Japanese People Shocked by Korean Cooling, Complaints, and Delivery

Japan has a strong culture of preserving tradition since ancient times, showing a tendency to use fans or uchiwa (handheld fans) rather than air conditioners. The prevailing mindset is to cool the person themselves rather than the entire space.

This approach is Japan's unique way of spending summer, formed by a combination of a culture of frugality and traditional thinking.

This aligns with a culture that prefers stimulating things, such as eating hot and spicy food or drinking cold iced beverages even in hot weather.

Koreans tend not to begrudge the cost of using air conditioners and pursue coolness 'aggressively'.

In Japan, such life-oriented convenience facilities are hard to find.

Japanese people evaluate that the taxes paid by citizens in Korea lead to such immediate and convenient administration.

Korea has a strong culture of actively raising complaints, with citizens often directly informing administrative agencies of inconveniences in daily life. In contrast, Japan shows significant differences in budget allocation and policy decisions by local governments rather than the central government, making it difficult for local residents' opinions to be integrated centrally.

Japan emphasizes the maintenance of tradition, showing a relatively cautious approach to introducing new policies or facilities. This cultural difference also affects the way administrative services are provided.

Korean bus stops are designed as spaces well-equipped with air conditioning, providing comfort to citizens during the hot summer. However, in Japan, such facilities are difficult to find even in large cities like Sapporo.

Japanese bus stops often lack facilities to escape the winter cold or even sufficient seating, showing a large infrastructure gap with Korea.

Korea has an overwhelmingly large number of cafes, and the 'café study group' culture is commonplace, leading to cafes being widely used for studying or working. In contrast, Japan tends to perceive cafes as special resting spaces away from daily life.

In particular, there are few independent cafes in Japan, creating an atmosphere where people feel self-conscious about staying long to work.

While studying is possible at large franchises like Starbucks, it is difficult to stay and work for long hours in typical cafes.

Such cafes are hard to find in Japan.

In Japan, only PC rooms or Starbucks can be used as study places, rather than cafes. Unstaffed spaces where one can study freely, like in Korea, are almost nonexistent in Japan.

In Japan, studying in a cafe for two or three hours is largely considered a nuisance. In contrast, studying in cafes is a common culture in Korea.

This difference is strongly influenced by Japan's unique cultural perception of 'not bothering others'.

However, Japan primarily relies on face-to-face delivery, and a redelivery system for absences has traditionally been strongly developed.

In Korean apartment complexes, parcel theft is rare, allowing for non-face-to-face receipt, but in Japan, the social costs incurred during redelivery are often pointed out as a significant problem.

Chicken in Japan was mainly KFC, but recently, Korean-style chicken has gained popularity, showing signs of a gradual shift in the delivery market.

Many Japanese subway stations lack screen doors, leading to frequent accidents where passengers accidentally fall or are pushed onto the tracks.

The installation of screen doors in Korean subways significantly contributes to preventing such accidents and reducing operational delays.

Korean men are handsome, stylish, maintain a clean appearance, and are meticulous about self-care.

In particular, their attention to appearance, such as skin care, is cited as an attractive factor, and Korea's unique 'some' culture and gentle manners also increase their likeability.

Japan does not have a clear pre-dating stage culture like Korea's 'some'. If frequent contact or a 'some'-like atmosphere develops, it can lead to misunderstandings or be perceived negatively in Japan, with thoughts like 'Why isn't he confessing?', or 'What does he think of me?'.

This shows discomfort in Japan with maintaining ambiguous relationships without confession, while Korean men are relatively more proactive in expressing their feelings.