After barely a week in Japan, I noticed something in me change โ and not for the better.
Unsure as to whether it was my extended stay in the solitary and authoritarian capsule hotel, or perhaps conforming with similar aspects of Japanese society more broadly, I had to get out of Osaka to do some soul searching.
Having caught the train to the quieter city Kobe, I began to explore the hidden costs that lay beneath the surface of the countryโs โcultural icebergโ in terms of isolation, and worse.
What I uncovered was truly shocking, and exposed a number of things that Japanese people are too afraid to talk about. Whether its demographics, the economy, or indeed mental health, it seemed that the country was in denial and sleepwalking towards crisis.
Although my adventure led me to some heavy topics, it was certainly worthwhile as I began to understand what had been driving my emotions in the couple of days previous.
๐ CHAPTERS
00:00 Intro from Kobe Station
00:31 Japanese Principles of Wa
01:56 Work Life Balance (Career Pressure)
02:32 Inequality and Stigma
04:42 What I Love About Japan
05:30 Too Many Rules
06:16 Japanese Politics
07:10 Living Alone in Japan
09:55 5 Things I Hated About Japan
16:31 Why Japan is Screwed
20:29 Why Change is Needed
21:00 Closing Thoughts
#japan #japanvlog #japantravel #Kobe
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๐ฅ As a new creator it would really help if you could like (or dislike) and leave a comment to help me to continue making videos for you ๐
๐ Instagram (behind-the-scenes stories): https://instagram.com/InvestedAdventure
๐ Facebook (5 minute clips): https://www.facebook.com/INVSTDadventure
๐ TikTok (1 minute shorts): https://www.tiktok.com/@InvestedAdventure
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P.S. Given my former professional background as an investment manager, personal finance is something that I strongly believe in.
Iโll be working on a side project in the coming months to help educate people around how investments work, sharing some of the tips and tricks that I used in the City before I embarked on my adventures.
In the meantime, you can see which stocks Iโm invested in, and how well (or badly) Iโm doing, via the link below:
๐น My stock portfolio (real-time): https://etoro.tw/3QJ6bcF
Although Iโve been a client of eToro for a number of years, and would remain so regardless of any affiliate terms, I do have an agreement with them which pays me a fee if you happen to open an account via the link (it costs you nothing extra and is very welcome towards my travels for a something that Iโm using anyway).
Whether or not you have any interest in this stuff is up to you โ and I wont ever promote it directly in my content. But if you do want to learn more, then you can see what Iโm doing in real-time there, and it might perhaps inspire you to take control of your financial future.
(As its the serious world of finance, Iโm also required to share this riveting disclaimer: eToro is a multi-asset investment platform. The value of your investments may go up or down. Your capital is at risk. Other fees apply.)
14 Comments
๐ CHAPTERS
00:00 Intro from Kobe Station
00:31 Japanese Principles of Wa
01:56 Work Life Balance (Career Pressure)
02:32 Inequality and Stigma
04:42 What I Love About Japan
05:30 Too Many Rules
06:16 Japanese Politics
07:10 Living Alone in Japan
09:55 5 Things I Hated About Japan
16:31 Why Japan is Screwed
20:29 Why Change is Needed
21:00 Closing Thoughts
#japan #japanvlog #japantravel #Kobe
Another change of pace James. Seems like an honest and open interpretation of Japan by someone raised in a different culture. I hope you have some Japanese subscribers who can explain how it feels to them. I guess Europe and in particular the UK will seem grubby, chaotic and disintegrating by comparison.
I must add Japan looks stunning and I still want to visit. So rich in culture.
๐ค
I Still want to Visit this Place One day so I Can Experience it myself โฆ.. Awesome Videos โ๏ธโ๏ธ๐๐๐๐
Very profound although I believe Japan is unique
Any luck
With a barbers and buzzcut haha
So interesting to hear a meaty vlog. I don't think they'd accept comments from me though. Instead i have a question about western society. y do they admire deeper culture in Japan n think d same thing in China must be evil? N y does everyone think Singapore has only d tip of d iceberg? What do they think we did with d major part? We all started out with the same culture!
DOUBLE SPEED FOR THE WIN!
A lot of western countries have a higher suicide rate than Japan, the US being one of those countries.
One of the most ignorant videos i've seen as told from the perspective of a simple minded tourist who has only been here for 2 weeks. It's almost hilarious how terrible your points are and shows you have made no effort to learn or adapt to Japanese society. You think Japan should adapt to you and complain when it doesn't. How about you live here for over 5+ years like many of us foreigners before you start spouting nonsense and lies from your narrow-minded tourist perspective.
They are ok, you may not be
Loved the 360* review on your time spent in Japan. Be interesting to see what the expats think
Great coverage of not so popular topics in Japan, you might find this video interesting also https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AcLZhlwrKHQ&t=255s
There's something to be said about the euro centric perspective that is riddled with judgement and ever so understated arrogance with which East Asian cultures are judged by a whiteโฆyoutuber no less. Remember the old sayingโฆwhen in Rome, or Japanโฆ Also, I've learned enough to not take at face value the role of women or their chances at growth n progression when viewed from a foreign lens