If you're a Japanese living in Malaysia, we've collected 30 answers that are sure to make you exclaim ``I get it!''**. Please read while laughing.
🍽 Meal edition
1. Delivery charges are higher when ordering Japanese food with Grab
RM15 ramen with RM8 delivery charge. It's better to go and pick it up yourself...
2. It's spicy even though I asked it not to be spicy
Malaysian's ``spicy'' is Japanese's ``extremely spicy.'' Don't believe it.
3. When you go to Donki, it always goes over your budget
``I only came to buy soy sauce.'' → Returned home with a full basket. location_onDon Don Donki is a magical place.
4. If you start eating nasi lemak for breakfast, you are a real immigrant
At first, I thought, "rice in the morning?", but now I eat nasi lemak every morning.
5. I'm scared that I've gotten used to Tetare's sweetness
At first I thought it was too sweet, but now even Kwan Manis (less sweet) is sweet.
🏠 Housing/Lifestyle
6. I have never been in the condo pool
I decided to move in because it had a pool, but before I knew it, a year had passed.
7. Couple fights over air conditioner temperature setting
24 degrees vs 26 degrees. The eternal battle between electricity bill and comfort.
8. I got used to the sudden zero water pressure
Even if the water shuts off during the shower, it no longer freaks out.
9. The fight against insects never ends
Geckos are your friends. The cockroach is Malaysian size (huge). Ants are resident.
10. Laundry dries in 30 minutes
The sunshine in Malaysia is the strongest. No need for a dryer. But the timing of the squall...
🚗 Transportation/Movement Edition
11. Traffic jams are so common that my senses are numb
"There's only an hour of traffic today!" ← Abnormal.
12. Improved my small talk skills with Grab drivers
"Where are you from?" "Japan desu" "Oh! Sushi! Ramen!" Template conversation.
13. My heart skips a beat at every roundabout
Is it coming from the right or the left? I'll never get used to it.
14. Panic when you realize you don't have enough Touch 'n Go balance on the expressway
"Insufficient balance" displayed in front of the gate. The horn behind me is scary.
15. Courage to cross the crosswalk
The car won't stop. Malaysian style is to walk confidently.
🌤 Weather/season edition
16. "It's hot today" can be used 365 days a year
The Japanese greeting "It's getting cold, isn't it?" is used year-round in Malaysia as "It's hot."
17. You can now predict squalls at 3pm
The sky becomes dark → thunder → heavy rain → clear skies in 30 minutes. I memorized this cycle.
18. The only time I miss Japan's four seasons is when I go back to Japan for a while
While returning home, ``Japan's four seasons are so nice!'' → The next day, ``It's cold! I want to go back to Malaysia!''
🗣 Language/Communication Edition
19. A conversation is established with “Can can” and “No no”
Malaysian English is based on repetition. "Can or not?" "Can can!"
20. “Ra” has become a habit
The "lah" at the end of a sentence keeps popping up. Even when I returned to Japan, I said, “Yes, rah.”
21. I just memorized Malay numbers
Satu, Dua, Tiga, Oompa...I need them at the cash register.
22. I still can't get used to "Hello, speaking" on the phone
I miss Japan's culture of "moshi-moshi" and "○○ desu."
💰 Money edition
23. Instantly convert RM to Yen
RM1=35 yen. It took 0.3 seconds to calculate "RM100 is 3,500 yen...umm, it's a little strange".
24. “No change” attack at checkout
When I took out a RM50 note, I was told that I didn't have any change. Securing small change is a daily routine.
25. The standards for “cheap” and “expensive” are incorrect
Lunch for RM20 → “Cheap!” But in Japanese yen, it's 700 yen → "That's normal..."
🎌 Japanese community edition
26. Japanese people greet each other by asking, “Which condo is this in?”
Instead of exchanging business cards, we exchanged condo names.
27. Wall between Japanese school and inter school
There are unspoken boundaries. But we care about each other.
28. The shopping list for temporary returnees is getting longer every year
Lists for two suitcases are commonplace.
29. Malaysian history mount
``It's my 10th year.'' ``No, I'm in my 15th year.'' The never-ending mount.
30. “Malaysia is the best!” and “I want to go back to Japan…” come alternately
This feeling explodes around the change of seasons (although it doesn't) and around the time I return home for a while.
Conclusion
If you think that everything is true, you are a respectable Japanese resident living in Malaysia.
Life in Malaysia is often difficult, but there are also many more enjoyable things. Let's share this experience and enjoy life in Malaysia even more!
**If you have any ideas, please share them in the comments or on SNS!