Overview

Living in Japan: A Practical Guide to Surviving and Thriving in Japanese Society is written for one specific reader: the foreigner who wants to actually live here, not just pass through on vacation. This isn't a tourist book, and it isn't a fluffy ""Japan is so unique!"" essay collection. It's a clear, honest manual for understanding how Japanese society really works in day-to-day life-and how your behavior will be read, judged, and remembered by the people around you. Instead of random do's and don'ts, this book gives you a social operating system you can apply anywhere in Japan. You'll learn how to: Understand core social concepts like wa, kūki o yomu, and shared-space harmony. Read the unspoken rules in neighborhoods, apartments, and shared housing. Adjust your trash, noise, pets, and hosting habits so you don't quietly become ""that foreigner"" in the building. Navigate city halls, banks, hospitals, and clinics without losing your mind. Handle illness, masks, and meiwaku (causing trouble) in a way that fits local expectations. Decode indirect communication, soft refusals, silence, and hesitation in everyday interactions. Respect privacy, personal space, and social distance without feeling like you're walking on eggshells. Use trains, buses, bikes, and busy streets in a way that matches Japan's ""social quietness."" Understand what it means to live as a visible minority in Japan-without blame, shame, or sugar-coating. Respond safely and calmly to complaints, landlord notices, and neighbor feedback. Build long-term trust, routines, and relationships that make Japan feel like an actual home. Each chapter follows a clear pattern: realistic scenarios → cultural logic → practical frameworks → reflection and action. The goal isn't to make you ""more Japanese."" It's to help you see how your actions are interpreted, so you can choose how to live here with fewer avoidable problems and more real connection. Whether you're on a working holiday, starting a job, coming as an international student, joining a partner or spouse, or settling in for the long term, Living in Japan gives you the cultural map most people wish they had before their first complaint letter, awkward neighbor encounter, or silent social freeze-out. Use it on its own, or alongside Working in Japan: A Practical Guide to Surviving and Succeeding in Japanese Companies, to build a life that works both inside and outside the office.

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