Aug 7, 2025
The most underrated thing(s) about life in Japan?
I'm curious to get some of your thoughts. I know there's a lot on social media about Japan that is perhaps overrated, but I'd love to get your opinions of what is underrated about life in Japan. One that came to mind for me is the cost of glasses/eyewear. My entire family are glasses/contacts wearers, and we can get glasses here so much cheaper than in my home country. Let me know your thoughts!
Best Answer
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on Aug 24
A love it or hate it feature is municipal loudspeakers. I like the rhythm of the day - morning announcements (right now heat stroke cautions), late afternoon announcements to alert drivers that kids are on their way home from school, and occasional missing person alerts. The municipality I live in has school children announce dismissal. One of the cities I lived in for a time has regional folk songs for morning, noon, and even two evening chimes (one at sunset and another at 9 p.m.). There's nothing like it in my hometown of Vancouver, Canada.
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on Aug 7
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on Aug 7
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on Aug 7
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on Aug 7
The last time I got glasses, I was the only customer using Japanese, if that is any indication about how visitors plan on getting glasses here. It can take up to a week depending on what you need but is worth it if you can stay in one place for that long. In general the cost of living here is still so affordable compared with a lot of other countries, but that has it's downside as well. I recently looked up the minimum wage in the UK and found it's something like 2400 yen, so more than twice what it is in Osaka. I have joked that it would be the same price to get a dental crown in the US as getting a flight to Japan and the crown here, without insurance. That's probably just the US with overpriced medical care though.
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on Aug 15
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on Aug 16
@Eli That's a good one that I hadn't considered! It's the same in my home country, if you're not home there's no redelivery, you would just have to go to the post office to pick it up. Depending on the hours you work, that can obviously be pretty inconvenient, so I agree that the redelivery system here is good!
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on Aug 17
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on Aug 23
I agree with @TonetoEdo about architectural details and IC cards. I was just thinking about how our last apartment had a dish drying rack installed above the sink and counter, which is super convenient, and I wish we had one now. The kitchens are small but effiecient. In addition, at this point, I can't imagine having a toilet and shower/bath in the same room like western washrooms/restrooms.
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on Aug 24
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on Aug 25
@TonetoEdo Sure, in the states we call powder rooms "half-baths." If there is only one toilet in the apartment or house, it's gonna be in the same room as a shower or shower/bath. I've never heard of a room just for the bathtub in either country, except maybe in super fancy remodeled spaces. Anyway I appreciate how most toilets (water closets if you will) in Japan are in a separate space from the shower/bath and from the vanity where brushing teeth happens. From a cleanliness standpoint but also for convenience.
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on Aug 31
@helloalissa Bathroom fans in some recent builds and renovated buildings have far more features than those in my home country. The fan in my bathroom heats and cools. It's effective for drying laundry in the rainy season. In Canada, all new builds have fans (old buildings may not) but they're mostly simple exhaust fans.
12 Answers