... but a Japanese...

Ok so this may not be the majority, but I have seen this kind of behavior from Japanese people personally. An example I can think of when someone I know wanted a Japanese person to help them reading a novel. They basically wanted a native to help with any grammar/vocab points, etc. The Japanese person really wanted to make sure that the book was purchased legally (the person I knew obv pirated the book and just lied about it). Another example I can think of is Japanese game streamers will always mute the stream if they are playing a game section where a copyrighted song is played because they fear Japanese copyright laws (e.g. playing Kingdom Hearts but muting during the opening theme). I've also been to a small Japanese library/bookstore where I was maybe 15 minutes past the closing time but they were having some sort of group activity in there, so all the staff were still there. I bought some books, so they had no problem with that, but when I wanted to check out some books, the lady told me "come back during the hours we're open." In my mind I was like "yeah but you're all still here and it's not like you've closed anything down."

To be fair I've also seen this sort of rule-following in a few Chinese ppl I've interacted with (Chinese ppl in China not in the west).

But then again I've also seen Japanese ppl that don't really give a fuck and will stream whatever on Discord, and plenty of Chinese people pirate the shit out of things so I don't know the numbers here.

And it goes without saying that the most annoying rule-followers are the LIBS that inhabit the top tiers of western society.

I don’t get this thread. Did everyone forget japan’s notorious corporate and conservative culture? They absolutely do adhere to the rules. Whether it’s voluntary or because of pressure or fear is another story. I would never want to be an employee over there, especially with the way they treat non white migrants.

i worked for a season in southern japan. aside from a nepali guy and i, everyone i saw and interacted with was a native-born japanese national. in japan i am illiterate and my spoken japanese is functional for very basic needs, but terrible. i lived in a dormitory and worked with a team of like 7 other dudes every day, 6 days a week. they were also the guys i ate meals and generally socialized with. it was outdoor manual labor work, so poor language skills matter less than being able to crack dumb jokes, understand basic directions, and promote safety on the jobsite.

when i was getting ready to leave for this trip, i was talking to a friend of mine who lived for two years in japan. he was super excited for me to go [described japan as "fucking crazy" with total affection] and eager for me to report back on experiences in a rural community. he told me before i left that nothing would irritate me more when i got back than the honkey weebs who "learned japanese to watch anime" and think that the weird anime they obsessively watch is accurate in its portrayal of people and that their consumption of these specific entertainment products has gifted them a comprehensive familiarity with an old, complex and varied culture. i remember thinking this was a weirdly specific thing to be annoyed by.

i have been back for 10 years and ill be goddamned if he wasn't 100% correct. a friend of a friend is a total weeb freak and they drive me nuts. they post hiragana in text chat conversation where no one else can read it (cool brag i guess?) and describe all their idiosyncrasies and preferences as "japanese". they have supposedly taught themselves japanese, but when asked if they are ever going to visit (they are crazy well-off), they are confused why someone asked because they have no plans to do so. they did it to watch more anime. their fetishized and narrow understanding of a place is like nails on a chalkboard for me.