Sergio Bersanetti

By popular demand, I’m venturing into a bold comparison between  Japan and South Korea, but I must make a disclaimer.
One week and a 200 km radius are not enough to form an accurate view of a country. So, what you’re about to read shouldn’t be considered a detailed sociological analysis, although it might offer some food for thought. Please take it as merely the impression of an Italian tourist visiting Japan for the first time.

So, Japan left me with vibrant colors, enchanting scents, and the memorable experience of a heated toilet seat (if only I could take it with me!)
Jokes aside, I saw many beautiful things, just as I expected. Japanese people seemed very attentive to their surroundings, always ready to lend a helping hand without even being asked when someone was in need.

On the contrary, Koreans don’t notice you even if you are lying on the ground, and unfortunately, that’s not a joke.
There were numerous accounts of people taking selfies with their dead peers lying on the pavement, covered with a sheet, during the tragic event of last October. I have no reason to doubt the truthfulness of these stories.
Of course, there are exceptions, and in my previous journey I witnessed wonderful gestures from Koreans. However, overall, they appear more rushed and less altruistic compared to the Japanese.

Having said that, there’s an unsettling aspect of the Japanese that has always puzzled me.
In the 20th century, for example, Japanese soldiers committed some of the most brutal and heinous tortures on enemies, and the most extreme and violent pornography comes from Japan (don’t ask me how I know).
Movies featuring the agony of a dying dog or the last minutes of a starving four-year-old girl followed by her slightly older brother? Yes, those are two Japanese films, ‘Quill’ and ‘Grave of the Fireflies,’ blockbuster hits in their homeland.
They are undoubtedly beautiful, with the latter even winning several international awards. However, I’ve always questioned whether those prolonged scenes were truly necessary, as they didn’t seem to add anything significant to the films’ messages.

In terms of quality of life, I definitely prefer Korea.
After three days, I was confidently wandering around Seoul alone, while in Osaka, I didn’t dare leave the hotel without Ji Hun. Sure, with Google Maps, I could manage somehow, but I’m certain I would have wasted a lot of time, especially since very few Japanese understand English.
Not that Koreans are significantly better, but there’s a slightly higher chance of being understood verbally (when they pay attention). The Korean obsession with performance and perfection comes in handy when dealing with practical matters, while the Japanese appeared more fatalistic, evident in the never-ending bus stops.

Moreover, when it comes to technology, there’s no comparison. Although Japan is known for being technologically advanced, I noticed some cases where their technology seemed outdated. There’s still too much reliance on paper, for example, starting from the bus tickets.

As for money management, they’re even more behind Italy, as it’s quite challenging to find places that accept credit cards. I assume it’s a problem with bank commissions, but I find it absurd that in this day and age, cash is still frequently used for payments.

Perhaps I’m mistaken, but the Japanese sometimes seemed enslaved to the notion of “It’s always been done this way, so it’s fine.”
I despise the word “tradition” because it’s often used as an excuse to avoid calling certain phenomena, such as racism and homophobia, by their true names.
When this resistance to change is applied in practical life, needlessly complicating people’s lives, I remain equally bewildered.

Nevertheless, I’d be more than happy to do another trip when the opportunity arises. Starting from Tokyo, there are still many cities worth visiting.

As always, I invite you to leave a comment below to share your thoughts on the article.