their own just like any other place in Japan. It's probably safer than some of the safest cities in the U.S.

[@RetireJapan_OG]

No tipping is good, but it wasn't a huge thing in Europe when I left either 😃

[@JaviLavandeira]

@@RetireJapan_OG I don't know about the tipping culture in Europe because I haven't been there for a very long time either, but in the US it is out of control. It has reached a point where you go to a shop to order a coffee and they ASK for a tip at the register, before bringing your drink. Even worse: those shops at the airport where you grab your drink or food from the shelf yourself and bring it to the person sitting at the register to pay... and they still ask you for a tip (!). It makes me feel very uncomfortable every time I visit the US.

[@RetireJapan_OG]

I get the feeling that is a US thing, and thankfully most (all?) other countries don't have it. Hoping it doesn't get exported!@@JaviLavandeira

[@birdman4565]

It's worse in the UK, so far as restaurants go, because 15% service charge is generally automatically added to the bill, regardless of whether you thought it was good, bad or indifferent. Sure, you don't technically have to pay it, but it takes a brave, self-confident person to refuse. Then there's the issue of restaurants stealing tips from their staff...

[@emikami1]

@@birdman4565 It is common practice in the US to share the tip pool to the restaurant and sometimes other workers (the waiter and drivers tend get tipped but cooks often do not). There's a propaganda problem with the US restaurant industry claiming is normal to tip 20-30% when Pew Research polls indicate people still tip around 15% and 20% for excellent service. I wonder if that average excludes people who didn't tip at all. There was a slight increase in tipping percentage for younger people (gullible and more easily manipulated by propaganda) than older people. The older people might eat out a bit more upscale thus I suspect the actual tip is higher for older generation than the younger generation. It's a stupid system. They should just make it a law to add the service and the tax into the menu price so it is clear as to what is being paid. If the business can't survive by posting the honest total cost, they don't deserve to survive anyway.

[@shibafujiwatches2808]

Low mortgage rates.

[@RetireJapan_OG]

Definitely!