In the Era of the Weak Yen, The Real Lives of Ordinary Japanese People

The streets are meticulously regulated with rules, laws, and procedures, such as limiting the size and protrusion of signs. A clean street environment is maintained by combining immediate administrative responses to waste generation with a social atmosphere that values discipline.

The size and protrusion of signs are strictly defined, and administrative authorities respond swiftly to remove waste as soon as it appears. This repetitive management contributes to creating a social atmosphere where citizens feel reluctant to litter.

This refers to a small but certain happiness, like baking bread on a Saturday morning, embodying a unique Japanese sentiment. This concept has spread to Korean society and is widely used.

Due to Japan's culture that overly emphasizes manuals and rules, flexibility (yudori) is hard to find in social life.

This acts as a factor that makes one feel relatively stifled when compared to Korean organizational culture.

Japanese administrative processing, especially at the immigration bureau, is crowded with people from all over the world, requiring long waiting times.

When a certificate of employment was needed for a visa change, but issuance was impossible before joining the company, junior employees tended to stick to the manual and could not make responsible decisions. The problem was only resolved when the person in charge was called and the issue was raised directly.

On the other hand, there is also a cautious attitude of not displaying unnecessary intimacy lest the other person be troubled. Expressing anger in Japanese society is very unusual and makes those around you uncomfortable.

Japanese women tend to be content with simple, small things and are honest in expressing emotions.

However, unlike the high emotional dependency Koreans expect in relationships, Japanese spouses tend to be highly independent, which can lead to conflict.

Especially when a child is born, Korean fathers often feel disappointed due to the child's emotional nationality and the distance in the parent-child relationship. Cultural differences in emotional distance between Korea and Japan also act as a critical source of conflict in family events such as a child's marriage.

However, it is analyzed that once accustomed to this method of contact from Korean men, the Japanese men's non-contact method may feel awkward.

Most Japanese men prefer 'sukidesu' (I like you), and using 'aishitemasu' lightly can lead to misunderstanding or surprise due to its profound meaning.

Due to a social atmosphere that considers not standing out as a virtue, new employees wear black suits from their entrance ceremony. Wabi-sabi culture expresses individuality through invisible items like underwear while keeping the outward appearance modest. In Japanese workplaces, it is customary to wear the same color suit like a uniform upon joining the company. The underlying 'wabi-sabi' culture keeps the exterior modest while expressing individuality in unseen places.

Outwardly modest, 'wabi-sabi' culture, which expresses individuality in unseen places like underwear, is entrenched.

The average size of a Japanese home is about 15 pyeong (approximately 50㎡), and detached houses rarely exceed 40 pyeong.

Especially in better homes, the separation of the toilet and shower room is considered important.

The monthly rent for a 15-pyeong apartment in Tokyo is about 100,000 yen, while in rural areas, it drops to about 60,000 yen.

In Japan, in addition to the security deposit (shikikin), 'reikin' (gratitude money) is customarily paid upon initial occupancy. This reikin is non-refundable even upon early termination of the lease.

Japanese houses are designed to emphasize ventilation in summer, and over 30% of all homes do not use insulation, making indoor temperatures very cold in winter.

Because of this, it is common to use air conditioners, electric heaters, and electric floor heating pads simultaneously in winter.

Even in recent new condominiums, 'yukadanbo' (underfloor heating) is offered as a high-priced option, mainly chosen by high-income earners with annual incomes of 150 million won or more. General households mainly use tatami rooms, but care is needed for maintenance as replacement costs arise if they become soiled.

Japan has a long land area where frigid/cold and subtropical climates coexist, from Hokkaido to Okinawa. The lack of heating facilities due to regional climate changes threatens the health of the elderly.

The public utility burden from using kerosene stoves and air conditioners is considerable. After paying high rents and electricity bills from their salaries, ordinary Japanese people, who lack the savings capacity, show a lifestyle of seeking small happinesses.

In particular, the heavy utility burden from using kerosene stoves and air conditioners contributes to the establishment of 'sohwakhaeng' (small but certain happiness) culture, which is pursued due to a lack of financial余裕 (yoyū).

The average lunch cost for Japanese office workers is 700 yen, lower than the average dining out cost of 1,300 yen.

This is because many office workers bring inexpensive lunch boxes (around 260 yen) from home.

Japanese people prefer to eat their lunch boxes alone rather than with colleagues and tend to avoid suggesting meals to others.

Public transportation infrastructure is poor in rural Japan, making car ownership essential.

Many households own an average of 2-3 vehicles, and there is a particularly high preference for kei cars due to narrow alleyways.

Traditional Japanese content was characterized by spending long periods on delicate psychological descriptions.

However, recently, influenced by fast-paced Korean dramas, production methods and capabilities are improving.

When Japanese films were opened in the 90s, 'Love Letter' and 'Ring' greatly inspired Korea. Korean idol culture developed by adopting the Japanese system, and now its unique synchronized choreography is reciprocally influencing Japan, forming a virtuous cycle. It is an example of 'cheongchuleoram' (blue coming from indigo but excelling it) by absorbing Japanese idol culture.

When Japanese films were opened in the 1990s, Japanese content such as 'Love Letter' and 'Ring' had a significant impact on Korea.