Things I question about Japan (or rather, Tokyo), but also like

[lannyworld]

I've been meaning to write posts about this before, but I've been concentrating on well, food. No, this isn't a "tee hee, Japan is weird!" post, but rather things that still perplex me about this country. Do note, there are a lot of things that I DO like about Japan. Those will be noted last, so as to end on a positive note. I've put the explanations behind the cut, since it can be a bit ranty XD

My personal cons

1. Tokyo is an expensive city to live and eat in. Including public transportation.
2. Tokyo doesn't recycle plastic bags and I have too many.
3. Bikers on sidewalks : Now, I've been told that there are rules to not bike on sidewalks. That the right side of the road is specifically for pedestrians. A friend told me this yesterday, and believe me, I was very surprised that rules even existed (albeit written in a book that I don't think anyone has read except for foreigners). See, it's pretty awesome that a lot of people bike here. I'm for that. The problem though, is that bikers and pedestrians alike have to fight for some sidewalk space on a super busy street. These sidewalks are TINY, only enough for two people to walk side by side. Include plenty of foot traffic and bikers dinging their bells so they can pass, it's a pain. Even when there are loads of people like in Shinjuku, bikers keep on trying. I understand that there are almost no bike lanes, and that it can be scary to bike on a super busy road with your kids in the front and back basket while on your cellphone, but please be considerate of people walking XD (...I will admit though, I'm a hypocrite because I would probably also be one of those offenders biking on the sidewalk. The busy streets have no room for bikers.)
   
4. Not stopping for the ambulance : I've noticed how when an ambulance comes through, people go about their business and don't bother to stop until they're forced to. In fact, it's almost like the ambulance is a nuisance. I saw a motorcycle continue going straight while an ambulance had to stop and wait for to turn with it's sirens on. Um yeah, how about that life that could be waiting for this ambulance? It puzzles me to no end.


5. Smokers : Smokers are EVERYWHERE. If you're a non-smoker, this sucks. Now the funny thing is, they don't allow smoking on the streets. There are signs, even policemen holding up signs so people don't smoke and walk. Even funnier? They allow smoking indoors. Some places have separate smoking and non-smoking, although this effort can be laughable depending on where you're seated or how well they've walled up each section. And even if you're in a nice non-smoking section, you might have to go through smoking to get to the bathroom. From what I've seen and been told, I believe they don't allow smoking in the streets to prevent litter (darn cigarette butts!) and because cigarette ash can fall on a child's head. That's right. Apparently there was an ad campaign letting everyone know that the height of your cigarette is the same as a child's, and that's bad! (makes sense though, considering how crowded the streets can be)
6. Train suicides and families footing the bill : Finally, last on my list of things that perplex me and would really like changed in this country. The train suicides. I've encountered three since I've been here, and that's three months of Tokyo living. I know there's probably a suicide every day, and feel for not just the people who choose that way out, but for everyone else involved. So what better way to prevent people from offing themselves in front of a train than by billing their surviving family 100 million yen or more? (this wiki link has some detail) A friend commented that suicide is a selfish act, and that making families pay won't really help. How true. Sure it gives the family shame, but it's a vicious circle depending on how poorly off that family may be. I'll note that some subways and trains have implemented safety measures to prevent suicides, but it's still a broken system. There's a deeper problem here, and so far, I can only observe as an outsider.
   

My personal likes

1. Conbini/convenience stores : They sell things that are even better than at home. Hot buns! Bento boxes, onigiri, baked goods, and anything else you might need. And it's truly convenient to have one every few blocks or so.
2. Cool things in alleys: You might find a bento store. Your local butcher. Indian or Mexican restaurant. The list is endless, although be careful. You might even find your local, er, "special needs for men" places. Unless that's what you were looking for all along.
3. No tip/Good customer service : I like how not only do you not have to tip after you eat at a restaurant, the customer service is almost always EXCELLENT. Even a bad server is a very good server compared to home. What ever happened to customer service in the States? I only encounter kind, helpful people, even bordering on in your face perky. No grumpiness! No "I hate my job and I hate you"! Although I'll admit it's a little hard to get used to the stalker service you get at some places. I like to be left alone when I shop sometimes XD
   
4. Public transportation : Of course the public transportation is excellent in getting you where you need to go without a car. But it's admittedly expensive, and adds up if you go out a lot and live far from fun things. Example? For about a 30-45 min ride, it can cost at least $8 roundtrip. Want to take an hour to go to Odaiba or Chiba, the next prefecture over? Make that $10-$16 one way.
   
5. Family restaurants : Not only can you get a variety of Western and Japanese food in one menu, the drink bar is kick ass. For about 200-300yen, you can not only drink all you want (FYI, it's non-alcoholic), you can drink whatever you want. Unlike the free refills at home, you can get your own drink from the "bar" and go as often as you like. Drinks vary from the usual soda, tea (loose-leaf or teabags), variety of coffee, hot chocolate or green tea latte. Some place also offer soup/broth. This is awesome if you want to work somewhere for a few hours and have a nice selection of drinks.
   
6. Clean streets : While it's a pain trying to separate out your trash and figure out what's burnable or not, I like how clean everything is. They're OCD about cleanliness here, from no trash cans on the streets right down to hand-wipes before meals. What bothers me though is that they don't recycle as much as at home (I'm told they don't have room for recycling centers), and that they over-package items, therefore creating more waste.