A Programmer’s Impression of Japan

[@ByteOfMichael]

The first 1,000 people to use the link will get a 1 month free trial of Skillshare: skl.sh/marselluh12221

[@the22000kyle]

This is a really good video and has made me want to visit Japan, maybe once I have a remote job... Also your devlog's and content are great, keep it up!

[@ByteOfMichael]

Thanks so much!

[@peterstratton9018]

Love to see it my guy

[@ByteOfMichael]

Cheers

[@twentty2063]

Nice video bro, thanks for sharing

[@ByteOfMichael]

Thanks!

[@d3vilscry666]

Amazing video!!!! Tokyo looks so amazing.

[@ByteOfMichael]

Thanks and it honestly is super amazing there!

[@princebujethia]

great video bro

[@ByteOfMichael]

Appreciate it!

[@KingSappy]

Great video

[@ByteOfMichael]

Appreciate it!

[@StealthyShiroeanGames]

So funny story, but about 7 months back I moved country and lost access to my Google account which also means I lost access to my KZbin account. Anyway, I tried to subbing to as many people as I could remember subbing to. I remembered your channel but couldn't remember the name and couldn't find it again. I figured YT would work its algorithm and eventually recommend your videos to me, and lo and behold, it did. But to add to the story, the country I moved from was Japan. And I ended up moving not quite to Seattle but a suburb close by. So that's neat lol. Anyhow, can confirm, but all your initial impressions about Japan are largely correct. I lived in Japan for 4 years and felt those exact things the entire time I lived in the country. Life where I lived was definitely a lot lower key than Tokyo though. Never been, but from what I hear, Tokyo seems like a completely different beast to the rest of Japan. And there are definitely things about the country that I didn't like living there for so long but I think overall, it's a great place to live if you're able.

[@StealthyShiroeanGames]

@@missplainjane3905 Well, biggest thing is being so far away from family. But I guess outside of that the biggest were the lack of food variety. It was a lot harder to find foods we were used to, which was expected, but still became a bit of an issue for us. We didn't live near/in a huge city center though (such as Tokyo or Osaka) so those things can definitely be mitigated. Our other big issue was that our Japanese was horrible. So it was hard to do normal things at times. But that could also be alleviated over time through just studying the language. It did become easier as we learned more but holding a conversation was still very difficult. My wife also didn't really like having everyone always gawking at her (she's Caucasian). I'm Asian-American though so I never noticed it as much and felt like maybe I blended in a bit more (except when I opened my mouth lol). But all that aside, it's really what you make of it. Honestly, we've been thinking about moving back because of a myriad of reasons and our own situation currently,. But without getting into the weeds, I think the biggest takeaway here is that we enjoyed our lifestyle enough in Japan to want to move back despite the issues we've had in the past.

[@ByteOfMichael]

haha I'm glad you could find the channel again! Dude I'd love to visit Japan again!

[@StealthyShiroeanGames]

@@missplainjane3905 No worries at all. Although, I'd like to preface this by saying there are many many other people out there talking about these things. One suggestion to find some of these answers is the r/japanlife. Also, my experiences are definitely anecdotal so if your plan is to move to Japan don't just take my words at face value. 1) I'd say that Japan is a paradox when it comes to answering this country. Working in the schools (I was an ALT), they were incredibly backwards. Super dated computers, used fax machines, everything felt old and in some ways anachronistic especially when I first moved to Japan. But there are just as many "advanced" things as well as you can plainly see in articles about Japanese tech and innovations. I'd say that's something you probably see in big cities but yeah, Japan is a bit of both. 2) Hmm, that's such a broad array of things to sum up in a number especially since the number is going to be based on my own experiences and preferences so I don't know how much this can really help you. Personally, I'd rate Japan an 8. My overall quality of life was a lot better in Japan compared to the US, but I didn't come from a place with an established career or any assets like owning a house or anything like that. So, living and working in Japan was a big step up for us. Obviously, your mileage may vary depending on your own personal preference and current situation. 3) I would say the Japanese people are much like any other but at the same time have their own things that make them unique. I'd say, in general, Japanese people are very polite. Sure, it may be a surface level thing, but almost no one is directly rude. I'd say many of them pride themselves in their work, but more so pride themselves for doing the proper things necessary to get the work done. Results obviously matter but they don't trump the necessary method/procedure needed to get those results. I think as a foreigner things seem to be easier because Japanese people aren't going to (usually) apply the same cultural norms on you (obviously don't be an asshole though), but I hear that if you work for a typical Japanese company and as you integrate more into Japanese society then things might become more difficult. 4) Safe, Polite, Beautiful

[@StealthyShiroeanGames]

@@missplainjane3905 Oh yeah, definitely. Without a doubt, it's a first world country. The mix between old and new mainly just shows how rich of a culture and history the country has. And the fact, that they still hold a deep respect for their culture and history. Sometimes this may be to the chagrin of a progressive society but I think for the most part it's a good thing. I lived in Fukuoka and Kumamoto prefectures in southern Japan. They were both great places to live and I did get to see some things but didn't do as much traveling around as I would've liked. If you happen to be in Kumamoto then a very popular place would be to see the castle and the accompanying tourist shop village. And bonus points if you can get to the castle during hanami. It's gorgeous. And in Fukuoka City, I'd recommend going to Nokonoshima, which is a small island off of the city coast. You can get there by a ferry and it's a beautiful island with a park to go to. Apparently, there's a really good sushi restaurant there as well but I wasn't able to try it when I visited. Outside of that, I've only been to Osaka and only for a couple of days. I thought the city itself was nice, but I can't really say that much about it. Although, if you like shopping then they have that in spades. It's pretty much like what this video said, there are so many shops it's amazing that they can even stay in business. Bottom line though, I think Japan would be a very safe place to visit solo. In fact, I'd say it's probably the safest place you can visit solo. Traveling within and near-ish larger cities will obviously have a lot more English. But obviously your mileage will vary if you plan on traveling too far off the beaten path because many won't know any English at all. So have Google Translate at the ready if you don't really know any Japanese.

[@StealthyShiroeanGames]

@@missplainjane3905 Hmm, I guess I don't really know. I suppose the one thing that comes to mind and it's a bit cliche but try to be adventurous. May seem weird, especially coming from someone who lived in the country for 4 years. But I wish I had tried more foods, tried to make friends more, get involved in festivals, etc. I never really did those things. I mean, some of it was because of Covid and I had a daughter during my time there, but a lot of it was just because I'm too introverted. So much so that I let it be to my detriment. So I guess it's not really related to Japan, but it will certainly help your enjoyment with the country when you go. Anyway, glad I could help in some small way. I hope when you visit Japan that you have a great experience with the country!

[@boxes8652]

Hi! Do you have any advice on getting a remote job as a software engineer/

[@laminebederina9756]

I want a link to download a game project please

[@kozmobotgames]

I like these videos! I am also a game developer and I make interesting game dev videos.

[@ByteOfMichael]

Thanks and best of luck with the development!

[@anispinner]

bruh

[@nom5065]

First wahooooo yahooo and yippeee also nice bideo me like

[@ByteOfMichael]

Thank you!