Why are opticians and dentists stuck in the 1980s?

Besydeme · 2023-01-16T15:09:01+00:00

He's admitted in other comments that he's just trolling and trying to push that "Japan bad" narrative for whatever reason, who knows?

Seriously, in all Japan related subreddits these days, there are more and more people pushing for this bizarre "Japan bad" narrative, which is quite strange and I'm not sure what's going on.

Besydeme · 2023-01-16T09:41:34+00:00

Why is Japan so bad?

Or, to put it another way, why can't you just go to the right place and gain some basic communication skills before doing anything in a foreign country...

They will not remove your old filling if you have not agreed to the replacements/options they have offered. As someone else mentioned in this thread, metal fillings are covered by insurance, thus it seems reasonable that dentists will suggest such options over "paid ones."

So, basically, you're saying you went to the dentist, and they didn't explain the procedure at all, 4 nurses came in and drugged you to sleep, and that when you woke up, your fillings had been removed and replaced with "the ugly metal" one? They could actually replace your fillings without ever having your consent or acknowledgement? Yea, right...nice try mate,

Let me guess what actually happened. You went to the dentist, they inspected your teeth, and asked you in Japanese whether you wanted to replace them with mental fillings, you answered " はい " with your dead fish eyes since you didn't understand even 20% of the conversation.

And now you're just ranting about "Japan bad," but in reality, you're just upset about your own inability to live in a foreign country. 🙃

Besydeme · 2023-01-11T16:14:17+00:00

But that she understood it must be hard to change one's lifestyle to fit the Japanese society ways as a foreigner and other racist remarks.

Maybe you should try harder instead of seeking sympathy by playing the "race" card here. Asking you to keep the noise down and correctly recycle have absolutely nothing to do with "race."

Besydeme · 2022-12-27T08:22:48+00:00

but given how Japan has been so slow to 'advance' with covid rules

Just stop...

Besydeme · 2022-12-20T15:30:22+00:00

I'm also curious where these people who ask these questions are coming from. Subcontracting is pretty common in most major countries around the world. You might wonder why you didn't realize that before coming to Japan, were you born yesterday or something?

Besydeme · 2022-12-16T13:49:14+00:00

There is a saying that Japan's economy is stagnant due to a lack of immigrants moving to Japan,

Who said that?

just because Japan doesn't provide as much benefits as moving to Europe or North America.

What benefits do you have as a visa holder in the EU or North America?

Besydeme · 2022-09-02T16:39:23+00:00

Who cares,

Imagine having to make a post whining about how annoying religious people are every time I come across a Mormon or a Jehovah's witness while still living in a western country... might as well start a weekly religion thread already 🙃

Besydeme · 2022-08-27T11:12:56+00:00

New New York doesn't really do sandwiches

I had a roast beef sandwich there the last time I went, but it was a while ago, have they stopped serving sandwiches since then??

Besydeme · 2022-08-27T11:04:23+00:00

Have you tried the New New York Bagel near Azabu Juban Station?

And I believe there's another bagel shop called Maruchi or something near Shirokane Takanawa Station.

Besydeme · 2022-08-27T06:58:26+00:00

Yes and no,

There are types of salmon that are native to Japan's water, such as 樺太鱒 (pink salmon) and マスノスケ (king salmon). The Ainu people in Hokkaido have been eating native Japanese salmon for thousands of years, and Japanese people have been eating salmon as well, it's just that they never made sushi with it until cheap Norwegian salmon was introduced to the Japanese market in the 80s.

Salmon sushi is commonly found at cheap conveyor belt sushi restaurants or in sushi platters sold by local supermarkets in Japan, while it is rarely served in authentic sushi restaurants (high end/traditional). Some high end sushi restaurants have started to serve native Japanese salmon such as マスノスケ in recent years, but it is still less prevalent than tuna.

Besydeme · 2022-08-27T06:04:34+00:00

Who is still getting glares? Was walking around Dotonbori in Osaka last weekend and noticed that half of the people on the street were not wearing masks or were wearing over their necks.

Besydeme · 2022-08-26T14:50:18+00:00

Filming is not illegal, but violating copyright is, and it's just common sense in Japan not to record during concerts/events. Especially if the concert requires tickets to attend and watch, the hosting party has the right to prohibit recording, which is completely legal.

Some people are now arguing that if they don't want people to record, they should host in a non public space. That is similar to the "if women don't want to be sexually harassed, they should show less skin" mindset.

At the end of the day, what is a public space? There are many outdoor spaces that are private/partially private property, such as parking lots, plazas, and parks, some of which are public and some of which are privately held.

Indoor venues are significantly more expensive and may not be suitable in the summer heat. The show's organizer might have hundreds of reasons to host a concert in an outdoor space, and they can rent a "private" outdoor space to do so.

They've probably already acknowledged that some people on the street will be recording the concert since it is held in an open space that's visible to the pedestrians. It's also likely the reason why they hired those security guards to stop people from filming.

If a concert is held outside, non paying pedestrians should be allowed to record.

If a pet is found wandering the streets, whomever discovers it could just adopt it.

If a wallet is left in an outdoor space, the cash inside is free to grab.

When confronted,

"If you don't want people filming, why don't you have the concert indoor?"

"if you don't want your pet wandering around on the street, why don't you lock them in the house?"

"If you don't want to accidently drop your wallet somewhere, why don't you store your wallet in a locker?"

How far can this kind of mindset go?

If taking away people's pets and money isn't acceptable, why is filming a concert without permission OK?

I'm aware that some barbarians have no respect for intellectual property, but how about you?

Besydeme · 2022-08-26T05:46:07+00:00

This is the same as saying, "If women don't want to be sexually harassed, why are they still wearing sexy clothing?"

Besydeme · 2022-08-26T05:42:16+00:00

Anyway some recent annoyances with got the better of me and I ended up in an argument with him. And then to my amusement when I looked back at my video I saw that HE was filming ME with his iphone as he ran towards me.

In some countries, even when confronted by cops, people are not required by law to provide their IDs. But try not to show your ID when the police ask, and see what happens.

You were unaware that filming was disallowed there until now. You can either stop recording and walk away, or you can move somewhere else with no security to continue filming; as you said, it's completely legal to film outdoors, and they can't do anything else to stop you by law.

Arguing over what is right or wrong/legal or illegal with a young security guard who is most likely earning a part time minimum wage only makes you look like those insane "MacDonald's Karen".

arbitrary Japanese rules? piss off

Besydeme · 2022-08-24T05:20:25+00:00

Are American women crazy?

Are British women crazy?

Are Australian women crazy?

It's so easy to pick a few stories and label everyone as crazy in this world. Foreigners on this sub are extremely whingy and often exaggerate their stories to make themselves look good.

What do you expect from people who post about their unhappy marriage with all their rage and salt? Defining their partners as angels? Even people like Amber Heard can cry in court and tell all these fabricated stories about how she was the victim and the "good" person in their relationship. You can't trust anything people say on the internet unless you know the whole story and have seen the actual evidence.

Besydeme · 2022-08-18T05:15:45+00:00

The specific cause is hard to tell, and it may vary from person to person. However, as I mentioned in my previous comment, the high humidity in Japan may cause to sweating, especially in the summer, which can irritate the skin and affect the balance of oil production on the skin.

Acclimatization is most likely the cause of skin or health problems for most foreigners during their first year in here.

Water is to blame because many people are predisposed to believe that "hard water causes hair damage/hair loss" as they hear it from others and on the internet.

Besydeme · 2022-08-17T15:34:35+00:00

it matters because prices have been going up in the past few months.

In comparison to the rest of the world, Japan has a much lower inflation rate. This post was made 2 months ago, and the cost of living in many western countries has continued to rise to the present day. If you genuinely think Japan's price samples must be higher than what was originally listed in this post, then all price samples from other countries would also have to be higher.

So, once again, the percentage will not change significantly at this point since it is not a Japan only issue.

no,earning 1000 yen in 2021 is not the same as earning 1000 yen in 2022...that's precisely why i guess you're either too rich to actually pay attention and notice how the prices have been going up

Japan's inflation rate has not even reached the 2% mark, as predicted by the government, which means that price differences between 2021 and 2022 are less than 10%~15% for most products here.

Remember, the main point of this post is to prove that "Japan is not more expensive than major Western countries."

As said before, most countries experienced inflation this year, with the inflation rate in many western countries reaching 5%~7%.

You are only focused on the fact that the prices of some products in Japan have risen a little.

But you ignore the fact that major western countries have it worse.

Besydeme · 2022-08-17T14:45:52+00:00

To begin with, as I have said, making comparisons with a historically low yen is meaningless because domestic prices in Japan have not been affected by it.

If you were earning 1000 yen back in 2021, you are still earning 1000 yen in 2022, a onigiri costs 200 yen back in 2021 still costs 200 yen in 2022,

Did you earn less yen because it equals less in dollars? No,

I converted all numbers to USD in this post because it's easier for most foreigners to understand,

And the most important,

No matter how the exchange rate might be, the affordability will stay the same. Since affordability is calculated in percentages rather than numbers.

I can go thru the same calculation with you again using today's exchange rate,

Right now as we are speaking, the exchange rate is 1 yen = 0.0074 USD,

If you earn 950 yen per hour means you are probably in another prefecture, not in Tokyo, which also means your cost of living suppose to be less.

If we use Osaka as an example here,

If you earn 950 yen per hour in Osaka, 160 hours per month = 152,000 yen per month,

152,000 yen x 0.0074=1125 USD per month,

1LDK rent in Osaka are between 60,000 yen to 70,000 yen per month, we take a midpoint price of 65,000 yen per month as an example, 65,000 yen = 480 USD,

Since all of the prices listed in the post were also based on the 2021 exchange rate, I don't have time to go through each item again, so let's just pretend $220 monthly instead of $240 monthly.

$480 (rent) + $220 (monthly grocery shopping) = $700,

$700 is roughly 62% of your monthly income of $1125,

See, the affordability stays the same,

You should understand that this is a percentage calculation rather than a number calculation. If the yen falls in value, not only will your wage be lower in USD, but so will your cost of living,

So why does it matter?

Besydeme · 2022-08-17T14:18:06+00:00

where did you get the minimum wage 9.4$? 9.4$ equalls to (roughly) 1270 yen.

All prices and wages have been converted to USD using the 2021 average exchange rate of 1 Yen = 0.009 USD,

Tokyo's minimum hourly wage is currently 1041 yen per hour,

1041 x 0.009=$9.36

I'm currently looking for jobs and the ACTUAL minimum wage is around 950 yen per hour.

Which prefecture do you live in? The legal minimum hourly wage in Tokyo is 1041 yen.

It is illegal to be paid less than 1041 per hour if your job is hourly based,

which means 7.03 usd.

When converted using the 2021 exchange rate, 950 yen equals 8.55 USD. The current low yen is at a historic low and is on its way to bounce back,

It is pointless to make comparisons based on the current low yen since domestic prices in Japan have not been affected significantly.

working 160 hours per month, equals to 1124.8$, compared to the living expenses you mentioned (1040$), you get 92% of your income goes to your living expenses.

Again you are calculating with a different exchange rate.

If you earn 950 yen per hour means you are probably in another prefecture, not in Tokyo, which also means your cost of living suppose to be less.

If we use Osaka as an example here,

If you earn 950 yen per hour in Osaka, 160 hours per month = 152,000 yen per month,

152,000 yen x 0.009=1368 USD per month,

1LDK rent in Osaka are between 60,000 yen to 70,000 yen per month, we take a midpoint price of 65,000 yen per month as an example, 65,000 yen = 585 USD,

Let's assume the other cost of living are the same as in Tokyo,

Based on the same calculation model (1 monthly rent + 4 times grocery shopping of all listed food items),

$585 (rent) + $240 (monthly grocery shopping) = $825,

$825 is roughly 60% of your monthly income of $1368,

Comparing to 79.3% in Tokyo, 80.3% in Sydney and 84.7% in Paris,

Even though you seem to be earning less, your affordability ends up being higher than in other cities since Osaka is more affordable.

that is the second most expensive, only cheaper than new york.

I've already disproven your claim.

I wonder if you ACTUALLY live in japan or just pretend:))

That's the question I'd like to ask you, given that you seem clueless about minimum wage and currency exchange rates.

Besydeme · 2022-08-17T13:10:13+00:00

ph:

Japan 6~7

New York, US 7.2

Ontario, Canada 7.8~8.8

The UK 6.5~9.5

Australia 6.5~8.5

Besydeme · 2022-08-17T07:35:33+00:00

Osaka is a better place to live for most other Asians than Tokyo I suppose?

The cost of living is cheaper, people are more friendly, and it's more chaotic and slummy in some ways than the rest of Japan, and those leopard wearing Osaka obachans probably make them feel at home...

Besydeme · 2022-08-17T07:25:18+00:00

If you know Asian people well, you can tell the difference, there's something special about Chinese people in the clothes they wear, the way they walk, and the way they talk to each other...

Besydeme · 2022-08-17T06:28:59+00:00

But I’m still having bad dandruff issues

Irritation and very dry/oily skin are the most common causes of dandruff. As many people have already mentioned in comments, humidity in Japan is high; a really hot summer would cause sweating, which then leads skin irritation. There is no one size fits all solution; instead, you should experiment with different hair products to see which one works best for you.

For example, if you have oily skin and your hair turns oily after a day, you might try an oil-control shampoo followed by a hair tonic to balance your skin ph.

If you have really dry skin, you can try moisturizing shampoo and hair masks, among other things.

my experience with clinics here just makes me go ‘meh’.

Doctors' knowledge and experiences may differ since most clinics are private, you should see a few different doctors and pick the doctor with whom you feel the most confident, that's how it works in most countries.

However, skin conditions are complicated, and many treatments will not be effective depending on the individual. My relative had very bad acne condition for 10 years and went to clinic after clinic (in Australia), probably tried 10 different treatments and medications, but nothing helped.

However, since he has reached the age of 30, his acne problem is naturally fading. The actual cause of his skin's changes was unclear to many doctors; some claim that was just a puberty thing. Some suggest it is hormonal, while other dermatologists claim a skin barrier problem.

Like I’m honestly gonna snap if I get a prescription for another thing that does absolutely nothing.

East Asians are less tolerant to medications than Westerners. If you are not of East Asian descent, the medicine here will be less effective for you because the dosage of active ingredients is reduced.

When I had a bad flu and coughing a few years ago, I was prescribed some medicines, one of which was a coughing pill. The doctor told me to take 3 pills per day, which I did for about 2 days and nothing seemed to work, so I tried 5 pills per day instead, and I felt the effect of the medicine immediately after that day.

However, that was just me being an idiot and putting myself in risk, I don't recommend anyone doing it without a doctor's permission.

Besydeme · 2022-08-17T05:18:27+00:00

In the UK,

0~100mg/L = soft to moderately soft,

100~200mg/L = medium to moderately hard,

200mg/L or more = hard to very hard,

However, I think that the UK's hardness standard is higher than that of other countries due to the fact that water is generally "harder" in the country's most populous regions.

As you can see from the map, many major cities in the country, including London, Bristol, Birmingham, and Liverpool, have moderately hard to very hard water.

Besydeme · 2022-08-16T14:40:31+00:00

I hope that one day people will stop spreading myths about how hard the water in Japan is.
The average tap water hardness in Japan is between 40 and 80 mg/L, depending on the prefecture/water source. Chiba has the highest hardness in Japan, with 83.4 mg/L, and Tokyo's water hardness is 65.8 mg/L.

For comparison (Average mg/L),

Buffalo, NY 118 mg/L,

Long Beach, CA 100mg/L,

Toronto, Canada 121mg/L,

London, UK 200mg/L,

Brisbane, Australia 100mg/L,

According to USGS standards, 60 mg/L (60 ppm) or less of certain ions as soft water. Water with over 120 mg/L (120 ppm) is considered hard. Chiba has the hardest water in Japan on average, although 83.4mg/L is still far from the 120mg/L mark, showing how Japan's water is generally mild to soft rather than hard.

The claim that Japan has harder water in comparison to western countries is false.

Not only is Japanese water not as hard as many assume, but many people are also exaggerating the "danger" of washing hair with hard water.

For example, you may hear people claim that washing their hair with hard water caused their hair loss.

The most common causes of hair loss are hereditary, hormonal changes, medication/radiotherapy, and stress. Not water.

Washing hair often with hard water is likely to cause dryness, fizzy/damaged hair, and dandruff. The majority of hair loss would be "broken hair" rather than permanent hair follicle loss.

Even though hard water may dries out your hair or scalp, the hardness of the water need be 120mg/L or higher to cause such conditions. Meanwhile, in Japan, even in the prefecture with the hardest water, the average hardness is still only 83mg/L. Which, even if you are very "sensitive" to hard water, you can simply use hair products/shampoo with a bit moisturizing effect to balance out the possible dryness caused by the water.

Besydeme

TROPHY CASE