What makes a good neighbor? How thin are the walls in Japanese apartment buildings? Imagine living near someone who held a grudge against you and tried to make your life hell for 10 years, or a neighbor who reported you to building management for making noise, even though they are the noisy ones. Let’s get into some of these wild stories about navigating neighbors here in Japan. It’s not all bad though! We’ve got plenty of wholesome stuff too to cleanse your palate.
Got questions or want to share your story? Send us an email at conbinicultpod@gmail.com
Frankie - @franklinthewoman
Cheyenne - @lostwithlow
Words mentioned/useful words
密着 mitchaku - close adhesion, sticking firmly to
地面師 jimenshi (Tokyo Swindlers tv show)
アパート apaato - apartment building (usually a cheaper wooden building)
マンション manshon - apartment building (usually made of concrete and is a bit newer)
ホスト host
田舎 inaka countryside
粗大ゴミ sodai gomi - oversized garbage
ボロボロ boro boro - run down, falling apart
やだ yada - no, don’t, I don’t like it (could be childish)
迷惑 meiwaku - troublesome, a burden
不動産 fudosan - real estate (agency)
References/sources:
Dolphin behind rash of swimmer attacks found dead off Fukui
https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/15965662
Woman arrested for throwing raw eggs at neighbor's house in Gifu Prefecture: https://japantoday.com/category/crime/woman-arrested-for-throwing-raw-eggs-at-neighbor's-house-in-gifu-prefecture#:~:text=According%20to%20police%2C%20Yoshiko%20Kakamu,a%20window%20of%20her%20house.
Family of 3 slaughter in Saitama - https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/14815543
https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/14804706
More details if you’re curious: https://www.reddit.com/r/japannews/comments/1dmbh3f/slaughter_in_saitama_adds_to_list_of_foreigners/
Japanalysis video on Mrs. Noisy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2bnM3NdECg
Reddit stories:
Japanese neighbor gives me food?
https://www.reddit.com/r/japanese/s/poDOd3J41w
“A crazy interaction happened when I confronted neighbor about burning trash. What to do?”
https://www.reddit.com/r/japanlife/s/SDkoYYLvun
Another neighbor issue
https://www.reddit.com/r/japanlife/s/IbU63Dfmw5
Extremely dirty neighbor advice?
Time stamps
00:00 hello
1:43 alpha dolphin update + life updates
13:49 bad neighbors..Mrs. Noisy
17:54 kinda related movie
20:30 the egg thrower
24:10 Christmas Day massacre - TW m*rder
27:58 general etiquette for apartments
41:10 sorting trash wrong
44:22 Frankie’s nice neighbors
45:52 Cheyenne’s screaming neighbor
50:32 neighbor feuds - reddit
59:22 listener stories
1:08:10 tw - death, cancer
1:09:51 wholesome palate cleansers