Life in a Japanese Suburb

Posted on 03/08/2024 Last updated on 03/08/2024

When you picture domestic life in Japan, you may draw to mind images of an urban landscape, a tiny apartment, and a shopping mall around every corner. And for most Japanese people, this is true; most people in Japan live in cities, and 25% of the country’s entire population lives in just the Tokyo metro area! But of course, there is a world outside of the major urban centers. It is a world of sprawling farmland, picturesque mountain vistas, and little suburban communities nestled between hills and valleys.

I live in one such town, on the outskirts of Fukuoka. I’ve spent nearly my entire life in this kind of environment; except for a brief few years living in a city in South Korea, I’ve always lived in a suburban or rural area. So, there are some things about the suburbs here in Japan that I recognize. In fact, there are a lot of houses here that are built using an American architectural style that makes me feel like I never left the states. But Japanese suburbs have a special character that I never experienced in America, which makes it impossible to mistake the whole neighborhood as anything but distinctly Japanese.

The first thing I noticed when I moved to Japan is how deep the gutters are. In the United States, street-side ditches in the suburbs are rarely more than a few inches deep, and they flow into storm drains that connect to underground tunnels for carrying away rainwater. You can easily step into an American gutter without worry, and I never even thought about tripping on one. So imagine my shock when I saw the three-foot deep gutters in my Japanese neighborhood! (That’s nearly a meter deep for you metric folks.)

It may seem excessive, but Japan definitely needs these deep gutters. In the summer, there is torrential rain that floods everything, and the gutters fill to the top, overflowing with muddy water and moss. Even in the much drier winter season, I can still see water flowing at the bottom of the gutter nearly every day. In fact, the gutter water seems to be such a consistent environment that it even has fish living in it! I have often seen groups of young children dipping nets into the gutters to catch fish.

Perhaps the most surprising component of my Japanese neighborhood is the loudspeaker system. Just a few steps away from my building there is a tall pole, at the top of which are several loudspeakers which occasionally broadcast messages. It seems ominous, like something out of a dystopian story: a sterile, authoritative voice echoing through the city, forcibly seizing your immediate attention for a government message. I can’t understand the messages, but I was told by a coworker that they are reminders about emergency preparation and potential natural disasters; not quite so sinister as I first thought! These loudspeakers are everywhere in Japan, and if you understand what they’re saying, it might make life a bit easier and safer.

But there is one message the speaker system broadcasts that can be universally understood: music. Every day at 5pm (or 6pm during the summer) the speakers will play a song, reminding you that the day is nearly over. A coworker told me that the music is often used as a signal of curfew for young children, and their parents will expect them to come home soon after the music plays. I’ve found these musical chimes to be helpful, especially on the weekends, to motivate me not to waste the final hours of the day, so that I can finish important tasks before going to bed.

Life in the suburbs of Japan offers so much more than I can say in such a short article. Everything feels so close, from the friendly people to the walkable shops and restaurants, and I’ve never lived in such a safe and nicely maintained environment. Some of the stranger quirks were difficult to get used to; even after living here for nine months I’m still a little anxious about falling into the gutter! But in nearly every way, my life in Japan has been pleasant, and I love where I live.

Photo Credits:

Top Photo: spaceman on PhotoAC

Additional photos were provided by Justin U., used with permission.