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Stuff that is just brilliant in Japan (and you only really notice when you are out of Japan)


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1

I ordered something from amazon.co.uk and a few other places last Monday. All were in stock (apparently). To be sent to a UK address. 2 of them have STILL not arrived - there is no takyubin like deliveries after noon on Saturday apparently. Rubbish. Makes me realise just how brilliant Japanese delivery services are.

 

2

Go into a shop here and invariably the service is just embarrassingly poor. What the hell do you want attitude. Go into some coffee shop or something and expect to pay lots for shoddy service and dirty tables that they don't come and clear up.

 

3

Packing. Buy a piece of china. You got the box? No! Here we'll wrap it in a bit of newspaper then put it in a plastic bag!

 

I get worked up at some things in Japan, but....

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I agree with the general point, however I point out the exception: the city hall (shiakusho) or bank which is closed on the weekends and weekdays at 4.30pm.

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 Originally Posted By: Mantas
The service in Japan is second to none IMHO.


Yep service is great but it lacks being personal. It's all a programmed spiel and doesn't usually go any further than that. Never and eye contact at cash registers and to me it creates an uncomfortable environment I dread experiencing again.
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ah yes. And when you actually ask a question about something that they don't know the answer to, rather than say "hang on. I don't know, I'll have to find out for you", you get the "ah no. That is impossible. We CAN'T do that" I'm not talking simple cafe service. I'm talking about when you have a computer question or something other, and you ask in a computer shop. Some guys will go out of their way to help you, but many will tell you it can't be done simply because they don't know about it. I have experienced this in a big electronics shop. I spoke to one guy one day and he was very helpful, came back about the same thing another day, spoke to a different guy who insisted that it couldn't it was impossible and nothing could be done. When I pushed the point and asked for the other guy, he had to admit he was wrong. I have found this attitude a lot here. Often goes hand in hand with the "That's just the way it is (so bugger off)" attitude.

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I'm in two minds about service in Japan. I go to the same seicomart every morning on the way to work and generally am served by the same people every morning. Each time I am greeted by the familiar "Irashaimase" which is nice enough but the last year or so you would think maybe they could strike up a little more familiarity. How about a 'how are you?', 'looks like a nice day today', 'are you busy?', etc. I often ask these questions of them but they never ask me. Also every morning they ask me if I want a straw with my iced coffee even though for the last year or so I have always said no to this question. So in this case I've really found the service to be overly robotic, they just say all the things they've been told to say without any ability to strike up a little familiarity with regulars like myself.

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For me the best thing of living up here in the rural north of Japan is there is virtually no crime at all. It's incredible the difference it makes living in a place devoid from all fear of crime.

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It's not as safe as it seems. I know of 3 people who have been burgled in daytime.

 

And in Osaka I saw a salaryman get beat up in front of at least 200 people in the main shopping area by a group of roadworker characters, then they threw him in their van and drove off. (an aside: everyone just stared at this for about 10mins without doing anything. I was lookign to see if anyone was calling the cops (I had not phone at that time) but no-one did).

 

But I agree with the general comment that it feels safer here. The absence of aggressive adolescents is the main reason, and beer-ed up gangs of 40 year olds who should know better.

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 Originally Posted By: Rag-Doll
 Originally Posted By: bobby12
beer-ed up gangs of 40 year olds who should know better.


I think that's just a Niseko problem!


C'mon, RD< you know better than that.
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