lol, where did you hear this? Any long termers in Japan who have a kids know that's pretty far from the truth. Sure if you want to live a hermit life with no kids, no wife and don't want to speak Japanese than it's what you're looking for.
I DO want a hermit life. But I intend to learn Japanese so I can navigate through Japanese society and know what to do and where to go to get what I want, NOT to make friends. Here are some quotes I've found on the Japanese keeping to themselves:
Japanese people keep to themselves, and sometimes this is very nice– especially if you’re the sort of person who also likes to keep to yourself and have your own space.
That describes me VERY well.
It *is* very unlikely that a neighbor or stranger on the street would approach you for small talk, but I wouldn't go so far as to say that people "just ignore you and pretend you don't exist". To the Japanese, it's not that they're ignoring you, but that they're being polite and giving you your space.
In Japan,
giving people space is considered being POLITE. In America, someone is polite if they're constantly trying to force their way into your life. America has ZERO EMPATHY for me. They cannot put themselves in my shoes and understand that they're not doing me any favors by forcing me to make friends with people I don't like and inserting disgusting bimbos that are not worth dating into my life. Just because these people meet their standards for friendship and dating, it doesn't mean they meet MINE. And they CANNOT UNDERSTAND THAT. They have ZERO EMPATHY. I know that these people are not compatible with me, which is why I don't bother trying to make friends with them. They won't enjoy doing what I like, and I won't enjoy doing what they like. They, on the other hand, expect me to care about the things they care about. They are so delusional that they actually think they can date me even after they've already proven to me that they don't meet my standards. When you fail a job interview, you don't get a second one.
I would not count on the neigbor inviting you into his house unless you are prepared to ask him into yours first.
I dont even know my neighbors or pretend to. People just keep to themselves. Unless you have actually struck up a friendship with them it may be hard to invite yourself over. If you do, bring a big bag of mikan.
Now that sounds like how I want to live.
I also have personal experience with Japanese people. I've taken a "cultural studies" type of course on Japan a few years ago, and at least half the class there were Japanese students. The entire semester I was there, NOT A SINGLE ONE of them attempted to socialize with me. They DO NOT CARE that I even exist. No one wanted to know what my name was, or where I was from, or what I like to do for fun. I LOVE THAT.
The reality is that citizens are expected to do a lot of stuff, all that PTA stuff.
If that's "parent-teacher association", I have no intention of getting married and having children, so I will NOT be taking part in that.
I'm greeted a few times every morning on the way to my car by the mansion staff who are always too happy to share with me the mansion news.
And for some reason you think I can afford a mansion. If I had the money to buy a mansion, I would've left America long ago. I don't want a mansion, even if I could afford it. Why the hell would a guy like me need that much house?
The simple fact of the matter is that the nicer the place you live the more you stand out as well. We're all uppity that way. Just in order to rent a place in Japan you need a Japanese person or company to co-sign for you, unless of course you want to live in a dump.
In a massive city like Tokyo, I think I'd do just fine disappearing into the crowd.
My advice, stay where you are, life is easy for you. Just learn to deal with people and grow a thicker skin. Work on your "death stare".
OR... I could go to Japan and prevent unnecessary socializing from ever occurring to begin with. Life is simple when you make the best possible choices that are conducive towards your life goals. It's only complicated when you delude yourself into thinking you can achieve your dream in circumstances which block every move you make towards your goal. I KNOW that as long as I am in America, I have no future. Every move I make towards my dream life will be blocked by forced socializing. The best thing to do is go to Japan and start over. In Japan, there is NO requirement to make small talk with my neighbors or co-workers. Here's an AMERICAN'S take on forced socializing in America:
In American culture especially, we’re taught that we’re supposed to be friendly and outgoing. If you’re not smiling all the time, there’s something wrong with you. If you’re not talking, there’s something wrong with you. If you don’t always look like you’re having a great time, there’s something wrong with you. Or worse, people might actually take offense at your behavior and think you’re being rude.
I sure as hell don't want to live like that. By going to Japan, I won't have to "be American." It is the best possible choice for me. A bad choice would be staying in America, where my dream life is IMPOSSIBLE to achieve. Life is only complicated when you make choices that will not lead to your goal. For instance, there's a bimbo that's been trying to marry me for 6 years. She wants to start a family. Logically, she should pursue someone else. I hate marriage, I hate children, and there is no way in hell would I EVER choose that life. She will throw away her youth pursuing me because she is so delusional that she thinks she can re-program me into being something I don't want to be. It's simpler if she just chooses someone who already wants to get married and have children. That way, they can start their family already. She would already have a family already if she would just pursue someone who shares her dream. I would never waste my life trying to remake someone into being my dream girl. It's just ****ing stupid. If you're not what I want, you clearly will never be so why should I bother?