On September 28, 2026, a post on the Chinese SNS Xiaohongshu (RED) mentioning how slow Japanese people are to reply attracted the attention of Chinese netizens.

The poster recounted, 'After parting ways with my Japanese female friend, she took a 5-hour long-distance bus home. Considering her safety and good manners, I sent her a message asking, "Did you arrive safely?" I thought she would see this message and reply immediately once she got home. So, when do you think she actually replied?'

Then, the poster jokingly stated, 'Her reply, "I arrived home safely," came a surprising two days later at 1 PM. What's more, she then asked me, "Did you arrive home?" If someone uses their smartphone this little, I almost feel they should donate it to someone who needs it more.'

Furthermore, the poster pointed out, 'It didn't end there. There was an even more surprising turn of events. When I replied, "I also arrived home safely," she replied with, "I'm really glad you got home safely." If I hadn't arrived home for several days, would she have thought I was sleeping on the streets?'

The poster concluded, 'Looking back now, I slightly regret having replied seriously. I should have replied, "I haven't arrived home yet." I would have liked to see what she would have replied then.'

In response to this post, Chinese netizens expressed their dissatisfaction with the slow reply speed of Japanese people, with comments such as 'Typical Japanese,' 'I've been strung along by my Japanese boyfriend too much, I'm at my limit,' and 'Sometimes, when talking to Japanese people, it really feels like a waste of time.'

Experiences were also shared, such as: 'My Japanese female friend didn't reply for up to two months. When I met her later and asked, "Why didn't you see it?", she apologized profusely and said, "I'll try to reply as soon as possible next time."' and 'My daughter also takes several hours to reply every time, making me think her phone is broken. She doesn't answer calls, and her messages are just a few characters after several hours. But she replies to her cousins and boyfriend in seconds. It seems like she only doesn't see calls and messages from me.'

On the other hand, some comments pointed out: 'It's clear she's just fobbing you off,' 'That's normal. In such cases, it often means they don't want to keep in touch,' 'No, no, everyone checks their smartphones normally. Slow replies just mean they don't want to reply. Instagram stories get read receipts immediately. My Japanese female friends reply in seconds, or within an hour at the latest. There are also those who read and ignore, but slow/no replies simply mean the relationship is weak.'

Furthermore, some comments showed understanding for the reply speed of Japanese people, such as: 'I didn't understand it before, but now I've become like that too. When I don't want to talk to friends, I pretend not to have seen it.' and 'It's okay, if you live in Japan for a long time, you'll assimilate too. Quick replies are only for close friends and work. For regular friends, replies might be delayed by 3 days, or even a week in severe cases. This is because the pace of life becomes slower, you get tired from work, you want your own time, and your social energy is low.'

Other comments included: 'It depends on the person,' 'Well, I don't check Instagram that frequently myself,' 'Maybe they don't want to be misunderstood if they reply too quickly? Japan is known for its sense of distance,' and 'But Japanese people do tend to send a "Thank you for today" message after meeting on the same day, don't they?' (Translation/Editing by Iwata)