Genki Japan Blog

Japanese convenience stores are really cool.   They serve as the neighbourhood electronics store, manga library, drug store, bank, office,  and grocery store.   

The magazines and manga are typically not sealed and you can read them for hours.  Which many people do.   During the afternoon there is a crowd of business men and school kids around the magazine rack at the AMPM near my office.  You can read for hours with no pressure from the staff.

It is amazing how many Japanese people pick up dinner (usually a bento) at a conbini (コンビに japanese for convenience store).    I personally get my dinner or lunch about five times a week.   I would starve without convenience stores.

You can send packages around Japan or send your bags to the airport from almost any convenience store.   It is really cheap to send packages in Japan by takkyubin (delivery service) such as Kuro Neko.

There are many products available such as:

• health care products
• basic clothes such as socks, underwear or even ties
• food and ready made dinners such as obento
• cosmetics
• electronics
• hot food
• magazines
• drinks and hot tea or coffee
• dvds
• seasonal items such as fireworks, mother’s day gifts etc..
• cigarettes and alcohol (including beer, hard liquor and wine)

There are also many services available such as:

• delivery service
• photo copies
• photo printing
• bill payment
• ATM
• Ticket reservations (train or travel etc..)
• Buy products from internet and pick up at convenience store
• lotto
• fax

What a great place japanese convenience stores are!   Little wonder there are over 50,000 of them in Japan and there seem to be more all the time.

I was kinda shocked when I saw this.   There is a “Gaijin Crime File” magazine that spreads fear mongering about foreigners in Japan.   The magazine is called “外人犯罪ファイル” and was available in many convinience stores around Japan including AM/PM.

The magazine details many crimes by foreigners and claims that foreign criminals are targeting Japan.   Many Japanese people have the view that foreigners are behind most crime in Japan.  The reality is that less that %2 of crime in Japan is committed by foreigners.

I am fearful that some Japanese don’t have enough sense not to offend the foreign community.   As a Japanese I wish that this kind of thing did not happen in Japan.   I can’t picture a magazine like this in a mainstream store in London or New York.   So why Tokyo?

Mobile devices such as phones have become popular in virtually every country in the world. From Asia to South America everyone has a mobile phone. Does Japan have a unique mobile phone culture? Well, Japan was the first country in which literally everyone got a mobile phone. In the late 1990s every Japanese school kid had a keitai. At that time saying that you don’t have a keitai got the same reaction as saying you don’t have shoes.

There are many reasons that Japan was the first country where mobile phones obtained a high market penetration:

1. To get a land line phone in Japan you needed to buy a number. This cost about $1000 US. Land line calls are charged by the minute. Therefore land line phones were more expensive than mobile phones ..even in the late 1990s.

2. Japan is a very mobile society. Japanese people don’t spend a lot of time sitting at home. They are usually at work, school, eating out, drinking, karaoke etc…

3. Japanese don’t use cars much. They normally go to work by train. This opens up lots of time for text messaging.

Japanese society has had a long love affair with the keitai. But these days every country is like that. Does Japan still have a unique mobile culture?

Well, Japanese mobile phones are still more technically advanced than those found elsewhere. At least thats my impression. But to be quite honest I don’t really understand my keitai, so perhaps I should not try to talk about all the wonderful technical features of Japanese phones.    However, I do have three social observations about Japan’s mobile phone culture.

The first is that Japanese people do not talk on their phones much. Japanese people send text messages a great deal but rarely talk. They also do not use headsets. I believe this is because Japanese people tend to be quiet and don’t like having personal conversations in public.

The second is that it is not rude to ignore your friends and family when you are text messaging. I often see couples or entire families in restaurants that never speak a word to each other during their meal. Instead, they are all vigourously typing on their keitai. I have never personally met people like this but they seem to be everywhere.

The third is that Japanese people stare at their phones to avoid uncomfortable social situations. If you are crushed up against someone in the train they will stare at their phone so as not to make eye contact. If a guy is trying to nampa a girl on the street she will pretend she can’t hear him and stare at her phone.

Japan has a reputation as a high pressure society.   People work hard and play hard.   So when do they sleep?   Well, Japanese people tend to sleep when ever and where ever they can.    Sleeping on the train is just a given.    If you get a seat on the train … you sleep.   On the train, it is rare to see a seated person with their eyes open.     But you don’t even need a seat to sleep.  Japanese people are quite skilled a sleeping standing up as well.   They sleep standing on the train, elevators etc..   It really is impressive.

Public sleeping is not just restricted to the train.    Internet cafes could be thought of as Japan’s newest capsule hotel.   If you miss the train you can get a very private seat (flat seats too) for about 900 yen ($9) all night.    Not a bad deal in downtown Tokyo!    Karoke are often used for sleeping too .. but they are much more expensive.   At least about 5000 yen for all night ($50).     Sleeping in karoke was more popular in the 1990s before internet cafes (manga cafes) sprung up every where.

People also sleep in very strange places.   I am convinced that people in my office sleep on the toilet.   I can hear them snoring in there.   This is very inconvinient since there are not enough stalls as it is in my office.  People sleep on park benches … I am not talking about homeless people … it is well known in Japan that sales men often claim to be making a sales call but then just go to the park for a long snooze.

McDonalds or any cafe with lots of seats often has a few people sleeping in there.   The list goes on and on …

Public sleeping is more socially acceptable in Japan.   This is probably because Japanese people work long hours.   Sleeping in public can be seen as a sign that someone is a hard worker.   And in Japan hard work gets respect.

It is totally possible to sleep in the office.  People often sleep at their desks at lunch hour.  I even see people sleeping at their desks during core working hours.  No one cares.    Naturally sleeping in a boring meeting happens a lot .. I assume this is almost universal.

These days companies are relaxing a bit and people are working slightly less.   The younger generation grew up rich and want to enjoy their lives.   They don’t have the work ethic of the post war generation.   Perhaps Japan’s unique sleep culture will fade with time.

Check out more photos.

I have not yet decided what to do with this blog.  The high level plan is to introduce some topics from my country .. Japan.