I am wanting to go to school in Japan. I am already learning Japanese but my biggest concern is that I will not be ready for the culture shock and different laws that I will have to abide by. Is there a website that lists these laws (in a plain English way) or anything else that might be helpful for preparing for the move?
Law & Ethics - 3 Answers
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1 :
The crime rate in Japan is very low.. This is because their prisons are horrible! Fish guts and rice.. No joke. I spent a Year in Japan and loved every min of it...
2 :
It's not that different a place IMO. Americans and Japanese are very similar in many ways; they are both rule bound, uncreative, and tend to follow the herd. It's just more honest and in the open in Japan, whereas in the US everyone thinks it isn't that way. However, in terms of law, the legal system has a different basis - German system of law, basically. Things you need to know about that *are* different: Japanese law and society make no distinctions about illegal drugs. If they're illegal then they're illegal. There's no "dope is not as bad as heroin" rubbish going on. What's illegal is different too. Any travel guide will cover those sorts of things. The only other big/common thing is that there is a zero alcohol rule for driving; you cannot drink and drive at all. Any alcohol in your system and caught driving and you are toast. Your rights under law if arrested are different. You have no intrinsic right to silence. They can hold you for up to 23 days with charge. They can do all sorts of interesting things to you while they are holding you, short of physical punishment. They have only just introduced juries and only for certain crimes and, so far, only as a trial. But, if you're not a moron or prone to doing things that you shouldn't in the US (stealing, driving drunk, taking drugs) then you're unlikely to run into any trouble. The police in Japan aren't as corrupt as often as in the US. They're usually more professional, too, in my experience. Can't think why you'd want to go to school there. :) You might be correct about the culture shock though: if you're this concerned at this point then you're not thinking it through or prepared for it. Stop over-analyzing it. Get a good travel guide and go through it. Visist for a holiday and see if you like the feel for the place. Get out of the big cities and see some of the smaller towns. The Lonely Planet guide isn't too bad for the culture and info (even if it does suck on the travel front)
3 :
The one major difference is that they actually comply with their laws. I don't' believe the Government is overly concerned or encumbered by anybody's pesky rights.
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