Noises

This is something that must differ a lot by the luck of your personal experience, but in my own experience, Japan is quiet privately and noisy publicly.

I have lived in three different buildings in three different cities, and lived in apartment blocks with thin walls, surrounded by other tenants. I've always been astonished by how little noise I hear from anyone. Nobody plays loud music, or loud TV, nobody holds loud parties, nobody has fights. I think in 18 months of living in one building, the only time I ever heard my neighbours was when one of them had a cold and was coughing a bit.

With all these people living so close together, an equivalent situation in Australia is almost unthinkable.

Now, the lack of parties/loud conversations is probably related to the small size of the apartments; people don't tend to entertain in them very much. And I'm sure there are plenty of noisy or inconsiderate Japanese neighbours out there. But my impression is still that at home, my neighbours are quieter than Australians would be.

Outside of home, however, is another story. Loud, constant train announcements, frequently set at too high a volume. Muzak in public spaces. Stores with annoying jingles. Ads playing. People shouting out the day's specials. Garbage trucks trawling the neighbourhood playing their theme song. Constant, loud announcements over department store speakers. Politicians blasting announcements from megaphones on cars. Shopkeepers bellowing out 'irasshaimase!!' (welcome) as you walk past.

I remember going to a tropical beach in Okinawa, and a ski slope in Niigata, and even these natural places had speakers playing bland pop music interspersed with occasional announcements!

I think Japanese people must have a higher tolerance for noise than I do, because I find that even a simple trip to the supermarket can really jangle my nerves. I suppose if you hear it from a young age, you get used to it.

I plan to do a 'pet peeve' post about shopping, so I'll save more of my griping for then. ^_^