Ask our reporter in Japan!
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Akihabara
To be honest, I don't like it myself, full of too many weirdos. I guess if you're into anime/manga etc... it's the place to go. But, I wouldn't recomend it for anything else. You hear stuff about electrical goods being cheap there, yeah, they are but, you can get better stuff and cheaper stuff in places like Yodobashi Camera/Bic Camera/Sakuraya/etc...
If you want to go to the "home" of anime/manga it's great though
To be honest, I don't like it myself, full of too many weirdos. I guess if you're into anime/manga etc... it's the place to go. But, I wouldn't recomend it for anything else. You hear stuff about electrical goods being cheap there, yeah, they are but, you can get better stuff and cheaper stuff in places like Yodobashi Camera/Bic Camera/Sakuraya/etc...
If you want to go to the "home" of anime/manga it's great though
Sorry for another long break
David Bowie
I haven't really heard much about him for AGES, so I don't really know if he's still popular here :roll:
English and stuff in Japan
Only the news is dubbed, and then only a few times a day and on NHK. Almost all street signs are in Japanese only.
I don't think it would be all that important to learn any Japanese before coming, just a few basics like "please/thankyou/this/here/how much?/ a few numbers" stuff like that. If you need to know more while you're here you can always ask at the hotel you'll be staying at, if its a good one, I'd recomend the Imperial, although I am by NO means biased :lol:
I'd also recomend one of those "point and speak" phrasebooks, http://www.japancentre.com/?cmd=itm&cid=7&id=37 which seem very useful if you don't want to go through all the hassle of learning every possible outcome of what you might need to say. Because of course, it's fine being able to ask something, its being able to understand whats said back to you that will probably be the biggest problem.
David Bowie
I haven't really heard much about him for AGES, so I don't really know if he's still popular here :roll:
English and stuff in Japan
Only the news is dubbed, and then only a few times a day and on NHK. Almost all street signs are in Japanese only.
I don't think it would be all that important to learn any Japanese before coming, just a few basics like "please/thankyou/this/here/how much?/ a few numbers" stuff like that. If you need to know more while you're here you can always ask at the hotel you'll be staying at, if its a good one, I'd recomend the Imperial, although I am by NO means biased :lol:
I'd also recomend one of those "point and speak" phrasebooks, http://www.japancentre.com/?cmd=itm&cid=7&id=37 which seem very useful if you don't want to go through all the hassle of learning every possible outcome of what you might need to say. Because of course, it's fine being able to ask something, its being able to understand whats said back to you that will probably be the biggest problem.
Haha, that reminds me of Ricky Gervais' stand-up:
"You don't need to learn French in France... if they don't understand you - point, talk a little louder and if they still don't understand you - smash the place up!"
Hey Chris. ^^ I was just wondering, what's the wierdest thing you've seen on a menu over there? xD I've heard they like to eat live octopuses...
Thanks in advance!
"You don't need to learn French in France... if they don't understand you - point, talk a little louder and if they still don't understand you - smash the place up!"
Hey Chris. ^^ I was just wondering, what's the wierdest thing you've seen on a menu over there? xD I've heard they like to eat live octopuses...
Thanks in advance!
Well, you can buy delights such as: whale bacon, deer jerky, bear or walrus or wild boar curry, horse steaks... Yeah, theres live octopus too.
I've heard that the point and speak books are really handy- never used one myself so I can't give a great recomendation but, I think it would be a good buy for someone coming here with little or no language skills.
I've heard that the point and speak books are really handy- never used one myself so I can't give a great recomendation but, I think it would be a good buy for someone coming here with little or no language skills.
Well, you can buy delights such as: whale bacon, deer jerky, bear or walrus or wild boar curry, horse steaks... Yeah, theres live octopus too.
I've heard that the point and speak books are really handy- never used one myself so I can't give a great recomendation but, I think it would be a good buy for someone coming here with little or no language skills.
I've heard that the point and speak books are really handy- never used one myself so I can't give a great recomendation but, I think it would be a good buy for someone coming here with little or no language skills.
Hey chris, thanks for the advice last time. Since then i have now decided to go to japan for a year with a gap year company. They are gonna help me find a job and a place to live whilst i am there. I just wondered if you can give any advice for someone who is gonna be living out there for the first time?
Thanks.
Thanks.
First of all you'll have to get registered as an "alien", do it as soon as possible after arriving.
I wouldn't bother with learning much Japanese, since ifyou're going to be a teacher or something like that, you won't need it. Just basic stuff would be fine, and you'll pick stuff up suprisingly quick once you're here.
Also, try to get a job placement in Tokyo, everywhere else is pretty boring.
For summertime expect 2 or 3 months of over 30 degrees C or just under- so dress lightly. Winter is pretty cold, but in Tokyo, it doesn't get into the minus' all that often. Getting a bicycle soon after arriving would be a good idea, and a mobile phone (essential).
What other stuff do you want to know about? Ask away
I wouldn't bother with learning much Japanese, since ifyou're going to be a teacher or something like that, you won't need it. Just basic stuff would be fine, and you'll pick stuff up suprisingly quick once you're here.
Also, try to get a job placement in Tokyo, everywhere else is pretty boring.
For summertime expect 2 or 3 months of over 30 degrees C or just under- so dress lightly. Winter is pretty cold, but in Tokyo, it doesn't get into the minus' all that often. Getting a bicycle soon after arriving would be a good idea, and a mobile phone (essential).
What other stuff do you want to know about? Ask away
What you are probably talking about is in regards to the American marines based in Okinawa, right? It's not exactly true that they can't be prosecuted, its just that most of the time the cases are dealt with by military courts. I'm not sure wheter or not they can be tried in Japanese ones?
There has been increasing pressure on the US military to leave Okinawa, since they cause a LOT of trouble, not just rape, mugging, etc... but all the noise pollution etc... from the base. Theres talk of them being moved to Guam, but I'm not sure that'll happen soon or if ever. Although, with N. Korea being so close and so dangerous they could be useful, since the Japanese military are so bloody hopeless and have absolutely ZERO front-line experience.
There has been increasing pressure on the US military to leave Okinawa, since they cause a LOT of trouble, not just rape, mugging, etc... but all the noise pollution etc... from the base. Theres talk of them being moved to Guam, but I'm not sure that'll happen soon or if ever. Although, with N. Korea being so close and so dangerous they could be useful, since the Japanese military are so bloody hopeless and have absolutely ZERO front-line experience.
StrawHatLuffy
Brigade Leader
I kind of have a question: In Japan they have alot of festivals. Could you tell me some of them and what they do on these occasions?
Festivals
Theres a thing about them on Wiki:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matsuri
To be honest, they're almost all the same thing: almost identical music, people dancing about weirdly in really silly clothes, a mikoshi or other floats being heaved about, fireworks, drums, flutes, small food/game stalls (almost exclusively run by Yakuza or thugs- i.e.- don't mess with them). I would say that the Nebuta matsuri is the most interesting, it seems to have the most work put into it anyway.
http://www.nebuta.or.jp/
Festivals are very popular in the countryside where the 田舎者 (country-bumpkins) REALLY take them seriously. Ones in Tokyo are popular, but not as much as those outside.
Theres a thing about them on Wiki:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matsuri
To be honest, they're almost all the same thing: almost identical music, people dancing about weirdly in really silly clothes, a mikoshi or other floats being heaved about, fireworks, drums, flutes, small food/game stalls (almost exclusively run by Yakuza or thugs- i.e.- don't mess with them). I would say that the Nebuta matsuri is the most interesting, it seems to have the most work put into it anyway.
http://www.nebuta.or.jp/
Festivals are very popular in the countryside where the 田舎者 (country-bumpkins) REALLY take them seriously. Ones in Tokyo are popular, but not as much as those outside.
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