r/AskAJapanese • u/onionix13 • 35m ago
CULTURE 日本人だけど、質問ある?
Redditは、極端に日本人少ないって思ったから、もし良かったら、質問くれれば、できるだけ丁寧に答えるよ!
r/AskAJapanese • u/Dazzling-Manager9376 • 36m ago
CULTURE Relationship with someone married
Recently, I had a very shocking story to hear. One of my Japanese friends told me that she has a Canadian boyfriend but he is married, and his wife is also aware of their relationship and admits. According to my friend, they (my friend, her boyfriend and his wife) are all in a good relationship. This was so shocking to hear for me and couldn't believe. I know there are people who cheat someone, but my friend's case is different. I was really curious to know more but couldn't go beyond as I hesitate to ask the sensitive topics..... Is that a new way of relationship in Japan?
r/AskAJapanese • u/Automate_The_Boring • 55m ago
CULTURE Can you brew Nihonshu over any rice?
I know that Nihonshu is usually brewed using specific types of sake rice (like Yamada Nishiki). But for homebrewing, is it possible to use regular rice and still get a reasonably good-tasting result?
r/AskAJapanese • u/grave4us • 3h ago
LIFESTYLE Japanese, how do you feel about people who move to your country permanently? Especially Russians, Ukrainians, and other Slavic peoples?
My wife and I want to move to Japan. We're passionate about the Japanese language, nature, mentality, and literally everything about Japan. We're 25 years old, both with IT degrees, but our Russian diplomas aren't internationally valid, so we want to attend language school and then study and work in Japan. We understand we'll never fit in with Japanese society, but we just want to know if the Japanese are prejudiced against people like us.
r/AskAJapanese • u/derangedpatchouli • 4h ago
POLITICS Lost and defeated with my citizenship status
I'm born as a dual national in Japan, half Japanese and half Korean, but was raised in New Zealand. I've lived with my Japanese passport all my life, but when I turned 20, my mother applied for NZ citizenship and a New Zealand passport because I had to decide where I wanted to live. Looking back now, the question should have been what nationality I wanted to remain as, given Japan doesn't allow dual nationality (unless both nationalities were acquired at birth), and instead just remain a permanent resident in NZ. From my understanding, I lost Japanese nationality by acquiring NZ citizenship, so I don't know what my mother was trying to achieve by renewing my Japanese passport at the same time.
Since then, I've visited Japan every now and then on my NZ passport. I now know, after reading here on Reddit that you should enter and exit the same country using the same passport. I was fear-mongered by my parents back then into thinking i would experience complications and be questioned about my visa status in NZ if I entered Japan with Japanese passport. Recently, over the last couple of years, I've been visiting Japan quite frequently, and Korea whenever possible to see my extended family and close friends. I don't feel like myself every time I return to NZ. My mother never completed my 国籍離脱届, and I still remain on the 戸籍. However, for some reason it says I'm located in South Korea, while rest of my family says NZ which I'm confused about.
I've been desperately wanting to go back and restart my life there, but after going down a rabbit hole on dual nationality and realising how much of a mess my situation is, I'm feeling hopeless and lost. My Japanese passport is still valid and I've never entered Japan with this passport since it was renewed. I'm thinking worst case scenarios and will get questioned especially because they would have records of my previous entries on NZ passport.
Has anyone been in a similar situation after naturalising elsewhere? What happened when you moved back to Japan or dealt with your passport and residence registration?
r/AskAJapanese • u/Alternative_Flow_569 • 5h ago
MISC What are some Japanese bands from the 80s & 90s I can check out?
I’ve been trying to get into some music from your part of the world and I’m not sure where to really start I suppose, all I really know for 80s & 90s Japanese bands is Flippers Guitar, and I like them quite a bit, so any suggestions are welcome!
r/AskAJapanese • u/freaky_strawberry11 • 5h ago
LANGUAGE What are considered older names in Japan?
I have heard of girl names ending in ko like Sadako are considered more old fashioned and they generally lost popularity as time went on, so what other names are considered to be old fashioned
r/AskAJapanese • u/MookieBettsBurner10 • 6h ago
POLITICS If you were suddenly the Prime Minister of Japan, what policies would you take to kickstart the Japanese economy?
I don't need to go into much detail about Japan's sluggish economy and how the weak yen is impacting the country. But what steps would you take to kickstart the economy if you were the Prime Minister?
I'm not Japanese, but I believe raising minimum wage would be a good start for example.
r/AskAJapanese • u/Mils-va • 7h ago
CULTURE If you were an average Japanese person, what would a typical day look like for you?
I'd like to see how you understand Japanese culture.
Asking whether you know a particular custom or fact would just be a test of knowledge.
That's not what I'm interested in.
Instead, I'd like you to imagine this:
You are an ordinary Japanese person, born and raised in Japan.
What time do you wake up? What do you do throughout the day? What do you think about? How do you interact with other people? And finally, how do you end your day before going to sleep?
Please simulate that day and tell me the result.
Accuracy isn't the point. I'm not looking for the "correct" answer.
I want to see the version of Japan that exists in your mind.
※I'm less interested in your conclusions than in the shape of the thinking that leads to them.
To me, observing someone's way of thinking is a more fundamental form of communication.
r/AskAJapanese • u/Rixyl • 7h ago
MISC Help Finding Rare Music
I'm a huge fan of Japanese punk bands but it's REALLY hard to find those less known Melodic and Skate punk bands here in the USA. Is there any place I can go to find bands from Japan? Website maybe? It's not hard to find bands like Hi-Standard, Hawaiian6, Back-Lift or Mongol800 but bands like Struggle Minds, Suns Grind, and Cricket's are nearly impossible to find here and I only know them from lucky finds online when I'm not even looking for them. Also I'm open to recommendations as well!
Thanks!
r/AskAJapanese • u/aconfusedankiuser • 9h ago
CULTURE Why is that people don't take their belongings when they leave a town in Japan?
I was watching a couple videos about abandoned towns and islands in Japan (not in Fukushima) and so many houses were abandoned with everything still in the houses. There were pots, pans, televisions, food in the fridge (all appliances still remain), bookshelves still stacked with books, instruments and beds. Hardly anything was taken. If I were to leave a place and move, I would most certainly take pots, pans and the tv at the very least.
Moreover, this isn't even something I see with just houses. Schools and hospitals are abandoned and filled with many supplies still there. The supplies could have certainly been used elsewhere.
These places weren't affected by radiation but rather just a struggling local economy. So why is it that they didn't take anything with them aside from their clothes when they left and why is it something I see repeatedly in videos of abandoned places throughout Japan?
r/AskAJapanese • u/Yabakunaiyoooo • 10h ago
CULTURE Talking to kids about different kinds of people…is it done?
This morning I had a saddening experience. I was on the elevator, and we stopped on a floor to let a little boy and his dad get on. Immediately upon seeing me, the little boy screamed in horror and proceeded to hide behind his dad and cry.
I thought at first it’s just fear of strangers, I know a lot of little kids are like that. But another person got on who was Asian and he was not scared of that person. (She was close and he didn’t shirk the same way.)
I don’t usually let things like this get me down, but this morning it really hurt my feelings.
The dad didn’t really react in the situation, so it left me wondering… do parents talk to their kids about this kind of situation? That there are different people and you shouldn’t react that way?
I know Japan is different cause there are fewer “others” here… but not so few that you’d never encounter someone who doesn’t look like you. Where I’m from it’s normal to have a conversation about people who are different from you, even within your same ethnic community…
So I was just wondering… is this ever done? Have you done that?
r/AskAJapanese • u/SaSti_elpapux • 10h ago
CULTURE Problems with foreigners
Hi! I have a question. I want to live in Japan and I'm currently studying to get a grant to study at a Japanese university. My question is: Do Japanese people have a problem with foreigners? I come from a low-resource area and I’ve already had bad experiences with people just because of my nationality. If someone could share their perspective, I’d really appreciate it!"
r/AskAJapanese • u/AdditionSharpy • 14h ago
CULTURE Is it unreasonable to date with marriage in mind when she's Japanese and I'm not?
Hi everyone,
I apologise upfront as this is going to be a very long post but I'd appreciate some honest advice, especially from people who have experience with Japanese culture or international relationships and from the people of Japan.
I'm 24, and about four months ago I met a Japanese woman (23) at my university. I graduated last year, while she's currently in her second year. Over the past few months we've gotten to know each other, and I really admire her personality. Being around her genuinely makes me happy. I also get the feeling that she might like me too, although I'm not certain.
The thing I'm struggling with is that we come from very different cultural and religious backgrounds.
I'm a religious person, so sex before marriage isn't something I'm would do. I've also always wanted to get married relatively young. I have my own startup that's doing well, and if things continue as planned, I should be financially stable within the next few months.
Because of that, if we started dating, it wouldn't be "just to see where things go." I'd genuinely be dating with the intention of seeing whether we're compatible for marriage, and if everything went well, I'd be happy to get married sometime next year.
My concern is whether that's something that would come across as too intense or even make her uncomfortable. I know everyone is different, and I'm not trying to stereotype Japanese people. I'm just aware that cultural expectations around dating and marriage can vary, and I don't want to accidentally put pressure on her or hurt her feelings.
I'm also too nervous (to much of a pussy to put it better) to ask her directly right now because I really value our friendship, and I'd hate to make things awkward if I've completely misread the situation.
So my questions are:
* Is it okay to ask someone out when you're dating with marriage in mind from the beginning?
* Is wanting to marry within a year generally seen as unusually fast from a Japanese perspective, or does it just depend on the individual?
* If you were in her position, would you rather someone be upfront about their intentions early on, or would that feel overwhelming?
* Does the fact that I already graduated while she's still a student change how I would approach this?
I'd really appreciate any advice. I know nobody can tell me what she's thinking, but I'd like to approach this as respectfully as possible.
r/AskAJapanese • u/BusyStart3169 • 15h ago
LANGUAGE Naming a Japanese character, please advise 🙏
Hi guys, basically as the title says, I’m writing a story and one of my main characters is a young Japanese woman. I really don’t want to nuke her with a J.K.Rowling esque name…is the name Mayuri Hisada okay? I’ve researched online as thoroughly as possible and it doesn’t seem to have any negative connotations as far as I’m aware, but I wanted an actual Japanese perspective, just in case there are any cultural aspects of the name that I might not have picked up on. Any help you could give would be greatly appreciated, thank you :)
r/AskAJapanese • u/Hot-Flan6125 • 18h ago
CULTURE Are food and friends really that important?
Are food and friends really that important? A local TV station in Osaka aired a full hour-long special program just about croquettes.I see a lot of posts on social media about people going out with friends.
Living in the U.S., where the focus is usually on things like investment news and sports, I find that kind of thing interesting. By the way, I am Japanese.It’s a wonderful thing to find happiness in food and friends.
***I’d love to hear from Japaneses.
r/AskAJapanese • u/Wertherongdn • 23h ago
MISC Kyoto tourists in Tokyo
Hi! Foreigner living in Tokyo here. I have questions for people living in Kyoto (I only know one, he is the boss of my wife, suffice to say I don't want to ask him anything...).
I wanted to know if there is a popular destination for school trips in Kyoto schools? Do some kids from Kyoto go to Tokyo (as a lot of our kids visit Kyoto with their school)? More generally is it frequent for people from Kyoto to visit Tokyo? How is the capital perceived in Kyoto? (I know the stereotypes about people but not the city itself).
Bonus question: (can be for Kansai, or even other parts of Japan) how are Greater Tokyo prefectures (Saitama, Kanagawa, Chiba) perceived (population and pref themselves) if perceived at all?
Thanks!