Haven't been in Japan yet, but looking forward to it. It's on top of my list of places that i want to visit.
3) Lack of English proficiency. In Seoul, Shanghai, Taipei, Hong Kong, I'd say at least half the people under 40 can speak passable English. Not in Tokyo.
Lived in Qidong for 2 mouths, often visited Shanghai, cant tell that many people in Shanghai knows English, the farther away from city center you go, the less people knows english.