Hello world I often get asked:
How's life in Japan? What I think they're really asking is what is the quality of life like. I live in Tokyo the biggest
metropolitan area in the world. It's got to be a hectic life, right?
The easiest answer I can give is: I bought a house.
There's a lot that factors into quality of life: health, family, education environment, social belonging,
recreation and leisure time and a bunch of financial stuff that influences the cost and standard of living.
I will focus on the financials in a follow-up video.
But let me address it briefly at the start of this one:
Working professionals can afford to buy a home and have all their primary needs taken care of. An extravagant lifestyle? No.
But they have the ability to make ends meet while living within an hour's commute to the center of the mega city that is Tokyo.
Let me paint the picture of what a Japanese middle-class lifestyle looks like.
We have a roof over our heads, in fact, we own it. Well, the bank does. Press a button
Do it once. Now give me the key.
We always have food on the table, clean water,
electricity, gas, heat, air conditioning, internet, smartphones
No oven... dishwasher, our dedicated drying machine though kids go to a free public school
Where lunches are made in-house, although we do pay for that, like two dollars a meal.
After school, the kids partake in extracurricular activities such as art classes and sports. We have health care
We're required to pay for it, but it's universal so we can't be denied access and the quality is good.
Did I mention kids are free from visits to the family doctor dentist and optometrist two prescriptions?
We don't own a car.
We could probably afford it.
But the benefits are so little within Tokyo that I feel it'd be a luxury expense,
especially since the kids walk to school and my wife has her commuter pass paid for by her company, which in general is what most
Companies do. For fun, well,
it's mostly free or cheap activities that we do like going to parks, visiting family and friends, catching up festival
Or going to super CentOS, which are nice public bathhouses that cost under $10 a head
The biggest non-essential costs we have are eating out and paying for public transport to get to places.
Although I love traveling my family isn't as keen as me so we don't often get out of the city.
As a single person the cost wouldn't be too bad.
But as a family expenses really do add up. Especially when hotel rates are based on the number of occupants versus the number of rooms
So does that paint a bit of a picture about our lifestyle? Now let's get into some overarching themes.
First up is family:
Family is such a huge factor for me. Not only my immediate family, but siblings and parents, too
This must sound funny since my Canadian family is an ocean away.
But my Japanese family are all within a short walk.
So you win some you lose some. Why our Japanese family over our Canadian one?
Well that has to do with the cost and availability of housing, not our affection for our loved ones, at least
That's what it publicly say. In the area around Vancouver even when our family wanted to be located near each other
It was a practical impossibility
to rent or purchased in the same neighborhood.
Only those that got in before the craziness that is the Vancouver housing market were able to
establish themselves.
While Vancouver's not considered a large city by international standards,
living in a place suitable for a family within an hour's commute of the downtown core
was not possible for me and many working professionals.
In Japan, housing can come in all shapes and sizes.
Since zoning laws allow you to build on very small pieces of land; as an example,
I now own a detached home that for all intents and purposes takes up all the land.
I don't have a yard beyond the few feet of concrete on the side.
That's a trade-off that I was able to make. I chose no yard
Versus living another 30 minutes away where I could have had one and a more spacious house to boot but
I wanted not only to be closer to the center of Tokyo but more importantly close to family.
Unlike years ago in Japan. We don't live in a
Multi-generational household.
If our parents do require care as they get older as opposed to the free childminding that they currently provide us.
We live so close that we can walk there in minutes.
So we're close, but not living on top of each other close.
The services available to family members from my niece who recently graduated from the day care system,
to my kids in elementary school,
to the
grandparents who may one day go to adult daycare are all located within a few minutes walk.
Groceries, health clinics, parks, recreation centers and quite importantly, a train station are all equally close
Tokyo being a walkable city is a big deal that lends itself to a healthier lifestyle.
And let's talk about health:
So there are many aspects to health beyond access to doctors and hospitals, but let's discuss those things.
Whenever I want to see our family doctor, we walk or bike to the clinic and can be seen within an hour.
But if we choose the right time of day, it's more like 15 minutes.
No appointments necessary.
The cost is so little that I never think if it's worthwhile to spend the money to see the doctor.
Instead, the equation
I calculate is whether a visit is not only worth my time, but the time of the doctor.
A pharmacy is usually located beside the clinic
which means you can pick up the prescription quite quickly
Prescriptions are also mostly covered under the health insurance system
and even if they weren't,
the national governments control ensure that medications are affordable.
If I want to see a specialist, but the dermatologist for my eczema are an ENT for my tinnitus
I can drop in just as I did with my family doctor. no referral our appointment
necessary and oh yeah, they're also located within walking distance
But what about the quality of care well?
Subjectively I find it comparable to Canada some things are better some are worse
But overall I trust that the doctors are qualified that I can get access when I need to and that I'll be taken care of
Whether I have money or not even with Japan's universal health care coverage
you are required to pay 30% of costs there are monthly limits that mean you won't end up having to pay beyond your means and
Thus won't be going bankrupt due to some unforeseen or chronic. Health issues you're also free to choose any hospital nationwide
Now I've been talking about physical health, what about mental health that I can't personally comment on since I've never utilized the services
Hearing stories from other people gives me the impression that Western countries are more progressive in this
This kind of leads into stigmas and social belonging
There's this idea in Japan that you don't want to stand out which means you don't want to admit
You have mental health issues or that you lost your job or many of the other life?
Situations that you may have to deal with I think in the West we're more open to talking about our personal problems in Japan
It's just not something that's often done
What I've observed is that people are generally
Understanding and sympathetic to those who are struggling in life?
Whether it be financially physically mentally are otherwise
Like any other developed country the Japanese deal with a host of issues
From your kid who isn't doing well in school to an uncle who's in a wheelchair to that cousin who has a learning difference
these things are talked about but usually quietly a
Lot of commentary you might hear about Japan makes the society seem rigid and stuck in the past
But I've seen a lot of changes and openness not only in my generation, but the generations above and below
I keep on coming across examples of things progressing and improving from gender
Inequality to working hours to an overhaul of the University Entrance Examination
System you've probably heard that Japan has a suicide problem
But the thing is it's now not that different from other developed countries
There was a period of time in the 90s and the turn of the century when the economy wasn't doing well and the numbers spiked
What if trends continue in a few years the rate will be the same as the u.s.?
Which unfortunately is seeing its numbers rise?
There's also a stereotype that in Japan foreigners are just that foreigners, and they will never belong
So does our family equally Canadian and Japanese feel like we belong I'd have to say yes
And ironically probably even more so than in our community in Canada a country that is known for its
Multiculturalism and is a country of immigrants. Why do I think this well?
I don't think it has anything to do with the people themselves
But more with how the community is set up and the social expectations that come with living here
I keep on coming back to this point, but it really makes a difference in my life
And that's walkability in Japan men people walk a ride around the community so you inevitably
Run into the same people over and over when people know you and you them that promotes a sense of responsibility
to the greater whole
schools another reason for that sense of belonging
School especially elementary school forces parents to interact with one another and I do specifically use the word force
Because you're gonna interact whether you like it or not the elementary school catchment area is roughly a kilometre in radius
which means everyone lives within a 10-minute walk to school and
In some areas you wouldn't even need to walk that far because all these circles represent a ten minute walk to each
Elementary school in the area that I could spot
There's this term called the popsicle index
The popsicle index is the percent of people in a community who believe a child can leave their home?
go to the nearest place to buy a
Popsicle and come home alone safely
Kind of like the good old days of yore when I was a little girl growing up in West Philadelphia
Popsicle index was a hundred percent was unthinkable
That we couldn't run up to spruce street play the pins get a popsicle and come home alone and any time of day or early
evening okay so Japan
2018 weekday mornings elementary school kids in my neighborhood gather together in groups to walk to school without adult supervision
On the way back home though. They're all on their own
Given this fact. I'd say that my neighborhood would score 100% on that popsicle index
Especially since there are stores along the way that they could stop by and pick one up
To expand upon this idea of children roaming the streets unsupervised
I don't think the term playdate exists in Japan kids just walk or bike to a friend's house or even meet up in the park
Once they get cellphones which most kids seem to have by the time they hit junior high
They make plans via the popular line messaging gap
Do Japanese parents fear for the safety of their children that a malicious crime like kidnapping might occur
I think parents are about as fearful of this in Japan as they are in Canada
But what I can confirm is that Japanese parents don't seem to be as concerned about kids being injured by speeding vehicles
because in residential areas in Japan
The pedestrians and cyclists rule the road and cars are limited to 30 kilometers an hour and for you Americans
That's 20 miles an hour in Canada cars. Generally go double that speed regardless of posted speed limits
Something else that contributes to social belonging is both the voluntary and involuntary
community participation
The local group of five to ten households that manage the waste collection point that's not an option
Being the parent monitor for your elementary school kids morning gathering spot also not an option
attending the festival for the local shrine
That's optional going to school festivals also optional passing along the local news bulletin not an option
For people who don't want to conform this type of living can be onerous to put it in perspective though
I can't seem to survive more than a year in the Canadian corporate world as I like the freedom of self-employment too much by beater
What's happening?
We need to talk about your TPS reports yet
I don't find the social norms in our little community in Tokyo to be burdensome in fact
I kind of find the rules freeing, but how can that be?
Well following the rules only take up a small percentage of my life
So even if I don't like the rules they don't dominate how I live
As long as I follow the little rules. I'm free to do whatever
I like and I also believe the pros far outweigh the cons yes
I have to pitch in to clean the garbage area, but because everyone has to do it
No, one is going to purposely make a mess there
I have to watch my kids gather in the morning a few weeks out of the year
But I can also rest assured that my kids are safe going to school on their own having to be reined in at work
We're controlled me for a good 8 hours a day. Yeah, the cover sheet. I know I know bill talked to me about it. Yeah
Did you get that memo whereas conforming to these community rules is maybe eight hours a month?
You might be thinking I have specifically addressed. How we fit in as a foreign or perhaps half foreign family
My wife was born and raised in Tokyo after all yes. I like my idea
Sorry, it's in the wallet my ID
It's inside is in there my ID well. I can tell you this. I don't have regular run-ins with the cops
Because there are many touch points of course and free to attend social obligations
You're going to participate and that ensures you become a part of the community
Even with the language barrier and let's be clear. I still suck at Japanese
I'm much more involved at the local level in Japan than I've ever been in Canada
So yeah we fit in and I kind of don't know if we even had a choice
Now let's move on over to education
Education was a top fare I had before moving to Japan
I heard the schools restrict and that creativity was stifled bullying was also a thing my kids have been
just fine
Things are different in Japan than Canada. There is no doubt, but I think they've been receiving decent education in both systems
What you need to know about Japanese education at the elementary school level?
Is that unless you're someone from the elite who wants their kid to attend the top?
University in the country the pressure is not all it's cracked up to be
Once you start getting into junior high in a high school
I think it's a different story, but my family is not at that stage yet
So if you've seen those videos or read those articles about Japanese kids testing to get into the right kindergarten to ensure their future success
That's the exception not the norm
Since education is governed at the national level this ensures a certain standard of quality all across the country big city our small town
You can see the same types of schools with the same curriculums with the same gyms and swimming pools
With the same sports days and festivals there are Japanese math and science classes, but there's also social and life studies arts music
Physical education and home economics there are several field trips a year and many festivals to put on it's honestly a more diverse
educational experience than I've seen in Canadian schools
Teachers are hired by the prefecture which is similar to a province or state and are moved around schools every few years
So while my family isn't located one of the wealthier parts of Tokyo
I feel the facilities and teachers aren't dramatically different - the more money Daria's
The vast majority of students attend public school especially at the elementary level, so this really is the story for most Japanese
Tisa the program for International Student Assessment ranks Japanese students quite highly
If you ask my kids uncle prefers the Japanese school system because she says she understands it better all Shin is rather indifferent
We've witnessed incidents of bullying in both Canada and Japan, and I can honestly say I wouldn't rate one place better
Or worse both school systems are anti-bullying, but if you know kids the unfortunately can find creative ways to get around official policies
One big difference the kids and I have noticed between the school systems is the freedom and responsibility
Given to students overall I'd say Japanese have more responsibility than Canadian students
Whether it's serving up lunch cleaning the school putting on events or watching over the younger ones but being able to be yourself
Canada is the winner in that category you can have purple hair scooter into class and have your own learning style
So I've spent a lot of time talking about obligations education and help, but what about the fun stuff?
recreation and leisure time
This is perhaps the trickiest section for me to talk about that's because my family doesn't have the typical setup
I work for myself and thus make my own hours my wife works, but it's fairly close to the typical nine-to-five
So she's home within decent hours while our working hours are in line with Canadian parents
But I know I'd say we're home more than other Japanese parents are
So from my experience the average Japanese family has less time together than a Canadian one in Canada
There's a bigger priority on having quality of time with not only children
But also with spouses like if there were some non-essential work that needed to get done in the evening
Or your kids soccer game to attend I feel like in Japan the work would win out
Whereas in Canada taking your kid to the soccer game?
Would this is of course a huge generalization, but if you need to sum it up?
That's how I feel the cookie would crumble for parents. I don't see a big culture of having date nights within my Canadian family
It's something that's deemed essential for a healthy relationship in Japan dates are for unmarried couples not parents
In Japan taking care of the families also still more of a female than a male thing
So it's expected that a mother would make the meals and clean the house
Times are changing and the role is becoming more equal, but it's probably a generation behind what I see on the ground in Canada
Japanese family vacations are shorter affairs: think a couple of games as opposed to a week
There's just not enough consecutive time off of work to go on long trips
There's also lots of school activities that need to be attended to
Overall Japanese people seem to have less free time to do things of their choosing, but when the Japanese do recreational things
They usually do it in a serious way
So what's the quality of life like in Tokyo I bought a house?
It's somewhere. I can see my family living for the foreseeable future
Because we can live near to family because we can be part of a small community
Because we can work jobs that don't require long hours because we can spend time with our family
Because we don't need to own a car we can have a decent quality of life
One thing I'd like to come back to is the education we're in a special situation where our kids can speak English
And that's becoming an increasingly important subject in Japanese schools
It's one of the main subjects you can use for test scores for getting into both high schools and universities
Coming from Canada my kids have a natural advantage
Furthermore their Canadian citizenship and myself and my wife's ability to make a living back in Canada
Meaning that we always have the option of going back to the Canadian education system for certain years
If things aren't working well in Japan
This means our kids probably don't experience the same type of schooling pressure that regular Japanese ones do on
The other hand we have very much been actively working to ensure our kids are fluently bilingual in Japanese in English
It's not a given that they can speak both languages. They're currently not at a native level of English hi
There's like when we were living in Canada. They weren't at a native level of Japanese
It's a constant struggle to prepare them to be able to communicate at a need of level in two languages
By the time they graduate from high school
not only that we want to make sure they can feel at ease living in either country a
Very important question, but one that's also so subjective as if we're happy are we happy with our life in Japan
How about a simple answer to this complicated question?
Yeah
Thanks for watching. See you next time bye. What's the quality of life like where you're from?
Hey guys Greg here as promised in the follow-up to this video, I'll talk about the costs
the standard of living in Japan
I think in developed countries if you're wealthy enough you can have a fairly good quality of life
So what I'm more interested in talking about is what the quality of life will be like for a regular average
citizen stay tuned for that
if you like these types of videos they do take a while to make and
Making them requires the consumption of quite a bit of tea
And I really do slurp I
Really do slurp my tea like that
It's hot right. You know this is great Japanese technology
but anyways if you'd
If you have the means to support my tea drinking habit. I have a patreon account so consider that all right