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>>> I see way more misery in American cities than I ever seen here. The grass is always greener on the other side. Even Japan has misery, but due to their cult

by ngc248 4y ago

>>> I see way more misery in American cities than I ever seen here. The grass is always greener on the other side. Even Japan has misery, but due to their cultural norms you are not supposed to show that publicly, you are just supposed to eat it and grin. Compared to all that the "anything goes" culture of the US is always preferable. (Ofc the US has its own problems)

midoridensha 4y ago
Things you don't see publicly in Japan are lots of homelessness, crime, and general bad behavior. It's pretty hard to hide homelessness and (violent) crime.
- brigandish 4y ago
  There's plenty of homelessness about in Japan, you don't even need to go to somewhere like Nishinari where it's virtually ubiquitous.
  - danielscrubs 4y ago
    "In 2020, the Japanese government’s homeless count was 3,992, making up just .003% of Japan’s population. On the other hand, the United States has a homeless population of about .2% [...] The Advocacy Research Centre for Homelessness, an organization consisting of students and reporters, says that Japan may have a homeless population 2.7 times greater than the government’s statistics..[...] Around 92% of the Japanese homeless are men older than 50. " https://www.borgenmagazine.com/japans-homeless-population/ https://www.borgenmagazine.com/japans-homeless-population/
    - brigandish 4y ago
      I'm with the researchers on that one. Go for a walk through Nishinari on any afternoon and you'll be able to tell that those government statistics - like many of the stats I see from the Japan government - are clearly not to be trusted. I heard recently that one reason for homelessness is that without an address no debts you owe can be collected, so some people make themselves homeless for a few years (something like 5 or 7 years, if I recall) and after that period the debt is void. I cannot say if this is true or not but it wouldn't surprise me. If bankruptcy is more difficult or ruinous then perhaps it's a viable alternative. I also notice very well dressed homeless men sometimes, using the park facilities to wash their stuff. They'll have business attire that would make you think they're an average salary man, until you look a bit more closely. Whether these people are counted, certainly by tourists or the inattentive, I don't know either, but they're around.

by ngc248 4y ago

midoridensha 4y ago

Things you don't see publicly in Japan are lots of homelessness, crime, and general bad behavior. It's pretty hard to hide homelessness and (violent) crime.

brigandish 4y ago
There's plenty of homelessness about in Japan, you don't even need to go to somewhere like Nishinari where it's virtually ubiquitous.
- danielscrubs 4y ago
  "In 2020, the Japanese government’s homeless count was 3,992, making up just .003% of Japan’s population. On the other hand, the United States has a homeless population of about .2% [...] The Advocacy Research Centre for Homelessness, an organization consisting of students and reporters, says that Japan may have a homeless population 2.7 times greater than the government’s statistics..[...] Around 92% of the Japanese homeless are men older than 50. " https://www.borgenmagazine.com/japans-homeless-population/ https://www.borgenmagazine.com/japans-homeless-population/
  - brigandish 4y ago
    I'm with the researchers on that one. Go for a walk through Nishinari on any afternoon and you'll be able to tell that those government statistics - like many of the stats I see from the Japan government - are clearly not to be trusted. I heard recently that one reason for homelessness is that without an address no debts you owe can be collected, so some people make themselves homeless for a few years (something like 5 or 7 years, if I recall) and after that period the debt is void. I cannot say if this is true or not but it wouldn't surprise me. If bankruptcy is more difficult or ruinous then perhaps it's a viable alternative. I also notice very well dressed homeless men sometimes, using the park facilities to wash their stuff. They'll have business attire that would make you think they're an average salary man, until you look a bit more closely. Whether these people are counted, certainly by tourists or the inattentive, I don't know either, but they're around.