Long-term Japan residents confirm frustration; offer explanations spanning hierarchy to efficiency culture
2 Nov 1 5:57 AM · 11d ago · 8 comments · 1 source · development 2 of 2
Hacker News commenters with extended Japan experience validated Brasil's observations. A 1983 Japan resident noted preferring paper tickets over the online system due to irrelevant popup warnings. Others attributed the issue to hierarchy-driven decision-making, cultural preference for stability, and the need to maintain employment through inefficiency rather than disruption.
“I have heard from some native Japanese people that it's all about efficiency—as in maintaining a comfortable level of inefficiency. Jobs at traditional companies in Japan are more of a lifestyle… Disrupting this dynamic by making everyone work harder or faster is frowned upon.”
iamnothereVinicius Brasil Software engineer, author
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What people said 10 voices · verbatim
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Japan resident since 1983. I read Japanese fluently, but I also hate reserving Shinkansen tickets online. When I want to reserve, say, a one-way ticket from Yokohama to Osaka, I have to click through multiple popups warning me that I cannot pick up the tickets in Kyushu or Hokkaido (or something like that, I don’t remember the details) and various…
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The title should be: why is booking one online so hard?From my experience travelling in Japan, online booking is a mess. But every time, the solution was simply to go to the station, walk to the counter and ask. The guy will get you exactly what you need, may give you alternatives if what you want is unavailable, tell you about unusual…
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My experience was arriving by train company X to a large station, having bought what I thought was the correct ticket to continue with company Y. On the platform for company Y's train, there was a small sign in English reminding foreigners they actually needed two 'tickets' to use the train (just as the article mentions) and I'd only bought one of…
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I think it's cultural familiarity and resistance to change. My Japanese wife has no problem booking us tickets and it's been over 20 years since she left Japan -- the interface is probably the same as when she left Japan. People there are used to it and it's good enough for locals so no reason to change (even if it's more difficult for foreigners…
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A trick I've learned while traveling: a ticket attendant at any JR station can buy tickets for any JR line.Don't try to buy online yourself. Don't try to buy at a busy major station like Kyoto.Instead, go to the ticket/station attendant at your small, local station. They will be bored out of their mind and happily go out of their way to get you…
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I have heard from some native Japanese people that it’s all about efficiency—as in maintaining a comfortable level of inefficiency. Jobs at traditional companies in Japan are more of a lifestyle, and your co-workers are your family (sometimes moreso than your real family). The workday is slow and steady. Disrupting this dynamic by making everyone…
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Buying tickets is a pain. You have to buy two tickets, and physically stack them together at the same time and feed into the machine at the gate.Some trains and buses in remote areas only take cash. Some only take EXACT fare and the driver does not have change and will refuse you. I asked my hotel for exact fare by exchanging my foreign 10$ USD…
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I am pretty sure the manager could have uploaded the entire excel into ChatGPT in its native format. ChatGPT would then open a “Work” window on the right hand side. The manager could then prompt it to do what he wanted. No screenshots needed.
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I've worked in a similar asian country and that's one of the reasons I left. You cannot intellectually and professionally grow in this sort of environment.
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As the joke says:Japan in 1980 was 2000Japan in 2000 was 2000Japan in 2020 is 2000
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