Your neighbours in Japan

Hello everyone,

When you move in Japan, relationships with your neighbours can play a vital role in your well-being and integration. Share your experiences of the interactions and routines that punctuate your daily life in Japan:

Tell us about your relationships with your neighbours in Japan. Do you have any anecdotes to share, moments of solidarity or community initiatives that have touched you?

Are there any specific customs or cultural norms to be respected between neighbours? For example, is it normal to introduce yourself to your neighbours and invite them over when you move in Japan?

Do you have any tips or advice for fostering good neighbourly relations in Japan? How do you deal with the differences and diversities that can exist within the community?

Are there any initiatives to organise activities between neighbours, whether official events or spontaneous gatherings?

Are your neighbours expats or locals? How does this influence your experience in Japan?

By sharing your experiences, you enrich everyone's understanding of life in Japan and help many people to plan their life abroad.

Thank you all for your contributions.

Cheryl
Expat.com Team

The fact is that I worked for an international company and my neighbors were of different nations and I did not have a Japanese neighbor.

I can relate to your interest in learning about neighbor relations in Japan. In my experience living in an international apartment complex in Tokyo, I didn't get to know my immediate neighbors all that well. Most people kept to themselves. We'd smile and say hello in the hallway but that was about it.

I'm from Georgia, America and I never knew my neighbors there. Here, it's very close, even though I can't speak Japanese. People are friendlier here, on the whole.