On September 3, 2026, a post asking "What's the quickest way to ruin someone studying abroad in Japan?" appeared on China's SNS Xiaohongshu (RED), and various answers were submitted by Chinese netizens.

First, there was a flurry of comments about Japanese gourmet food, such as "half-price bento boxes and half-price wagyu at the supermarket," "getting addicted to Rocket Now (a delivery app)," "getting addicted to Famichiki," "the previous Famichiki 40% increase campaign was truly the best time," and "I left Japan and returned home because Supachiki (a popular McDonald's menu item) was discontinued."

Furthermore, opinions such as "spending time only within the Chinese community" and "living in Ikebukuro (where there are many Chinese people), or even within one subway stop of Ikebukuro, is the same" were also seen. There were also comments pointing out environments where it's difficult to improve Japanese, stating, "Because there are only Chinese people, it's absolutely no good for language study. In such an environment, your Japanese might not improve even if you stay in Japan for 5 to 6 years."

Additionally, "pachinko" was brought up, and anecdotes were gathered such as, "I'm the type who plays with small amounts. About once or twice a week, and so far my balance is a positive 130,000 yen," "I only take 10,000 yen each time. I eat a set meal, then play with the remaining 9,000 yen. Losing 10,000 yen is truly frustrating," and "That's right, it's just right to set a limit and try your luck. Knowing when to quit is the most important thing. I also only spend about 10,000 to 20,000 yen each time."

Other opinions included "underground idols, hosts, and hostess clubs," with comments mentioning high expenditures and addiction to "romance scams" (irokoi eigyo) such as, "Yeah, I spent quite a bit of money. Around 300,000 to 500,000 yen. But everyone was really cute!" and "Being alone in a foreign country and living in a stressful society, many international students in Japan lack emotional support and a place for their hearts. If you truly fall for romance scams, you won't be able to escape until you've been stripped of not just one layer, but many." (Translated and edited by Iwata)