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Yoghurt delivery women combatting loneliness in Japan

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Re: Yoghurt delivery women combatting loneliness in Japan

#201

Post by throwaway2037 »

Imustaskforhelp wrote: post #194
petterroea wrote: post #192

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The lifestyle I am describing definitely works best in Tokyo, but I have lived in Kyoto as well and while accessibility wasn't as good, I still had Osaka ~40 mins away for any Tokyo-scale market needs. Osaka has its own Akihabara I could buy electrics at, if I so didn't want to order online. Compared to Kyoto, I do notice that I feel a lot more integrated in Tokyo - people don't necessarily assume I am a tourist. The…

How affordable are houses in Japan if I may ask. I have heard Houses being given for free in Japan or very less but also like the idea of just having very affordable houses in Japan. This seems to be the most important factor to me at times too so can you tell me more about it too perhaps?

There are two main reasons why housing is more affordable in Japan compared to many other highly developed nations: (1) There is functionally no NIMBY-ism. There is a single, unified national building code that screams YIMBY-ism. (You can Google about it.) Also, almost no buildings are protected from tear-down/re-dev. As a result, large cities in Japan appear to be constantly under construction. Tear-down and re-build is a very common pattern in urban areas. (2) Home loans for 30 years are less than 1%, and required down payments are tiny (0% to 10% is common). This dramatically changes the affordability equation.

The "free houses" you have heard about are called akiya (空き家). There are countless YouTube videos and blog posts to learn about how it works. You are basically buying an abandoned home from a local gov't agency.

Re: Yoghurt delivery women combatting loneliness in Japan

#202

Post by throwaway2037 »

petterroea wrote: post #192
throwaway2037 wrote: post #189

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I have heard that Japan has a very negative connotation of foreigners To be clear, Japan is much larger than most people realise -- slightly larger than Germany. In 2026, if you work in tech or finance, you are 99% likely to work in Tokyo. (I don't write that to look down upon any other places in Japan where foreigners live and work!) In the central area of Tokyo (roughly the Yamanote loop train line and about 1-2…

The lifestyle I am describing definitely works best in Tokyo, but I have lived in Kyoto as well and while accessibility wasn't as good, I still had Osaka ~40 mins away for any Tokyo-scale market needs. Osaka has its own Akihabara I could buy electrics at, if I so didn't want to order online. Compared to Kyoto, I do notice that I feel a lot more integrated in Tokyo - people don't necessarily assume I am a tourist. The…

Good point. You can have a nearly identical urban experience in central Osaka. Personally, I know much less about Kyoto, but I believe you.

Re: Yoghurt delivery women combatting loneliness in Japan

#203

Post by throwaway2037 »

Imustaskforhelp wrote: post #193
throwaway2037 wrote: post #189

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I have heard that Japan has a very negative connotation of foreigners To be clear, Japan is much larger than most people realise -- slightly larger than Germany. In 2026, if you work in tech or finance, you are 99% likely to work in Tokyo. (I don't write that to look down upon any other places in Japan where foreigners live and work!) In the central area of Tokyo (roughly the Yamanote loop train line and about 1-2…

> Can you share your home country/culture? I am curious. I live in India and we have a very vegetarian society comparatively to the rest of world and our cuisine is developed with this in mind. From Samosas and gol gappas to Pav bhaji to Shahi Paneer to the more European style cuisine like french fries, burgers and even the Chinese cuisine like spring roll, finger chips and momos are all vegetarian food. And I can ea…

    > Here we are more likely to take selfies with foreigners (I have never seen one in my city fwiw) so I am curious if japan feels the same way or is there something more to it?
Twenty years ago, this was true, but not anymore. Speaking about some first-hand experiences from travelling in India (wonderful overall!): If I am in a mid-sized city in Madhya Pradesh, people definitely want to take pictures. If I am in a major city like Mumbai, Kolkatta, Bengaluru, or Hyderbad, they (politely) do not care that I am a visible foreigner. If anything, they might approach my dining table and politely ask if I am enjoying my stay in India with genuine warmth, hospitality, and concern. One thing that I feel about India's culture: It is the "highest EQ" culture that I have ever experienced. I have not travelled to the Middle East (yet), but I expect similar, due to their legendary Islamic hospitality culture.

Re: Yoghurt delivery women combatting loneliness in Japan

#204

Post by mock-possum »

onlyrealcuzzo wrote: post #22
Aaargh20318 wrote: post #21

Every time I read an article about people trying to solve the 'loneliness epidemic' I can't help but wonder if we're not trying to solve the wrong problem. Maybe the solution should not be sought in trying to increase social connections but in eliminating our need for social contact. This dependence on other humans has always felt like a flaw to me. Note that I'm not saying that human contact is bad, just that our pa…

Then, like, what's the point of even being a human instead of a robot?

1. That’s not an option and 2. There is no point.

Life is what you make of it, whether you’re a robot or a human.

Re: Yoghurt delivery women combatting loneliness in Japan

#205

Post by mock-possum »

nobodyandproud wrote: post #55
Aaargh20318 wrote: post #21

Every time I read an article about people trying to solve the 'loneliness epidemic' I can't help but wonder if we're not trying to solve the wrong problem. Maybe the solution should not be sought in trying to increase social connections but in eliminating our need for social contact. This dependence on other humans has always felt like a flaw to me. Note that I'm not saying that human contact is bad, just that our pa…

https://fablesofaesop.com/the-fox-who-lost-his-tail.html

Holy shit is this an allegory for circumcision??

Re: Yoghurt delivery women combatting loneliness in Japan

#206

Post by alexjplant »

petterroea wrote: post #123
computably wrote: post #107

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's really surprising, I was under the impression that Scandinavian QOL was also quite high. What are the major contributing factors to the 2x QOL?

- Nice things are within walkable distance living in a major city. In Norway we live mostly in suburbs. Living in the city is unaffordable. Zoning matters. Being able to just walk out of my apartment and do things spontaneously in my own area is a life changer. I can't describe how much the change in mindset from "I'll do a half day trip into town" to "I'll pop two train stops over" did for me - private individuals c…

> People consider others around them, and it makes things easier.

This is the #1 reason I loved visiting Japan so much: it's a country full of people that understand their implicit societal obligation to not unduly burden others. Meanwhile in the US people seem to be increasingly flouting basic decorum while driving, queuing, and generally existing in public spaces then doubling down on it when called out. My pet theory is that we're still feeling a rebound effect of COVID cabin fever but who knows.

Re: Yoghurt delivery women combatting loneliness in Japan

#207

Post by mock-possum »

pstuart wrote: post #118
kakacik wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You live for others? As in remove those others and you lose whole purpose of life? I am not trying to be rude, seems like retirement homes house plenty of such people but it doesn't make sense for younger folks... although this is hardly a choice, is it. But - I believe one can work on this and move themselves quite a bit if wanted. My 2 cents - mountains and nature and activities in them are always beautiful, as in…

So if your wife and kids vanished the next day would the solo adventures be enough? Having gone through divorce/empty nest and working remotely it's been quite challenging to avoid depression.

I feel like this just further reinforces the point - that need for social connection is a weakness.

I love my husband dearly, and I’d morn him if he vanished, but it wouldn’t make my life hard to live by any means - I lived just fine before him, and I’ll live just fine after him. I didn’t marry him because I needed somebody, I married him because I wanted him. I love him and I’m lucky to have him, but I also love myself and am lucky to be me - and as I said, that was true before I met him, and it’ll be true after he’s gone.

I don’t need someone else to make my worthwhile, or to make my life worth living - I am sufficient. He’s a (much welcomed and deeply appreciated) bonus.

What you’re describing sounds like romanticizing mental illness to me.

Re: Yoghurt delivery women combatting loneliness in Japan

#208

Post by mock-possum »

slim wrote: post #170
Aaargh20318 wrote: post #21

Every time I read an article about people trying to solve the 'loneliness epidemic' I can't help but wonder if we're not trying to solve the wrong problem. Maybe the solution should not be sought in trying to increase social connections but in eliminating our need for social contact. This dependence on other humans has always felt like a flaw to me. Note that I'm not saying that human contact is bad, just that our pa…

have you ever been by yourself for more than a few weeks ? you would find out that even you need to see people after having spent enough time alone. and it hurts if you're unable to see people when you feel that urge. it's a real human need

You’re projecting, not everyone is so desperate for human connection. Spending a few weeks completely alone sounds like heaven to me.

Re: Yoghurt delivery women combatting loneliness in Japan

#209

Post by mock-possum »

piekvorst wrote: post #23
Aaargh20318 wrote: post #21

Every time I read an article about people trying to solve the 'loneliness epidemic' I can't help but wonder if we're not trying to solve the wrong problem. Maybe the solution should not be sought in trying to increase social connections but in eliminating our need for social contact. This dependence on other humans has always felt like a flaw to me. Note that I'm not saying that human contact is bad, just that our pa…

> The thinking child is not antisocial (he is, in fact, the only type of child fit for social relationships). When he develops his first values and conscious convictions, particularly as he approaches adolescence, he feels an intense desire to share them with a friend who would understand him; if frustrated, he feels an acute sense of loneliness. (Loneliness is specifically the experience of this type of child—or adu…

I do wonder at the loneliness I might have felt if I’d never found friends who would accommodate my intense desire to share values.

Re: Yoghurt delivery women combatting loneliness in Japan

#210

Post by [deleted] »

GarnetFloride wrote: post #150

If I remember right in many of the outlying areas of England the post people would serve the same purpose, though recently there have been cutbacks so they can't spend time. I also saw an estimate that people are giving $7 Trillion in unpaid caregiving services to family and friends. I'm sure the capitalists would love to be able to tap into that, but they have always been anti-civilization that way.

[deleted]
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