Quote Originally Posted by Obeika View Post
Really, what can you do about people not sitting next to you on a crowded bus back home?
I have no idea where you come from so I can not say whether or not you can change circumstances there, but here if one learns to pick and choose the battles that they CAN win you can make a difference here.
But dwelling on the negatives does no one any good.
You are grabbing at straws here.
Off topic, I dont take buses back home if I can avoid them, and as a male I would generally let an elderly person or a woman take a seat instead of myself, so you question isn't applicable.
I do know that if someone decided to not sit beside me it would be for personal reasons, rather than general cultural ignorance.

I think one of the very reasons why Japanese people dont try to change things is that they feel they are powerless to do so. I do understand your pick the battles you can win, its very Japanese, but, most people get in a habit of dealing with it, rather than fighting.
I agree it doesnt do one any good to dwell on negatives. But to sit and watch your country rot into oblivion and pretend everything is peachy does not help either.

The original post was, " what do you dislike about Japan ". I have met alot of foreigners in Japan. Many of them say they like it here. Some of the reasons I find are stupid, but that is my opinion. Interestingly, when these people leave Japan, I often hear back that they are happy they left and would never want to come back. On the flip side, many who dislike Japan often come back because, although they dislike, when they move away, they find there are many things they miss.
I know I will miss the food. And the convenience. I also find in the business enviroment, service is generally good and people are very polite, although often quite ignorant. But I will never come back. I used to hope Japan could fix itself. Now I know it is the nature of Japanese people (the culture or something Japanese) that defines Japan and it is precisely why Japan can't fix itself. But, that is another topic.

Kilt.