Japan After 5 Years Away: Safety, Cashless Life and English Challenges

Japan’s Charms and Challenges Noticed After Returning Home After a Long Absence

Hello. This is Suzuki from Eco Drive.

This time, continuing from the previous article, I’d like to talk about the charms of Japan that I noticed when returning home.

I usually return home every three years, but this time it was after 5 years, and I ended up traveling around Tokyo alone.

Since I was able to travel as a tourist, which was different from usual, I’d like to share my impressions from that time.

※This is a continuation of the previous article.

Japan vs USA: What Surprised Me After 5 Years Away

Japan Where You Can Walk Safely Even at Night

After visiting Japan for the first time in 5 years, I was once again amazed by Japan’s excellent public safety.

The environment where you can walk safely even at night is significantly different from overseas, especially from America which is a gun society.

In America, mass shootings and mafia conflicts are frequently featured in the news, and certain areas are absolutely no-go zones.

Furthermore, recently brazen robberies have become like a “trend,” with perpetrators boldly appearing on security cameras.

Japan’s Public Safety Is Something to Be Proud of Internationally

Witnessing these phenomena makes me realize once again how wonderful Japan’s public safety and the high morals of Japanese people are.

In Japan, the culture of not causing trouble for others is deeply rooted, and as a result, a safe society is maintained.

This point stands out particularly when comparing Japan with overseas.

After living abroad for a long time, I feel renewed appreciation for Japan’s good public safety.

Based on these experiences, I feel that Japan’s public safety and high social morals are important elements that should be maintained in the future.

More Shops Accept Credit Cards

Visiting Tokyo after a long time, I was surprised that credit cards are more widely accepted than before.

When I visited Tokyo in the past, I had the impression that credit cards were hardly usable, and cash was necessary even at convenience stores.

Particularly, when trying to buy a single juice with a credit card, clerks would give me unpleasant looks, or I’d be asked to sign in kanji – the response to foreign credit cards wasn’t well-established yet.

Japan’s Progress Toward Cashless Society

However, in Japan this time, credit cards could be used easily everywhere, and as a result, I didn’t need to use cash at all.

This is evidence that Japan has made significant progress toward becoming cashless, and it was a very convenient change.

The acceptance of credit cards in Japan has changed greatly compared to the past.

This change means that visitors from overseas can now have more convenient and comfortable trips.

I think it has become easier for foreign tourists to visit Japan.

Increase in Foreign Tourists and Workers

During this visit to Japan, I was surprised by the increase in foreign workers and tourists.

I strongly felt Japan’s internationalization from the noticeable presence of foreigners working in customer service at convenience stores and hotels, and the large number of foreign tourists at airports and in the streets.

Especially at Haneda Airport, it was bustling with multinational tourists including Americans, and flights were fully booked.

This change might be influenced by the weak yen, but it’s also evidence of growing interest in Japan.

Japan’s High Evaluation as a Tourist Destination

My American friends have also recently visited Japan and talked about how enjoyable it was.

I realized that Japan’s culture, service, and safety are highly valued internationally, and I felt that an environment has been established that makes it easy for foreigners to visit Japan.

The recognition of Japan as an attractive tourist destination in the international community is a pleasant discovery for me as a Japanese person, and I hope more people will continue to discover Japan’s charms.

Train Use Is Difficult for Foreigners

This time I visited Japan almost like a tourist, and I felt that using trains was somewhat difficult.

Originally not being fond of trains and having lived a car-centered life when I was in Japan, train travel was unavoidable during this solo trip, and I struggled with its complexity.

Google Maps was very helpful, but the complexity of Tokyo’s train system was still highly challenging.

Especially for elderly people or foreign tourists visiting Japan for the first time, it might be difficult to purchase tickets and figure out how to get to their destination on their own.

The elderly foreign tourists I saw seemed to be confused just like me.

It Would Be Good to Have Train Guide Services That Are Easy for Foreigners to Use

From this experience, I strongly felt that Japan’s public transportation system, especially trains, needs to be made more user-friendly and accessible.

Japan’s trains run on time and are a wonderful system that is clean and reliable, but it would be even better if their use was simple and intuitive.

It would be ideal to have guidance and support so that elderly people and foreign tourists can use them with peace of mind.

I feel that making it possible for everyone to easily enjoy the convenience and comfort of Japanese trains is a future challenge.

It Seemed Few Japanese People Have an International Outlook

During this visit to Japan, I met many Japanese people, but when talking with them, it seemed surprisingly few had an international orientation.

The aversion to English remains strong, and I felt this hasn’t changed much from 20 years ago.

When I mentioned I came from America, many were surprised, but they didn’t seem to have high interest in overseas.

Compared to life in Japan, in America you meet people from various countries on a daily basis.

I think this is because America is a nation of immigrants, but having lived in America for 20 years myself, I noticed that my sense of multiculturalism differs from that of Japanese people.

Looking Overseas & Overcoming English Aversion – Future Challenges?

In Japan, visitors from overseas still seem to be felt as rare, and my experience is one example.

This situation doesn’t seem to have changed much over the past few decades.

There are still challenges in Japanese people’s international perspective and approach to English, and I felt this contributes to the sense of cultural differences between Japan and other countries.

For Japan to Excel in a Global Environment

After visiting Japan for the first time in 20 years, there were several points that made me think about Japan’s future.

Particularly, seeing the current situation where domestic industries are shrinking amid the advancing aging society with declining birthrate, I think opportunities to work with English-speaking people will increase.

In this regard, I felt that not having English communication skills could lead to significant missed opportunities.

Creating an Environment Where Foreigners Can Easily Spend Money

This time I visited Japan as a tourist, and I think mechanisms and innovations are needed to create an environment where foreign tourists can move around more easily and spend money more easily.

The increase in foreign tourists visiting Japan is a great opportunity for earning foreign currency domestically, and strengthening measures and policies for this will be increasingly required in the future.

There are many challenges Japan should address as globalization progresses, such as enhancing English education and improving services for foreign tourists.

I strongly felt that how we respond to these challenges will greatly affect Japan’s future development.

I hope to share such insights when I visit Japan next time as well.

That’s all from Suzuki at Eco Drive!