Hi guys, I'm in Japan

[Star Ocean 3 0]

OK, so I've been here since September, but I never really made myself bring my thoughts together on this until now. Having to send Christmas emails to everyone back home did that for me.

 

I've seen one, maybe two houses with actual Christmas lights up. I know that it really has no meaning to most people here besides presents and having parties, but they still blast the same Christmas music throughout supermarkets and malls. I think the Japanese people that work in these places either become immune to it, or have long ago been driven to the brink of insanity, and just tolerate it until they finally explode. I dread going to the frozen section of the grocery store, because the same chirpy song is played over it incessantly. They do enjoy lighting up various parts of the cities during winter, though. Even the downtown area of Kobe was shut down for a walking tour, with tons of booths of food set up.

The food, though...the actual Japanese food is fine, but the things that they do to Western food is very strange. Just basically take a dish, put some corn, mayo, and a fried egg on it, and you turned it Japanese. Maize does not belong on pizza, and I only said maize because I didn't want to use the word corn twice. And I know, I'm cheating the Food Folder by not posting this juicy information there, but it can wait.

But yeah, I'll post more later. I do have to say that I think studying abroad is a good reccomendation for most anybody in college. I never even thought I could actually do it until I got a flyer from school.

[Red Baron 0]

I know a few friends from high school went over to South Korea to teach, and got back with some experience to land jobs back here.

 

Where abouts are you in Japan?

[Nighthawk 0]

Buy some of those vending machine panties and send them to me.

[Sideburnious 0]

Now you can take cosplay pictures yourself and post them on the board.

[Star Ocean 3 0]

I'm in Kyoto, the city with a thousand temples and shrines, but only one place to hang out at during night. Unless you're fine with neighboorhood bars or things like that, Shijo, past the downtown area is the only area in the city that will actually have people in it at night.

Most people rely on the trains to get home. There are a lot of cars, and tons of bicycles, but the usual method of transportation seems to be the trains. But since they all end at around midnight, if you miss it, then you either take a taxi, which is ridiculously expensive, or wander the streets. But you can also pick my favorite, which is staying overnight at an internet cafe or karaoke. Unless you're really anal about being about to shower or something, those are really great places to stay. Actually, the internet cafes have showers-not enticing ones, but at least they're there. It's also really cheap. You could stay overnight in karaoke for 15-20 bucks, and the cafe could be less than that.

And then there's always McDonald's. The ones with 24 dining areas are pretty safe to sleep in. Especially if you're a foreigner, they're actually less likely to make you leave.

 

I actually haven't seen the panty vending machines yet. I've seen ones with ramen, and other soup, but nothing too weird...maybe Kyoto isn't the best place for that stuff.

 

Oh, and speaking of trains, it's nice to live in a city that actually has competent public transportation. When I first got here, I could hardly understand how to use these things: not because of the language barrier, there's plenty of English signs, anyway, but because the concept of this public transportation is so strange. I just wanted to drive everywhere, like in LA. All they had was a subway that went in one direction, and that crazy Orange Line bus that nobody understood, and had like 3 accidents in the first week it opened. Here I can get to Osaka and back for 6 dollars or so. I guess that's about the same distance from LA to Anaheim.

[Red Baron 0]

Is there vending machines with beer in them. Such things are rumoured in Japan.

[Star Ocean 3 0]

Ah, the beer. Alchohol flows like water here. There are many vending machines with beer in them, and anybody can purchase from them. Apparently they reduced the number of beer vending machines because of drunkeness, but they're still not hard to find.

In general, alchohol is easy to get. I've gone to izakayas, the Japanese style bar/restaurants with my classmates, most of whom are under the legal drinking age, but nobody checks ID. I've never seen it.

 

The all-you-can-drink deals are pretty common, and just stupid cheap, too, but I'll save that for another time.

[Black Lushus 0]

is it 21 there also?

[Dandy 0]

We're asking him questions like those guys asked John Titor on the board he showed up on. Nothing wrong with it at all, as I love the info I'm getting about Japan, as I hope to go there someday. For some reason, though, that popped in my head.

[tominator89 0]

Would you rather be in Chyna?

[Matt Young 0]

What are you studying?

[Nighthawk 0]

I should move to Japan. Seriously.

 

I mean, there it's an advantage to be a complete pervert and not a detriment.

 

Yeah, I'm seriously going to do that.

[MrRant 0]

It's expensive.

[Nighthawk 0]

I didn't say it would be easy. This will require all my 80s inspirational songs to achieve...

[Jingus 0]

I wonder if any geishas or sailor-suited schoolgirls have yet asked to see SO's large American penis. Because, y'know, Japanese penis so small. Bonus points if the hypothetical chick in question reacted with the "hold hand up over wide-open mouth" thing.

[gWIL 0]

On a semi-related note, I'm just getting ready to leave for a semester in Italy. I'm currently sitting in the airport (Chicago O'Hare) waiting to leave, seriously bored as hell. I was going to make a study abroad thread but I saw this and figured I just use this. So yeah.

[King Kamala 0]

I didn't say it would be easy. This will require all my 80s inspirational songs to achieve...

 

Milky, you're the best around! Nothing's ever gonna keep you down!

[dubq 0]

Ah, the beer. Alchohol flows like water here. There are many vending machines with beer in them, and anybody can purchase from them. Apparently they reduced the number of beer vending machines because of drunkeness, but they're still not hard to find.

In general, alchohol is easy to get. I've gone to izakayas, the Japanese style bar/restaurants with my classmates, most of whom are under the legal drinking age, but nobody checks ID. I've never seen it.

 

The all-you-can-drink deals are pretty common, and just stupid cheap, too, but I'll save that for another time.

 

Heh, awesome - I love those. I'm in Tokyo a few times a year for work. What do you do over in Kyoto?

[Star Ocean 3 0]

I study the Japanese language now as an exchange student at a university. The plan is to enter a music school here eventually, to learn traditional Japanese music, and continue composing classical. Most people go to Europe if they're going to study abroad anywhere for classical music, but I think there's something interesting here with the way that scene is developing. Plus, I was doing a whole lot of nothing in LA, and needed a change.

 

I don't remember seeing any sailor suited schoolgirls, but the ones with those ridiculously huge socks are everywhere. Also, even though it's freezing, they still have to wear those skirts. Even midnight on New Year's I saw girls walking around in short shorts. It was, like, 30 degrees F. Everyone I've asked about this says it's all about fashion. I guess if you're legs have no feeling in them, then the cold doesn't really matter.

 

But since I mentioned New Year's, the ritual for that here is strange in that it brings out how the ancient mixes with the new. It's weird enough going to some old temple, where it's quiet and feels like you're a thousand miles away from civilization, then walking out five feet into an ultra modern city. On New Year's they all go to a shrine, and are supposed to participate in a Buddhist ritual that involves clapping and praying. But the inside of the shrine is like a festival, with food booths and Wiis being given away in raffles. I don't know if even half the people that go are actual serious Buddhists or not.

 

But at least the food's good.

 

Japanese people also really wealky yell when the clock turns midnight. I could hardly even tell.

[dubq 0]

I study the Japanese language now as an exchange student at a university. The plan is to enter a music school here eventually, to learn traditional Japanese music, and continue composing classical. Most people go to Europe if they're going to study abroad anywhere for classical music, but I think there's something interesting here with the way that scene is developing. Plus, I was doing a whole lot of nothing in LA, and needed a change.

 

Good shit. I'm leveling up in the JLPT soon and hope to move there semi-permanently for educational and business purposes as well. Glad to know I'll have a fellow TSMer over there when I do make the jump.

[Star Ocean 3 0]

OK, now it's snowing. This is the first time I've seen snow in maybe 10 years. And to think that in the summer this town was skin-dissolvingly humid. I'm sorry, but I just had to turn dissolve into an adverb there.

 

But, the traffic...I guess it's not a surprise public transportation is so good. The streets and everything are so small, that there has to be an alternative to driving. I'd walk down a neighborhood, thinking that it's just some back alley, then a car passes by. OK, so it's a street, but it has to be a one-way street, right? No, cars are going in both directions. And the driveways are so narrow, I don't know how people could back into those things perfectly everyday. Mopeds are pretty popular, too. That's another good alternative.

[Guest Cock Ring Warehouse]

Are you of Japanese descent, Star Ocean 3? I figured you must be, or else you'd have been immediately resented and ostracized by the racist culture of Japan within moments of disembarking the airplane, and thus reconsidered further study there.

[Slayer 0]

I had wondered the same thing myself, about SO3 being Asian

 

As for the ostracization thing, I thought the Japanese had a fascination with (though not exactly respect for) Westerners, and Americans in particular

[Guest Cock Ring Warehouse]

I think they co-opt and misinterpret white culture like we co-opt and misinterpret black culture. I just hope SO3 isn't Korean, because they're considered human filth in Japan.

[Nighthawk 0]

Less than human. Maruta, as it were.

 

But hey, Koreans hate them too.

[dubq 0]

As for the ostracization thing, I thought the Japanese had a fascination with (though not exactly respect for) Westerners, and Americans in particular

 

Depends on who you're dealing with. Certain groups do, certain groups don't. Honestly, in my experience I found there to be little difference between the racism in Japan and in any other country.

[Nighthawk 0]

I was just reading about how in Japan there's a serious problem with people being groped on trains. The bay area is primarily traveled by train as well, and I've never heard of that happening here. (I mean, I'm sure it does, but we don't have women only train cars or anything... course SF is totally gay anyway).

How strange. Yet cool.

[Guest Cock Ring Warehouse]

Star Ocean 3 is human filth in hockey threads

[Star Ocean 3 0]

No, I'm not Asian, zero Asian blood, in fact. I'm mixed with a whole bunch of stuff, but basically half white/black. I've gotten people in Japan and LA asking if I'm Egyptian, European, Mexican, Morrocan...people are all over the place when they guess.

 

About Koreans, one of my teachers here is actually full-blooded Korean, but was born in Japan. She had to go through years of hardship to be able to be considered a real citizen here. She speaks no Korean, and doesn't consider herself tied to that country at all, but because of what she says was discrimination in trying to become a citizen, she really dislikes this country and wants to leave. It was a pretty strong way to start off a seminar class here, with only 2 foreign students besides myself. The Japanese students in general don't say much in their classes; they're trained to just sit and listen, so they don't get the ability to speak their mind. I don't think they really get the ability to gather their thoughts enough to put themselves in a position to speak their mind, either.

 

With that, there's an actual Japanese term that I forgot, which describes the action of thinking one way, but acting another. I know that's basically hypocrisy, but this term relates to tolerating foreigners, pretending to welcome them, but inside resenting them. I'm sure that relates to the not speaking their mind thing, and overall just avoiding causing trouble. But I can't say that I've really had bad experiences here. There are the looks and stares that any non-Asian foreigner would get, but not all of them are out of dislike. I've had a group of strangers on the train, from a different school, start talking to me in English and complimenting me out of nowhere. I think it's otherwise very rare for a Japanese to approach a complete stranger; the fact that they get to speak English almost puts them in another world.

 

For the most part, the Japanese here who have studied abroad, and learned other languages, English or not, are the ones that will reach out and welcome different people to their country. They're the ones that. when they see foreigners on the street, are more likely to ignore them like they would any other passerby, as opposed to blankly staring or whispering to their friends. I guess it's easier to have a good experience here; the welcoming people will let you know it, organizing all of the parties and free tours for foreigners that are so common, and the rest will just keep to themselves. Then, of course there are those that are attracted to foreigners, and have no real problem with them.

 

In closing, my banter about the Ducks in the hockey threads is no more annoying than giving yourself the name "Cock Ring Warehouse."

 

[CheesalaIsGood 0]

In closing, my banter about the Ducks in the hockey threads is no more annoying than giving yourself the name "Cock Ring Warehouse."

You know... that is a good point.