An American entrepreneur living in Japan for two years has pointed out "dysfunctionalities" he noticed in the USA upon his re-visit to the country. Nathan Lands took to X to point out that the States has a “low-quality standard across the board" as compared to Japan.
The Lore[dot]com founder began his long post with “little things that don’t work” including half of the escalators, missing soap in the bathrooms etc.
"Once you notice it, you see it everywhere in America. Things just don't work. Everything works in Japan, and it would be unacceptable if things didn't work," he said.
Further, he pointed out the poor quality of service and the tip one has to pay despite the service not being up to the mark. He recalled one occasion when he was staying in a hotel in Boston and had to face inconvenience due to a workers' strike.
"They banged on drums outside the window. My wife couldn't believe people would do that," Nathan said, adding: "They harassed us."
"In contrast, while we were in Japan, my wife got gifts for about eight people at her workplace, including her boss, to thank them for letting her take time off. The culture and respect for work are just so different... basically, different planets," he remarked.
Speaking about daily struggles, the entrepreneur began with living costs. “Everything is so expensive. To my surprise, it's dramatically cheaper to live in Japan than most of the US. Waikiki was especially nuts,” he said.
He also suggested that there was a sense of threat while going around in the city and the issues of homeless people on the streets.
Another thing he mentioned was that accidents occurred more in the US than in Japan.
On hygiene and other service issues, the entrepreneur highlighted that delay in flights is a common practice which is “Perhaps this is another quality control issue?” He described the TSA as “rude” and “threatening” while in Japan they are “extremely polite” and “helpful”.
Concluding the post, Nathan listed some redeeming qualities of the US that he enjoyed. " “Of course, there are also good things about the USA, like the diversity of food, etc. And there is something a little exciting about the chaos. But I now feel way less interested in moving back to the USA," he said.