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Anonymous from Japan2007-08-02 23:44 ID:rIpIJObA
Hey /anime/. I moved to Japan 2 years ago, and I am currently back at my parents with my wife to introduce her to the family. I am going to take this time off to answer any questions you have about Japan. I used to go here back in early 05, and I'm surprised how much it has grown!
This is a continuation from /a/, but I am used to text-boards a little bit more due to 2ch. I will check this whenever I can!
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Anonymous2007-08-03 0:24 ID:sslfV99U
If the news isn't about bombings, rape, and the stock market, what do they play?
This premise of a peaceful country confuses and intrigues me. I wish to know more.
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Anonymous2007-08-03 0:24 ID:fnFpE7qT
>>37
Keep writing these, giving me great lulz. Nothing wrong with having Canadian pride, but they might flinch a bit at an American display.
>>39
I laugh at all the people who major in Japanese just to GO TO JAPAN.
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Anonymous2007-08-03 0:27 ID:egatmM68
how much japanese learning did you do?
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Anonymous2007-08-03 0:27 ID:C+v/L1Cq
Hey, whats the public Transit system like? How much is bus fare? How common are trains? My friend visited Tokyo for 2 weeks and said that you can take a train across the country for the equivalent of around 10 U.S. Dollars, is this true?
>>45
When I went there, I saw the bullet train was 25$ one way to downtown. I don't remember what the reduced fares were, but I'm guessing its the low tech trains?
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Anonymous2007-08-03 0:36 ID:r7Kns7Gl
>>47
That anime and manga isn't as huge as you'd think. You will be extremely surprised. It's bigger than in America (of course), but everyone doesn't talk about it 24/7.
Also, I feel it to be nicer due to the fact that I know that I am not in a country where Bush is president. It is a nice weight off of your shoulders to not hear about the Iraq war 24/7.
The culture is another shock, as you can't really say you know it unless you go to Japan and experience it.
TV isn't all WaCkY Japanese stuff, it is the same as America (their TV seems pretty crazy now actually haha [I am wanting to just go wwwwwww]). There is more anime and some other random things, but it is just TV.
More if I think of it, I am very used to Japan now.
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Anonymous2007-08-03 0:38 ID:hfMp581V
>>49
Yes, yes, telling jokes and laughing is all we Canadians can do to avoid freezing to death in our igloos
>>48
I was lucky enough to have a very cheap apartment, but I had money saved from working part-time during college for the 8 years I was in college, so I actually went out and bought a small house (after securing my job of course).
Impressive. You seem to be well off.When I was there, I had to skip quite a few meals to have enough money to survive,
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Anonymous of Tokyo2007-08-03 0:40 ID:fnFpE7qT
I am also very used to Japan. I suppose the biggest culture shock to me was the lack of trash bins, anywhere. And how it was relatively clean.
Living costs aren't high if you know where to look and if you make a steady salary(engineering again, haha)
Trains are very cheap here. You can get commuter passes if you work or go to school at a certain place, and you save tons of money. Also Shinkansen is cheap(for how far you travel), and you can get to Kyoto easily.
Learn Japanese before you come, or else you will be lost a lot of the time. Not everything is in English.
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Anonymous2007-08-03 0:41 ID:egatmM68
Did you go to japan on the intent of becoming a dentist?
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Anonymous2007-08-03 0:44 ID:r7Kns7Gl
>>56
Yeah, but my parents helped me through with college for awhile, so I was extremely lucky to be able to save some of my part-time money. Great parents is a large plus to moving-- be sure to always love them.
>>57
Agreed about how clean it is. I do see a few dirty places, but it is overall much more clean than America.
I use a commuter pass myself.
If you don't know Japanese and you move there, you will be scared and lost. I was afraid for awhile when I first moved there, and almost thought about moving back, but I had to toughen up and go finish what I had started. Learning japanese in America and speaking it in Japan are two TOTALLY different things.
>>62
Interesting question. You need to learn it in America primarily, you have to learn it SOMETIME.
It is the interaction and dialects that are hard. You have to get used to the way an AUTHENTIC speaker speaks, not a tape or some anime.
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Anonymous2007-08-03 0:54 ID:egatmM68
>>64
what type of experience did you get to learn it? Also the internet... I heard its 100MB/s for 20$ Y/N (if n what is it?)
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Anonymous2007-08-03 1:01 ID:r7Kns7Gl
>>65
College and home studies. The internet is extremely useful, as well as books.
The internet is cheap, but it depends on the plan. That seems a little overblown, but it is cheap. I don't really pay a large attention to all the plans, sorry.
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Anonymous2007-08-03 1:03 ID:a763wjcD
alright this is an easy one, whats the weather like right now? and also, did you have to change the foods you eat drastically from when you were over here still?
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Anonymous2007-08-03 1:08 ID:r7Kns7Gl
>>67
It's sunny where I am, but keep in mind I am in America visiting my parents with my wife.
The food was more or less the same, but there are many different choices. A lot of it is good, so branching out is great. Food in McDonalds will taste different from it's Japan counterpart. Still, there is food I am used to.
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Anonymous2007-08-03 1:08 ID:C+v/L1Cq
Whats your Hair color? I'm bright blonde, what kind of impact does that have on people there? Or do they just not even care?
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Anonymous2007-08-03 1:12 ID:r7Kns7Gl
>>69
Mine is naturally near-black, or DARK DARK DARK brown. If your hair is blonde, people will probably realize that you are a foreigner quicker. I can't really say, sorry.
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Anonymous2007-08-03 1:16 ID:mXfu44MS
I am a white girl of the female persuasion. (Yes, I know, no girls on 4chan, but since this is a text board I do not have the tits option.) Do you think the harassment of gaijin is worse for women than for men? I'm a bit worried about that when I plan to visit. (For the record, I'm very pale with blue eyes, so extremely gaijin.)
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Anonymous2007-08-03 1:16 ID:egatmM68
Have you visited places besides Japan? I plan on going there as a soldier. Do they have any stigmas against soldiers?
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Anonymous2007-08-03 1:19 ID:r7Kns7Gl
>>71
Not quite. You are a girl, so you might get hit on or something of that sort, but they probably don't even expect you to know what they are saying. I'd say that you should just go for it.
>>72
America of course and also the UK. They really don't hate soldiers, but if you are going out casually, be sure not to say AMERICA FOREVER to everyone.
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Anonymous2007-08-03 1:22 ID:pAYAMuKm
is it difficult to obtain a visa for japan? I assume you applied for a worker's visa, but do you know anything about applying for a student visa?
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Anonymous2007-08-03 1:24 ID:fiGL0nTM
Holy shit. A thread on the text boards getting this many posts within two hours?
This is unheard of!!
I wish it happened more often too. Text boards actually provide real conversation opposed to just poastan piktuars and commenting on them.