Recently, I came across the YouTube Video by Michael Moore, talking about what he likes about Japan compared to U.S. I will show you the YouTube video later in my article, but thought I would list some of the good aspects of Japan below.  This information is from foreigner’s perspectives, perhaps compared to the rest of the countries, mainly western countries.  Just to let you know that this is a summary I made based on some popular answers.  Your opinion might be different from this.  🙂

What do you like about Japan?

1. Japanese Culture

 

Once you arrive to Japan and as soon as you get off your plane, you will realize that you are now emerging into Japanese culture. In Japan, there are many customs we follow.  People bow to each other to show respect.  We take off our shoes at the entrance to homes, even at some businesses and hotels.  It is common to spot people wearing Kimonos (kimono,着物 ) at traditional formal ceremonies.  There are many cultural differences in Japan compared to western countries.

2. Transportation 

 

In Japan, especially in major cities, you can utilize many public transportation to get around easily.  Besides popular high speed railway lines called “Shinkansen” (shinkan sen, 新幹線), you will often see buses, ferries, subways, and cable cars in some places.  They are amazingly on time so you can plan your trip very precisely. These transportation is kept very clean, and they also offer food and beverage service in major high speed railway lines.

3. No need to tip in Japan

 

If you go to a restaurant in Japan, you will quickly notice that people don’t tip at their tables.  There is no tipping in Japan.  However, you can expect to receive very attentive, good service from waiters or waitresses.  You might think that you can only get good service at expensive restaurants, but this is not true in Japan.  Even at noodle restaurant or small take out places, you will be treated with respect.  In other words, you don’t have to “pay” to receive good service.

4. Safety

 

In a big city like Tokyo, you will find businessmen and businesswomen walking around the city even after midnight.  It is very common to eat out or go drinking after dark in bigger cities.  You might also spot elementary school children at train stations, traveling by themselves to go see their relatives in different cities.  As early as 5 years old, children in Japan often walk to school by themselves. Although you will hear about unfortunate crimes every now and then, its rate is much lower in Tokyo compared to other major cities around the world.

Below is a source from NBC Chicago:

~From nbcchicago.com, based on 2012 data~

Murders per 100,000 among cities, based on a projected murder total of 505 for this year.

Singapore 0.4
Tokyo   0.5
Hong Kong 0.6
Berlin     1.0
Sydney    1.0
London 1.4
Toronto  1.7
Amsterdam 1.8
Paris       4.4
New York 6.0
Los Angeles 7.5
Mexico City 8.0
Moscow 9.6
Sao Paulo   15.6
Chicago 19.4

You will still need to be very careful wherever you go in Japan. You need to take care of your belongings and be aware of your surroundings at all times, just like anywhere else.

5. Beautiful natural environment

 

Today, approximately 75 percent of the land area is covered with mountains in Japan. Japan’s natural scenery is truly diverse from one region to another. When you compare between Okinawa(okinawa,沖縄 ) and Hokkaid(hokkaido,北海道 ), you will enjoy the climate differences from tropical beach like atmosphere to mountainous scenery.  In mountain regions, you will often spot hot springs.  Although Japan has sacrificed some of its natural environment to modernization, the country is making every effort to preserve what remains for future generations.

 

Finally, I will introduce you to the YouTube video by Michael Moor below.  This video is from 2009 when he came to Japan for promoting his movie “Capitalism: A Love Story”.  He brings up another good aspect of Japan from his perspectives.

So, hopefully, this article was helpful in getting to know more about Japan, and made you want to travel to Japan one day if you haven’t already! 🙂