Living in Japan

ProfessorSmooth · February 15th, 2007, 07:33 PM

Hey Animenation,

I've been living in Japan for about 4 months now. When I got here, everything was quirky and alien to me. I had expected Japan to be the greatest place on earth where everything was neat and clean and crazy stuff happened all the time. Well, I was right. I find Japanese life far better than life in the United States. Almost everything is immaculate and constantly maintained. As for the crazy stuff, not so much. Yes, you can buy dinner, booze, and smokes out of a vending machine. Yes, arcades are huge and filled with UFO catchers stocked with everything imaginable. Yes, every now and then you'll run into the random costumed character or girl with cat ears. Yes, karaoke bars ARE 10 stories tall. Yes, stores that sell used VHS have porno in the same box as Disney videos. Yes, there are hotels that are just little tubes. And yes, American rap music airs uncensored in office buildings. But, when looked at IN CONTEXT those things all make perfect sense. Everything in Japan makes perfect sense and I haven't seen anything that I'd classify as "really strange" since I made that discovery.

If anyone has any questions about the context of some of the "crazy stuff" they've seen or heard about Japan, I'd be happy to answer them.

FayeValentine · February 15th, 2007, 07:49 PM

Ok first of all. I'm very jealous. Second of all: Is it true people stare at you constantly?

ProfessorSmooth · February 15th, 2007, 07:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FayeValentine

Ok first of all. I'm very jealous. Second of all: Is it true people stare at you constantly?

Thanks. No, people don't stare at me constantly. Even though I'm 6.25 feet tall and stand a head taller than most Japanese people, people don't stare. A few people look, but that's only natural when you see someone so tall. But they don't stare.

DazzleKitty · February 15th, 2007, 08:35 PM

Interesting! I heard that sometimes random Japanese people will try to talk to you while you are walking on the street (depending on the area, especially if they don't see foreigners often) to try to practice their English. Is that true?

I may be going there in a couple of years to study abroad. I'm not sure if I will, but I'd be very nervous about it for a while.

Ageha · February 15th, 2007, 08:38 PM

Mind if I ask in what capacity you're living here? I ask simply because the life of a student stuying abroad is vastly different from someone working here (though I'm sure people with "real" jobs would argue my JET position makes things vastly different for me as well). It's not that I wouldn't agree that what you say is true in regards to karaoke, cigarettes, UFO catchers, etc., but I'm not quite on board for Japan necessarily being the greatest place on Earth and I can't imagine where you live that everything is neat/clean/immaculate. What is it about life in Japan that makes it far better than the U.S.?

I don't mean to imply that you're not intitled to your own opinion, certainly you are, I'm just a little bit confused. I guess I always hope for a little more..realistic love for Japan? I'm honestly not trying to offend, just curious.

Quote:

Originally Posted by FayeValentine

Ok first of all. I'm very jealous. Second of all: Is it true people stare at you constantly?

At you constantly, no. But it does happen, it just depends on what part of the country you're in. I was with two friends in rural Tokushima back in November and we stopped at a shrine holding a pottery fair. As we sat down to paint on cups/plates, we ended up drawing a small crowd of onlookers who couldn't help but comment to each other (I'd written the name of my town in kanji on a cup, which got something of a reaction, although we weren't doing anything significant. That's probably the most extreme example, most of the time when it does happens it's no more than a double take. It's annoying, but you get used to it.

As for people practicing their English....yeah, that happens, too. It's not every day or every week, but if you live here for any significant amount of time, it will probably happen, especially if you live outside the big cities.

Ken-Ohki · February 15th, 2007, 09:39 PM

Read "I am a Japanese school teacher" also known as Gaijin Smash, that'll cure 90% of the lame idiots that think Japan is some kind of wonderland.

Enjoy your stay, hope you have fun.

ProfessorSmooth · February 15th, 2007, 09:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DazzleKitty

Interesting! I heard that sometimes random Japanese people will try to talk to you while you are walking on the street (depending on the area, especially if they don't see foreigners often) to try to practice their English. Is that true?

I may be going there in a couple of years to study abroad. I'm not sure if I will, but I'd be very nervous about it for a while.

This happens on a fairly regular basis. On trains, buses, or just while walking or sitting in a cafe. English is popular here and any opportunity to practice (or show off) is one to be taken. They have all been extremely polite and friendly.

As for what makes Japan "the greatest place on earth" for me is, I'm sorry to say, mostly "an absence of activities I can't stand in the US." Don't get me wrong, I love everything about Japan. The people, the food, the places, etc...all great. But what makes it that much better is that I can walk or ride down a street without some idiot yelling "Get a car, ***!" as he drives past. I can leave a package in the basket of my bike for ten minutes without having to worry about it getting ripped off. There are VERY few people with guns here and that translates to an extremely low murder/violent crime rate. Trash isn't EVERYWHERE. Oh, and Jesus isn't NEARLY as popular here.

As for where I work, I'm a junior high school teacher in Kitakyushu.

I don't think Japan is some kind of wonderland, but people tend to treat one another with respect and that goes a long way when you're used to everyone treating everyone else like dirt.

Ken-Ohki · February 15th, 2007, 09:56 PM

I'm living in a town of about 100,000 here in Utah, it's had a murder like 20 years ago, there's a great bus system and many many people walk, my friend once ran his car out of gas leaving it idling outside without worrying about anyone stealing it and I never see trash. So your love of Japan sounds like many Middle American towns.

Just hoping to keep the I hate America and love " . . . " down to a minimum by reminding people how great most of the US really is.

Oh, not to say that you can't love Japan by the way. One thing I envy you about is the access to many of the electronics/games/anime that I enjoy so much.

Ageha · February 15th, 2007, 10:32 PM

Yeah...I guess it just depends on where you come from in the U.S., where you live here in Japan, and...well, about a million other factors. I just...I'm always cautious in describing my time here to those who are anxious to live here. It *can* be lovely and wonderful and these last 2 1/2 years have been the very best of my life, but it's always good to have perspective and put things in context. The original post kind of came across to me as Japan being a wonderland without any problems or annoyances (whether or not that was intended ^^

and I think that's the wrong impression to give.

giko · February 15th, 2007, 10:37 PM

Wellcome to Japan!

Anyway, Kyushu is a nice place, except typhoons and volcanic erruptions.

cris · February 16th, 2007, 09:16 AM

Japan has really sickening murders though compared to USA generally for me.

USA is more like shoot em and run away, but Japan murder is scary....like the one that happened recently. Choped off everything of his sister's body parts, cut off the vagina and used the sink disposesr to grind it, kept her panties in his pocket or whatever and so on.

I'm not saying it doens' thappen here at all in the states, but cases like that is heard more frequently "on the news" than here, at least when I buzz into my FOX 11 at 10 and NHK News (and internet + now the wii >.>)

all in all, violence and other criminal cases (that's big) happens frequently in Japan as well. Maybe not as a lot compared to other places (don't know statistics), but it's not rare either.

HSaabedra · February 16th, 2007, 09:35 AM

To the OP: As a frequent traveler to Japan and former resident with plans to move back, I can say that living in Japan is no different than living in the US. I lived near Tokyo Disney with a friend of mine for a year. Keep in mind there's a red light district 5 blocks away and a couple convenience stores, so while it may be heaven for pedestrians, it is just as hard to eke out a living as it is anywhere else, JET teacher or not. By the way, I've had no issues with people here in Texas and not having a car, so it may have been your personal experience and not indicative of a general subset of the population in the US.

Len · February 16th, 2007, 10:05 AM

May I be the first to break it to you: "Japan is not Magical Anime Land."
Not everyone is nice and has multi-colored hair. You will get stared at just as you would get stared at elsewhere, like in Florida. :/ It pains me to think that people come to Japan and think that its going to be heaven on earth but dispite the scenery its not the best place to be. Its expensive as hell, too.

I have no idea how, but for some reason your experiences seem to be theatrical. You're right about basically everything you say, but after 13 years you tire of it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DazzleKitty

Interesting! I heard that sometimes random Japanese people will try to talk to you while you are walking on the street (depending on the area, especially if they don't see foreigners often) to try to practice their English. Is that true?

Hell yes its true. Not as much in Osaka but it happens to people in Tokyo and Kyoto all the time. I used to do it, then I moved to Canada and became fluent. xD

Ken-Ohki · February 16th, 2007, 12:05 PM

Oh dear heavens I read my posts just now and it sounds like I'm ranting at you or yelling. I didn't mean it that way, you're perfectly justified in enjoying your stay in Japan. Nor do I find your posts without merit. Main American cities have their problems when compared to many metropolitan areas of other countries. I believe Washington DC is still the murder capitol of the world which doesn't speak well for us. I grew up in Fresno CA which held the world record for car theft and I believe remains the only US city where the national guard was called in to run street by street sweeps to clear areas from gangs, so I know what it can be like

Please please don't think I was mad at you in any way

. Just wanting to promote the country I love so dearly and remind people of why and didn't do a good job of it.

Jun_Inohara · February 16th, 2007, 02:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Len

Hell yes its true. Not as much in Osaka but it happens to people in Tokyo and Kyoto all the time. I used to do it, then I moved to Canada and became fluent. xD

I'm sure it does happen in Kyoto, but I must just have dumb luck or something, because in 2 1/2 years it's never happened to me (and I'm a bright blond headed foreigner who goes into Kyoto often, tho I live in neighboring Shiga). Perhaps it's merely a matter of time, but while I'd have expected it to happen frequently precisely because it's Kyoto and there are so many visiting foreigners, it hasn't. Just luck, I suppose :P

February 15th, 2007, 07:33 PM	#1
ProfessorSmooth The Smooth One Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Kyushu, Japan Posts: 38	Living in Japan Hey Animenation, I've been living in Japan for about 4 months now. When I got here, everything was quirky and alien to me. I had expected Japan to be the greatest place on earth where everything was neat and clean and crazy stuff happened all the time. Well, I was right. I find Japanese life far better than life in the United States. Almost everything is immaculate and constantly maintained. As for the crazy stuff, not so much. Yes, you can buy dinner, booze, and smokes out of a vending machine. Yes, arcades are huge and filled with UFO catchers stocked with everything imaginable. Yes, every now and then you'll run into the random costumed character or girl with cat ears. Yes, karaoke bars ARE 10 stories tall. Yes, stores that sell used VHS have porno in the same box as Disney videos. Yes, there are hotels that are just little tubes. And yes, American rap music airs uncensored in office buildings. But, when looked at IN CONTEXT those things all make perfect sense. Everything in Japan makes perfect sense and I haven't seen anything that I'd classify as "really strange" since I made that discovery. If anyone has any questions about the context of some of the "crazy stuff" they've seen or heard about Japan, I'd be happy to answer them.

February 15th, 2007, 07:49 PM	#2
FayeValentine Do u believe in destiny? Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Lost in thought... Posts: 88	Ok first of all. I'm very jealous. Second of all: Is it true people stare at you constantly? __________________ "Survival of the fittest is the law of nature. We decieve or we are decieved. Thus, we flourish or perish." "Instead of being alone in a group, it's better to have real solitude all by yourself." "The past is the past and the future is the future. A man is a man and a woman is a woman. The present is the present. I am who I am and you are who you are. That's all there is to it. Does it really matter? Or do we just think it does?" -Faye Valentine

February 15th, 2007, 08:35 PM	#4
DazzleKitty Here kitty kitty.... Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: St. Louis, MO Posts: 4,322	Interesting! I heard that sometimes random Japanese people will try to talk to you while you are walking on the street (depending on the area, especially if they don't see foreigners often) to try to practice their English. Is that true? I may be going there in a couple of years to study abroad. I'm not sure if I will, but I'd be very nervous about it for a while. __________________ Meow Meow My Anime Collection/My Anime List

February 15th, 2007, 09:39 PM	#6
Ken-Ohki 馬鹿 Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: The other side Posts: 3,283	Read "I am a Japanese school teacher" also known as Gaijin Smash, that'll cure 90% of the lame idiots that think Japan is some kind of wonderland. Enjoy your stay, hope you have fun. __________________ "Carrots huh? Eat enough of those someday you'll grow up to be a spaceship." WORSHIP THE COMIC

February 15th, 2007, 09:56 PM	#8
Ken-Ohki 馬鹿 Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: The other side Posts: 3,283	I'm living in a town of about 100,000 here in Utah, it's had a murder like 20 years ago, there's a great bus system and many many people walk, my friend once ran his car out of gas leaving it idling outside without worrying about anyone stealing it and I never see trash. So your love of Japan sounds like many Middle American towns. Just hoping to keep the I hate America and love " . . . " down to a minimum by reminding people how great most of the US really is. Oh, not to say that you can't love Japan by the way. One thing I envy you about is the access to many of the electronics/games/anime that I enjoy so much. __________________ "Carrots huh? Eat enough of those someday you'll grow up to be a spaceship." WORSHIP THE COMIC

February 15th, 2007, 10:32 PM	#9
Ageha まっすぐに行こう Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Kagawa, Japan (mentally anyway! In truth: Illinois) Posts: 407	Yeah...I guess it just depends on where you come from in the U.S., where you live here in Japan, and...well, about a million other factors. I just...I'm always cautious in describing my time here to those who are anxious to live here. It can be lovely and wonderful and these last 2 1/2 years have been the very best of my life, but it's always good to have perspective and put things in context. The original post kind of came across to me as Japan being a wonderland without any problems or annoyances (whether or not that was intended ^^ and I think that's the wrong impression to give. __________________ つくし：道明寺、あたし、ニューヨークに行かないから。。。４年後、いい男になって戻ってきたら。。。あたしがあんたを幸せにしてあげてもいいよ！道明寺：戦線布告だな。。。やってもらおうじゃん！～花より男子～

February 15th, 2007, 10:37 PM	#10
giko Liberal Democratic Party Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Nerima, Tokyo Posts: 772	Wellcome to Japan! Anyway, Kyushu is a nice place, except typhoons and volcanic erruptions.

February 16th, 2007, 09:16 AM	#11
cris Registered User Join Date: Sep 2005 Posts: 7,015	Japan has really sickening murders though compared to USA generally for me. USA is more like shoot em and run away, but Japan murder is scary....like the one that happened recently. Choped off everything of his sister's body parts, cut off the vagina and used the sink disposesr to grind it, kept her panties in his pocket or whatever and so on. I'm not saying it doens' thappen here at all in the states, but cases like that is heard more frequently "on the news" than here, at least when I buzz into my FOX 11 at 10 and NHK News (and internet + now the wii >.>) all in all, violence and other criminal cases (that's big) happens frequently in Japan as well. Maybe not as a lot compared to other places (don't know statistics), but it's not rare either. __________________ Wii Code:2143 9232 3432 0216 Xbox Live!:RiyuFF PSN ID:djricekcn b.net:ask me Currently Playing: Kingdom Hearts 3D [3DS] Bio Hazard Revelations[3DS] Silent Hill Downpour [PS3] Paltena's Mirror [3DS] Code of Princess [3DS] It's because i trust you that i know when you're lying -Gibb Last edited by cris; February 16th, 2007 at 09:29 AM.

February 16th, 2007, 09:35 AM	#12
HSaabedra Angryman Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Home Posts: 4,873 Blog Entries: 13	To the OP: As a frequent traveler to Japan and former resident with plans to move back, I can say that living in Japan is no different than living in the US. I lived near Tokyo Disney with a friend of mine for a year. Keep in mind there's a red light district 5 blocks away and a couple convenience stores, so while it may be heaven for pedestrians, it is just as hard to eke out a living as it is anywhere else, JET teacher or not. By the way, I've had no issues with people here in Texas and not having a car, so it may have been your personal experience and not indicative of a general subset of the population in the US. __________________ Humberto Saabedra: Editor in Chief - AnimeNews.biz \|Editor-in-Chief - PhoneNews.com\|News Editor - Crunchyroll News\| We have a severe psychological problem in this country. We want houses we can't afford, money we haven't earned, and grades we don't deserve.

February 16th, 2007, 12:05 PM	#14
Ken-Ohki 馬鹿 Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: The other side Posts: 3,283	Oh dear heavens I read my posts just now and it sounds like I'm ranting at you or yelling. I didn't mean it that way, you're perfectly justified in enjoying your stay in Japan. Nor do I find your posts without merit. Main American cities have their problems when compared to many metropolitan areas of other countries. I believe Washington DC is still the murder capitol of the world which doesn't speak well for us. I grew up in Fresno CA which held the world record for car theft and I believe remains the only US city where the national guard was called in to run street by street sweeps to clear areas from gangs, so I know what it can be like Please please don't think I was mad at you in any way . Just wanting to promote the country I love so dearly and remind people of why and didn't do a good job of it. __________________ "Carrots huh? Eat enough of those someday you'll grow up to be a spaceship." WORSHIP THE COMIC Last edited by Ken-Ohki; February 16th, 2007 at 12:07 PM.