33 What annoys you about living in Japan? (Part 1: Bookstores, Ice Cream Floats, Repetitive Language, & More)

Ichimon Japan: A Podcast About Japan and the Japanese Language by JapanKyo.com

On this episode of Ichimon Japan we ask: What annoys you about living in Japan?

Topics Discussed

• Some annoying things you might encounter while living in Japan
• The annoying practice of book stores in Japan sorting books by publisher rather than author
• Justifications for why bookstores in Japan arrange books by publishers instead of by the last name of the author like in the West
• The McDonald's ice cream float incident
• The good and bad of blindly following the rules
• The emotionless "zombie" greetings (like irasshaimase) that you hear in stores in Japan
• What the fake leaves in bento are called in Japanese
• Why fake plastic leaves are placed in bento in Japan
• Having shop clerks accompny you out the store
• Washiki (Japanese style) toilets
• One Reddit users complaint that Japanese people use certain adjectives like sugoi, kawaii, and oishii too much
• The many ways you can translate oishii
• The many ways you can add nuance and meaning to adjectives in Japanese
• Alternative ways to say oishii
• And much more!

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Sources, Links, Videos, Etc.

Here are the English-language sources used for this episode.

• Why this American can’t stand Japanese bookstores
• Bento grass
• Things Foreigners Living in Japan Find Inconvenient/Annoying
  • This article is where the quote about the overuse of certain Japanese adjectives was taken. According to the article, the quote was originally found in a Reddit thread.

Here are the English-language sources used for this episode.

• 「おいしい」以外の言葉で美味しさを伝えられますか？全ライター必見「味を言語化するためのノウハウ」がすごすぎた
• なぜ、出版社別に本を並べる本屋があるのか？

The latest episode of the Japan Station podcast, can be found below.

• No Mask Required: A Chat with Comedian Kilara Sen | Japan Station 55

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Japanese Vocabulary List

Most episodes feature at least one or two interesting Japanese words or phrases. Here’s some of the ones that came up on this episode. All information is from Jim Breen's WWWJDIC.

• Aisu
  • アイス (n) (1) ice (eng: ice, ger: Eis); (n) (2) (abbr) (See アイスクリーム) ice cream; icecream; (n) (3) (arch) (col) (Edo period pun on 高利貸し being homophonous to 氷菓子) (See 高利貸し・こうりがし,氷菓子・こおりがし) usurer; usury; loansharking
• Sofuto
  • ソフト (adj-na,adj-no) (1) (ant: ハード・1) soft; (n) (2) (abbr) {comp} (See ソフトウエア) software; (n) (3) (abbr) (See ソフト帽) soft hat; felt hat; (n) (4) (abbr) (See ソフトクリーム) soft serve ice cream; (n) (5) (abbr) (See ソフトボール) softball
• Irasshaimase
  • いらっしゃいませ (exp) welcome
• Haran/Baran
  • ハラン/バラン the leaf found in bentos that is used as decoration (though modern day haran/baran are made of plastic they people used to use real leaves)
• Eko
  • エコ (adj-na,pref) (abbr) (See エコロジカル) ecological; eco-
• Gizagiza
  • ギザギザ : 刻刻; 段段 【ぎざぎざ(P); ギザギザ】 (n) (1) (on-mim) (uk) notches; serration; indentation; jaggies (stair-step artifacts in computer images); (adj-na,adv,adv-to,vs) (2) (on-mim) (uk) notched; serrated; jagged; corrugated; milled
• Oshibori
  • おしぼり (n) wet towel (supplied at table)
• Washiki
  • 和式 【わしき】 (adj-no,n) Japanese-style (esp. in reference to squat toilets)
• Umai
  • うまい (adj) (1) delicious; appetizing; (2) skillful; clever; expert; wise; successful
• Bimi
  • 美味 【びみ】 (n,adj-na) good flavor; good flavour; delicacy; dainty
• Kawaii
  • 可愛い 【かわいい(P); かわゆい; カワイイ; カワイい】 (adj-i) (1) (uk) cute; adorable; charming; lovely; pretty; (adj-i) (2) (uk) dear; precious; darling; pet; (adj-i) (3) (uk) innocent; childlike; childish; lovable; (adj-i) (4) (uk) dainty; cute little; tiny
• Sugoi
  • すごい (adj-i) (1) terrible; dreadful; (adj-i) (2) (uk) amazing (e.g. of strength); great (e.g. of skills); wonderful; terrific; (adj-i) (3) (uk) to a great extent; vast (in numbers); (adv) (4) (uk) (col) awfully; very; immensely
• Oishii
  • おいしい (adj-i) (1) delicious; tasty; sweet; (adj-i) (2) (uk) attractive; appealing; convenient; favorable; desirable; profitable

We Want Your Questions

Is there something about Japan that confuses you? Is there something about Japanese culture that you would like to learn more about? Is there something in Japanese history that you would like us to explain? We're always looking for new questions about Japan to answer, so if you have one, please send it to [e-mail].

Special Thanks

Opening/Closing Theme: Produced by Apol (YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Fiverr)

Ichimon Japan cover art: Produced by Erik R.

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Full Show Notes

• https:///www.japankyo.com/ichimonjapan

What are you funniest Japanese mistakes? | Ichimon Japan 30