r/AskAJapanese

As an American not only is the quality of all national Japanese foodstuffs hyped up a lot from our cultural perspective, the natural bias of all Japanese food being "foreign" means that any exposure we have to traditional, or even modern Japanese cuisine make it all relatively "special" to go out for. Ramen Bowls, Sushi, Rice Balls, Yakiniku, and anything not "Americanized" like Teriyaki or Hibachi places are all rather pricey unless you are in the right area. More combini-style markets and groceries are opening in major US cities, making some Japanese staples more accessible (quality depending). But even in these same cities going out for Ramen is usually not a cheap night out.

I appreciate that Japan is generally proud of its foods, but to give context, growing up I had cup-of-noodles ramen plenty of times, and thought it was honestly not great. I wrongfully assumed that the "Japanese" versions available in Japan were somehow different, everything from Anime to Japanese youtube Channels made Cup-of-noodle's ramen out to be gods gift to earth. It was only as an adult I realized the brands and products were mostly the same in the U.S. as they were in Japan, as far as I could tell; and I was falling for what I assumed amounted to advertising.

Is it true that everything in Japan just tastes better? What foods does the everyday Japanese person avoid assuming they can get somthing better or more substantial with a little effort?

Some American examples of "low-quality" foods are (in my opinion):

• All "fast food" restaurants with one or two exceptions.
• Anything from a convenience store with one or two specific brand exceptions (Buc-ees and Wawa).
• Quick-cook microwave meals or pre-cooked microwave frozen foods.
• Pizza in general with some specific exceptions.
• pre-made deli counter sandwiches / items from most grocery stores
• Hotdogs and most mass-produced lunchmeat

That's not to say these things cant be tasty, just seen as lower quality than other food options.

I mean, first of all, I know they went to the USA a long time ago as their English language skills didn’t work well over there, but basically I just wanted to get a better understanding of what went wrong with the duo in Japan.

Like what I am trying to say is that I didn’t get why their music wasn’t selling well in Japan anymore that made them leave the country since they used to be popular in Japan, but I am not sure what happened to the duo.

It seems like a really social place,whenever its night time everyone is gathered in an alley where there are a lot of izakayas,but,whenever i have the urge to stop and have some meat skewers alone it feels really awkward.

So im wondering,do locals go to izakaya alone?

I'm an American who's learning guitar and I noticed in American guitar culture especially there's a very mixed opinion on Japanese instruments with love for Ibanez and Yamaha but hate for many other brands. I was curious if there's sort of cult followings of American made instruments in Japan or if you guys really only look at your own domestic brands?

I don't live in japan, so the very little I know of japanese work culture is from news and anime. I was talking with my japanese tutor about my day and the topic happened to become about helping others at work. The tutor said that japanese people have strong feelings towards teamwork and go as far as overtiming to help others out. In my country, people help each other out too but not as far as overtiming. At most, only for a close friend but not unprompted.

My tutor isn't japanese, so I wanted to know the experience of actual japanese people.

So, there’s a girl I’ve been doing language exchange offline, and I’m starting to wonder if she might be interested in me romantically or if she just sees me as a good friend.

One day, I asked her out to watch a movie, and she agreed. We went to a 4 PM show and later had dinner together until about 9 PM. She offered to split the bill, but since I was the one who asked her out, I told her it was on me.

The next time we went to another movie around afternoon and had a light lunch, when we were talking, she mentioned that she had to go to Place A on a certain day. When I told her that I would be in Place B around that time, she said she didn't really want to go to Place A and would rather go to Place B instead.

Our messaging is pretty slow-paced. I usually reply within an hour or two, while she does reply within like 10 hours max, but during the day we meet up she is fast.

When we talk in person, most of our conversations are about language exchange and what's been going on in our lives.

I'm wondering does this sound like she might be interested in me, or does it seem more like she sees me as a good friend?

At this point, I feel like I have two choices. I could just forget about the romantic possibility and continue as normal as language partners, or I could tell her how I feel now rather than regretting it 10 years from now and wondering if all of these were hints that I missed.

I'm genuinely okay with being rejected. What I'm afraid of is ruining something that I really value that might end us up as strangers. So, I'm trying to figure out whether there are actually signs of romantic interest here, or whether I'm reading too much into normal friendship behavior.

Any suggestion or advice is appreciated.

I’d like to ask people from Japan, or people who have lived there for a long time, about the reality of Japanese work culture.
Is it really true that people tend to build a large part of their lives around their careers and spend a significant amount of their time at work?
Is work genuinely considered one of the highest priorities in people’s lives? How much does work typically affect people’s social lives, relationships, hobbies, and free time?
I’m especially curious about whether the image of long working hours, strong work expectations, and putting your career before your personal life is still accurate today, or whether this is exaggerated by foreign media.
I’d really appreciate hearing about your personal experiences and perspectives.
Edit: sorry, I don't think I expressed myself very well. What I meant was not so much the number of working hours, but rather what work means to Japanese people in terms of their sense of emotional well-being, fulfillment, and happiness.
For example, many people in Europe don't feel fully fulfilled or happy without having a romantic partner. I meant it in a similar sense — I'm wondering how important work is for Japanese people when it comes to feeling fulfilled and satisfied with their lives.

I'm a walnut farmer in California, and I'll be lucky enough to visit Japan with my older parents and my son (16) during the summer of 2027 (exact dates TBD).

Selfishly, I'd really like to learn how walnuts are farmed in Japan, and meet a grower and see how things are different. From googling, I understand that production in Japan is quite limited, but that just makes me more intrigued. I guess most production is in Nagano, specifically Tomi? I have no idea if this is really the case, but I'd like to connect with farmers (or even one!) and visit, regardless.

More importantly, I read that there are native walnuts in Japan (Onigurumi), but I can't find much information on them. That REALLY interests me, and I want to learn as much as I can. I don't care if it's cultural, culinary, agricultural, artistic... The knowledge just tickles me.

(At the same time, I'd love to visit someone that farms old varieties of rice. My father spent 50 years growing and processing rice, so it would mean a lot to him to visit a fellow farmer.)

My family is all about visiting somewhere and learning about real life, not flashy things. We feel that what others find mundane is the stuff that will blow our minds, as that's usually what happens when folks visit us in California!

So...

1. Where can I see walnuts being grown in Japan? English and native.

2. Does anyone have any connections to farmers that would be willing to share their experience with a fellow farmer that respects what they're doing and wants to learn about how they do it? Also artisans or cooks that utilize walnut wood or walnuts, in traditional and/or almost-forgotten ways.

3. Are there cultural aspects that I can learn about while I'm there? Especially regarding how walnuts or walnut wood are used in culturally significant ways (Shinto altars, etc)?

I'm ok to share my contact information via DM if anyone has legitimate connections that would be willing to listen to me ask questions for a while.

Thanks, in advance!

EDIT: I showed my son some of the first responses, and now he wants to add that he'd like to see where the huge Japanese yams are grown, if that's near either of the regions mentioned, regarding walnuts (Tomi) and rice (Uonuma)...

I am a woman who lived and worked in Germany. I am not Asian. Recently, I started to think about marriage.

I have been involved with Japan very much as I practice traditional arts for over a decade and I have stayed in Japan many times. In Europe it is quite difficult to get married becuase marriage is seen as something unnecessary, even obsolete. I am a bit more traditional so I’d like to have traditional life as well, so I started researching into marriage agencies
.

My question is: are marriage agencies legit way to meet trustworthy people? My concern is my safety as a woman. Dating apps didn’t work for me because most people hide their intentions and are not serious. I have found several marriage agencies that charge significant membership prices so I wanted to ask Japanese people, are such places legit and can you really meet trustworthy partners there? I am completely fine if agency asks proof of my single status and legal status.

I would like to meet Japanese person who is interested to live abroad (Germany), at least for some time.

Also, I’d like to continue working after getting married, is my wish something unusual for Japanese people? I like Japanese culture and I am especially attracted to the idea of being traditional mother, but I’d also like to remain working. I speak several European languages and I’m learning Japanese. Is learning traditional art in Japan seen as strange?