The Mighty Quin!

Creator of the #DEWrant series (BLOG, LIVE, CAST), and Owner/Karaoke DJ of The Mighty Quin

[Katsuhiro Harada @Harada_TEKKEN]

Very insightful & nuanced review.
It’s true that Japan can be very strict about rules & procedures. As I mentioned in my post two posts ago, if there were a WAFFLE HOUSE in Japan, they probably would never have sold me their actual physical menu as a souvenir due to store policy, even if I asked.

The game market is unique in some ways as well, but when it comes to PC gaming, Western games are actually quite widespread and sell very well here.

As for living in Japan, I do think it can suit some people more than others. It’s true that work tends to occupy a relatively large portion of people’s lifestyles here, and more importantly — although this exists in every country to some extent (this is an important premise, and I’ll say it again: this exists in every country) — Japan comparatively tends to reward “personal relationships and internal politics” over pure competence when it comes to promotions.

In other words, there’s definitely a “the nail that sticks out gets hammered down” culture, and I think a lot of people struggle with that.

(And by the way, situations where someone who 99 out of 100 people would consider completely incompetent — someone basically unknown in the industry except for endless stories about their incompetence — somehow gets promoted into an absurdly high executive position, leaving entire organizations shocked and dumbfounded… those situations genuinely exist around us. The kind of unbelievably bad personnel placement that feels like it belongs in a movie scene.)

[Katsuhiro Harada @Harada_TEKKEN]

Rather than clearly defined “rules,” Japan has a strong culture of unwritten expectations — manners, morals, and the overall atmosphere of a place.

For example, if you talk on the phone inside a train, people around you will look at you as if to say, “Seriously…?” It is also true that many tourists are confused by this.

Also, for example, I have visited more than 60 countries so far, and I still travel around quite a lot these days. Based on my own experience, in most countries, taxi drivers may talk to someone on the phone, or they may listen to or play music they like. But I have never seen a taxi driver in Japan driving while talking on the phone with family, a partner, or a friend. Music is generally not playing either. At most, you might occasionally find an elderly independent taxi driver playing the radio, but basically, unless the passenger requests something, the inside of the taxi is a quiet space. Well, taxi drivers from Kansai, such as Osaka or Nara where I was born and raised, may casually start talking to you, though.

In any case, it is true that Japan has many unwritten manners and Japanese-standard moral expectations depending on the place or space: don’t be noisy, stay quiet, line up properly, wait your turn, take off your shoes, arrange them neatly, take your trash home, and so on.

However, I think the idea of “when in Rome, do as the Romans do” exists to some extent in every country.

I go to the USA very often, and when a complete stranger gets into an elevator, that person may give me a light smile or casually say “Hi” to me. That happens, right?

Back when I was not used to that kind of culture yet — when I was in my teens or twenties — this was very confusing to me.

I asked my online gaming friends in the USA what the correct reaction was supposed to be, and they told me:

“We do that to show other people, basically without even consciously thinking about it, that ‘I’m not your enemy.’ It’s better than standing there silently with your arms crossed and an angry-looking face. It’s a way to avoid trouble.”

That conversation made me start trying, whenever I made eye contact with someone in a confined space, to raise my eyebrows a little and give a slight smile with my mouth. Though, to be honest, I often still fail to react in time.

Then, with that habit, I would return to Japan. When I made eye contact with a stranger entering an elevator and raised my eyebrows with a slight smile, they would look at me with a very suspicious expression, as if to say, “Uh… what is this guy doing?” Then I would suddenly remember, “Oh no, this is Japan!” After that, whether in elevators, hallways, or trains, I would switch back into a mode of either having no expression or pretending to be completely indifferent (Although, in Osaka, random older ladies and men around town may casually talk to you, so I switch into Osaka mode there. In other words, even within Japan, it may depend on the place).

I don’t think either side wants more and more rules to be created. But in the sense of treating each other with respect, I do think it is necessary for people to respect each other’s cultural customs.

[ソニック・ザ・ヘッジホッグ【公式】 @SonicOfficialJP]

ソニックシリーズにはたくさんの森林ステージが登場しますが、中でも『ソニックアドベンチャー2』の森林ステージといえば……🌳

ソニックの「グリーンフォレスト」🔵💨
シャドウの「ホワイトジャングル���⚫💨

みなさんが真っ先に思いついたのはどちらですか？👀

[The Mighty Quin! @MightyQuin419]

@maximilian_ Sometimes, you gotta pop out and transcend history…

https://t.co/xh8bHy55Md

[Dynasty @Dynasty1031]

Here's the full Liu Kang vs Kung Lao MK2 clip that dropped today if you still haven't seen it yet 👀

#MortalKombat🐉

[The Mighty Quin! @MightyQuin419]

@lucidggz @noobde No.

[Dynasty @Dynasty1031]

Mortal Kombat Battle Escalates — Paramount Claims WBD Approval as Netflix Pushes Back https://t.co/9L4J4gRvFn #MortalKombat🐉

[The Mighty Quin! @MightyQuin419]

@Dynasty1031 Uh-oh.

[The Mighty Quin! @MightyQuin419]

@maximilian_ Jfc dood lol

[Briahna Joy Gray @briebriejoy]

"How can I relax you just killed my f*cking neighbor!? You got her in the f*cking face. You killed my f*cking neighbor. How do you show up to work everyday? How the f*ck do you do this every day? You're killing my neighbors, you're stealing my neighbors. What the F*CK man?"

Horrifying. They let her die there, bleeding out. Her kids' toys in the passenger-side door.

[The Mighty Quin! @MightyQuin419]

@Dynasty1031 I see what you did there. It’s appreciated.

[The Mighty Quin! @MightyQuin419]

@Dynasty1031 This breaks my heart hearing about his passing today. He made acting so damn cool to me, I studied all his films and games to date. Definitely one of a kind.

F

[The Mighty Quin! @MightyQuin419]

@grandwizardNOW @Dynasty1031 I’ll take a dozen

[Joe Vargas @AngryJoeShow]

WHAT!!!! WHATTTTT!!! WAAAAAAAAAATTTTT!!!! OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!🤩🥳

[The Mighty Quin! @MightyQuin419]

@Goal_Driven1 @WWE Story-wise, Soul Calibur predates TEKKEN. Have we forgotten the plot here?

[The Mighty Quin! @MightyQuin419]

FRIEND: What you up to today?

ME: Oh, nothing. Just eating ramen while getting spooked when @Somecallmejon nonchalantly throwing it back to his laundry. Like, isn’t that kinda counterintuitive?

[The Mighty Quin! @MightyQuin419]

@geoffkeighley @Kojima_Hideo Not shocking, but this is welcoming.

[The Mighty Quin! @MightyQuin419]

@LeeMajdoub I know Agent Stone didn’t give me a life affirmation…

…It was needed. Thanks!