DumbStick 13 Posted February 19, 2014 Share Posted February 19, 2014 When we moved in to our new house, we met with the neighbourhood top dog and he went through some of the rules and 'traditions'. One of the latter was... if someone dies in the village area, everyone is expected to attend the funeral and pay 2000 yen -----> even if you don't know the people, never even heard of them or seen them before you hear they are dead. We've had two already! The guy came round last night with info on the funeral and details of the 'shuttle bus' that is supposed to take us all to the funeral ceremony hall - about 15 minutes drive away. Is this a common neighbourhood thing here or just a regional quirk? Interested to hear of any others too. Link to post Share on other sites
griller 9 Posted February 19, 2014 Share Posted February 19, 2014 Is the shuttle bus free, DumbStick? Link to post Share on other sites
Chriselle 158 Posted February 19, 2014 Share Posted February 19, 2014 No..that's unique. Just don't bother with any of it. Link to post Share on other sites
gifugill 0 Posted February 19, 2014 Share Posted February 19, 2014 That really does sound uber-daft. Link to post Share on other sites
snowdude 44 Posted February 19, 2014 Share Posted February 19, 2014 While they do announce deaths over the tanoy system here only people close to the deceased or people who want to attend go. I have never heard of the whole street or block having to go. I would say no to this one. Link to post Share on other sites
NoFakie 45 Posted February 19, 2014 Share Posted February 19, 2014 Were either of the deceased your NHK man? Link to post Share on other sites
DumbStick 13 Posted February 19, 2014 Author Share Posted February 19, 2014 He actually came round again a few weeks ago. The lady wasn't in again, not seen him since. Link to post Share on other sites
Chriselle 158 Posted February 19, 2014 Share Posted February 19, 2014 Nhk guy came by a few weeks ago. I simply said, haraimasen....he said ok and went away. Link to post Share on other sites
Thundercat 60 Posted February 19, 2014 Share Posted February 19, 2014 One came by mine too about 10 days ago. I just told him I don't have a tv and he went away. Link to post Share on other sites
Alexander L 80 Posted February 19, 2014 Share Posted February 19, 2014 have they asked you to the party where they throw all their car keys into a bag and have them picked out one by one. The Surrey version. Link to post Share on other sites
Tubby Beaver 209 Posted February 19, 2014 Share Posted February 19, 2014 My old neighbourhood wanted us to pay for the gomi station/collection and the local school festival.......wtf do I pay city tax for if the gomi collection isn't included and in a year and a half of living there, I hadn't seen one school festival of which of course I have no kids who actually attend.....I declined....perhaps the wife paid, I dunno Link to post Share on other sites
Chriselle 158 Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 We pay (a lot) into the "kodomo no kai" every year. It's a bit of a carnival for the local kids and is pretty good fun. Well, I just found out that the "beer and Sake fund" for all the old dudes to get drunk for the two day event comes out of the fees... Next year...I'm going to show up and do some shaming.....assholes...!! Link to post Share on other sites
NoFakie 45 Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 We don't get tapped up for funerals but there is a regular monthly fee for festivals and events. I usually drink my fill and come home with cans in my pockets, so its better than the other taxes I pay! I think we all chipped in when a girl in our neighbourhood went to the Vancouver Olympics, but she didn't make it this time and we weren't asked to contribute for the other Hakuba competitors who did. Link to post Share on other sites
DumbStick 13 Posted February 20, 2014 Author Share Posted February 20, 2014 Seems the lady took care of this, poked her head in and gave the 2000 yen. Got a nice big box of manju in return which probably cost just over 1000 yen. As silly as it seems, I suppose to 'fit in' in the neighbourhood and create a good impression, it's a small price. Oh yeah, and as long as it's her dealing with it not me!! Link to post Share on other sites
pie-eater 207 Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 Manju is better than a rubbish little towel anyway. Link to post Share on other sites
BagOfCrisps 24 Posted February 21, 2014 Share Posted February 21, 2014 Mad sounding customs! I don't know if they are all that bad. Here sometmes neighbours tend to not even know what each other look like. Link to post Share on other sites
Tubby Beaver 209 Posted February 21, 2014 Share Posted February 21, 2014 That's the flip side for sure, Bags. Here the sense of community is one of the main reasons Japan hasn't descended into social chaviness like most of our countries......I do remember, as a child, each house in our tenement would wash their staircase in turn, my mother out scrubbing the common stairwell landing with a scrubbing brush n bleach when it was her turn. Now, if I went into the same tenement it'd be filthy, stinking of piss and rubbish and junkies living in the houses Link to post Share on other sites
Alexander L 80 Posted February 21, 2014 Share Posted February 21, 2014 isn't having piss smell in stairways and lifts an inner city tradition? Link to post Share on other sites
Tubby Beaver 209 Posted February 21, 2014 Share Posted February 21, 2014 Dunno, I've never lived in the inner city Link to post Share on other sites
Alexander L 80 Posted February 21, 2014 Share Posted February 21, 2014 yeah but couldn't you wait 'til you got home? Link to post Share on other sites
Tubby Beaver 209 Posted February 21, 2014 Share Posted February 21, 2014 I don't have a home Link to post Share on other sites
Alexander L 80 Posted February 22, 2014 Share Posted February 22, 2014 Sorry to hear that. Link to post Share on other sites
klingon 10 Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 I think my neighbourhood people ignore me with stuff like that, bit scary being a gaijin klingon. What a shame! Link to post Share on other sites
DumbStick 13 Posted February 24, 2014 Author Share Posted February 24, 2014 They are friendly round here though we really hardly see them. Very quiet area. A good thing. Link to post Share on other sites
snowdude 44 Posted February 24, 2014 Share Posted February 24, 2014 Same here very friendly nicr people but everyone leaves each other to do their own thing. Last week we all joimed in to clear the snow and all had breaks and a chat and that was fun actually getting to know the neighbours better. After we all finished it was back to doing our own thing. What makes this area good is no one here are originally ftom the area a lot are ftom Tokyo and surrounding areas one is from Iwaki some from Nagano and some from Kofu so you havent got this conservative stuck up situation here which is great. Kofu was conservative and almost all the people living where we lived were born in the area really quite different. Link to post Share on other sites
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