From the perspective of a Chinese person, I will only mention the things that feel fresh, which I already knew about before coming here, such as politeness, clean and tidy streets, and drinking tap water directly.

Labor in the Service Industry

From the moment I got off the plane, there were staff every few steps at the airport, greeting you and ensuring you didn’t go the wrong way. Many international students work here; Chinese tourists often receive help from Chinese students, while Western tourists are mostly assisted by Indian students.

For my first meal in Japan, I went to Yoshinoya on the second floor of Narita Airport's waiting hall. When I reached the checkout area and asked if I could order here, I was told to order at my seat. Immediately, a young lady came to guide me to a seat to place my order. In many restaurants in Japan, you eat first and pay later, and there is usually someone to guide you to your seat to order. Even in places with ordering machines, you swipe your card or insert cash directly at the machine; I did not see any instances of scanning a code to order and paying via mobile.

At the subway entrance in Narita Airport, there was a person standing at the elevator door greeting you. The sign at the entrance had the kanji for "railway" and the English marked "Train," so I asked her if the "Skyliner" on Google Maps was accessed from there. She first glanced at my phone, then put on her reading glasses to look at it again, and finally shook her head, saying she didn’t know, and advised me to ask at the information desk over there. Her job was simply to greet people. Later, I understood why she didn’t know, as "Skyliner" is a poor translation; if it had been labeled directly as Skyliner, I wouldn’t have needed to ask.

Upon entering the Narita Airport subway station, I encountered a dignified lady, dressed in what seemed to be a uniform from either the airport or the subway department, probably in her forties or fifties, with well-applied makeup. Her job was to assist people in buying tickets. If you didn’t know how to buy a ticket, she would help you.

When registering for a residence card, there was someone at the ward office specifically to teach you how to fill out forms and what numbers to use. The ward office is equivalent to a district government in China, but it belongs to a local autonomous body. Having someone dedicated to helping you fill out forms and being polite and attentive is unimaginable in China.

This extensive use of human labor is a means to reduce the wealth gap. In China, if software is not user-friendly, it gets updated to improve usability; in Japan, if software is not user-friendly, they hire someone to stand by and teach you how to use it. Here, "software" refers broadly to processes. This reflects a different trade-off between efficiency and fairness.

Rental System

Many people in Japan who have rented for years still do not understand how the rental system works. Firstly, Japanese law stipulates that landlords cannot evict tenants, which has led to the emergence of various guarantee companies. If a tenant misbehaves, the guarantee company compensates the landlord. The risk falls on the guarantee company, which must also receive compensation to balance this risk. There are various guarantee companies in the market, each with different strategies. Some charge a monthly fee, while others require a one-time upfront payment. The specific amount charged depends on the guarantee company’s risk assessment of you; for instance, if you are an international student who might return home and lacks income, you may be charged a higher deposit. If you can provide a job offer letter proving your income, you might be charged less. Some require an upfront payment of 40% more than the rent, while others may even ask for 100% more. As a foreigner, you can rent a place even before arriving in Japan, and there are guarantee companies that cater specifically to this market. The largest guarantee company for foreigners in Japan is GTN.

Regarding key money and deposits, under free market competition, many properties do not require key money or deposits at all. If the supply and demand dynamics change, it is foreseeable that the situation regarding key money and deposits will also change.

Management fees, or property fees, are something that must be paid monthly; I did not see any properties that do not require management fees. Therefore, the actual rent must include the management fee.

The income-to-housing price ratio in Japan is incredibly low compared to China. In Wako, a rural area about forty minutes from Tokyo Station, you can find standalone houses priced under 2.5 million RMB. For 4 million, you can buy a three-story house in Kawaguchi, including renovations and land ownership, with monthly payments comparable to renting a similar property. Japan has property taxes, and most properties are not expected to experience rapid price increases like in China in the foreseeable future, which diminishes the enthusiasm for home buying among Japanese people. Consequently, many developers build houses specifically for rental purposes.

I heard that among the Chinese community in Japan, there is another rental method where transactions occur privately between Chinese individuals without going through guarantee companies, which can be cheaper. However: 1. The existence of guarantee companies compensates for landlords' inability to unilaterally breach contracts; I am currently unsure to what extent private rental agreements are legally protected; 2. Institutional arrangements can only define rights and responsibilities; they cannot eliminate risks. Guarantee companies bear the risk of information asymmetry and also enjoy the benefits it brings. Private rentals will likely create other institutional arrangements, such as deposits becoming more common.

Narrow Streets

Japan rarely has four-lane roads; two lanes are considered a major road, and most streets are single-lane. This greatly benefits pedestrians, as crossing the street takes less than 10 seconds, and moving from point A to point B feels like navigating a grid with countless paths available. Of course, for vehicles, there are also numerous routes to take, with similar distances, alleviating congestion. I believe this planning of narrow streets increases the capacity for vehicles and population density in cities rather than reducing it. Additionally—this is just my subjective opinion—I think this planning looks more aesthetically pleasing and inviting.