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why so many foreigners end up leaving Japan

@ebifried

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Why it worked

The video taps into a common experience and emotional response for foreigners living abroad, particularly in Japan, by highlighting the nuanced feelings of frustration and gratitude that arise from cultural differences and societal norms.

Summary

The creator discusses how living in Japan, despite its annoyances, trains foreigners to be grateful for exceptions made for them. They share an anecdote about being allowed to sit in a booth alone at a restaurant, an exception to the usual rule requiring two or more people, which made them feel very grateful.

Structure

1Introduction to the concept of foreigners leaving Japan
2The dual nature of experiences in Japan: annoyances and gratitude
3Anecdote about a restaurant seating exception
4Comparison to living in Australia and the difference in gratitude
5Conclusion on how these experiences change a person

On-screen text

why so many foreigners end up leaving Japan (customer is king??)

Transcript

As much as there's little things that annoy you about being in Japan, it also trains you to be extremely grateful when they make exceptions for you, like for example, I just eat somewhere where usually if you're sitting alone, you have to sit on like a little stool, but my back was hurting and then I wanted to ask in the booth. Usually if you eat in the booth, you have to have two or more people, but they let me sit there and I was like really grateful for that. Like I can imagine if I lived in Australia my whole life, I would never be grateful for that because it's like I want to sit there, you got to put me there. Yeah, I guess there's a little things that change you, which is good.

Original caption

this lil moment reminded me what it means to be a “foreigner in japan”. a “true japanese” person would accept the rules as is and sit where designated. a “true foreigner” wouldn’t have asked- just sat where they wanted as you normally do abroad. but being an “adjusted foreigner in japan” means both understanding the rules and being grateful when they’re bent for you and YES it is that deep bc it’s exhausting! being in equilibrium between these two states takes a lot more work than people get credit for. (which is why so many foreigners leave Japan and can’t explain why, imo!) #lifeinjapan #japanlife #gaijin #tokyolife #cultureshock