There's only one country I know of where de minimis stands as one of the highest currently: Australia, as they allow imports that are free from tariffs up to A$1000 ($700 / 623€) or below. Meanwhile, in both the US & EU (they used to have a de minimis threshold for imports valued below $800 / 150€, but that's no longer available).

I know that the US now imposes customs duty for every import irrespective of the items value. The EU now charges 3€ per item along with charging additional VAT for foreign imports. Why suddenly they decided to rescind duty free when importing goods from overseas? Is it because they want to extract more money?

I know that the Zelda themed Switch 2 for example was scalped before anyone had the opportunity to even place a pre-order. During the anticipation of the original Switch 2 (日本語・国内専用) in Japan on 2025, at the time: you can only register via a lottery system (you must have an active NSO membership and 50+ hours of gameplay for eligibility) and the retailer will only respond if you're being selected via the raffle.

The lottery system is standard in Japan for basically anything on demand, to curb scalpers and FOMO meaning its complete RNG if you're even going to receive the product in question. If not, you re-register in a second lottery at another merchant or try your odds. Do you think the same or similar approach will work in the US or is it going to fail if a store were to do this since they're not used to that form of item acquisition?

I know that taxes on booze or cigarettes exist when you buy them from abroad bringing that into the US (literally, not via mail) as they won't let you enter the border without paying the tariff (despite only have 1) but its different if one is packing those in bulk quantities for reselling. This is not the same as sales tax since it affects tourists visiting and citizens returning for importing "duty free" goods or products.

Will I have to pay any additional tariffs for bringing in a foreign consumer electronics (i.e. a game console) via luggage (not mail) even if I have proof of purchase (receipt) listing the price in its original currency (no local ST)? It's like if I purchased a digital-only PS5 (brand new, unopened) for ¥50,000 ($316) from a Japan trip while the same is $600 (before tax) if bought in the US, are there really any tariffs or not?

I've played the first game and loved it, however I'm conflicted on purchasing the sequel as I've heard that its terrible in comparison to the first. It has mixed reviews on Steam, why is that the case? Have you purchased the game? If so, how good is it in comparison to the predecessor?

I know that residents of Oregon, New Hampshire, Delaware, Montana & Alaska have 0% sales tax for goods and services and can apply to have it rescinded when they're out of their states upon them visiting one that has ST (with valid ID to prove residence). But does that privilege carry over for international purchases, in this case, all goods are priced in ¥ from the seller as they're based in Japan.

For example, when buying a new video game console & physical game combined is ¥71,960 ($455) which heads to a warehouse first (owned by a forwarding agent in Japan, since the seller doesn't ship across borders) then shipping costs are calculated separately (like would it cost $40 to ship from Yokohama to Oregon). The thing is, can you still pay 0% ST since the item is not only out of state, but abroad?

The same counterpart in US (even 0% ST) is $590 MSRP via a official retailer (it's more expensive when paying ST) if you've bought the console and game (you've saved ~$135 when buying either from out of state). Shipping across borders always costs money but the item itself costs less than buying within state just because of region pricing. Although, would that alone guarantee that you're not paying any ST?

I've seen posts online or memes about it, mainly discussing American people who think the internet as a whole is US-centric despite the topic at hand taking place in another country (nothing to do with America), for example: someone wrote the date format as 30/10/2020 (using the EU format) but some American was like "THE CORRECT WAY IS 10/30/2020" when they fail to realize that user is not American at all.

Is US defaultism real when they travel abroad? They assume the $ is legal tender worldwide in countries where their own currency is used more (the only thing that'll work is exchanging it but not for direct transactions). I've heard an American woman went on a tirade whilst in France as the cashier refused a $20 bill when the prices are in EUROS (WTF?) or being like "SPEAK ENGLISH!" in non-English speaking countries.

I know that both Japanese & Mandarin have a couple of words where it's a thing, like 施設 (しせつ) from JP which becomes 設施 (shèshī) in ZH, even though they use the same 漢字 since the only difference is that the characters are flipped but retain the same definition between the two languages. Even in Japanese itself there are words where the placement of 漢字 can be reversed, like 礼儀 ("manners") & 儀礼 ("etiquette") for instance.

I remember when the 3DS was region locked (cartridges can only be read if the console is bought in the same country those games are from) meaning it's a headache having to switch between two variants of the handheld (I had a Japanese 3DS XL and an American 3DS regular back then, alternating on each one depending on which game I wanted to play). The switch alleviated this by making the cartridges / console region free.

I know that there's people who are at least 100 years old or above in Japan, as their life expectancy is higher. The shortest answer is diet & portion sizes: since Japanese cuisine consists of seafood, rice, soybeans, and seasonal vegetables. Most portion sizes are controlled and turn out being smaller with a cultural practice of 腹八分 (はらはちぶん) or eat until about 80% full. (They opt for cold, green or hot tea rather than sodas).

There's universal health care coverage in Japan at least while in USA people stress about medical bills a lot. Exercise is incentivized in Japan via active movement (not as car dependent) from walking, cycling, and using stairs are built into everyday routines keeping people mobile into old age. That's the opposite of US since they're heavily dependent on "the car" as opposed to public transit, bicycles or walking on foot.

I know that in Japan, China & Korea along with SEA including the Middle East, it's definitely criminalized and you'll get arrested for bringing in weed (they're indifferent whether its for medicinal or recreational use) since they do not allow it on their turf. In some countries, that guarantees a death sentence as they have zero tolerance on allowing those substances. It's not like let's say Canada or Germany where weed is tolerated.

Travelers who are weed users aren't stupid to travel internationally with cannabis as they're aware the rules are different across borders. Then, if they crave for weed (but can't consume that as it's a crime in those countries) what's the alternative? Over the counter pills, maybe? Other valid substitutes that may give off similar vibes. I've heard a case where an American couple had their weed confiscated in Australia, where it's illegal.

I know that the main protagonists name is サトシ after Satoshi Tajiri (田尻智), the creator himself but his name was changed to Ash Ketchum (same with how タケシ became Brock, ヒカリ (光) was called Dawn, カスミ (霞) became Misty, and so on). ゼニガメ (from 銭亀 = "baby spotted turtle") was adapted to Squirtle or フシギダネ is renamed as Bulbasaur, ヒトカゲ is known as Charmander in ENG.

The same can be said in reverse for Japanese people on how they see the Western world: Do they assume the USA is like Hollywood or the UK being like British Television? They perhaps assume that all Americans live in a large home with a white picket fence depicting a nuclear family as if its 1950.

All they talk about US is California or New York since most movies and TV shows use either as their main setting. Is the US in real life similar to Hollywood (everyone having a nice car, big home & white picket fence)? That's the kind of response from non-Japanese assuming Japan is like anime.