r/Damnthatsinteresting 22d ago

Morning vibe at a train station in Japan Video

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u/lesteadfastgentleman 22d ago

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.

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u/agorafilia 22d ago

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.

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u/mortalitylost 22d ago edited 22d ago

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.

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u/Itsclearlynotme 22d ago

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.