How much social interaction is necessary in Japan?

[Wakannai]

How is social interaction NOT dependent on the culture? From what I've experienced it is. If I have to be more active socially then I'd be more miserable in Japan than I am here.

Social interaction is part of being human, not particular to a given culture. The more cultural benefits you want, the more you have to participate in that cultures society. If you are not interested in receiving the benefits of culture, then you can minimize your participation just as you do here, although it is somewhat easier in the us. If you really don't want to go to the grocery store and meet people, in many cities you can order groceries online and have them delivered. Some goes with most anything you might want.

[katafei]

Wakannai,
is it just me or is that little finger looking slightly more suspect now that your puzzled face is all incognito......?



^_^

[Wakannai]

君の意味は分かんない

[yukamina]

It's not like you have to hold conversations with strangers when you go to the store >_> Even reclusive people should be able to do this(I know I can...)

[hungryhotei]

Wakannai wrote:
in many cities you can order groceries online and have them delivered.

I was just wondering if this had made it's way to Japan yet.

[coco]

How do you earn your living wage to keep living in Japan, without social interaction?　

If you were super rich, and would be able to hire a interpreter, housekeeper, helper, etc., you might need less social interaction.
But there isn't any merit to go to Japan.

[richvh]

But then he's still have to interact with the interpreter, housekeeper, helper, etc.

[ss]

Hahah .... so true, Rich-san.

You know, we have people here that employ maids from Indonesia, Philippines, Pakistan etc, the main problem is communication. Most of the maids can't speak good English and there are people here who can't speak Malay, Tagalog, Indonesian languages or Tamil. They ended up changing maids hoping to get one who can speak basic good English.

Simple chores like cleaning and cooking at home require basic communication skills, not even to mention society life.

[Hatori]

Okay, this is what I have to say:
Throughout your whole life, you must be able to interact with another to:
Eat, sleep, and take care of yourself if you are not in your own home.

[Wakannai]

hungryhotei wrote:

Wakannai wrote:
in many cities you can order groceries online and have them delivered.

I was just wondering if this had made it's way to Japan yet.

Perhaps it's a dormant opportunity for one of our resident hopeful entrepreneurs.

wow, that word didn't get a red underline......

[keatonatron]

lol890 wrote:
If I have to be more active socially then I'd be more miserable in Japan than I am here.

I can tell you right now you'd be miserable in Japan regardless of the social interaction "requirement".

It's my personal opinion that social interaction is the only truly acceptable reason for going to Japan (for more than just sightseeing, that is). It's not an easy country to live in, so if you're one of those people who want to go simply because they don't like where they are now... just don't.

[furrykef]

Not to mention that surely Japan would be one of the countries where social interaction would be the most difficult, no matter how frequently you'd have to do it. They're forgiving of foreigners, of course (unless you look like you could be native Japanese), but even so, people there would probably hold you to higher standards than people in the US. Standards that you probably won't be 100% familiar with, I might add.

- Kef

[Snowflake]

I know I'm new to these forums, but I just needed to chime in here. It could be that the OP has a condition known as Social Anxiety. It can be a debilitating condition, making it nearly impossible to be comfortable around other people. Sweating, shakes, increased heart rate, difficulty breathing. Sometimes, just the thought of having to be in places where other people are can bring on symptoms.

From the tone of the OP's questions, I wonder if this might be his/her situation? Perhaps s/he is searching for some place that doesn't require as much social interaction as wherever s/he lives now and was just wondering (hoping) Japan might be that place.

The original question doesn't necessarily mean the person is a "nutter".

[jenl]

The OP is believed to be a previous offender, or a troll pretending to be a previous offender, Duelley49 aka lol890 (didn't even bother to change the birthdate on the profile). That is one reason why they're not getting a particularly good welcome, because I remember [url="http://www.thejapanesepage.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=9057"]this[/url].

The original question is dumb either way, because the last thing somebody with any mental health issue needs is to suddenly move away from their support network. Particularly if they have issues which mean they will have difficulty dealing with strangers in their new surroundings, and even more so if they're planning to go somewhere where they will have language problems to deal with on top of that.

My first post in this thread was serious: one use for online CBT programs is for those who have issues to the point that even going to see a therapist is difficult for them. Here's another one along the lines of the first: http://moodgym.anu.edu.au/

I don't have links to mental health resources just lying about for shits and giggles, incidentally. I already know about the unpleasant physical side effects that come with anxiety from personal experience. Which is probably why I have bad reactions to people who try to use such things as an excuse.

OP does not need to find a place where they can not interact with people. OP does not need their illness to be indulged. OP needs therapy, which would involve directly challenging their ideas about social interaction and pushing them to deal with situations outside their comfort zone.

(hopefully my html does not fail)
(edited because html did not fail, but my punctuation did)

[lol890]

What benefits could I possibly gain with interacting with people?

I don't trust people. Most people hate me and at the very best someone could only look down upon me as a worthless crippled. Why waste my time?