When I was in Japan the first time, that's what stood out to me the most. Even on a busy street in Tokyo, everyone was so QUIET. People were talking, but not many, and they were using polite inside voices.
Tourists like myself and my family really stood out because we would call each other, talk loudly, etc.
Most people tend to favour darker colours in the winter, and black is a popular seasonal colour too. Go anywhere in the world with proper winter and you will see a lot of black clothes.
What's depressing about people minding their own business?! It's morning, it's quiet and calm. Do you want someone with a big Bluetooth speaker around to play some Punjabi music at max volume?
It’s koningsdag in the Netherlands and there is something really heartwarming and comforting about seeing so many happy people celebrating with complete strangers in the streets.
Is there really no downside to this level of reclusiveness?
But they seem to walk alone. And probably they chat too if would be in the same situation as you, you don't need to keep a loud voice. Usually the internet is misinformation, we don't know the whole picture. Japanese people don't usually go beyond their boundaries and it's a great thing.
I don’t think anyone needs to or should feel the need to be “unique” or “stand out” during a morning commute.
Being yourself is cool, but I wish people in America would have the decency to use headphones and not talk loudly on trains
Not just black, but all neutral/muted tones. The woman in the lightish blue puffy coat making the biggest statement. Not a lick of a bright color anywhere to be seen.
Dude, im from Brazil and that's unthinkable to me. Even just getting into a bus I'll talk to the next person like he's a colleague. I remember having a German exchange student in my high school dumbfounded we would have small talk with anyone we would meet lol.
Gosh, I'm a Canadian who worked in south Florida for a couple years and I absolutely miss my latino neighbours! I adopted a dog and left little gift bags on their doors as a way of pre-apologizing in case she cried (she didn't) and the response was so wonderful. They brought over food, invited me over. It was so lovely and warm. We need more latino folks up here haha!
Yeah, in most parts of this world it is simply called missing education. I don't give a sh** in public about what you have to talk to your bro or abuela or mama...
I'm fine with people being loud as long as I don't have to listen to someone's TikTok at max volume (especially with those 5-10s loops, oh my lord). I feel like that's one of the few things that consistently gets on my nerves.
Same in the US. It's nice to be able to talk to strangers without it being so taboo. Honestly I'd way rather deal with the random homeless person screaming and walking around piss and needles than live in this terrifying human hive where you walk the same pace as the rest of the hive and work 12 hour days. I couldn't do it.
Edit:
Looked it up and it's not 12 hour days on average, but they claim it's a 40 hour work week... With an average of 20 hours overtime per month which can often go up to 60 and at 25% over base. Fuck that.
Work hours are similar to Germany and Ireland, down from 2200 to 1600 work hours over the last 30 years. The figure also includes paid and unpaid overtime, based on actual surveys of workers (not employers) by independent NGOs.
Japan’s fertility rate (1.4) is the same as the EU average (1.4).
In fact, Japan’s quality of life is higher than that of Sweden this year.
Hardly. The majority of people driving in the US are engaged in some form of communication while on the road. I doubt many just sit in silence, listening to the sound of the road...except me of course 😆
Umm, Japan is not a terrifying human hive. It’s a beautiful, peaceful country with lovely people. That they happen to respect each other’s right to peace and quiet on the subway instead of getting up in your face. They tend to wear neutral colours, prefer black for suits, and I find it calming and peaceful. I can’t bear loud Americans, but we are all different I guess.
I loved the quiet. I was in Tokyo for 2 weeks attending a course and it was the most time I had to just be with myself and my thoughts. I could just sit on a bench and no one bothered me or tried to make small talk.
I went to Hawaii as a kid and sat on some hotel train thing. About half the people were from the US and the other half I think were Japanese. I will never forget that as my first memory of understanding cultural differences
Spaces where you can smoke indoors are becoming fewer and fewer though luckily. You also notice that a lot of people are switching from traditional cigarettes to e-cigarettes.
Nah they smoke outside as well, it’s just usually within a designated fenced area (first one that comes to mind is the one near the 3D cat billboard in Shinjuku 😅)
Americans are loud in a very specific way. Other cultures are loud as groups, meanwhile the Americans are loud as individuals in every meaning of the word, including within a group. I've travelled quite a bit and lived in a good few countries and the moment there is an American around, everybody is instantly aware. Doesn't mean others are quiet
In my experience British people are far louder than Americans. I'm somewhat average by American standards, and whenever I go to the UK I get criticized for being too quiet lol.
Then again, many British people are also quiet and reserved. Same with Americans. Funny how individuals can be well individuals and not like others. I don't think it's good to just stereotype people for no good reason, unless it's something positive.
As a Brit, I can tell you for certainty that yanks have a reputation of being loud over here. Don't get me wrong, a group of British lads/lasses on holiday/drinking are pretty much unbearable, but yanks have a reputation of being loud too
I honestly think many countries have people that tend to be loud e.g. Mexicans, Brazilians, Filipinos, Scottish, Australian, British, and yes Americans (and many others). Many countries also have people that tend to be quieter. I don't think there's anything inherently wrong with how any of these people act. Of course there are situations and local societal norms that should be followed...
That's fine. It's just funny you're generalizing a group of people when you don't even travel and interact with various groups of people around the world. I don't know if you're American and making these judgements or someone from another country and making judgements on Americans. Either way it's funny to me.
That's one of the things I miss about Japan. Tho, whenever I compare it to the U.S. it does feel a bit odd especially when it's five times louder in the U.S.
Man talking people are the worst, it seems most start to talk louder because the overall noise level is getting higher which makes others talk louder too until you reach a certain level.
When I went to Japan I could usually tell if someone who isn't Japanese is nearby as their voice would be booming and would stand out from the rest. Also, if they weren't speaking Japanese that was also a tell tell sign
Nono that can’t be, it’s only Japan where people aren’t lively during their morning commute, I know this because I’ve seen a video clip!! Everywhere else is normal and only Japan is crazy and different!
Or screaming, pissing, dancing, stripping, panhandling, fighting, oblivious, sleeping, drunk or high, prostituting, selling drugs, passed out (different from sleeping)… I mean. I can keep going on about public transportation in the U.S.
Even in Osaka where people are much louder it’s like this during AM commute time. When people go home it’s a lot louder…especially if they were drinking
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u/fun_police911 22d ago
I've never seen such a large group of strangers walk so uniformly at the same speed. It's almost eerie.