Why Japan Is Amazing
Until you actually live there
Published in
1 min readDec 4, 2021
Japan is fantastic for travelers. Delicious food, whacky pop culture, and beautiful sites connected by high-speed trains beguile every traveler to Japan. Just read the overwhelmingly positive comments in Peter Yang’s travel story to Japan — people love Japan!
But, many have also wondered — what is it like to live in Japan?
My answer:
Living in Japan can be quite different — and potentially a lot uglier. Just consider these two facts about the Japanese workplace:
- Death from overwork is so serious that despite government legislation to address it, in 2021, 37% of companies still violated overtime laws.
- Sexual harassment and the abuse of power in the workplace are so prevalent that the government requires companies to have policies to address them.
To live in Japan is to accept imperfection in even the most beautiful of places.
