Won't Miss #155 - Invasive Paternalism

Japan has a much more paternalistic culture than most Western countries. Sometimes, this is beneficial, but sometimes it is a step too far and violates privacy. For instance, many countries are having problems with obesity and Japan is no exception, though their problem is not nearly as severe as that in Western countries. In Japan, one of the current "solutions" to the problem is to have companies measure the waist size of their employees and those who exceed a certain number are sent to a doctor for weight loss counseling.* While I think that weight loss counseling is good, I think the humiliation and invasion of privacy that comes with measuring people's waists in the office is going too far.

I won't miss these types of invasive paternalism and the way they function to bully people into conforming to certain standards.

*It is important to note that the waist measurements are relatively arbitrary and do not take into account height or general body type, only gender. Muscular or tall people can be classified as overweight under this system.

Won't Miss #94 - having to carry an alien registration card

By law, foreigners have to carry their alien registration cards with them at all times in Japan and present the card if any official requests that one to do so. If you don't carry it with you, you are subject to a possible $2000 (200,000 yen) fine and being taken into the police station for interrogation. The latter has a very high chance of happening, the former, I'm not so sure about, but that is the law. I've been told true stories of people who were approached by the police and asked to present their cards while stepping out in their robes to take out the trash or check their mail. The worst part is that the police don't want to allow you to simply go get the card and show it. They want someone to bring it to you, even if it's just a few dozen feet away.

I won't miss having to make sure I have my gaijin card on me when I place a foot outside my door.