r/AMA • u/probably_offline_1 • 13h ago
Japanese AMA
Hello everyone! I'm from Japan and I'm here to answer your questions. I have been studying English for four years, and I have also traveled to the UK and New Zealand. Feel free to ask me anything about Japanese culture, daily life, food, or whatever you're curious about! I'm looking forward to sharing my experiences and learning more about your perspectives as well.
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u/Ok-Energy-9785 12h ago
What do you think of demon slayer
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u/probably_offline_1 12h ago
I read the manga and actually really liked it. But nowadays, with terms like "Kimetsu kids" going around, it kind of feels like it's mostly aimed at elementary schoolers.
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u/Cloudberry_Wine 12h ago
Could you please tell me about dating culture in Japan? Also, what is your favorite anime?)
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u/probably_offline_1 12h ago
In Japan, there is a culture of confession, and before becoming a lover, you ask the person you are interested in, "Please go out with me."
Actually, I've never seen much anime. I prefer foreign movies. My favorite anime is Ghibli's work, and I like City Hunter.
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u/Conscious_Koala_6519 12h ago
Your English is brilliant!! Well done.
Was it a massive culture shock visiting the UK? What did you notice ? What expectations were different?
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u/probably_offline_1 11h ago
The food was surprisingly delicious, but the Japanese one is delicious.
I was surprised by the dirtiness of the public toilet. I was surprised that the smell of the toilet filled the road. Even in Japan, there are smelly and dirty toilets, but not that much. Also, I want Japanese toilets to be more popular with washlets in the world.
I was surprised by the hotel without air conditioning. If it's a Japanese hotel, it's definitely there unless it's too old.
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u/Conscious_Koala_6519 11h ago
Hahah it's an art finding nice English toilets.. it's not a good reflection on society..but there are different problems in different places
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u/augdumbugdum 12h ago
Is seppaku still a thing....is there any samurai left........have you watched shogun....is there any truth to that......what do you have for breakfast lunch and dinner.....how much sake do you consume....
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u/probably_offline_1 12h ago
I really enjoyed watching Shōgun. Hiroyuki Sanada was incredibly cool. I heard that seppuku actually existed in the past. It's a ritual where a person cuts their own stomach, and then someone else beheads them. For my daily meals, I eat rice more often than bread, and the main dishes are usually meat or fish. Soy sauce seasoning is very common. I don't hear of many people drinking sake on a regular basis. Beer seems to be more popular.
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u/augdumbugdum 11h ago
How do you prefer your fish boiled fried or curry....which fish you eat on regular basis and which one are rare treat.....do you prefer fresh water or sea water fish....how about shrimps and stuffs
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u/probably_offline_1 11h ago
Eat raw octopus and squid with soy sauce. I also like shrimp. I think the way to eat it is sashimi, and other ways of eating are the same as overseas.
I like salt-grilled salmon and foil-grilled with butter soy sauce!
Sukiyaki and eel feel like a luxurious treat
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u/Honest-Lavishness245 12h ago
I know japan suffers from over tourism... how can people visit your country and be less troublesome?
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u/JackTradesMasterNone 12h ago
When you have traveled to the UK and New Zealand, do you ever look at what they have as far as "Japanese stores/restaurants/etc." and see how it compares to the real thing you're used to?
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u/probably_offline_1 12h ago
If you go to a high-class place, you might be doing it properly, but there are a lot of sushi that you don't see in Japan at the supermarket.
The ramen I ate in New Zealand was the same as what I ate in Japan
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u/JapanPizzaNumberOne 8h ago
The ramen in NZ is not the same as in Japan unless you know nothing about Ramen.
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u/Agile_Start1003 7h ago
I'm not Japanese, but if I had to guess the convenience store ramen would be similar everywhere, including Japan. I'd only expect proper restoraunt ramen to be different.
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u/InspectorGadget76 22m ago
There are definitely ramen places in NZ, owned by Japanese that do very good authentic food.
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u/Maleficent_Scheme346 8h ago
Is it true that some Japanese fake being nice/polite to people especially foreigners?
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u/probably_offline_1 3h ago
It's true. Even among Japanese people, it's common to act polite. But there's no bad intention behind it; they just do it because they don't want to hurt the other person's feelings.
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u/aaverage-guy 12h ago
What are some cool facts about Magdalene of Nagasaki?
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u/probably_offline_1 2h ago
It is not listed in Japanese history textbooks. It’s the first time I’ve heard of it.
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u/aaverage-guy 2h ago
I'm a big history nerd and love looking into things not in textbooks. She has a really brave story and is the patron saint of the Secular Augustinian Recollects, as well as translators, interpreters, and young catechists
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u/SeafoodShifu 5h ago
How much were you and your peers taught in school about the atrocities commited by Japan during WWII? Have you heard of Rape of Nanking/Nanjing Massacre, Unit 731, comfort women, etc.?
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u/probably_offline_1 3h ago
Because the atomic bombings left such a strong impression on the Japanese people, I feel that the awareness of Japan's own atrocities has faded a bit.
It has been a long time since I studied history, so I don't remember all the details, but I believe we learned about most of it. These acts are never glorified in Japan; they are taught as grave historical mistakes.
Regarding Pearl Harbor, it is also generally recognized among Japanese people that the attack was carried out without prior warning.
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u/Artistic_Puke1546 12h ago
How possible do you think it is for a non-japanese asian to move to japan? I've well heard quite the rumors about japanese people having attitudes on foreigners in their country. Is it only a stereotypical lie or does your social culture include such thing? And how long would it take to learn daily japanese in your opinion?
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u/probably_offline_1 2h ago
I think the answer is both yes and no.
In rural areas, foreigners are still relatively uncommon, so people might look at you with suspicion or simply be very curious about you. In Tokyo, I don’t think you’ll have to worry about that as much.
I think people are generally more accepting if you make an effort to fit into Japanese society and speak Japanese as much as you can, rather than expecting Japan to adapt to you.
One thing to be aware of is that immigration has become a controversial topic in Japan, particularly when it comes to reports of unauthorized religious buildings or concerns about immigrants imposing their cultural practices on local communities. I’d recommend being mindful of these sensitivities.
Also, when Japanese people say they’re non-religious, it doesn’t necessarily mean the same thing as being non-religious in the US or other Western countries. The way religion fits into everyday life is quite different here. If you’re interested, feel free to ask me about it.
As for learning Japanese, I think it takes considerably longer than learning English as a German speaker, for example. If your country of origin is Korea, it may be easier to study grammar.Japanese and English are very different in terms of grammar, and the writing system is a huge challenge.
Japanese elementary school students spend six years learning the 1,026 kanji taught during compulsory education. And that’s just the beginning. They don’t learn every kanji during elementary school, so becoming comfortable enough to read newspapers might take another couple of years of focused study. Of course, you don’t need to know every kanji to read Japanese, and even native speakers recognize many kanji that they can’t write from memory.
Honestly, though, I’m not sure what the best way to study Japanese grammar is. I’m a native speaker, so I learned it naturally growing up. I just realized one day that I could speak Japanese!
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u/Monkeyfeng 11h ago
Which part of Japan are you from? Do you like it there?
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u/probably_offline_1 11h ago
Tokyo
I like it, but there are also aspects that I don't like. The livability of the city is good, but the city always looks gray.If I move, I want to live in Okinawa.
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u/AzuleStriker 12h ago
What's the best way to learn Japanese on my own?
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u/probably_offline_1 2h ago edited 2h ago
If you’re starting from zero, I’d recommend this order:
Learn hiragana and katakana first.
They are the basic Japanese writing systems and will help you read simple words.
Study basic grammar and vocabulary.
Learn to build sentences and understand particles such as は, が, を, に, and で.
Listen to Japanese from the beginning.
Use beginner YouTube videos, or comprehensible-input channels to get used to Japanese sounds and rhythm.
Learn kanji gradually.
Study kanji together with vocabulary rather than memorizing them in isolation, since readings vary by word.As for kanji, as long as you memorize kanji at the elementary school level, you can understand the meaning of kanji even if you don't know it.
Avoid relying on romaji for too long, and start reading real Japanese early.
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u/IDoNotLikeTheSand 11h ago
How popular is western cuisine in Japan excluding fast food?
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u/probably_offline_1 11h ago
Pasta and pizza are very popular. It's normal to go out for lunch with friends
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u/blankitty 9h ago
How about something more specific like American bbq or gumbo?
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u/probably_offline_1 3h ago
I've never tried gumbo.
I do BBQ barbecues with friends occasionally. But many homes in the city don't have yards, so there are places with BBQ facilities available as a restaurant.
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u/Nice_General268 8h ago
What is the modern consensus of the Samurai. Many, some say all, were killed off at one time, is there still a negative attitude towards them?
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u/probably_offline_1 2h ago
It’s not like the samurai suddenly disappeared overnight. They gradually faded away as Japan modernized. Their decline happened over time, especially after the government introduced policies like the sword ban and allowed men to cut off their topknots.
Apparently, there were also historical practices like decapitating enemies or cutting off their ears to keep track of how many people they had killed. But I don’t think people today are particularly critical of samurai for doing those things, since they happened so long ago.
There’s no widespread negative view of samurai in Japan. In fact, some people are huge fans of specific samurai and warlords from Japan’s Sengoku period!
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u/Demurrzbz 12h ago
What do japanese people think about tourists and foreigners living in Japan? Any particular things to avoid or pursue?
We've visited just a few weeks ago with my GF so it's kind of a moot point but I'd love to hear it nonetheless =)
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u/probably_offline_1 3h ago
I think there is basically no problem if you avoid talking on the train, talking loudly, or sitting with your legs spread on a train chair. It is safer to avoid things that the Japanese people around you are not doing.
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u/laibw94 12h ago
Hello there!
I’m going to Japan for my honeymoon! I’m going to Osaka, Kyoto, Hakone and Tokyo.
Anything special and non tourist you recommend?
Thanks!
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u/probably_offline_1 2h ago
Congratulations on your marriage!
Kusatsu have famous hot spring.
Shimokitazawa is a popular place for young people today.
Nikko Toshogu Shrine is also famous.If you want to go to a place with a specific atmosphere like this, please don't hesitate to ask!
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u/YouDontTellMe 12h ago
Are you a fan of (green?) tea? Is tea a big part of your culture? If yes, what types of teas do you drink and at what time of the day?
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u/probably_offline_1 11h ago
Green tea is a regular hydration, and sometimes I buy a plastic bottle of green tea and drink it. It's a very important drink culturally. I think barley tea is more likely to be drunk on a daily basis than green tea.
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u/EasilyExiledDinosaur 4h ago
Do you think deokdo should be controlled by japan?
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u/probably_offline_1 3h ago
Many Japanese people claim that Japan discovered Takeshima first and that it is illegally occupied by South Korea. However, I don't think there are that many people who dislike Korea just because of their resentment over Takeshima.
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u/DaIubhasa 6h ago
What do you think about Filipinos living and working in Japan?
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u/probably_offline_1 3h ago edited 3h ago
I think it's fine for those who work hard, but many people dislike those who refuse to accept Japanese culture and try to bring their own culture into Japan. Basically, I am tolerant of people who like Japan and are trying to get used to Japan.But I don't think it's good to accept too many immigrants like the UK. Personally, I don't want the number of people moving to Japan due to poverty to increase too much. I want people who really like Japan and want to learn Japanese and live in Japan come.
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u/Icedcoffee_ 9h ago
How did you get your confidence to speak English well enough to do an AMA?
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u/probably_offline_1 3h ago edited 2h ago
I’m not confident in English yet.
I can talk enough to not be in trouble if I travel abroad, but I can’t speak enough to study or discuss at a university abroad.
I often look up words that I still don't understand.
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u/zzzhanna 3h ago
What do you think about akiya ghosts? Have you heard any real stories?
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u/probably_offline_1 2h ago
I think vacant houses and the overconcentration of the population in Tokyo and other major cities will be some of Japan’s biggest challenges in the coming years.
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u/aquilus-noctua 12h ago
I heard about cheap rural housing. It made me think of Italy. Do Japanese ppl who live in the city also own homes in the country like Italian ppl
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u/Vforvengeous 11h ago
Why dont u guys acknowledge your war crimes
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u/probably_offline_1 3h ago
World War II war criminals were properly tried. If you are referring to something else, please let me know.
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u/-OddLion- 32m ago
Heard about japan economy is pretty bad right now. How are affected and do you see any obvious changes around or subtle changes?
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u/Global_Bid_7274 12h ago
Ive travelled to Japan and it is a beautiful country with beautiful people and food. My question is, I went to tokyo, visited Hiroshimi and briefly visited Osaka and Kyoto too also visited Nara park and MT Fuji. So aside of these major cities where would you recommend I should visit if I ever get a chance to go again?