I live in Japan. Ask me stuff!

[FireAza]

Are you based in the Tokyo area? In the City? Countryside? Suburbs?

I'm in a suburb of Osaka essentially and it's interesting how both similar and different some of the things you've been talking about are.

As with most JETs, I'm out in the inaka. Close to Toukyou, so I can go there if I want to.

Can you find proper green tea in your local food shop?


brb making cuppa yabukita chumushi from miyazaki

Considering how popular green tea is here, I wouldn't doubt they have it at my local supermarket. Probably a million varieties too!

sorry for quoting you, I don't know if you are still answering so feel free to ignore this,

1) What about the mental health, are there enough psychiatrists, therapists like other developed countries? meaning are they aware of it or is it still considered not a real problem and people with mental disorders might be considered crazy, what is the status it it there?
2) Can a skilled computer engineer get a job there? what would be the prerequisites?(if yes) considering that I am a foreigner for japan and won't have my degree for 2.5 yrs.

1) Hmmmm, I'm not too sure about that one. Japan does have a habit of trying to ignore difficult problems in the hopes they will go away. Having said that, I haven't encountered any obviously mentally ill people and I know they have entire schools setup for physically and mentally handicapped kids.

2) Japan is kinda awful when it comes to computers. Phones sure, but it's very common for Japanese people to go most of their schooling life before they use an actual, God-fearing computer. I would suspect that there might indeed be demand for people who can actually understand these gosh-dang magic whizz boxes! I'd recommend looking into it!

What is the city of Kyoto like? Is it a tourist friendly city?

Kyoutou is a very beautiful city. It was Japan's second capital city (Japan changes capital cities like they're underpants) so there's a lot of history here. If you're into historical Japan, pagodas, temples, geisha and that sort of thing, Kyoutou is the place to go! You can also go a few towns over to Nara, which was Japan's first capital city, and get molested by a deer.

As to tourist friendliness, most places in Japan are tourist-friendly. Especially a place popular with tourists like Kyoutou!

 

[krystalphoenix]

Are you based in the Tokyo area? In the City? Countryside? Suburbs?

I'm in a suburb of Osaka essentially and it's interesting how both similar and different some of the things you've been talking about are.

As with most JETs, I'm out in the inaka. Close to Toukyou, so I can go there if I want to.

Okay, I've only met one other person who was a JET (I know someone who became a JET after I met them) but he lived down where I do. You done much travelling down out of the Kanto area?

 

[LauriAJ]

I have an another question for you. Have you ever been to Ogasawara? Or some other island town near Tokyo proper?

 

[FireAza]

Are you based in the Tokyo area? In the City? Countryside? Suburbs?

I'm in a suburb of Osaka essentially and it's interesting how both similar and different some of the things you've been talking about are.

As with most JETs, I'm out in the inaka. Close to Toukyou, so I can go there if I want to.

Okay, I've only met one other person who was a JET (I know someone who became a JET after I met them) but he lived down where I do. You done much travelling down out of the Kanto area?

I've been over to the areas and and around Kyoutou, but that's about it. Not much of a huge travel fan.

I have an another question for you. Have you ever been to Ogasawara? Or some other island town near Tokyo proper?

I haven't, though I wouldn't mind seeing Hokkaido at some point! Go tip a cow maybe.

 

[soren7550]

Dunno if this is necro'ing a dead thread or not (unsure how long a thread has to go w/o a post to be considered dead), but here it goes:

Two I have that relate to anime tropes; are students really allowed to just go and hang out on their school's roof, and are teenagers actually allowed to live by themselves in their own apartments?

 

[Kameburger]

I've been living in Japan for over a year now and since people who like video games often have an affinity for Japan (especially if they grew up on Nintendo *raises hand*) I though I'd start a post were curious people can ask questions about Japan. Life in Japan, culture, misconceptions, that kind of thing.

The idea came when I saw someone on YouTube saying they heard Japan was really racist and if this was true. After retrieving my eyebrow from the troposphere (where it had risen to upon reading the post) I replied that worst you get is people assuming that you're American because you're white.

Which is a fair enough assumption, American culture dominates the international market and a lot of the white people in Japan are American. Combine that with Japanese people having no idea that not everyone who looks a certain way is from the same country (98.5% of people in Japan are ethnically Japanese) and you can understand why they might make this mistake.

Got any burning questions? Ask away!

*EDIT* If you've got multiple questions, could you please ask them in a 1), 2), 3) etc style of format? This will save me from having to multi-quote your post. Thanks!

LOL give it 8 and a half years and you'll post another thread reading: I've lived in Japan for close to a decade, stop asking me questions!

In response to racism though, this depends on where you go and what you want to do. Is there racism in Japan? Sure. Try being white or black and owning a bicycle. This is one of the few countries I know where it is perfectly socially acceptable to talk about Chinese and Korean people as being genetically predisposed to lie and commit crimes. I think you're right, a lot of the things that people call racism in Japan is for the most part banal and relatively harmless. BUT, the deeper you get (and yes there are many levels to break through) you'll pick up things here and there. Part of it has to do with fluency in Japanese, and part of it has to do with comfort level around you. I'm just saying you'll run into it sometimes. And you may not even be ready to deal with it properly when you do hear it.

But I hope you're having a good time in Japan! keep it up!

 

[CrimsonBlaze]

So I've always been interested in traveling to Japan in the near future. The only problem is that I'm not sure whether to stay at a decent to slightly pricey hotel or if there are other living arrangements that can be made possible. What would you recommend for someone coming to Japan with a modest budget ($2000-$3000)?

Granted, I'm not sure where I would want to visit, but it's mostly likely going to be somewhere that I can get the most out of a week-two week stay (riding the trains to destinations, some light shopping, getting to taste all sorts of delicacies, experiencing the culture and history, etc.).

 

[FireAza]

LOL give it 8 and a half years and you'll post another thread reading: I've lived in Japan for close to a decade, stop asking me questions!

In response to racism though, this depends on where you go and what you want to do. Is there racism in Japan? Sure. Try being white or black and owning a bicycle. This is one of the few countries I know where it is perfectly socially acceptable to talk about Chinese and Korean people as being genetically predisposed to lie and commit crimes. I think you're right, a lot of the things that people call racism in Japan is for the most part banal and relatively harmless. BUT, the deeper you get (and yes there are many levels to break through) you'll pick up things here and there. Part of it has to do with fluency in Japanese, and part of it has to do with comfort level around you. I'm just saying you'll run into it sometimes. And you may not even be ready to deal with it properly when you do hear it.

But I hope you're having a good time in Japan! keep it up!

What do you do for a job in Japan? I can only be on the JET program for a max of 5 years, so I need to think about future job options.

I'm white and own a bicycle! But yeah, Japan's outlike on the world is often akin to that of a naive child. Hard to blame them though, there's barely any foreigners living in Japan, and a lot of the ones coming to visit end up getting drunk and causing trouble.

So I've always been interested in traveling to Japan in the near future. The only problem is that I'm not sure whether to stay at a decent to slightly pricey hotel or if there are other living arrangements that can be made possible. What would you recommend for someone coming to Japan with a modest budget ($2000-$3000)?

Granted, I'm not sure where I would want to visit, but it's mostly likely going to be somewhere that I can get the most out of a week-two week stay (riding the trains to destinations, some light shopping, getting to taste all sorts of delicacies, experiencing the culture and history, etc.).

About the cheapest places to stay in Japan are the famous capsule hotels. Another lesser known trick are manga cafes. You see, you can pay a fee to stay in a cafe and read manga and use the internet. So some people buy a lot of hours and sleep on the sofas, since this ends up cheaper than staying a hotel. You're clearly taking advantage of the store, but a lot of people do it.

 

[FireAza]

An absurd amount! They even use foreign words when a Japanese word already exists! And don't even get me started on the way Japan uses Katakana. This writing system was created to be used to write loan words, but Japan seems to use it whenever they feel like it. Just the other day, the students wrote a Japanese name in Katakana. There was probably a goddamned Kanji for this name! At least write it in Hiragana! Ah fuck it! I'm though with worrying about the correct use of Katakana!

Anyway, to compare, the packaging for this chocolate I'm eating is about 85% Katakana. We've got "ピュアショコラ" (pure chocolate), "カカオポリフェノール" (Cacao polyphenol) and　"チョコレート" (chocolate). And just for good measure, some of the words are written in English.　

That "sideways vagina" is one of the most ridiculous myths ever. Even though this was the old timey days where people couldn't gather any information about foreign countries, for this to actually be true would require for bizarre feats of evolution.

 

[CrimsonBlaze]

So I've always been interested in traveling to Japan in the near future. The only problem is that I'm not sure whether to stay at a decent to slightly pricey hotel or if there are other living arrangements that can be made possible. What would you recommend for someone coming to Japan with a modest budget ($2000-$3000)?

Granted, I'm not sure where I would want to visit, but it's mostly likely going to be somewhere that I can get the most out of a week-two week stay (riding the trains to destinations, some light shopping, getting to taste all sorts of delicacies, experiencing the culture and history, etc.).

About the cheapest places to stay in Japan are the famous capsule hotels. Another lesser known trick are manga cafes. You see, you can pay a fee to stay in a cafe and read manga and use the internet. So some people buy a lot of hours and sleep on the sofas, since this ends up cheaper than staying a hotel. You're clearly taking advantage of the store, but a lot of people do it.

Huh. I've always thought about backpacking across a nation and sleeping on other people's couches. This certainly propels my daydream into reality, but I'd probably be a little more comfortable and confident with this plan after I've visited Japan at least once before.

Anyway, thanks for the advice on the capsule hotels; I'll definitely check them out.

 

[FireAza]

At least Japan is a safe place to backpack in. It's unlikely you'll wake up in chains, locked in some madman's sex dungeon like in some countries. The delicious snack foods on the other hand... Well, not everyone loses weight when they visit Japan.

 

[Saulkar]

A very strange question but how do the Japanese generally respond to people with bodybuilding/powerlifting physiques and leather clothes? Living here in Saskatchewan Canada I actually intimidate quite a few people despite my friendly demeanor. Do you think this will be amplified or a none issue in japan?

I read that the number of body builders in Japan is very small and those that do focus on a thin vascular physique over any kind of size.

I am shy as all hell showing off pictures of myself online outside of my account scraps because I do not want to be misinterpreted as showing off but here I go.


Mix this clothing style: http://shadow-whisperer.deviantart.com/art/Francis-Hates-Things-410779002 with my current build: http://shadow-whisperer.deviantart.com/art/Vanity-or-Yes-I-Am-A-Doofus-VOL-4-537795177

Do you think that I will evoke a negative reaction?

 

[FireAza]

I don't doubt that many Japanese people would find you intimidating. You're both foreign AND you're physically intimidating. And you're rocking a leather jacket to boot! But I'm sure if you smiled and looked friendly, they would open up to you. One of the guys I work with is a really tall American, but he doesn't scare the kids or anything. I think it's his penchant for goofy Hawaiian shirts.

Japan does seem to find bodybuilders funny though, as can be seen in the Cho Aniki games:

Maybe you could work this to your advantage somehow?

 

[Barbas]

I understand that property prices are high, at least in Tokyo. How are prices for the essentials like food and clothing where you live?

EDIT: Also, how much would it cost you to buy a completely new, custom-built gaming computer?

 

[Saulkar]

Maybe you could work this to your advantage somehow?

I should start my own band there.


It will be a boy band themed around cross-dressing power-lifting waifu.

 

[Saulkar]

snrp

3 more quick questions if you please.

1. How difficult is it to get your hands on lactose dairy products? The lactose free somehow feels and tastes wrong to me.

2. How much do whole chickens, brown rice/noodles, and fresh veggies usually cost? I want to compare the price of two weeks of groceries.

3. I heard weight gyms are extremely expensive and very exclusive over there. Do you know if this is still the case?

Thanx!

 

[FireAza]

I understand that property prices are high, at least in Tokyo. How are prices for the essentials like food and clothing where you live?

EDIT: Also, how much would it cost you to buy a completely new, custom-built gaming computer?

Cheap! Well, cheap for Australia anyway, which is among one of the most expensive countries to live in. Meat is more expensive though for some reason, chicken is much cheaper than Australia. Fruit and veg is also a bit more expensive. As I understand it, most things are cheap in the U.S, so Japan probably seems more expensive by comparison.

snrp

3 more quick questions if you please.

1. How difficult is it to get your hands on lactose dairy products? The lactose free somehow feels and tastes wrong to me.

2. How much do whole chickens, brown rice/noodles, and fresh veggies usually cost? I want to compare the price of two weeks of groceries.

3. I heard weight gyms are extremely expensive and very exclusive over there. Do you know if this is still the case?

Thanx!

1) I have no idea, since I'm not a dairy connoisseur and I'm not sure what "lactose" is in Japanese. I do know that the vast majority of Japanese people are lactose-intolerant, so I wouldn't be surprised if all dairy was lactose-free by default. It all tastes the same to me!

2) I haven't seen any whole chickens (probably due to the rarity of ovens), but you can get lots of cuts. Good cuts too, for some reason breast fillet is cheaper than thigh. When you say "noodles" what kind do you mean? This is Japan, you need to be more specific! Soba? Udon? Raman? Instant ramen? Here's a break-down though:
Chicken (breast fillet) - ￥65 per 100g
Rice (white, since brown seems to be pretty rare) - ￥560 for 2kg bag
Soba noodles (8 serve pack) - ￥200
Cabbage (half) - ￥189
Mushrooms (1 bunch) - ￥98
Onions (3x) - ￥109
Negi (1x) - ￥109
Potatoes (3x) - ￥95

3) Hmmmm, I don't go to the gym, so I'm not entirely sure. I haven't seen as many gyms around as I did in Australia and since being "ripped" doesn't seem to be very popular for guys, there's probably not a whole lot of demand. Lack of demand would push the price up. Most sports centers have gym-type equipment though, so I'd say going to a sports center would be your best bet.

 

[FireAza]

"Grey market loans"? Like, loan sharks? I wouldn't really say this is a prominent theme in anime, save for the old "borrowed a lot of money from the yakuza" thing. Can't really say I've seen it to be a problem here, so this might just be pure fantasy. Unless you're talking about the "ore ore" scam, these are pretty prevalent.