Controversial Japan

In this bonus episode, we explore Japanese customer service at a restaurant. First, Internationals explain their frustrating experience ordering meals. And later we hear from a Japanese individual who experienced customer service abroad.

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“Sometimes I ignore my questions, and I just take it for what it is.” says Eri, a Japanese woman.  This has affected her academically, romantically, and in just daily life. What does she mean she ignores her questions? In this episode, we explore the Japanese conformity and collectivist culture. First, Japanese individuals explain why they follow the crowd and why they don't ask questions.  Later we hear what it’s like to navigate Japan from the expats’ perspective.

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“I’m on a holiday. I’m there for the experience, right? But there are other people living their lives. My experience just intrudes in their lives, basically.” says Rutger, a Dutch man who visited Kyoto as a tourist. Rutger and (host) Kaho Koda visited Kyoto together back in 2018. And they still talk about that one evening in Kyoto where they had the same experience, yet very different interpretations of the event. In this episode we talk about Kyoto and tourism. First, we look at the foreign tourists’ experiences and then we take a look at the Japanese perspective. 

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“I feel like it’s almost harder for a woman to be supported by other women in Japan to some extent because I don’t think it’s a common idea that Japanese women want to change their conditions for themselves.” says Fanny, a French woman living in Japan. In this episode we talk about feminism in Japan. Do you know the word 「女子力」 (read as ‘jyoshi ryoku’)? It directly translates to ‘girl power’ but it’s not what you think it means.. 

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“Often we are very talented to divert the conversation. Because that’s the way we speak. We don’t directly address on something. But we always kind of divert it.” says Terra, a Japanese man living in the Netherlands. In this episode we talk about how Japanese society does not discuss sex. We also talk to an English teacher, Lizzie who experienced the Japanese way of not talking about sex when she introduced western literature to her students.

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“You don’t say I love you. You don’t give your mom a hug at the end of the day. Like I feel really awkward doing that. And it’s something that I tried to change at some point in my life. But I think my mom didn’t feel comfortable with it as well when I started to try hugging her and saying things. So I kind of stopped... Oh my gosh, have you ever said “Aishiteru” to your family? ” asks Natsumi, a Japanese woman living in Japan. We’re going to get super intimate and talk about host Kaho Koda’s relationship with her mom and how the Japanese family expresses love. 

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“If you live in Japan, and work in a Japanese company, you need to follow the Japanese custom.” says Misora, a Japanese woman working in Tokyo. We follow Misora’s story about her ‘lazy’ colleague Paul. We also discuss Paul’s perspective - the western individualistic point of view. 

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Japan is a prime example of collectivist culture while western countries put emphasis on the individual - such polar opposite mindsets. Misunderstandings and confusions are bound to happen when these two perspectives collide. Every episode we unpack one controversial opinion about the Japanese mindset, culture, and custom through stories and interviews. Join host Kaho Koda as she dives into her own culture and attempts to make sense of the disconnect between the Japanese and Western point of view.

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