I haven't watched that particular channel, but I did live in Korea for 5 years... a lot of what you said rings true... it has good and bad aspects just like anywhere else.
Best example I can always come up with to highlight the core cultural difference:
About 10 years ago there was a horrific ferry disaster in South Korea. A lot of people, including students, died when their boat sank. The reason so many people died is that they stayed below decks even as water was rushing in because the captain (who later escaped) told them to remain below decks.
If that happened in the west, the loss of life would have been significantly less because westerners aren't going to blindly listen to authority. As soon as the boat started tipping or water started coming in people would be running to the top decks and demanding answers.
Just consider how much of that ethos you can tolerate. Even as a foreigner I was expected to defer to authority in the workplace.
I will echo the sentiment about 'not being friends with the usual Japanese' (Koreans in my case). Foreigners will never be accepted into the culture and you just... accept it. You certainly can't change it.
I saw this weird English teacher on YT, and he's like "why am I poor? Why will no one hire me?" And I'm like you don't fit in. Japan has no place for your fuckin quirkiness. Leave.
I met some amazing people from all six continents in my time there. But the worst -- the absolute worst -- people I've ever encountered were the "Seoul foreigners."
I made the mistake of living there one year -- none of my coworkers spoke or could even read Korean, and had no interest in learning. They would go to Hongdae (college party neighborhood) 5-7 nights per week and hang out with other foreigners and pretend they're cultured.
But to another, interesting point -- my wife had a Japanese colleague who was here in the US doing research for a year. We didn't see each other often but we were like best friends when we did, and I think it's because we each had that shared experience of living in a foreign culture.
I haven't watched that particular channel, but I did live in Korea for 5 years... a lot of what you said rings true... it has good and bad aspects just like anywhere else.
Best example I can always come up with to highlight the core cultural difference:
About 10 years ago there was a horrific ferry disaster in South Korea. A lot of people, including students, died when their boat sank. The reason so many people died is that they stayed below decks even as water was rushing in because the captain (who later escaped) told them to remain below decks.
If that happened in the west, the loss of life would have been significantly less because westerners aren't going to blindly listen to authority. As soon as the boat started tipping or water started coming in people would be running to the top decks and demanding answers.
Just consider how much of that ethos you can tolerate. Even as a foreigner I was expected to defer to authority in the workplace.
I will echo the sentiment about 'not being friends with the usual Japanese' (Koreans in my case). Foreigners will never be accepted into the culture and you just... accept it. You certainly can't change it.
Razorfist did a video of the Sewol disaster. It's astounding how authority figures will send innocent people to their deaths if it means saving face and covering their asses.
lol
I saw this weird English teacher on YT, and he's like "why am I poor? Why will no one hire me?" And I'm like you don't fit in. Japan has no place for your fuckin quirkiness. Leave.
I met some amazing people from all six continents in my time there. But the worst -- the absolute worst -- people I've ever encountered were the "Seoul foreigners."
I made the mistake of living there one year -- none of my coworkers spoke or could even read Korean, and had no interest in learning. They would go to Hongdae (college party neighborhood) 5-7 nights per week and hang out with other foreigners and pretend they're cultured.
But to another, interesting point -- my wife had a Japanese colleague who was here in the US doing research for a year. We didn't see each other often but we were like best friends when we did, and I think it's because we each had that shared experience of living in a foreign culture.