RResidents in Japan

Weekly Complaint Thread – 05 March 2026

  • March 4, 2026

It's the weekly complaint thread! Time to get anything off your chest that's been bugging you or pissing you off.

Remain civil and be nice to other commenters (even try to help).

  • No politics
  • No complaints about users of JapanLife

by AutoModerator

39 comments

  2. The biggest fuck up of my life so far was not getting a house that could get solar, gas and electricity are only going to get more expensive from here on out.

  4. I’m so looking forward to not be the hanchou for the chounaikai anymore starting from April. While there are some activities I can somewhat get behind, even though these would normally be done by the city in my country, they plan and try to do way too many things that could maybe be considered by some other entity that doesn’t force people into joining. 

    The absolute idiocy in having everyone meet, receive documents and then spent forever reading every single point. I come home after 8 hours of work, then I go to the meeting, how long can it possibly take right? More than 2 friggin hours. That’s how long. And then they endlessly bicker and argue over the most stupid things. I was about ready to just get up and leave yesterday. 

    Old people with houses have way too much time on their hands! Leave me alone I’m living in a rental and am struggling to get my life together. 

  6. Ordered a mug from the Netflix store for friend’s birthday. When accessing the site, the ‘redirecting you to the Netflix Store Japan’ came up. Put mug in cart, check out, die a little inside when I see the ‘international delivery fee’ but assume it’s cos it’s not in stock here. Don’t get a confirmation email and a few days had passed, so I follow up and they say ‘order is currently in production, then it’ll be 7-14 days for overseas shipping, we will send you the tracking info once dispatched’. 2 days later, I get said tracking info, the delivery arrives but from an address in Japan, wrapped in Japanese newspaper. So I paid almost as much for the delivery as the item itself cost only for it to be sent domestically. I guess it’s probably some cross border pricing system, but I feel a bit of a…mug.

  9. Can someone tell everyone to stop using their goddamn phones in the car? Is this such a hard concept? You drive, you don’t touch your stupid addiction rectangle. 

    Just saw a guy looking down at suspicious intervals while driving IN FRONT OF A SCHOOL! 

    I’m so angry right now. 

    People drive around in death machines and can never be held accountable for their behavior till someone dies. 

  10. I’ve finally succumbed to 花粉症. I never had allergies previously but it seems my body has given up.

    It feels silly living here sometimes when the seasons are, in order: Too cold, too sneezy, too hot, and autumn.

    Need to find some way to live in the French Riviera or something lol

  11. Surugaya is such a pain in the ass lately to order from online. They had some data breach back in like August and now they basically only accept PayPay, d-Pay, and MerPay. Nothing else. I had to make a damn PayPay account just to order from them, and I don’t use it much so I had to go “charge it up” at a Lawson just to order.

  12. People that are obviously doing their morning routine in the bathroom stall and take forever. What the hell are you taking a bath in the toilet bowl?

  14. 1 – Going back home next week for a short trip.  First half is in Melbourne.  Pretty busy and I’m booked out.  Secind half is relaxed and down by the beach in west Gippsland.  My dear friend of over 20 years won’t come down for the day because it’s a 5hr round trip.

    I get it.  It is quite a long drive and a big day and not everyone is up for that.  It’s just really sad.  We’re spending nearly 7k AUD to get there, we aren’t sure when we’ll be back (if ever), and she’s not working (but still going out and to concerts, etc) so it’s not like she has to get a day off.  If we were staying longer, I’d do the day trip to her with my wife and kids.  Oh well.  We just have to miss out this time.  Sucks.

    2 – my sleep is shit.  I can only manage a top of 6hrs lately.  Go to bed at 9pm and wake up at 3am.  10pm – 4am.  I think part of it is my fear of over-sleeping and missing my train which is causing me stress.

  15. been sleeping like crap, partly because i leave the apartment at 9pm, and just walk in a random direction, take photos, then get home around 1am.

    Last night, made the effort to be in bed at 9pm, and just laid there thinking about all the things bothering me until I fell asleep at 1am.

    Definitely going to continue those walks, because if I’m going to sleep poorly anyways, may as well do the more fun option lol.

  16. Kafunsho got me. Been nonstop sniffling for the past 3 days. Do your job, medicine!

  17. My job still hasn’t told us if we’ll be renewed and all other options are exhausted so if this doesn’t pan out I might have to consider leaving Japan.

  18. Went to the dentist where the drilled half my tooth off, then heard “まいいか、しょがない”.

  19. Played chicken with a cyclist on a wide open, empty road, and still almost got hit. Managed to blurt out fuzokennayo instead of fuza…

  21. Made the mistake of sending an email with the phrase “no rush”…

    It’s a week later and I’m like… actually that meant it doesn’t need to be today but sometime soon ya know? Or at least reply saying I got the message! I have to reply to every near spam email my boss sends and of course they can’t do the same lol.

    Same with my realtor! Sent an email about paperwork for my recontract. My guarantor company sent their notice. The fire insurance sent theirs. They sent some nonsense with a missing page. Asked them about it and said “it’s not our department, it’s email this one” did that and got no reply… Geeze. 

    I know it’s march but don’t check out this quick everyone!

  22. I have had the most insanely itchy skin for the past month. Moisturizer, air purifier, anti itch medications keep it at bay but it’s really annoying

  23. On the Japan Residents site a poster I disagreed with, abused the Reddit Care function which is supposed to help people who need counseling etc to get me sent a notification.

    This poster abused the function based on the fact I disagreed reasonably that foreigners who leave Japan during emergencies/disasters deserve to be dissed and then disagreed again with their answer that included the words `I win`. Seems to be no way to report users for this kind of abuse, any ideas?

  24. My youngest 2 kids are going through an *extremely* clingy phase at the same time. Since we moved last year they’ve had a bunk bed in their own room and they were doing fine with it… until our family got the flu last month and we quarantined the flu-havers from the have-nots, and ever since then they’ve both been waking up in the middle of the night and coming to our bed which isn’t at all big enough for 4 people. I’m also the type that can’t really fall back to sleep after I’ve been woken up, so I’ve been a zombie with a sore neck and a headache for the last few weeks.

  25. my school has entrance exams over the next two days, I have no nenkyuu left so I will have to sit at my desk all day, can’t walk around or go home for lunch and I can’t go on my phone. Ugh

  26. Another week of driving in Japan, another week of realizing how bad people are at driving

  27. After 6 years in my 1LDK the scumbag management company tried to hike my rent by 25k this renewal season, which is equivalent to 2LDK prices for my neighborhood. They were really sleezy about it too. They claimed 周辺の相場, which is normally a legally valid reason for increasing rent, but provided no supporting evidence in the paperwork. My own research shows that I’m paying right at market price as it is. They also demanded a response within 4 business days of the paperwork arriving in my mailbox, which set off my bullshit-o-meter.

    I told them that I reject the price increase and want to renew under my current terms. I still haven’t heard back from them and it’s causing me a lot of anxiety; fearful they’ll try to evict me (legally or not). And of course, they require me to go through their website’s shitty 問い合わせ form, which does not send automated receipts and therefore does not leave a paper trail.

    Renewals have always been automatic at this place, but knowing how shitty and manipulative humans are, I wouldn’t put it past them to go “oops we didn’t withdraw your rent for greater than 3 months so now we can legally evict you.”

  28. I was playing Resident Evil Requiem and my cat was behind me on top of the sofa (she loves watching TV) and suddenly, I heard a gagging/retching sound, I thought the game’s sound effects were rad because it felt like a zombie was behind me, and then I felt some warm liquid in my upper back, it was my cat puking on me and the sofa.

  29. Why is the Pokémon fire red/ leaf green games Japanese only on the Nintendo eshop? I bought a more expensive international version of the switch 2 for this?

    Playing games in English is the only time my daughter doesn’t whine about doing something in English.

  30. I made chili last night because I was craving it but it wrecked my stomach. Was it too spicy? Did I eat too much? Is one of the ingredients bad? And I just freaked out because a student threw up this week and more than half the school had influenza last week? Who knows! I’m too busy for this, I don’t have time to be sick. Got classes all day, contract stuff for my new apartment after, graduation tomorrow, and places to be in both the morning and afternoon on Saturday.

    Also the idea of moving is wrecking me lol.

  32. I usually forget all of my complaints by the time this thread comes around.

    The Bizreach commercials are annoying.

  33. I caught some crazy bug that has really knocked me on my ass, but I also tested negative for covid AND the flu. Ugh. Day 3 and I think I’m finally feeling somewhat better but I have a trip this weekend that I really want to be better for 🙁

  34. In the middle of moving, trying to schedule my room inspection, and my current apartment management is so difficult to get in contact with. It took me like 3 days of calling at different times during the day to finally get someone to answer. The only contact info they gave me was a phone number and a fax number so if they don’t pick up, I have no way to contact them. They don’t even call me back afterwards. Since I’m the one reaching out, I also am being charged extra by my phone company because I’m on a cheaper plan that charges me when I’m the one calling. 

    On top of all that they only do final inspections on weekdays when it’s light out so I’ll have to take time off work to do it. I was going to also have my Japanese partner come with me so I don’t get scammed, but their company is super black and it’s hard for them to take time off(dw they are starting a new job soon). 
    I’m so sick of this :,)

  35. Another 花粉症 complaint.

    I went on an impromptu trip for a much needed 気分転換. The event I was aiming for was cancelled. I would be fine since there seems to be not much on the free event, but then 花粉 happened. What a fucking miserable day. The OTC meds, yes meds, weren’t effective at all.

    I thought I was getting better and developing a resistance. The doctor who tested me for allergies didn’t even count my body’s response as an allergy. And here I am with an aching throat.

    Luckily/Unluckily, I only went for a slightly fancy lunch today. My nose won’t stop dripping and I couldn’t enjoy my food.

  36. I forgot to complain about the butsukari lady! She’s absolutely disgusting, but so are the multitudes of people who haven’t been caught! 

    Yes, you shouldn’t stop in the middle of Shibuya crossing, but that has been happening for years! I feel like this was a missed opportunity for the media to double down on this and just remind people to not be dicks.

    The weebs defending the lady are also ridiculous. The Semantic Apocalypse is here!

  37. guy tweezing his beard next to me on train made me want to tweeze my eyeballs out

  38. Today this guy on the train gave me the side eye for accidentally knocking over his bag when he had it on the floor of a fully packed train. Like dude, put it on your lap then. It’s in the way.

  39. I bought an item in Mercari, it arrived safely.
    However, it had a small detail, so I was hesitating whether to make a claim or to just let it go.
    After a few days, I let it go and gave him a positive evaluation.
    To my surprise, the guy evaluated negatively because I didn’t communicate, this just made me so angry, this is what I got for my kindness.

    I care about the negative feedback and the injustice, more than the item. I wish I could at least change my feedback to negative, or to have my negative feedback removed.
    What should I do now? I have a subpar item, got a negative feedback and he got a positive one.

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