Top 5: Reasons Why Korea is Better than Japan

Of the 200 or so pages from the JET Handbook, the part I remember most distinctly was the section on how culture shock affects the average JET participant. It even had a nifty little chart so you could follow your excitement or depression. Right now, I would be in the "Negotiation Phase" of culture shock, which Wikipedia describes as:

After some time (usually three months but it may be sooner or later depending on the individual), differences between the old and new culture become apparent and may create anxiety. That sense of excitement will eventually give way to new and unpleasant feelings of frustration and anger as you continue to have unfavorable encounters that strike you as strange, offensive, and unacceptable. These reactions [...] are typically centered on the formidable language barrier as well as stark differences in: public hygiene; traffic safety; the type and quality of the food [...].[4] It's a very hard period for the people who need to adjust to a new culture, especially for those students who study abroad alone without families. In this period, people might feel that their lifestyle is totally influenced. Their biological clock is in a mess because of the time difference, they can't work well and can't rest well either. In addition, they might feel sick and lazy; they might get tired doing anything no matter how easy it is.

Yeah, that's about right. Add crummy weather and shorter days in there, and it's even more appropriate. However, I have experience and knowledge on my side. So, in an attempt to stay positive, here's my Top 5 Reasons Why Korea is Better than Japan.

Qualifications:

• The reason must impact my life directly.
• This is a general list, nothing to do with my personal life or work situation.
  

The List:

1. Better Food: The Japanese might describe their food as "subtle," to my American palate, which isn't happy unless I'm adding extra barbecue sauce to my twice-fried, chocolate-covered Twinkies, "bland" is probably the better word. The Korean dinning experience is a fantastic feast of spicy, but not too spicy, dishes, brought out in rapid fashion in an attempt to overflow the table with tasty goodness. Great...and now I want some bulgogi.
2. Fewer Dirty Stares: It's much more comfortable to be a foreigner here. One might think that this is due to being in a much larger, much more metropolitan city, but I've actually experienced better treatment in other cities outside of Seoul.
   
3. Weiguk>Gaijin: This sort of goes hand-in-hand with the last one, but weiguk just doesn't have the same "punch" as gaijin. And Koreans usually have respect enough not to say it directly in front of you. It seems like I'm given much more leeway to be foreign here too, whereas I always felt like I was offending someone or about to in Japan.
4. Better Looking Women: Korea is #1 in the world in elective plastic surgeries per capita. And it shows.
5. Chaos Factor: One reason Japan always made me feel so uncomfortable was due to its pristine condition. Everything was neat, orderly, and clean. No one broke the law, even as far as jaywalking. Heck, even ambulances "rushing" to the hospital would go the speed limit. On the other hand, I've always felt that Korea had a certain "vibrancy" to its streets and back alleys. You can grab some delicious street food, and then jaywalk in front of a cop.* Furthermore, there is that crazy little bastard of a neighbor up north, who, at any given moment could decide to provoke a war. Some would argue that this last point detracts from my argument, but I like it. Safety is an illusion anyway, and it adds a little spice to life knowing that you're not completely safe.**
   

*This, on the other hand, could never happen in Japan. First of all, there was a tragic lack of street vendors. Secondly, the combination of eating while walking (major no-no) AND jaywalking would probably make the average Japanese citizen's head explode.

**For the record, I'm probably a good deal safer here than in any American city. At least here I know where the threat is coming from.