There is significantly higher pressure to conform to societal norms there, including misogynistic views on a woman's role and a more stratified social hierarchy - but there's also a belief that government exists to support society instead of existing to support moneyed interests.

I'm gonna say that your experience is very specific to you.

I have an American friend who lived in Japan growing up (military brat) and who speaks fluent Japanese. She worked several jobs for Japanese firms both in Japan and remotely before she decided to stop making use of this very lucrative skill. Her reasoning:

• The Japanese are workaholics who expect everyone else to be as well. You are expected to always be available and to always give the appearance that you are working even if you literally have nothing to do. If you don't appear to be living up to this standard, it isn't uncommon for your boss to publicly shame you in front of your coworkers.
• The Japanese are extremely hierarchical. What the boss says goes, literally no matter what. You should never question or correct your boss, either publicly or privately, regardless of whether or not they are wrong, or if their mistaken assumptions could harm the business. If you do this, you should expect retribution.
• The Japanese are paralyzingly perfectionist. One of her jobs was teaching American businesspeople Japanese. She also tried teaching Japanese businesspeople English, but found it was impossible, because her Japanese students experienced so much anxiety about making any mistakes while speaking English that they refused to try - which resulted in them never learning any English.
• The Japanese are extremely sexist. People in public will openly make sexist remarks about women and/or slut shame them. It is common for Japanese men to refuse to speak to women about anything important and demand to speak to a man instead. And there's the whole issue with upskirt photos on trains.
• The Japanese are outwardly racist. If you are white, you should expect to be stopped on the street for people who will demand a photo with you. If you are black, expect to openly be accused of being a criminal and a drug addict in casual conversation. If you make Japanese friends, odds are they see you more as a mascot than anything else - you can't really be true friend, because you aren't Japanese.
• They are extremely sexually repressed (hence all the weird porn).
• Almost all the non-japanese people who know Japanese or want to learn are sexist weebs who don't shower and creeped her out.

Like, yes, the Japanese have very nice trains. But the country has some really serious problems that trains don't solve.

Don't forget the xenophobia.