After studying in Nizhny Novgorod and returning to his homeland, Japan, a citizen of the Land of the Rising Sun named Koki continued to come to the Russian Federation for work and shared his opinion on the advantages of living in Russia on his YouTube channel
According to Narodnye Novosti, the first thing that struck the advanced Japanese in Russia was the availability of high-speed internet and modest prices for high-quality mobile communications. There is simply nothing like it in such a globally recognised technology giant as Japan, or there is, but it is very expensive.
“I used to pay about $7 a month for unlimited internet in Nizhny Novgorod but in Japan I have to pay $40 for it. And after six o’clock in the evening, when people come home and actively surf the web, the connection speed drops significantly, because $40 is still a relatively cheap rate. In Russia, I was spending about $5 a month on mobile communication, but in Japan I was spending almost $50”, – the young man said.
The second and third surprise of the Japanese in Russia were the living conditions of ordinary Russians and the utilities provided, primarily central heating.
“When I first came to Russia in winter, I was surprised that the room was so warm and even hot. It is very comfortable and just amazing. I knew that Russia is a cold country, and I thought I would be freezing in my flat”, – admits Koki. – “When I first came to visit my friend in Russia, I had the feeling I had entered a palace of sorts. At the same time, he is not a wealthy man, but an ordinary Russian guy. He told me how much he pays for a flat to rent a month, and I could tell you that in Japan you can only rent a flat of 9 square metres for that kind of money”.
A fourth advantage of living in the Russian Federation compared with the Japanese reality is the cheapness of public transport and, surprisingly, taxis.
“I used to take the metro in Russia because it was quite inexpensive: one ticket cost about 50 roubles. In Japan you have to pay 70 roubles for one station and 200 roubles for 5-6 stations. Taxis in Russia also cost very cheap compared to Japan. For example, to take a taxi about 7 kilometres in Japan you have to pay about 2000 rubles. For example in Japan it costs about RUB 2,000 to drive a taxi for about 7 kilometers. Also, taxi drivers are very sociable”, – says a Japanese.
Speaking about the fifth plus of life in Russia, the young man noted the special Russian mentality and attitude towards the older generation.
“Russian people treat their loved ones very cordially and warmly, it is even touching. At the same time, in Russia it is not easy to get into a circle of close friends, but once you become a friend, they will treat you very warmly. If you have a problem, your friends will never leave you, they will come to your aid. I have great respect for your country for this”, – said Koki.
Summing up his observations, the Japanese noted that every country has its advantages, but very often it happens that locals do not notice them, treating many advantages as a given. And without giving much thought to the fact that in some distant foreign country the situation is much worse.