Being mildly autistic, I usually think I would love Japan for that ‘don’t bother others’ culture, but I’m starting to think it might actually be a hellscape for me.
it would 100% be a hellscape, you’re expected to conform entirely and deviations from what’s expected socially are frowned upon significantly, it is extremely lonely if you can’t be a carbon copy of everyone else. especially if you’re a foreigner or have non-asian-looking parents, japanese will never really see you as “japanese”, at first they treat you like a tourist but then when that wears off you’re seen as below others
it’s one of the most conservative cultures on the planet in a lot of ways, perhaps the most conservative in the first world (although it shows it in some weird ways like in respect to the heavy objectification/dismissal/sexualization of women in japanese culture, it doesn’t look like “western” sexism a lot of the time). same kind of stuff applies to korea
from an outside perspective, and a tourist’s perspective, japan and korea seem like they’d be amazing places to be, beautiful and a lot of fun stuff. but for most people it’s just depressing, even for the people living there – great hint as to why the suicide rate is so high, you get practically no support and everything is incredibly superficial
so yeah i would say a pretty awful environment to be in if you’re neurodivergent/have a disability in any way, shape, or form, or have any differences that would make you stand out (even so little as being racially different is enough to be ostracized). also the economy is pretty stagnant if you care about that
some people have different experiences, a lot of people love japan, but it’s not for a majority of people. but as with anything, if you seriously want to move somewhere you should at least do your research yourself and take a lot of visits beforehand
if you want a “don’t bother others” culture you might like finland, it’s pretty much like that – i mean they also have an extremely high rate of depression but the culture isn’t extremely oppressive like japanese culture is
agreed. life in these countries is nasty, brutish and long. lots of convenience and cool culture, but completely negated by a horrendous work ethic, which consumes your entire life. some people are into that, but most people i know do not think of that as a good way to live.
Had a friend/roommate who’s Korean. I asked him if he had plans to go back after school in Canada (his dad’s and engineer, and so is he). He laughed and told me no, definitely not
“Finland happiest country on earth” factoid actualy just statistical error. average Finn is happy 0 times per year. Happys Antti, who lives in cave & is happy over 10,000 each day, is an outlier adn should not have been counted
Some people do better here, some worse. For me, there are some shops I even have a hard time with because they have the music playing plus various different jingles from little advertising things going in different keys, timings, etc. and all of it seemingly at 3 billion dB. I have to wear headphones just to make it through shopping. If you’re sensitive to lights as well, you’re going to have a bad time.
I also think the whole “don’t bother others” thing can be a bit overstated compared to reality.
Being mildly autistic, I usually think I would love Japan for that ‘don’t bother others’ culture, but I’m starting to think it might actually be a hellscape for me.
it would 100% be a hellscape, you’re expected to conform entirely and deviations from what’s expected socially are frowned upon significantly, it is extremely lonely if you can’t be a carbon copy of everyone else. especially if you’re a foreigner or have non-asian-looking parents, japanese will never really see you as “japanese”, at first they treat you like a tourist but then when that wears off you’re seen as below others
it’s one of the most conservative cultures on the planet in a lot of ways, perhaps the most conservative in the first world (although it shows it in some weird ways like in respect to the heavy objectification/dismissal/sexualization of women in japanese culture, it doesn’t look like “western” sexism a lot of the time). same kind of stuff applies to korea
from an outside perspective, and a tourist’s perspective, japan and korea seem like they’d be amazing places to be, beautiful and a lot of fun stuff. but for most people it’s just depressing, even for the people living there – great hint as to why the suicide rate is so high, you get practically no support and everything is incredibly superficial
so yeah i would say a pretty awful environment to be in if you’re neurodivergent/have a disability in any way, shape, or form, or have any differences that would make you stand out (even so little as being racially different is enough to be ostracized). also the economy is pretty stagnant if you care about that
some people have different experiences, a lot of people love japan, but it’s not for a majority of people. but as with anything, if you seriously want to move somewhere you should at least do your research yourself and take a lot of visits beforehand
if you want a “don’t bother others” culture you might like finland, it’s pretty much like that – i mean they also have an extremely high rate of depression but the culture isn’t extremely oppressive like japanese culture is
another suggestion could be eastern europe
agreed. life in these countries is nasty, brutish and long. lots of convenience and cool culture, but completely negated by a horrendous work ethic, which consumes your entire life. some people are into that, but most people i know do not think of that as a good way to live.
Had a friend/roommate who’s Korean. I asked him if he had plans to go back after school in Canada (his dad’s and engineer, and so is he). He laughed and told me no, definitely not
Wasn’t Finland the happiest country on planet?
“Finland happiest country on earth” factoid actualy just statistical error. average Finn is happy 0 times per year. Happys Antti, who lives in cave & is happy over 10,000 each day, is an outlier adn should not have been counted
How about Sweden? I’ve heard people usually try their hardest to avoid any unnecessary social contact
They always seem super cordial in Anna Cramling videos!
Some people do better here, some worse. For me, there are some shops I even have a hard time with because they have the music playing plus various different jingles from little advertising things going in different keys, timings, etc. and all of it seemingly at 3 billion dB. I have to wear headphones just to make it through shopping. If you’re sensitive to lights as well, you’re going to have a bad time.
I also think the whole “don’t bother others” thing can be a bit overstated compared to reality.
Oh yeah, I live in my nose cancelling earbuds.
What’s wrong with your nose?
I’m trying to strengthen my other senses.
You might like Germany then