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The UK and Japan - your feedback needed!

TashJTashJ Posts: 79 Budding Regular
Hi everyone,

We've had a volunteer from Japan working with us here at YouthNet over the past couple of months. Before Yuki goes back to Japan (where she's a university student studying education), she'd like to ask some questions of TheSite.org users. It'd be great if you could answer the four questions below, either as a reply to this thread or via PM to me and I'll pass them on to Yuki.
  1. What do you think are the main problems faced by young people in the UK?
  2. Please give some examples about what you like about living in the UK, and what you don't.
  3. What do you think about Japan? (culture, people, etc).
  4. What is your definition of having happiness in your life?

If you've got time to answer these questions before Yuki goes back to Japan at the end of June, that would be great.

Thanks for your help, :)
Tash

Comments

  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    will have a think about these
  • TashJTashJ Posts: 79 Budding Regular
    Hi all,

    Yuki's away at the moment, but she's emailed me to say that she'll write some answers for these questions from a Japanese perspective when she's back, as I think was suggested in one of the live chats.

    Best wishes,
    Tash
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    What do you think are the main problems faced by young people in the UK?
    A lot of young people are probably bored to death - nothing to do - no where to go in a lot of places.


    Please give some examples about what you like about living in the UK, and what you don't.
    Everyone speaks English is a bonus . :)
    Weather sucks a lot of the time .. British sense of humor is great ... Traffic is probably the worst thing - and doesn't help that trains in the UK are sooo expensive - it's cheaper to fly to from London to Ireland then it is to take a train to Manchester :chin:


    What do you think about Japan? (culture, people, etc).
    Love Sushi!!


    What is your definition of having happiness in your life?
    Not being unhappy??
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    What do you think are the main problems faced by young people in the UK?

    Motivation, direction and ambition, both in things to do in their spare time and medium/long term life goals. Who are the role models for success beyond celebrities like pop stars and footballers?

    Lots of childern brought up in relative poverty.


    Please give some examples about what you like about living in the UK, and what you don't.

    Like: Free healthcare, education, english speaking, minimal fear of violent crime.

    Dislike: disparity between rich and poor, growing fear of knife crime, sexualisation of younger and younger children.

    What do you think about Japan? (culture, people, etc).
    What is your definition of having happiness in your life?


    have to go out now... to be continued...
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    What do you think are the main problems faced by young people in the UK?

    An education system which is almost purely focused on teaching teenagers how to pass exams.

    A lack of decent council and other housing.

    A drastic lack of social clubs and other things for them to do other than drink and get into trouble because they are bored.

    Please give some examples about what you like about living in the UK, and what you don't.

    The NHS is certainly something to be proud of, not that its perfect but it has improved and it does something really special, it treats because of need, not because of money.

    I think the British sense of humour is definitely something which I cherish.

    The weather certainly isnt always great, public transport could certainly be improved, oh and our government seems to want to lock people up indefinitely without charge which is crap.

    What do you think about Japan? (culture, people, etc).

    It seems to be a fairly repressive society, where honor and your appearance to others still has a massive social impact on peoples behavior. This can be a plus and a minus, without this crime does rise and there are other social problems. But too much of it and it can straight jacket people.

    They seem to be infantalised in the media here, purely enjoying cute things, small toys and little gadgets. I'm sure there is a fair share of that but I suspect its not as overwhelming as it appears here.

    Oh, and I'd rather they didnt whale hunt, but that's a side issue.

    What is your definition of having happiness in your life?

    Having a secure place I can call home, friends and relationships bring me happiness.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    What do you think are the main problems faced by young people in the UK?
    Lack of opportunity or desire to improve themselves, especially in poorer areas, and based on a fair number of them, a very defensive attitude towards people who have achieved things (talking about the working classes here). Poor role models and a culture of instant achievements and focus on fame for fame's sake, or success because of material reward rather than the desire to do something because you enjoy doing it. Poor self esteem on a massive scale.

    Please give some examples about what you like about living in the UK, and what you don't.
    Like: The music; the TV; the comedy; the general intellectual debate on issues; the scenery; the sports; the fact that most of my friends and family live here; the fact that I'm lucky enough to live in a country where I never have to worry about basic things like food, clean water, or healthcare. But I guess that last one doesn't count if we're comparing it to Japan.

    Dislike: How the entire social scene seems to revolve around drinking large amounts of alcohol; the large number of nobheads in said social scene; the price of everything, particularly eating out; the winter; the long hours; the politics; the lack of public transport; the fact that we have the highest rates in Europe of pretty much every social problem.

    What do you think about Japan? (culture, people, etc).
    General culture: very corporate, consumer-driven culture. Emphasis on status and status symbols. Efficient. A certain level of traditional gender roles. Fairly insular. But then there seems to be this sort of alternative culture that goes alongside it which is almost a reaction against all of that (kinda similar to the way that Britain's prudishness results in something like Page 3). So you end up with utterly bizarre and unique products, arts, subcultures, fashion trends, fetishes, and the sort of brilliant creative stuff that is always so obviously Japanese.
    The Japanese people I've met: mainly quiet, introvert but not shy, good natured, fun, fashion-conscious, modest, and found it odd how everyone in Britain only drinks fizzy drinks.

    What is your definition of having happiness in your life?
    Being personally content. For me, that would be things like having people who are care about and who care about me. For others it could be something else. I guess it's generally a combination of things.
  • TashJTashJ Posts: 79 Budding Regular
    Hi everyone,

    Thanks very much for your answers - from both me and Yuki :)

    As promised, here's Yuki's take on the questions:

    What do you think are the main problems faced by young people in the Japan?

    In Japan, there are some young people who are just staying indoors for ages without communication with other people.
    Please give some examples about what you like about living in the Japan, and what you don't.

    The thing what I like about Japan is people who care or consider other people with deliberate thought.

    The thing what I don?t like about Japan is people are very busy. Even though I have mentioned above, due to their busy life, people are apt not to care other people.

    What do you think about UK? (culture, people, etc).

    I have lived in London for 6months and I would say London is pretty unique city compared with other cities in UK. Therefore, my opinion should not be applied to other cities in UK. I think London is very generous to other people from other countries. It is pretty good because diversity raises power. But also diversity could cause problems, so flexible attitude towards different culture is needed.

    What is your definition of having happiness in your life?

    My happiness is being with family, friends and the purpose to live.
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