If you’ve lived abroad (outside the UK), what’s the one thing (item, ideal, tech, convenience), you’d bring back to introduce to the UK?

[-]

jlt33333@reddit

Social etiquette on public transport.

[-]

There’s a reason why the No. 9 highway from 宜蘭 to 台北 is called the ghost highway - truck drivers even reverse over injured scooter riders to kill them as compensation for death is lower than that for severe injuries.

Japanese toilets and SE Asian bum guns wash all that gunk off.

In India they seem to clean their anus using a jug of water and you're not usually given anything to dry off with (including toilet paper)

[-]

ByEthanFox@reddit

Do you not use water to wash your arse-crack when you shower? It's like that, but after every time you use the loo.

[-]

TheBestBigAl@reddit

Do you not use water to wash your arse-crack when you shower?

Based on previous posts I've seen about bidets, there is a good chance you won't like many people's answer to this.

[-]

Forsaken-Ebb5088@reddit

It's not going up your anus bro

[-]

Speedbird1A@reddit

It’s not hard once you learn how to use it, you’ll never want to go back.

[-]

EpicFishFingers@reddit

I should put out that the water doesn't go up your arsehole or anything, it just blasts the visible balloon knot with some water

Its also a directed jet and you can easily move slightly to make it hit the right spot. I then just dab it with bog roll to dry it.

It is objectively better than bog roll, and the only reason we dont have them is because we're not used to them.

[-]

No_Presentation_4700@reddit

It means you can actually wash it instead of smearing shit around with paper. You don't grab kitchen roll to clean the rest of your body, you spray it with water in the shower.

[-]

Rat-Loser@reddit

Yeah but I use soap in the shower. I don't just smear dirty water against my body and call it a day. Do bidets use soap water? Because otherwise you're just rubbing poop water into your butt hole.

[-]

Goblin_Nuts69@reddit

Firstly it's warm water and feels amazing,

It is so much cleaner. Think of cleaning a dirty saucepan with just a dry cloth, the sauce gets everywhere, hard to budge dried on bits, but then give it a blast with some warm water and a slightly damp scourer it comes right off.

I was in Japan for a bit, had the shits, suddenly needed to go #2 in a public park. I found the public loos and it had one of the cleanest toilets I have ever seen. Bum was so clean afterwards

[-]

Rob_Cake@reddit

You've never walked into a public bathroom in the middle east. Shit on the gun handle and all over the walls.

[-]

DanceBiscuits83@reddit

And/or the shattaf - aka bum hose. A handheld water spray that serves the same function as a bidet but you use while sitting on the bog.

[-]

Snooker1471@reddit

As I posted above "You can get one part that prevents this. The name of the part escapes me but our plumber put one in for us. The part is just like a connector in the piping that is non return."

Speedbird1A@reddit

You can, just need to stop back flow. Nothing to do with a drain.

[-]

Subaruchick99@reddit

We’re refitting two bathrooms - will put Japanese toilets in both of them

[-]

Maleficent_Resolve44@reddit

Bum guns are another good option.

[-]

I mean it's not.....but that was a pretty visceral description

[-]

BunchitaBonita@reddit

I second this. They are standard in my native Argentina as well.

[-]

snickers-7@reddit

Bidets. Or those little hose things, and a wet room setup so it doesn't really matter if water splashes a bit. The ability to wash in a public loo would be amazing. It's weird that people think washing yourself after going to the loo is unhygienic, but wiping poo around with a tissue is fine. Also really helpful in public loos for people dealing with stoma bags, periods, incontinence and the like.

[-]

Zealousideal-Low3388@reddit

People in South America ask the question.

They don’t “hi are you busy? Well, as long as it’s no bother, I’d you don’t mind. And if you can’t, that’s ok. But if it’s no bother, could I possibly please borrow your stapler? I promise I’ll bring it back “

The way we talk around things in Britain drives me absolutely nuts now.

[-]

Chemical-Winner1743@reddit

This just isn't right to change. I like the politeness.

[-]

Nah, I really don’t.

My point is, I refuse to go along with that nonsense.

[-]

Remote-Ad5853@reddit

I don’t think you understand my point - I’m saying you won’t get someone’s true answer or know the answer to the question you are asking without doing so. I’m not saying you should or have to, or commenting on how nonsensical it is, just that you won’t get the answer you are seeking by answering the question

[-]

Zealousideal-Low3388@reddit

I don’t think you understand my point: if I ask you “do you want a tea?” and you say “no” I’m not making you a tea 🤷‍♂️

I will have in fact found the “true” answer, because I won’t be making you a tea.

[-]

Remote-Ad5853@reddit

I am understanding your point, you don’t want to engage in these norms.

But you haven’t found the true answer.

Your question is e.g. “would you like a cup of tea?”

If you don’t engage in the inane back and forth, you won’t get the answer you were seeking.

If your goal was to know of the person would like a cup of tea, you will have failed to achieve that.

And that is the goal of the question. So you are misunderstanding what’s going on

[-]

OriginalMandem@reddit

Yes but then it ends up turning into a game of ping-polite-pong and it's just such a waste of bloody effort. It's stuff like that which makes me find certain social circles and environments socially draining. With my people it's just "here have this!" "thanks/no thanks". Sorted.

[-]

Remote-Ad5853@reddit

sure, I’m just saying that asking twice gets you the correct answer for many people. Not saying that you have to agree or find it enjoyable or not draining. I will say tho I think it’s somewhat atypical to find it particularly draining, which would totally be fair.

asking a second time might mean you don’t have the actual answer, regardless of how you feel about doing so

[-]

scriptkiddie1337@reddit

That being said, isn't there a latin American country where there conversations are pretty much interrupting one another like it's normal? My memory is fuzzy on where I read this

[-]

drivingagermanwhip@reddit

My wife's Brazilian and she always thinks I'm terrible at conversation. I always think she's not giving me time to speak and cutting me off. She found some research that the average pause between speakers is way lower in latin cultures. There also seems to be more of an assumption that speaking means you're engaged rather than necessarily interrupting.

[-]

Particular-Bid-1640@reddit

There also seems to be more of an assumption that speaking means you're engaged rather than necessarily interrupting.

[-]

scriptkiddie1337@reddit

I guess I stand corrected here. I probably read it wrong it was some years back

[-]

ImmediatePiano6690@reddit

The first one really annoys me, they want you to say you're not busy in hopes they can hook you into a shitty task, but if you say no they'll keep pestering you because you said you're not busy.

Dutch rail network/public transport.

Basically imagine if the beeching cuts never happened, all rail was electrified. Then add in the chipcard service - which allows tap-on/off on all trains, busses, trams etc across the country and the fact that most jobs will give you a free travel card.

Super useful.

[-]

Outrageous_Sir_4098@reddit

Petrol pumps with the automatic flow clicky handle thing

Icy_Mixture1482@reddit (OP)

I agree and disagree!

It’s definitely a cultural thing. When I’m driving a car in the UK, motorbikes are relatively rare so they’re unexpected and I wouldn’t dare ride one for fear of being rear ended.

But like I said, where I live now, they’re about 80-90% of commuters so car drivers accommodate for them and most parking spaces have more bike spaces than car spaces and for a much lower parking fee.

[-]

Bilya63@reddit

For context I m greek. we have more riders than the whole uk and i m riding and staying in Scotland.

Its far more dangerous in Greece than here despite people being aware that a motorbike can filter any time. Reason is motorbikes in uk is a niche hobby for most and not a necessity so riders are far better in quality.

I know you mention about someone rear ending you this is the most common accident across europe for riders if i recall correct. So nothing to do with drivers awareness.

The reality is, in uk most people dont ride because of the weather and that will not change.

[-]

Regular_Zombie@reddit

I largely agree with you although motorcycles used to be much more popular in the UK than they are today. Licensing is much more challenging than it is for cars, insurance is more expensive and parking restrictions and the risk of theft now make bikes less convenient than cars. What used to be a cheap way for young people to get into the road is now an expensive niche pursuit.

[-]

Bilya63@reddit

I disagree on the licensing part. Licencing standards here is far better than many countries (especially Greece which the equivalent mod 1 and 2 are a joke) and it is understandable to be more challenging.

Riding is much more complex than driving a car plus the risk is huge on bikes.

So you need quality riders on the road not anyone who can balance a motorbike in a straight line.

[-]

Kickstart68@reddit

Licensing in the UK means someone under 19 can only do a test for a restricted 125, which they can ride as a learner anyway.

To upgrade means doing the entire test again.

Same for the next stage for a 35kW bike.

They need to be 24 to do direct access.

A reasonably priced upgrade path is required.

[-]

P-l-Staker@reddit

Its far more dangerous in Greece than here despite people being aware that a motorbike can filter any time. Reason is motorbikes in uk is a niche hobby for most and not a necessity so riders are far better in quality.

Not just that. Drivers overall are better in quality here. For all the moaning we like to do, I invite anybody to visit Italy or Greece. The contrast is quite stark.

[-]

P-l-Staker@reddit

It’s definitely a cultural thing.

It isn't. It's a weather thing. Cultures with strong motorcycling culture have higher average temperatures.

The only cultural thing related might be having to wear gear all the time. Since we're all so focused on "HeAlTh AnD sAfEtY", there's a strong pressure to be covered in AAA rated racing gear the absolute instant anything with 2 wheels enters your mind. That makes going about really impractical. In other cultures, people just hop on and go, and nobody judges them. If they're wearing flip-flops and shorts, then so be it.

[-]

Icy_Mixture1482@reddit (OP)

Respectfully disagree.

“Taipei is significantly wetter and more humid than London, receiving over four times more annual rainfall. Taipei's climate features intense, typhoon-driven monsoon rains (often >2,000 mm /year).

From my experience, when it starts to rain in Taiwan, it’s going to last days of heavy rain. In the UK, it’s lovely. You get a bit of drizzle. It might be sunny again in half an hour. Sometimes, it rains all day, but it’s not as heavy.

Here, you have to carry an umbrella because if it rains, it lasts for days and soaks you to the skin within minutes. In the UK, umbrella are nice to have but not essential because it’s often just drizzle that abates quickly.

[-]

P-l-Staker@reddit

“Taipei is significantly wetter and more humid than London, receiving over four times more annual rainfall. Taipei's climate features intense, typhoon-driven monsoon rains (often >2,000 mm /year). “

Disagree all you want, but you're just categorically and objectively wrong.

I wasn't talking about the rain. I explicitly mentioned temperature. We get winters with regular snow and ice. Very few are brave enough to go out on two wheels in such weather, and for good reason. Our average winter temperature in the Midlands is ~5°C on a good day at noon. Taiwan may be wet, but they have a tropical and relatively warm climate.

And in fact, you can confirm this yourself by just asking people who have moved over from such countries. They'll say "Are you crazy? It's way too cold here for bikes."

[-]

Icy_Mixture1482@reddit (OP)

Again have to respectfully disagree.

In a way, you’re right. You’re perfectly correct that the winter temperature in the UK is lower, but the winter humidity in Taiwan is significantly higher.

That makes Taiwan a special kind of hell。

Air is actually a decent insulator when it’s dry. In the UK, if you have a decent down jacket, you can trap a pocket of warm air around your torso. In Taiwan, the humidity is generally in winter 80-90%. That wet cold is a kinda heat-sink and sucks the thermal energy straight out of your core.

Also, when you're doing 50–60 km/h in Taipei, you aren't just facing tat, you’re dealing with high-speed wind that hits the moisture trapped in your clothes and on your skin, creating a refrigerator effect that dry air doesn't replicate. 10°C in Taipei feels like maybe -2°C in London.

In the UK, the cold is sharp and biting cos it hits your face and hands. In Taiwan, because of the dampness, it’s like a "heavy" cold. It feels heavy in your lungs and gets into your joints. It sucks away any heat you have in your body.

One final thing, not particularly related to riding a bike in particular: In the UK, you finish your ride and walk into a building with double-glazing and heating. In Taiwan, You park the scooter, walk inside a concrete apartment with tile floors and no insulation, and you’re still freezing. There’s no warming up except maybe the shower. Just like the UK, where A/C is fairly rare and a modern “thing”, heating here is a luxury many landlords don’t bother with.

[-]

lost_send_berries@reddit

You didn't mention using a motorbike in snow and ice at all which was their entire point.

[-]

Icy_Mixture1482@reddit (OP)

It was one of their points.

Yeah that’s a fair point but wouldn’t apply to the whole year.

Here we have multiple typhoon days which are similar in that you can’t ride a bike without risking your life as you might be blown off.

[-]

Honey-Badger@reddit

Almost like the UK is a wet country or something.

[-]

BalthazarOfTheOrions@reddit

Train services from Switzerland.

Work-life balance from northern European countries.

[-]

BywydBeic@reddit

French work laws would be ace

[-]

Kamila95@reddit

I'd not want to work in France, it seems all my friends are expected to work (unpaid) overtime. One time my friend had to leave on time at 5 and her colleagues asked her if she is on a half day?! And she just has a bog standard admin office job.

[-]

TooLittleGravitas@reddit

From my experience the days are long, but the holidays make up for it.

Hills aren't the issue really: it's more the will to provide decent cycle routes and maintain them. I know a cyclist who turned down a uni place at Cambridge and went to Sheffield instead because they couldn't face three years of cycling on the flat.

[-]

marquoth_@reddit

Hills aren't the issue

Getting an ebike over a regular bike makes up for the terrain issue.

[-]

London is abnormal though. I cycle commute in London and it’s fine, I can go most of the way from station to the office without going on busy roads and every London office I’ve worked in (public and private sector, I’m a consultant) has a garage you can park the bike in safely and showers once you get there. My home town in the Home Counties - no-where (apart from station) really to park a bike, borderline lethal cycle paths and lunatic drivers desperate to get to the next red light before me by squeezing past really close.

[-]

DameKumquat@reddit

Sure, but it's a start and proves what's possible - changing the mindset of a few million people is part of the process. Lots of Londoners move out to the Home Counties and maybe the next generation will be more bike-accepting at least.

I can't cycle myself but even in a car I'm fine in London but hate HC drivers Too many wankers with company car insurance so they really don't care if they hit you. Say what you like about London drivers, at least they're trying to avoid you...

[-]

Icy_Mixture1482@reddit (OP)

I fill up a bike with petrol from empty to full here, it cost a maximum of £3. It’s so much more economical and environmentally friendly.

[-]

Morris_Alanisette@reddit

If your bike looks a bit tatty it tends not to get stolen. I lock mine up in town quite a lot and it's never been stolen. I just make sure I never clean it properly (except the mechanical parts) and put an old saddle and some tatty stickers over the brand name.

[-]

Sea-Still5427@reddit

A lot of Dutch people have a nice bike they keep at home and an old-fashioned one for getting around town. Works pretty well.

[-]

snarkycrumpet@reddit

what's the point in that? they keep the nice one just to look at it? or they ride it only on journeys that don't involve stopping?

[-]

audigex@reddit

The nice one is for going for a leisure ride and you might take it if you're eg going to your parents' house where you know it can be parked safely. Maybe you take it to work if your work has decent secure storage for it

Your bike lanes are a great setup keeping bikes and lighter vehicles away from heavy traffic. Just not when some foreigner mucks it up

[-]

Mattehbby@reddit

I went to Amsterdam in January and the biking absolutely blew my mind I would 100% travel that way if we had that infrastructure in the UK

[-]

ohmyblahblah@reddit

Bikes trams and good trains

[-]

SchoolForSedition@reddit

Yes, same.

Went to pick up an instrument and a separate case from the luthier today and he looked doubtful when I said I couldn’t carry two cases - but all was clear when I said I’m on a bike. No judgment of any kind. Most people go about by bike, including hifalutin types.

[-]

lucylucylane@reddit

Most of Britain is too hilly

[-]

CapableSong6874@reddit

But if you average the up hill with the downhill it evens out. Sounds like you need a nice set of gears on your bike. They’re only bad if you don’t have gears

[-]

theocrats@reddit

Yeah the hill argument against bikes is a bit naive.

Whack it into the lowest gear and up the cadence. You go a bit slower but so what.

The hourly rate isn't THAT crazy considering often it's a fixed cost no matter how complex it all turns out to be.

Yes, offers are binding but can be conditional - so there are ways to back out if there is good cause, but things like accepting two offers and leading each buyer on, or a buyer just dropping the offer on the price (or the vendor raising it) at the last minute would not be allowed.

That together with the Home Report (the single survey paid for by the seller) makes it all much more efficient.

[-]

finarne@reddit

That’s what everyone thinks, but it’s not really the case. The buyer’s solicitor can insert clauses that allow their client to withdraw at any point.

If the seller’s solicitor accepts (and they just do because they cannot be bothered) then the buyer can simply withdraw.

Got a friend whose sale fell through days before, they then had to inform the seller they were buying off of “sorry we cannot proceed”. Same thing again.

Woah, that’s crazy!

How did you carry this around? Were you shitting yourself about getting robbed?

[-]

owzleee@reddit

Carefully, and YES absolutely terrified. We got a taxi to the escritana's office but even that could have gone bad if they knew. It's fucking insane. But that's how it works here after decades of Peronist/Kirchenist governments destroying the reputation of the peso through repeated corruption. Fun fact - Cristina Kirchner (ex Pres and Vice Pres) is under house arrest just round the corner from me for 6 years (maybe more as there is another corruption trial that just started). There is always a crowd outside complaining that they no longer get subsidised travel, electric, gas etc. When I first moved here it was crazy - about 2p (UK) for an underground ticket anywhere. Electric was about 10 dollars a month etc etc. The dollar is seen as the only safe haven here (even though it was made illegal to buy under the last peronist govt so it was all black market and 'under the mattress'. I have learnt an awful lot about privilege since moving here 8 years ago, which is not a bad thing (I moved from London).

[-]

FL8JT26@reddit

Really interesting story mate.

I felt absolutely terrified the one time I carried just shy of £1k around with me… let alone 250 big ones in Buenos Aires! I can’t even imagine the feeling.

It’s good that you’ve been able to learn from your experiences too.

All the best!!!

[-]

Initiatedspoon@reddit

Where my brother works used to have a team in Lithuania and one of his colleagues there was buying a house (in Lithuania) at the same time he was buying a house in the UK.

It took maybe 2 weeks to buy my house in Toronto.

I dont really understand the point of property chain here in England

[-]

SapphicGarnet@reddit

Perhaps I'm missing something super plain but surely the person you're buying off needs to be buying another property to move into themselves and so on? That's how a chain is formed. Are hotels/ storage while moving more common in Toronto?

[-]

The_Quackening@reddit

Sellers generally get to pick the closing date of the sale to make it work for them.

Banks also offer bridge loans that bridges the gap between closing on a new home and selling your current home.

[-]

vizard0@reddit

You can put clauses into contracts in the US that the current owner can stay for another month while finishing their purchase but that the house must be in the exact same state as it was at purchase (so it must be maintained and they can't strip out the copper wiring). Might cost a little bit to get the lawyers to write that in, but it's very doable. Or yeah, your removal company also has a storage facility that they store your stuff while you finish your second transaction. Adds some cost, but compared to a house, not that much.

[-]

DullInflation6@reddit

How can we set something up to start advocating for this process? I know all the obstacles are there in the form of vested interests etc but there has to be a way to improve things

[-]

wordshavenomeanings@reddit

B-I want to buy your house.

S-Great, can you afford it?

B-Absolutely, deal?

S- Deal.

6 months later. Ive changed my mind, lol.

House sales in England are a complete shambles and need to be seriously updated.

[-]

MeltingChocolateAhh@reddit

Not being sarcastic here, I'm sure there's a way I can't think of, how can this actually be solved?

[-]

wordshavenomeanings@reddit

Get rid of most of the people involved.

They only seem to cause problems as far as I can see.

[-]

MeltingChocolateAhh@reddit

But in your example, the problem is S changing their mind. And how many people really are involved? Buyer, seller, solicitors, estate agent, surveyor?

I'm not being hostile btw, I have never bought or sold a house.

Surely the solution would be to not have the classic rule of the deal only being final once money exchanges hands, and to make it so by law, the buyer and seller must commit past a certain (much sooner) point?

[-]

wordshavenomeanings@reddit

The seller gets to 'change their mind' either just because they want to, or an issue with them moving on the chain, or even an attempt to squeeze more money out of a new buyer.

We dont need half the people that are currently involved. I can say that in my experience, solicitors were a completely useless expense.

The role of an estate agent could be dumped too.

Why not just get you mortgage in principle. Organise a survey and sign on the dotted line.

Then the process is complete.

If the seller wants to change their mind, they can't. The deal is done.

[-]

MeltingChocolateAhh@reddit

The estate agent could get dumped, yes. I agree with that now. They're there to just sell your house, and take a cut of the profit you make. It's like me selling you a t-shirt, but asking someone else to talk and give it to you, and giving them a % of the money. You need your house on some sort of market, but that's the only point. Rightmove gets that cut of the profit because they're the market your house is being sold on. Just like eBay takes a small fee for selling a t shirt.

I'd have thought a full survey would be required from the seller, with the results available to any prospective buyer.

Seller pays for survey if they want to sell. That way you also don't have the absolute bullshit of having to fork out for a survey on a house you're interested in only to find out it's fucked and now you're over a grand down the drain on solicitors and surveys.

[-]

clrthrn@reddit

Ours was conditional on securing finance and that the house was "as described" when we got a survey done. This meant the seller has to be honest on their description and photos or else we can break the sale. Every country has a better way to sell houses than the UK

[-]

The_Quackening@reddit

The time between putting in an offer on my house in Toronto and closing the sale was 2 weeks.

[-]

Expat-english-in-NZ@reddit

In NZ you can buy a house in 2 weeks inc all the paperwork and searches and everything - coming back to the UK and looking at this massively broken system i literally shake my head.

The differences are - NZ have licenced and trained real estate agents , bob from down the road can't just open one like it appears you can here . This also means - generally - they have to abide by a set of rules or risk being struck off (which does happen) . They also do a lot of the legal paperwork. The local council have all the information on every property ready to "buy" ( of course there is a cost) but at least its available including all land maps and "change" permissions granted etc.

Even if you have things that need to be checked out - conditions - these can be wrapped up in 10 days or so.

Once you go "unconditional" on a property you give the solicitors 10% deposit. The other party are now legally obliged to sell to you and conversely you cannot back out without losing 10% which can be substantial.

There's more - my wife used to work in that industry but there are things that smaller countries do very well that the UK could learn from.

[-]

superioso@reddit

It's quick in most countries. England/Wales is the odd one out

[-]

alcohall183@reddit

this is how it's done in America (for now). You can buy a house super quick. Any delays are usually things like getting a inspector to verify the house is in good standing and convincing a bank you are good for the loan. if you waive the inspection and have the money, you can close on a sale in less than a week.

[-]

andrew0256@reddit

The single biggest thing that needs to happen in England is buried in your comment and that is the payment of a non refundable deposit early on in the process.

The legalities are not really a problem unless there are some unresolved issues and I don't see how they can be avoided whatever the system. Houses are big purchases and the average person's biggest so a degree of caution is reasonable. Professional incompetence in the process isn't.

[-]

IndWrist2@reddit

Absolutely.

I don’t think a lot of people realize how constraining the way the real estate market works in this country. It’s massively limits individual social mobility.

I’m not taking a job on the other side of the country because I can’t rent a new apartment, while still paying my mortgage, waiting 5+ months for my house to sell.

In the US, you can sell a house and buy a new one elsewhere inside of a month. That means the entire process is inside the notice period of a leaving a job.

[-]

Yep, as a FTB buying 2 years ago moving into a house that was already vacant - Absolutely no complications or weirdness, we had mortgage in principle and had all of our documentation ready to go and every time they requested something from us we sent it back within a day.

We had our survey report sorted and in our hands within 2 weeks of our offer being accepted and it still took 3 months before we had the keys despite no clear blockers or delays.

Solicitors are a whole other issue as well, I've never seen any other service industry where people can get away with being so terribly organised and bad at communicating. We basically heard nothing from our solicitor unless they were asking us for money - They didn't respond to several questions, we didn't even know what the final legal process was to make the house ours as it was never explained or discussed, they just decided how it'd go down apparently. We had a phone call out of the blue from the sellers estate agent congratulating us and telling us we could go and pick the keys up! I made a point of not contacting the solicitor and they literally never spoke to us or sent us any sort of follow up, so the last time I spoke to them was like a week before exchange.

If you’re a shift worker or can’t get to the shop ridiculously early on a Sunday. The UK opening times are very inconvenient. Sometimes Sunday afternoon is when I’m available.

[-]

Icy_Mixture1482@reddit (OP)

The only frustrating thing where I live live is everything being closed for Lunar New Year, which lasts a week here.

[-]

WhyN0tToast@reddit

Higher standards for restaurants.

We just seem to settle for mediocre food in the UK, most takeaways are cheap and stodgy, and sometimes act like it's amazing, Greggs, Nandos etc. when it's fine at best.

[-]

TooLittleGravitas@reddit

British people in general just seem to have little respect for food.

[-]

Bruce_PAWGtrotter@reddit

I agree that it's a shame motorcycles aren't seen as economical transport for individuals. I commute on a motorbike all year (except snow/ice, there's the downside, but realistically that's max a few weeks a year) and when I drive a car with just me in it it seems like such a waste of space.

[-]

TooLittleGravitas@reddit

And you feel so frustrated sitting in a queue when on a bike you can get a move on.

[-]

ccccaaaassssssss@reddit

Two from Australia:

-Long service leave - after working with the same employer for 7-10 years you get roughly 2-3 months off paid leave. If you resign, it gets paid out. Depends on the state how much you get but it’s a legal requirement.

-No property chain bullshit.

[-]

TooLittleGravitas@reddit

Might have saved my career. 1 day extra annual leave after 5 years, another after 10 years.

2-3 months off after 30 years might have enabled me to stay instead of taking early retirement because I needed a break.

[-]

holytriplem@reddit

Property listings that advertise square footage (or square metreage). I'm tired of going to flat viewings only to find out that one of the bedrooms is the size of a broom cupboard.

[-]

TooLittleGravitas@reddit

Pretty much every property listing I see has the room sizes?

[-]

JerkRussell@reddit

Square footage and the year the house was built. Or the best attempt at when it was built.

[-]

Taear@reddit

That's pretty much universal, at least every house I've looked at here in the northwest has that.

Aaron703@reddit

For a teenager living in London it’s likely £1000+ to insure a 125. It was far more than that for me.

[-]

Eastern_Bit_9279@reddit

Im assuming your going for full comp then on your bike? Not third party fire and theft

[-]

zZIceCreamZz@reddit

Yes the insurance prices are extreme. I'm luckily a girl.

[-]

ampmz@reddit

Because most people aren’t good enough to ride them without killing themselves and most drivers don’t give a fuck about bikes and will not see them.

SoylentDave@reddit

Manchester could more realistically resemble Taipei, which is home to millions of mopeds (15m in Taiwan, 25% in the capital).

The city is very clean and walkable, and is supported with fantastic public transport, and all the mopeds definitely reduce congestion and aid commuting in a very densely populated city.

But it is noisy.

[-]

theescapedape2@reddit

I lived in Taipei for four years and one of the worst things about it (admittedly there weren’t many) were the mopeds.

[-]

Icy_Mixture1482@reddit (OP)

I’ve lived there for 10 years and the mopeds are one of the best things about it.

[-]

Icy_Mixture1482@reddit (OP)

But they wouldn’t…. At the end of the day, we’re British, so we drive like Brits and not the people of Delhi.

Where I am, they’re strictly required to give way to pedestrians and they’re mostly electronic so don’t make a noise or cause fumes (you have to change the battery out every ~60 km). And because they’re electronic, they’re much cleaner than petrol or diesel engines.

[-]

Remote-Ad5853@reddit

Sure if they are electric, but most mopeds here aren’t electric and are a total nuisance, and are very polluting, they don’t have anywhere near the emission controls modern cars have

[-]

msully89@reddit

You're thinking of old 2 stroke mopeds and not the more modern euro 4 complaint mopeds of the last 10 years surely

[-]

AnonymousTimewaster@reddit

I don’t really want Manchester City centres traffic to resemble Delhi. Like at all.

Don't head towards the M60, or Kingsway, or Princess Road, or Regent Road, or the Mancunian Way during Rush Hour then...

Public transport is definitely the dream, but NIMBYs ensure that we can't have that. We'd have more space for that stuff though if we weren't ceding so much space to cars though.

[-]

Truewit_@reddit

None of those are close to that mate don’t be silly. It’s chocca with cars but it’s not hundreds of bikes vying for position against a single set of lights and living on the horn.

NIMBYS have been the problem but we’re a YIMBY city so we have pretty decent transport as is. I do wish we could do more with it though. Big news when the tram to Stockport was announced.

[-]

Icy_Mixture1482@reddit (OP)

Again I think you think just because we might do something similar to Delhi, that suddenly British people are going to turn into Delhi residents.

Brits use their horns sparingly; is your argument that if they switch to a different mode of transport, that’s going to intrinsically cause them to suddenly lean on their horns?

[-]

OriginalMandem@reddit

If you've ever worked in a warehouse you'll know about mandatory beeper use at every junction. Or when changing direction.

[-]

Icy_Mixture1482@reddit (OP)

I don’t think that’s contingent on country-specific regulation.

[-]

Big_Poppa_T@reddit

Not sure why you think ‘hundreds of bikes’ is worse than hundreds of cars.

Cars take up more space. It’s an undeniable fact. The length of the traffic tail back is directly proportional to the average length of the vehicles in the queue. A large portion of traffic is caused by tail backs overlapping intersections so shorter lines of traffic are always beneficial

[-]

AnonymousTimewaster@reddit

it’s not hundreds of bikes vying for position against a single set of lights and living on the horn.

What makes you think that's what it'd end up being like? They're like that with cars over there too you know.

OriginalMandem@reddit

Quite simply, storage space, both at home and when I get to my workplace. Plus also an e scooter can fit in the back of the car and be taken around to other places more easily. I'd even consider one of those monowheel things or even a segway (those things are actually fun). Plus I just want it to be self propelled enough to glide me along on the flat, small enough to pick up and carry rather than park outside etc etc. Think like those little Honda Compomoto motorbikes that folded down to the size of a large briefcase but electric.

[-]

AnonymousTimewaster@reddit

If people are driving like idiots in cars then they're much more of a danger to people in cars than on mopeds.

[-]

yyyyzryrd@reddit

Not to mention, I reckon people would be more inclined to drive with greater caution (and at lower speeds) if driving a moped, compared to, for example, a typical suv.

Down here in the west midlands, people drive about in flat beds with a loud speaker shouting SCRAP METAL. And they make a killing off of it.

I'm not from the west midlands so I was used to people just rocking up to a road and taking whatever scrap they can find on people's driveways or gardens.

[-]

newbris@reddit

It isnt put int he garden, it’s put on the grass footpath verge next to the road.

[-]

GiveMeCheesecake@reddit

Kerbside shopping day!

[-]

ActivitySweet1907@reddit

That's a great idea

[-]

HelplessPenguinGod@reddit

Oh yeah, we do that in NZ as well, inorganic collection day, a great day to get rid of any junk lying around. Its how I got my office chairs as well!

No - the reason we do not have this is we’ve had historically very low inflation.

The countries that have that have high inflation and the pay rises always lag - by the time I got my raise, I’ve already been higher and higher prices the entire year.

Someone did die from a spider bite in Aus about 10 years ago.

I was bitten in Australia a couple of years ago. Really ugly bite that gave me a very strong allergic reaction. I thought it was sudden hayfever and took some antihistamines, which it turns out was the best thing I could have done. Spent 19 days on oral and topical antibiotics.

[-]

newbris@reddit

Think they died after picking up a secondary infection, not from the venom.

[-]

leftmysoulthere74@reddit

But mozzies are.

[-]

Dis-Charge@reddit

I’m pretty sure seeing a big-ass spider drop from your car ceiling would cause a crash or two

[-]

Formal-Proposal7850@reddit

They also keep out wasps, blue bottles, mozzies, curious squirrels.

[-]

ARealTim@reddit

I tend to agree. I live in Greece and, whilst we have thought about having A/C we have decided not to bother for the reasons you state. That having been said the house in Greece has shutters (which can reflect the sun) and fly screens (so we can have the windows open and not get a house full of bugs). After a trip to the Far East we have decided to get ceiling fans which we hope will provide a bit of low tech cooling for the hottest days.

[-]

geeksandlies@reddit

Live in the UK with a south facing house. Frame fitted blinds, heavy curtains, fly screens and ceiling fans, I sleep like a log!!

[-]

Hame_Impala@reddit

We get very few days/nights where a fan is not sufficient to keep you cool.

In the south of England it can definitely be a bit of problem for much of the summer.

CAFU (Dubai). You have an app. You press a button. A guy comes and fills your car up with petrol whilst it’s at your house.

LavishnessTiny3621@reddit

This always comes up when someone says that Japanese people are polite. “It’s superficial”

Wait, you think the service people in the UK are being genuine?!? LOL

[-]

Not_a_real_ghost@reddit

So "Japanese politeness" shouldn't be a thing then?

If they are just the same level of politeness as any other group of people on this planet, then it shouldn't be touted around as a feature.

[-]

LavishnessTiny3621@reddit

That is being so petty.

I hear PLENTY about how Thai people are very friendly (and i agree). But that statement doesn’t mean, say, Swedish people are not friendly too, lol.

[-]

Not_a_real_ghost@reddit

Stereotypically, British people are known for their manners. This is why a lot of times, when "Gentleman" is brought up, it's always referred to British men.

My point being, I feel the world has now moved on from just calling Japanese polite because we learn more about them than just "politeness". For example... they are actually worse than the Nazis during WWII in terms of war crimes and atrocities committed.

[-]

Taear@reddit

No, but the post is saying "we should get japanese politeness here" when really we've also got superficial politeness in a really similar way

[-]

8NaanJeremy@reddit

As someone who has lived in both countries, it is a bit different to that.

Say you buy a custard tart in Japan, the service worker then smiles and says (in Japanese) 'Thank you for shopping at Custard-y Tarto, the home of the egg-iest custard tart'

It sounds rehearsed, robotic, the smile looks painful and painted on. It is unflinchingly polite. But it really lacks any kind of human warmth or genuine-ness.

And that is the kind of service you seem to get, everywhere.

In the UK, you might have a bored teenager sling the tarts at you and say 'There you go, mate' - whilst half checking the football scores on his phone. Or you might have a really nice person who chucks in a personal recommendation 'I always throw some raspberry jam on top, enjoy love!'

MurderBeans@reddit

I mentioned food culture.

[-]

There's an app called DubaiNow, which had all my subscriptions and monthly bills in one place. Insurance, electric, water, wifi, phone bills, car toll account, parking wallet and in some cases rent. Even when all were managed by different companies because their linked to my ID.

Once a month, allI had to do was tick all of them on one "pay all" screen and pay it off using my card. No direct debit, no watching account balance, no surprises, full control.

Also, the UK's obsession with address is antiquated. People move, more so these days. There are at least 10 places where I have to legally update my address. Not cool. You know me, you don't need my address updated. I should only have to do it in one place, say with HMRC. Everyone else can get it from there if they really need it. Just how parking companies get it to send you a fine.

[-]

Charlotte_Kilbane@reddit

In Malaysia they have womens only train coaches on the metro. I miss those like I cannot explain :)

[-]

DullInflation6@reddit

Australia had free beach barbeques that were a push-button and a hot plate, no cost, under a shelter by the beach, with benches all around. If we didn't live in fear of what the morons would do with them (and had better weather) would be amazing to have here.

[-]

newbris@reddit

Yes parks all over Australia have them, near the beach, in the forest, suburban parks. All over the place.

[-]

leftmysoulthere74@reddit

Yep, I live in Australia (am British) and two weeks ago we had a birthday party for my teenager at a beach. Just back from the sand dunes is a massive grassed area with BBQs and covered tables with benches. Five seperate ones along that particular stretch of beach. Lots more areas like it up and down the Perth coast. BBQ was spotless when we arrived and we cleaned it when we were done. On really busy weekends when people are waiting to use them there’s a certain etiquette about not hogging them and those grassed areas (suburban parks as well as beach parks) are packed with families. I love this life!

[-]

noctenaut@reddit

Oh good lord…. As a Brit living in Colombia - so many things.

All medicines available OTC, I can’t tell you how wonderful it is being able to just go and get what you need for simple things like eczema.
Our main bank here, Bancolombia, has a feature where you can pay by QR code literally everywhere - from a newspaper stand, to a person walking around selling jewellery on the street, to H&M. Literally a 1 minute job to pay. I love it.
The health system, despite its challenges is just much better. In fact, 2 days ago my dentist said I needed a jaw x ray before pulling a tooth. Immediately after that appointment I was given a note as to what I needed to be X rayed, I then went down to the health imaging centre (a place where you can get anything from an X Ray to a CT scan), take a ticket and wait (maximum I’ve ever waited is 31 mins), get called in, get the X ray via email and if you ask, a physical copy too. Cost for the X ray was £11 and my dentist had me back in at 4pm that day. In the last few months I’ve had two root canals, two crowns, a night retainer made, 3 fillings and a scale and polish - all in, about £245.
WhatsApp. Everything here is done by WhatsApp. In 5 years here I’ve never received mail other than our bills. Need to reschedule a dr appointment? WhatsApp. Want to check a stores opening times? WhatsApp. Everything here is more instant, I could never go back to waiting for letters and emails like back home.
The most important to me - our bills. Our bills here are combined into one monthly payment (water, gas, electricity and our version of council tax).

In addition to that - cities here are divided up into things called ‘estratos’, numbered 1-6. They’re based on the socioeconomic status and property prices of the particular neighbourhood/ area - and your utility bills are calculated according to what your estrato is. If you’re in estrato 1 - your bills as minimal, as they’re subsidised by the higher ones, if you’re in estrato 6 (major wealthy) then your bills are higher to subsidise the lower. As an example - I live in estrato 3, in a 2 bed apartment and my monthly utility payment is on average about £45-£65.

Finally, there just isn’t the same doom and gloom and misery of back home here. I see young groups of teenage boys walking, laughing, arms around each other. I’m safe to sit in my local park all night long, and the only gangs of men I have to fear are the elderly guys who sit playing chess together.

I’ll end it this way, when I lived in London, a guy on my street was stabbed - people put up a little memorial with flowers and a candle etc. 2 days later and the candle was stomped on, the glass smashed, and some type of feces smeared on the picture (human or animal, I don’t know).

Meanwhile here, in my town, Envigado, all year long there is a little glass box on my street with Catholic Mary statue, 24hrs a day there are candles lit in there, and people leave change on a little plate inside the box for the church / charities. Not once, have I ever seen it be defaced, or stolen from.

So yeah, I think about all of this every minute of every day, I actually wish so painfully so many British people could stop looking down their noses at countries like this - absolutely statistics tell you a story, but they don’t tell you the more emotional things about a country. I feel safer here than I ever, ever did in London or Coventry. Only when you leave the UK, and travel to many places once deemed ‘3rd world’ - only then do you realise just how bad the UK actually is now.

[-]

Specialist-Mud-6650@reddit

How much of this is being rich in a much poorer country though?

[-]

noctenaut@reddit

I mean I’m not rich at all - I live in a pretty poor neighbourhood and I earn £500 a month and I would choose it every time over my whole lifestyle back home on £2,850 lol

[-]

combustioncactus@reddit

Not disagreeing with you but most dental surgeries in the UK take the x-rays during the appointment, no need to go anywhere else.

[-]

Icy_Mixture1482@reddit (OP)

Same for number 1! Here, I know I have eczema, glaucoma etc. And I’m a responsible human being.

I can walk into a pharmacy and say “please may I have some betamethasone and timolol” and they’ll sell it me. It’s more expensive than seeing the doctor and getting it on universal health, but as a 42-year old I know what I need so it’s nice to be able to just buy what I need directly without making appointments and getting prescriptions.

[-]

noctenaut@reddit

I agree completely - like me, you sound pretty competent with health / medicine so being able to take care of your own health more is actually so liberating.

Funny enough, as I write this I’m waiting for a delivery of Betamethasone for my eczema lol.

Where do you live, you’re abroad I assume then?

[-]

Icy_Mixture1482@reddit (OP)

Taiwan. Most everything is available from pharmacists directly apart from controlled medicines like sleeping pills or ADHD medicine.

Bum gun. 😂

German Beer.

Southern France weather.

[-]

Brookiekathy@reddit

Bidet, 7-11's, better public transport? There's some issue many options

[-]

Adrian_Shoey@reddit

Aren't 7-11s just a small supermarket? How are they different to a small Tesco or Morrisons?

[-]

Icy_Mixture1482@reddit (OP)

Where I am 7-11s do everything.

You can book train tickets, concert tickets etc and get them printed out.

They have an app so if you need to print something out, you just upload it to the 7-11 app and print it out on the in-store printer for like 6p a page. You can also use it for scanning and get the doc sent to your email.

If you’re at work all day (or whatever), you can get your packages delivered to 7-11 and just pick them up when it’s convenient to you.

Also whenever you get a bill (mobile phone, credit card, water, electricity etc) they give you a barcode on your statement which you can show to the clerk and you can just pay your bills at the counter.

And they’re universally 24/7 so if it’s 2 am on Chinese New Year/Christmas Day and you need a bottle of water, you just pop down and get what you need.

They also function as post offices so you can just go in and send mail.

Another thing is food. They have a lot of ready meals to choose from, and they ask you if you need it heated up. So when you get home at 2 am from a bar and feel peckish, you buy a pasta meal or whatever and they’ll heat it up for you. And since they have tables, you can also eat there before heading home.

And like the Kwik E Mart In the simpsons, they also have squishee machines, ice cream machines, and good coffee services that you can just order and takeaway in minutes.

[-]

Where I live, in the 50s, no shopkeeper would issue a receipt because they didn’t want to report their income (and thus pay tax) to the government.

So the government made every receipt a lottery ticket. Consumers started demanding their receipt, forcing business owners to issue receipts for every purchase.

And it’s still done to this day. Every two months, they announce the lottery numbers, and I win around £30 a year.

I once won ~£160 on a single receipt.

Lockers, lockers EVERYWHERE. Especially in shopping areas and train stations like they do in Japan. They are a great quality of life improvement.

[-]

TooLittleGravitas@reddit

We used to have that, until they started getting used for bombs.

[-]

OriginalMandem@reddit

Yeah and then bombers had to adapt so we still have bombings but not enough bins. Meanwhile other places still have bins and don't get involved in the kind of geopolitical shenanigans that increase bombing risk.

[-]

Remote-Ad5853@reddit

always found belfast & other NI towns to have more bins that many English cities strangely enough. Maybe that strat was used less here or GB overreacted

[-]

PlatformFeeling8451@reddit

GB overreacted

There were at least 7 bomb attacks that specifically used litter bins in London. I don't think it was an overreaction to remove them.

[-]

Remote-Ad5853@reddit

You’ve ignored half my point. I said NI may not have faced the same strategy, OR GB overreacted, in accounting for such as (anecdotal) difference.

I didn’t say GB overreacted.

I’m sorry but please learn to read, actually read. I shouldn’t overreact but this thing of people twisting or making it seem like you said something you don’t to debate back is so tiresome and boring.

[-]

PlatformFeeling8451@reddit

I didn't ignore your point, I just stated, in my opinion, London removing their bins was not an overreaction, and I gave some context as to why I think that.

No idea why you've jumped straight into insulting my ability to read and comprehend. Seems completely unnecessary.

I didn't twist anything you said either.

[-]

Remote-Ad5853@reddit

right, and i didn’t say they did overreact.

so yes, you did choose to twist what i said. Honestly if you want to feel hard or debate if bins was an overreaction, go join a debate club, go to the change my view subreddit, or go find someone who fucking said that.

[-]

Icy_Mixture1482@reddit (OP)

Lord Marbury: “Sorry Gerald.”

Gerald (Leo): “Actually my name is Leo McGarry. I’m the White House chief of staff”

Lord Marbury: “My apologies, I thought you were the butler.”

President Bartlet: “To be fair, for the first six months of my presidency, I also thought he was my butler.”

[-]

papayametallica@reddit

I love the little sleeping pods. Marvellous idea

[-]

Icy_Mixture1482@reddit (OP)

Good one! When I first moved here, I was kind of floating about between airbnbs and couch surfing (this was ten years ago).

It was so convenient being able to put my suitcase in a locker for the day at train stations for the equivalent of £1 for the day while I sorted out the next night’s accommodation.

And they seemed so modern. I just needed to put in a passcode or scan a QR code to unlock rather than carry a key around.

[-]

Ok-Spite-5454@reddit

Right? I was just in Japan about a month ago and when shopping was getting intense I could just leave my stuff in there and continue to wander about and come back for them when I'm ready to go home. This should be a thing everywhere. Surely in 2026 there would be something to mitigate any security issues it could pose.

[-]

trevpr1@reddit

We don't have the weather for scooters.

[-]

Icy_Mixture1482@reddit (OP)

Neither does where I live. 😆

yuelaiyuehao@reddit

yeah, wechat with mini-apps is way better

[-]

Novel-Structure-2359@reddit

Onion and bacon mash pots from Knorr. They are available in Denmark and are awesome. Throw in some sweet chilli sauce and you are golden. It blows my mind that they seem to not sell them anywhere else

[-]

Half & Half for cereal and coffee

[-]

Formal-Proposal7850@reddit

These things realistically couldn’t be introduced to the UK but were pretty life changing when I moved to Canada.

Big fat laundry rooms with a giant washer and dryer. I’m dreading going back to squeezing past a drying rack
Actually salting and gritting all the pavements in a town or village when there is snow and ice
AC
Actually treating people’s pain and discomfort. Canadian doctors and dentists give you sedatives and hydromorphone for surgeries, colonoscopies, dental implants etc. All my British family were given paracetamol and local anaesthetic for these procedures.

And this one could legitimately be introduced tomorrow: 5. Filter coffee in coffee shops. Fuck Americanos

[-]

TrialOfTwo@reddit

Can I add EI (Employment Insurance) to your list. Basically a better version of the Dole.

Everyone who is working pays into it and when you find yourself unemployed you can withdraw from it (depending on your income and limited to a $ amount per week).

[-]

Formal-Proposal7850@reddit

Yeah EI is pretty great. But the NHS has got Canada beat on the prescription drugs front. No pissing around coordinating insurance and provincial drug plans.

dtwatts@reddit

Cheap / capped public transport costs. Here in Australia there’s usually a daily and weekly spending cap. You can travel some serious distances on PT here. NSW for example, the weekly cap is $50 (£25~), which gets you travel across trains, trams, busses and ferries* across the entire state. Last year when I came home for a bit, it cost me just over £100 ($200-) to get a train from London back home! I don’t even spend that in entire month here travelling around the state across the various modes of transport. 1 single journey in the UK was more than a months travel here. Madness

newbris@reddit

Yes despite its much smaller population, Australia’s pension pool will be the second largest in the world in the next 5-7 years.

[-]

Plane-Physics2653@reddit

As someone who grew up in a country where motorbikes and mopeds are the most common means of transport and are an absolute menace-no no no no no.

As someone who lives in a northern British town where kids seriously endanger themselves and others by riding motorbikes on walk/bicycle only paths where children usually only need light supervision -no no no no no.

Spoke to the police. They can't gate off these paths as that would prevent access by mobility scooters.

[-]

Bombcrater@reddit

Scooter rider here.

I pains me they're so rare in the UK, because scooters are amazing. To me they're the closest thing you can get to a personal teleporter. And getting 100+ mpg and being able to fill the tank for less than £10 even at today's prices feels like using a real world cheat code.

Rain is not a huge problem for me personally, good gear and a touring windscreen help a lot. Where I live (western Scotland) wind is a much bigger problem, as are the asteroid impact sites we call 'potholes'.

Unfortunately, the biggest factor holding back scooter adoption in Britain is the stupendously insane licencing system that makes it harder to get a licence for a 125cc scooter than a three-ton Range Rover.

[-]

Frugal500@reddit

Being allowed to make a left turn if the traffic light is red and it’s clear.

[-]

newbris@reddit

Tried that here in my city in Australia and was cancelled due to being too dangerous for pedestrians.

[-]

vaskopopa@reddit

Right turn on red (or left turn in UK)

This is from USA and it makes so much sense. If you are joining in to the traffic turning left, if the road is clear you don’t need to wait for green light. Just go.

[-]

newbris@reddit

Tried that here in my city in Australia and was cancelled due to being too dangerous for pedestrians.

[-]

CharacterSeat8603@reddit

From America turning right on a red (obviously transposed)

[-]

newbris@reddit

Tried that here in my city in Australia and was cancelled due to being too dangerous for pedestrians.

[-]

JBSven@reddit

Not destroying public loos.

NZ ruined me for just basic expectations that public loos were clean and kept tidy.

[-]

loaferuk123@reddit

An excellent alternative, but not one where you start earlier, have a longer lunch and finish earlier!

[-]

zwifter11@reddit

I think people eating their sad looking lunch box at their desk and never leaving, is a crazy existence.

[-]

zwifter11@reddit

I think people eating their sad looking lunch box at their desk and never leaving, is a crazy existence.

[-]

shaneo632@reddit

I would hate a longer lunch if it was mandatory - anything over an hour feels like a massive waste to me that I could spend at home doing things I actually enjoy.

The first one I hope never happens, absolutely hate being the governments little bottle seed when I have a recycling bin at home.

I don't understand why we haven't had a recycling scheme for so long.

Wouldn't being open weekends and nights be open mean more hours for the good half?

I was going to champion the digital ID (MitID) as well. It is so convienent. Same number for tax, library card, doctors appointment, any and all systems. And the add-ons of the connection to your bank account (nemkonto) for things like mobile pay and quick transfers.

[-]

Enaura193@reddit

Japan’s vending machine culture

[-]

apeliott@reddit

Unfortunately they are in decline recently.

[-]

Icy_Mixture1482@reddit (OP)

Agreed. It’s not that anywhere else has particularly bad vending machines.

But in Japan, you can get a hot coffee at like 5 if that’s what you desire and pay for it however you desire, cash, QR, card.

And they’re also just everyone. Driving around rural countryside in Okinawa for instance.

[-]

citygent1911@reddit

I'm in the UK and I wish motorcycling was safer here. I always wanted a bike when I was younger, but when I got married it was a firm NO from the boss. Her ex boyfriend came off his bike a few times and she was mentally scarred!

I would love it to be like the far East where there are more bikes than cars!

[-]

Pan-tang@reddit

In Canada, every single restaurant must have a toilet for public use. Every one. So, because there are so many, they don't get used too much and everyone knows where they can go if caught short. It's a great system.

[-]

SwimParticular3070@reddit

24-hour convenience store, they are so handy in Japan and China. Great food selection and good coffee as well.

[-]

TermPsychological358@reddit

It's not just cycling infrastructure like roads, it's also about the practicality of your bike at the destination. In Beijing there were bikes for hire on every street corner for £0.12 per 30 minutes. You didn't have to think about the security of your bike. Or you could use a bike for first and last kilometre travel, connecting to the metro.

Higher pitched, not sure whether they’re actually loud to be honest!

As standard, newer 2 stroke mopeds won’t come with an exhaust that has a whacking great big expansion chamber and no wadding. They’ll come with some big ugly monstrosity which will be fairly quiet by comparison.

[-]

Icy_Mixture1482@reddit (OP)

Just like cars

[-]

_______someone@reddit

It's OK to have family visit and stay over...

[-]

To be specific, a sit-down restaurant meal with local food costs about £4-5 per person, a “fancy” western bistro is about £10 per person, and a takeaway (fried rice or noodles or some similarly simple) from a night market is around £2 (not ideal for every day unless you’re on a budget and/or want diarrhoea but fine once in a while).

[-]

Fwoggie2@reddit

Germany only allows shops larger than your average corner shop to open four Sundays a year. The rest of the year it’s tough shit or go visit them at major transport hubs as those are exempt. It sounds really inconvenient and was for me at first but you soon adapt and you wouldn’t believe the impact it has on traffic

[-]

Select-Band007@reddit

Later access to Essential services such as doctors ( GPS) and dental. Yes I know the limitations and working environment but other countries can provide these services later in the evening at a reasonable additional cost.

[-]

I lived in Spain and having communal bins / skips on the street to throw trash away instead of waiting two weeks for it to be collected was amazing.

[-]

Bitbury@reddit

Drinks markets. Go and get a crate of whatever drink, put the empties back in the crate, return it for the deposit money.

[-]

Bottle deposits as standard.

Tilting windows

Windows that open inward so you can actually clean them instead of having Dave the window cleaner nosying in.

[-]

thiagogaith@reddit

Public water fountains and free clean public toilets in all corners of the country.

[-]

oli_ramsay@reddit

Sunshine

[-]

UselessDood@reddit

Bathrooms where the entire room is designed to handle getting wet.

[-]

zwifter11@reddit

Table service in bars and pubs.

I absolutely hate queuing up 5 deep at a bar, only for the barmaid to serve the wrong person first. It genuinely puts me off going to pubs.

[-]

mobxrules@reddit

The idea that you should throw your trash in a bin instead of on the ground would be a good thing to bring back, apparently most of the UK never learned that.

[-]

Politicub@reddit

Good in-store bakeries, with the automatic bread cutting machines

[-]

InvestigatorSoft3606@reddit

Several :

I think its happening to some extent. But having lived in Australia - the quality of food you get basically anywhere is generally much higher than UK. For instance my local kids soft play area tuned out fresh cooked meals that wouldn't be out of place in a restaurant.

General public amenities. : Public toilets that aren't horrible and are open. Free electric BBQs in parks and basically every outdoor space.

Free parking virtually everywhere out major cities.

Someone else already mentioned it - but there was a week when you put all your large unwanted items out on the kerb and the binnies would come and take it - nomatter what it was - couches, old washing machines, anything at all, all for free.

And a controversial one : Build houses that are NOT supposed to last forever, that have a limited life of maybe 50 years. That way :

They are cheaper to build
The stock gets replaced every few decades with newer more advanced materials, methods, more energy efficient etc..
Keep a big industry of homebuilders going.

Jimquill@reddit

Bidets.

They're just so nuch better.

[-]

Portas30k@reddit

Japanese toilets. Lived in Singapore (less seen there) and South Korea (loads there) and visited Japan many times. Japanese toilets need to be in every home.

[-]

Zeri-coaihnan@reddit

Over-sink drainage racks in the cupboard for the washing up. Seems trivial next to other responses here, but what can I say?

[-]

signol_@reddit

I've seen those in holiday apartments in Spain. Great idea!

[-]

RoyofBungay@reddit

2nd home in Germany so I would say the recycling scheme here. Paying a deposit on plastic and glass bottles and getting said refund back when you take them back to the supermarket.

citrousredux74@reddit

We have enough of these things and they are absolute chaos on roads and annoyingly loud.

In addition to already having them we have just about every better substitute you can think of (behold bikes)

I mean at least say electric scooters or something.

[-]

Silver_Adagio138@reddit

ID cards. They make life much easier.

[-]

AskUK-ModTeam@reddit

AskUK is a "catch-all" subreddit for questions about the UK life and culture, but this does not mean we accept any and all questions or answers. We are liable to remove posts or comments which are best discussed in more specialised subreddits, or are simply not desired here because of the problems they bring.

We explicitly do not allow questions or answers on or including:

politics (r/askukpolitics, r/unitedkingdom, r/ukpolitics)
technology (r/techsupport, r/technology)
relationships (r/ukrelationshipadvice, r/relationships)
DIY (r/diyuk)
university/education (r/sixthform, r/uniuk)
visas/citizenship (r/ukvisa)
medical advice (including mental health) (r/mentalhealthuk)
ranting/venting (r/britishproblems)
surveys (r/samplesize)
advertising/solicitation (including the mention of brands which could be perceived as marketing)
repetitive/seen-often (just search the sub)
"does anybody else" type vent posts (as yes, someone does, be more specific or use r/britishproblems).
questions based on protected characteristics, such as race, religion, ethnicity, sexuality, gender, etc. subject to moderator discretion.

...and we may remove others if we believe they are liable to introduce problems for the subreddit.

In some circumstances, a more appropriate subreddit may be available. Check the sidebar for other subreddits to have these discussions. Also see r/unitedkingdom's extensive list of subreddits; https://www.reddit.com/r/unitedkingdom/wiki/british_subreddits

[-]

Cheap-Vegetable-4317@reddit

Yes, I don't really understand the anti id card thing. Any privacy argument we had, that ship is long sailed. Most of have cash and debit cards, supermarket membership cards, Oyster cards tracking where we go, what we buy, what we eat, where we go out, our subscriptions know what we watch on TV, our phones know... everything. And we are holding out in having a piece of plastic that stops us having to look for a utility bill, which nobody gets now anyway because they've gone paperless and I have an app tracking me instead.

[-]

Icy_Mixture1482@reddit (OP)

I have to agree.

I understand the viewpoints of anti-ID card people, and before I left the UK, I was also anti-ID but it’s honestly so convenient living in a country with universal ID.

I can just carry a credit card sized card around with me that does everything: open bank accounts, apply for a credit card, pick up parcels, prove my right to work etc. I know in theory driving licences can do that in the UK, but not everyone is medically permitted one, and passports are a hassle to carry around and CitizenCards are not widely recognised.

[-]

They would have to seriously improve and enforce the rules around exhausts! Small bike noise is so, so annoying.

There is someone who drives up my road at 5.30am a few times a week,I assume for work, they don't even thrash the bike. It's just so loud and piercing it always wakes me up.

Electric bikes and scooters are probably the future.

[-]

boomerangchampion@reddit

The rules are good already, it's purely an enforcement thing. It doesn't help that it's trivially easy to change (or remove) the exhaust on motorbikes.

When replying to submission/post please make genuine efforts to answer the question given. Please no jokes, judgements, etc. If a post is marked 'Serious Answers Only' you may receive a ban for violating this rule.
Don't be a dick to each other. If getting heated, just block and move on.
This is a strictly no-politics subreddit!

Please help us by reporting comments that break these rules.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.