NVS - The Best Part

The best part about living where I live is that I'm close enough to the beach that it's only a 15-minute scooter ride, but far enough inland so I don't have to deal with rust issues, where the salt in the air corrodes things at a much faster pace, or the beach traffic on the weekends.

Of course, I'd list the proximity to the beach as the best part 😂 Those of you who've known me for a while know just how much I love the beach and snorkeling 🤿

If I leave it at that, this is gonna be a short-assed post, so let's talk about other good things about living in Japan. Every place have their pros and cons, but here, I'll list a few pros.

Universal health care. There's the national health insurance system and corporate insurance. There used to be better benefits for the corporate system, but they've been cut what with the aging population. But, anybody can walk into any clinic without an appointment for the most part, but dentists usually expect patients to make appointments first. We pay 30% of the bill and the insurance takes care of the rest. Let's say I go to an internist for the flu. I pay around 2500yen for the doctor's visit and 5 days worth of meds. Babies are fully covered until they're 1yo (however, the actual delivery of the baby isn't covered by insurance at all, so that's a hefty out-of-pocket cost but it's tax-deductible).

Tipping. There is basically no tipping in Japan, unless you're staying at a Japanese inn that assigns an attendant to your room. In that case, you're expected to tip the attendant at the beginning of your stay. Tipping is also expected if you privately charter a tour. You tip the bus driver and tour guide. No tipping needed if you participate in a tour organized by a tourist agency.

Dining. The dining experience is overall pleasant. Japan has a lot of the fast food chains that operate in the US. There are a lot of chain restaurants, too, where the menu prices are pretty reasonable and the food is acceptable. You can find cuisine from practically all over the world in Tokyo, although the prices will be much higher than their home countries (Tokyo is expensive). Ever since the pandemic, I've been preferring to go to privately owned eateries. Although the menu prices might be a bit higher than the chain restaurants, the food is definitely better and I live near a treasure trove of good eateries.

Public transportation. If you're in the city, public transportation makes it much easier to get around instead of renting a car. Parking is hard to find and expensive. Trains and buses run frequently, but they're not 24-hours, so you'll need to make sure you know when the last train/bus is. Now, if you're out in the boonies, you'll be lucky if there's one train or bus an hour. Depending on where you are, renting a car could be the better option. International airports offer tourists a chargeable card that can be used for public transportation, which is much more convenient than having to buy a ticket each time you get on the train or bus.

Accommodations. Japan has what's called business hotels where rooms are much smaller but priced at more reasonable rates. The running joke is that the rooms are so small, you need to step out of the room to change your mind. LOL These hotels are mainly for people on business trips, but many agencies use them for budget package tours. Personally, I don't mind staying at these hotels since I just need somewhere to store my suitcase, a comfortable bed to sleep on, and hot water for my bath/showers.

Cleanliness. Overall, Japan is a clean country. You won't see litter scattered about all that much. Of course, there are dodgy areas in the city, and tourists are discouraged from going there. The toilets inside the train stations are usually clean, but I wouldn't recommend using the public toilets at parks. It's better to try to find a shopping mall. But I do have to warn the uninitiated that some places in Japan still have squatty potties where you have to squat over the toilet to do your business, and in rural areas, there are still pit toilets that don't have a flushing system.

If you know the language and have a job that pays the bills, Japan is a relatively easy country to live in.

JN63JPN  9 June 1