This is another one of those interesting Google top ten lists. This one asks Japanese people what their friends brag about that annoys them the most.
I don’t think the list is very unique to Japan, although it does give a little insight into what people in Japan tend to take pride in. If you have friends in Japan you may feel it.
- Their popularity with the opposite sex
- How much money they have
- How unhappy they are
- How well known and popular they are
- The brands of things they own
- About their kids
- About their wife/husband/boyfriend/girlfriends
- How busy they are
- How unhealthy they are
- How little sleep they get
If anyone reading this hasn’t had a lot of conversations with Japanese people, I just want to let you know that yes, numbers 3, 8, 9, and 10 are not typos… in fact, I would have rated them higher.
For purposes of illustrating this list for people who have never been to Japan, I have decided to write a fictional conversation with the most annoying Japanese friend in Japan.
A: Hey there good morning!
B: Good morning. How are you?
A: Good, how are you.
B: I feel a little sick this morning because I didn’t get a lot of sleep.
A: Oh yeah? That’s too bad, how come you didn’t sleep?
B: I’m just way too busy. You are so lucky you’re not this busy.
A: I guess I am… what have you been busy with?
B: You know, my kids are applying to Kyoto University right now. They’ll probably have to settle for Osaka University, but that’s OK because that’s where my wife went until she left school early to pursue her modeling career.
A: That’s cool, you’re wife was a model? How did you meet her?
B: Well, I dated every other girl in her modeling agency, and met her through one of her friends. I only date models so it was a good thing my parents gave me a 500,000 yen a month allowance when I was in college.
A: Must be tough if your wife is friends with some of your ex-girlfriends…
B: It’s not so bad actually, all the people in the modeling industry like me because whenever I take trips to Europe I bring them back souvenirs from my friends who work at Ferragamo.
Actually, upon rereading the above conversation… this fictional annoying guy I imagined kind of has a right to brag a bit there… hmmm.