Lol, QFT.
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Japan GAF |OT| I'm not planning a trip; I live here!
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Lol, QFT.
Valkerionseven
Member
Kagoshima is pretty high on the annoying/troublesome dialect list.
I'm starting to realize I need to study boring ass generic Japanese out of a book cause the stuff I've learned in the last year and a half without traditional study does not fly when traveling lol. People can barely understand me sometimes in other cities haha.
I'm starting to realize I need to study boring ass generic Japanese out of a book cause the stuff I've learned in the last year and a half without traditional study does not fly when traveling lol. People can barely understand me sometimes in other cities haha.
UristMcDwarf
Member
Well, It's official. I received my working holiday visa and all of my pet cat's blood work came back clean. Tickets are bought, already secured a place to stay for relatively cheap. All I need is a job and I'll be set. My wife and I are headed to Japan!
This is probably the biggest thing I have ever done in my life so far, and the closer I get the more unprepared I feel. I need to really buckle down on my Japanese practice.
I hope to one day attend one of the famous "gaf meet-ups" I hear so much about.
Wish me luck folks. I'll keep ya posted on goings on.
Question for discussion, has anyone here brought an animal into Japan before? Any tips for the flight over?
This is probably the biggest thing I have ever done in my life so far, and the closer I get the more unprepared I feel. I need to really buckle down on my Japanese practice.
I hope to one day attend one of the famous "gaf meet-ups" I hear so much about.
Wish me luck folks. I'll keep ya posted on goings on.
Question for discussion, has anyone here brought an animal into Japan before? Any tips for the flight over?
Hmm if I remember correctly then there were normal booster packs in any 7/11 where i was. Else I dont know what they were there for...lol
Aizo
Banned
I don't know what that is, but are they not available just through Amazon? I'd go to a big Yodobashi Camera if you live in a city and ask there.
I don't think JapanGAF has had a meetup since Evilore came a few years ago. We mostly all got drunk and sang karaoke. Some of us hang out, but we haven't done an actual meetup since back then. I know the travel thread does meet ups, but I've never been to those.
MikeHattsu
Member
Various people living in Japan has joined us for those though.
Aizo
Banned
Correct.The user mentioned these group meetups in this thread, so I needed to point out that it's a separate thing.
Solaire of Astora
Death by black JPN
I haven't, personally, but my friend just brought two cats with him recently though. He came from Sweden, via Norway and was surprised at how he was just waved in. Of course, he had all the necessary paperwork, but he was expecting at least some form of questioning. Happily, it never happened.
Your experience may vary, of course. The reason I mentioned his country of departure is because animals from certain countries may be considered to be more susceptible to certain diseases, therefore, they may pay more attention to your paperwork. My wife and I are looking into moving to Canada, so we checked to see what we'd have to do to take our cats with us. As Japan has been rabies free for decades, it wouldn't be a problem. If we were traveling from another country, then things would get more difficult. Hell, I think even having a stopover somewhere during the trip would potentially make it more difficult.
Edit: I just noticed that your question was mostly concerning the actual flight. My friend had the cats in the cabin with him. He said one of them was as happy as always, but the other one got really nervous and seemed quite stressed for the whole journey.
I can relate to that a little, as the last time I moved house, one of my cats was perfectly content in her bag, while the other one seemed pissed off for the whole journey. Not really much you can do about that except try to comfort them. It can be quite a stressful experience for some animals, whereas others will be fine.
In other news, I was just issued a five year spousal visa. I've already been here for five years and have already had two one-year visas and a three-year visa.
Definitely planning to look into permanent residence long before this current visa expires. My son was born early this year, and I just realized I should probably get it sooner or later incase they tighten the requirements for spousal visas. The only reason I'm in Japan in the first place is because we couldn't get a visa for my wife in my own country.
TheSporkWithin
Member
No, it takes a few days. When you make the transfer you get a slip which tells you the date it will be deposited in the target account.
Valkerionseven
Member
Anyone else see the news today, about the guy who tried to rob a jewelry store "disguised as a foreigner."
Went in and started saying "Money money! .... Japanese money!" in the worlds most obvious Japanese accent. Then ran away, police tackled him and he kept trying to pretend to be a foreigner.
All while of course, because this is Japan, dressed like the most obvious Japanese "thats a scary bad man" criminal possible. Big sunglasses, face mask, gold chain, trying to look cool while walking, and what not hahaha.
I mean its hilarious and messed up, but common. Why do criminals here dress like the stereotyped criminal from a generic drama before doing a crime. 90% of the people getting arrested in this country look exactly like what any random person on the street would say "that looks like a criminal"
Went in and started saying "Money money! .... Japanese money!" in the worlds most obvious Japanese accent. Then ran away, police tackled him and he kept trying to pretend to be a foreigner.
All while of course, because this is Japan, dressed like the most obvious Japanese "thats a scary bad man" criminal possible. Big sunglasses, face mask, gold chain, trying to look cool while walking, and what not hahaha.
I mean its hilarious and messed up, but common. Why do criminals here dress like the stereotyped criminal from a generic drama before doing a crime. 90% of the people getting arrested in this country look exactly like what any random person on the street would say "that looks like a criminal"
shanshan310
Member
Nah, nothing I reeeally want to see this year. I'm pretty tempted by summer sonic though. Including the transport and accommodation kinda adds up
UristMcDwarf
Member
Ah, thanks for the heads up.
Yeah, my cat doesn't travel well. We intend to put her in the cabin as well. It's quite a flight to be stuck in a bag.
Congrats on the visa!
I'm selling stuff let me k ow if you want any of it!
For sale:
Muji refrigerator
https://www.muji.net/store/cmdty/detail/4547315236671
Muji microwave oven/range
http://recyclenomogura.com/家電/attachment/15995/
Sony Bravia TV and subwoofer
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004HYG9YG/?tag=neogaf0e-20
Dyson hot and cool
https://www.google.co.jp/amp/s/amp....n-hot-cool-am09-review-worlds-best-heater-fan
Dyson vacuum cleaner
http://www.dyson.com/vacuums/uprights/dyson-ball/dyson-ball-multifloor-2.aspx
For sale:
Muji refrigerator
https://www.muji.net/store/cmdty/detail/4547315236671
Muji microwave oven/range
http://recyclenomogura.com/家電/attachment/15995/
Sony Bravia TV and subwoofer
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004HYG9YG/?tag=neogaf0e-20
Dyson hot and cool
https://www.google.co.jp/amp/s/amp....n-hot-cool-am09-review-worlds-best-heater-fan
Dyson vacuum cleaner
http://www.dyson.com/vacuums/uprights/dyson-ball/dyson-ball-multifloor-2.aspx
Natetan, just take all that stuff to Hard-Off and save yourself the trouble of trying to find someone who will pay you a good amount for those (You won't.)
This thread is way more inactive than it should be with all the gaf talent that lives in Japan. Maybe we need some new questions Aizo-style.
--How do you feel about the direction that Japan's been heading in the last 5-10 years? (post Lehman Bros. collapse, 3/11, etc.) Do you find that it's affected your long-term plans here and outlook on the country for better or worse?
--One could argue that Japanese history in the modern age could be unofficially measured in units of fads, or "booms" as they're called, which seem to come and go every 4-6 months. What's the most curious/incomprehensible/despicable boom you've experienced here in recent memory?
--For those of you who have been here for close to ten years and/or are planning on staying for the long haul, what's stopping you from getting yourself one of them shiny red Nipponkoku passports, if anything?
This thread is way more inactive than it should be with all the gaf talent that lives in Japan. Maybe we need some new questions Aizo-style.
--How do you feel about the direction that Japan's been heading in the last 5-10 years? (post Lehman Bros. collapse, 3/11, etc.) Do you find that it's affected your long-term plans here and outlook on the country for better or worse?
--One could argue that Japanese history in the modern age could be unofficially measured in units of fads, or "booms" as they're called, which seem to come and go every 4-6 months. What's the most curious/incomprehensible/despicable boom you've experienced here in recent memory?
--For those of you who have been here for close to ten years and/or are planning on staying for the long haul, what's stopping you from getting yourself one of them shiny red Nipponkoku passports, if anything?
Aizo
Banned
I try to keep the thread movin' every now and then. Thanks. Maybe just one question at a time? haha.
Not exactly what you're asking, but I'll talk about my outlook towards the country socially.
I think Japan is heading in the right direction. Although efforts to improve work culture here have been pretty weak, it's a start. For me, the gender equality disparity is a huge bummer. Also, homophobia and racism are huge bummers. The youth I meet, though, often say the same thing, "We just have to wait for those old Japanese men on top to die. Things will get better then." I'm hopeful that lots of things will just keep getting better.
Porcile
Member
The youth of Japan seem just as small minded and demotivated for change as everyone else. I mean, they aren't openly racist or homophobic or anything but they aren't exactly the most broad minded people out there either. The majority just fall into the same way of doing and thinking about things as the generation before them. I guess you can say they start out the longer part of their life (after university) with good intentions but their cultural upbringing and the work culture ultimately means their worldview and experiences get narrower and narrower as time goes on.
Of course there are people who are not like this, but this is just my observation from the various people I've met. Don't dog pile me too much Japan experts.
Of course there are people who are not like this, but this is just my observation from the various people I've met. Don't dog pile me too much Japan experts.
Before I dissect what you wrote, I'm glad that you have hopes for the future here.
Social progression in work culture here is really is a joke. The government is pushing for more women to enter the work force (those untapped tax revenues), but forgetting for a minute that the social infrastructure isn't even there (I imagine you're familiar with the much-reported problem of lack of daycare availability in the Tokyo area in particular) -- the cultural infrastructure has such a long, long way to go. Men, with their increasingly lower salaries, want women to work......AND take care of the kids and house. Then, for all the women who complain about gender equality disparity, for a good 1/2 of them, "housewife" is still their end game. Quite the conundrum.
If you're a guy, I imagine that the only way to be gay AND happy (re: accepted) in Japan is to be a flamer to the point of exaggeration like 99% of the self-proclaimed "queens" on TV here. As for racism, yes, its presence, while largely latent, is undeniable, but if you're a Westerner, that "discrimination" can work in your favor just as much as the opposite.
The youth here strike me as disaffected and bereft of ambition. No "hungry seishin," as is often said. The boomers had something to build; the generation afterwards, while comparatively soft, had something to protect at least. Feels like all that is gradually falling by the wayside.
Don't get me wrong -- I would still prefer to live here more than anywhere else in the world, but over the last twenty years, at least to me, the country has lost much of its veneer.
This observation is (sadly) spot on to me. The saddest part is that they fall in the same way of doing and thinking about things as the prior generation, but without the security, sense of national identity and material wealth that made it worthwhile for their predecessors.
Education, a worldly view and multilinguality -- that's the way out. Three things I'm going to make absolutely sure my daughter has.
Valkerionseven
Member
^ This so much. Talking with a former student who wanted to become a basket ball player, tall, great at the game, got offers for college league, dream was the NBA or to become so good that Japan would be inspired to do it more seriously ala rugby / tennis / whatever flavor of the week sport.
Then two years into high school changed to "I want to be an office worker" not even at a particular company for x reason, not a particular position... just generic office worker. Stuff like that is really eye opening. There just is so little kindling or supporting the various ambitions of the youth here its no wonder the place is a sliding slope.
Not to mention nothing really changes when your waiting for that old person at the top to go, since they will be replaced by another old person who more than likely has the same thinking as the previous who appointed them. It's a crazy snake eating its tail for most people here.
Then two years into high school changed to "I want to be an office worker" not even at a particular company for x reason, not a particular position... just generic office worker. Stuff like that is really eye opening. There just is so little kindling or supporting the various ambitions of the youth here its no wonder the place is a sliding slope.
Not to mention nothing really changes when your waiting for that old person at the top to go, since they will be replaced by another old person who more than likely has the same thinking as the previous who appointed them. It's a crazy snake eating its tail for most people here.
To share a perfectly related anecdote -- and perhaps give my own answers to one or two of my questions in the process -- for the first two or three years in the wake of the Lehman collapse in 2008, if you asked young Japanese students what they wanted to do when they got older, the overwhelmingly popular response was "koumuin" (public servant) -- strictly based on the perception that job category was immune to layoffs and salary/bonus cuts, which were par for the course during the first few years coming off of the economic crash.
When young Japanese women were asked what THEY wanted to do when they got older, the general response was, "marry a koumuin."
wellthereitis.gif
Looking to see if anyone currently living in Japan is willing to ship something to me (in the US) from Japan?
I'm a big fan of Japanese Whisky and Yamazaki just came out with the Limited Edition 2017. https://www.amazon.co.jp/gp/product/B06Y657X1L/
I'm a big fan of Japanese Whisky and Yamazaki just came out with the Limited Edition 2017. https://www.amazon.co.jp/gp/product/B06Y657X1L/
I'm trying to take my Softbank Iphone 7 out of Japan with me. I'm leaving for good, and I'm going to unlock my phone.
I want to buy a prepaid US SIM card, but I have no idea if my phone will even work. Someone recommended T Mobile, but i have no idea if softbank is CDMA or whatever, so I don't know if it will be compatable. It's the latest version of the iPhone, so I want to assume it will work wherever, but I don't want to assume that.
Also, my final destination is France, do you know if I can use my Japanese unlocked iPhone 7 in France?
I want to buy a prepaid US SIM card, but I have no idea if my phone will even work. Someone recommended T Mobile, but i have no idea if softbank is CDMA or whatever, so I don't know if it will be compatable. It's the latest version of the iPhone, so I want to assume it will work wherever, but I don't want to assume that.
Also, my final destination is France, do you know if I can use my Japanese unlocked iPhone 7 in France?
If it's unlocked, it should work anywhere as long as you have a SIM that works where you are. I unlocked my Softbank iPhone 6S in April and used it successfully in a European country (with a SIM from that country).
If it's unlocked then it's unlocked -- it doesn't matter where you go so long as you get a SIM card for it.
I bought my phone in Canada before I moved to Japan, and the switch was easy. You should be fine.
ElectricKaibutsu
Member
Hi everyone,
I used to live in Japan and ended up really liking the Gatsby Gray hair product. I stocked up when I moved to the States but I'm on my last one. Does anyone know any similar product in America? Basically matte, cheap, and scent free? Thanks.
I used to live in Japan and ended up really liking the Gatsby Gray hair product. I stocked up when I moved to the States but I'm on my last one. Does anyone know any similar product in America? Basically matte, cheap, and scent free? Thanks.
I used the same product for a good ten years or so. Go for the real thing (or at least close to it):
https://www.gatsbyglobal.com/usa/product/#otherItem01
ElectricKaibutsu
Member
Yeah,I think I'll have to import it. It's the best!
Unfortunately the Gatsby store on US Amazon doesn't carry it.
Valkerionseven
Member
Anyone been to Hokkaido, namely Sapporo city? Thinking about where to take a trip this summer and Hokkaido has been on my list for a minute. Wanted to road trip it/motorbike it across some of the farm land if I can find a rental place. But what are some touristy things in the day, fun things in the night there if anyone here knows.
Been thinking about splurging for a Ryokan a day or two (feels like a waste since I'm sure I will go alone... but might be good for the mental health haha) Wanna get my country side farm land on though.
Been thinking about splurging for a Ryokan a day or two (feels like a waste since I'm sure I will go alone... but might be good for the mental health haha) Wanna get my country side farm land on though.
Out of the 8 or so places I've tried around Tokyo, they all taste the same. I guess they all order the same food supplies. This includes Star, Box J (at the end of Takeshita St.), 2 Ankara branches, one of the 2 places next door to each other in Roppongi (I think it was Kebab Bar). I got nothing against my hard working Turkish brothers, but they have to play to the crowd here. There's no huge Turkish population here that's gonna spur them to make it like back home, so I never order doner or kebab really if I'm at a Turkish restaurant in Tokyo. I gave up on the dream, just as I'm slowly giving up on Mexican food here.
That said, the staff have always been super nice no matter where I ate at.
I'd travel pretty far for good Mexican food, but wherever I have gone it has been a let down. Are you talking about アステカス?
How much money you made the year before. Your first year will be cheaper as you made less money in Japan.
Edit: I wish mine was only 5400¥ a month.
Sakura
Member
I see. Seems crazy to me because in Canada I would be considered low income and not paying anything.
Meanwhile in Japan, as a full time student working at a convenience store for a measly 768 yen an hour, I guess I am expected to pay 5400 yen a month, and medical here doesn't even cover 100%.
Kakaku.com
For most (new) things, really.
Thanks
pock3tmonster
Banned
I'm cross-posting from the BST thread.
I'm hoping someone here might be able to help me out with a favour, please. From July 15th, stores in Japan are giving away a special "Jara" for the new 3DS game, Snack World. You simply need to request one.
It's the size of a small keychain but I'm only too happy to pay shipping costs and whatever is considered appropriate for the effort involved in obtaining one for me. I'd usually ask my Japanese friend to help me out, but he is going to be travelling during July.
I'm hoping someone here might be able to help me out with a favour, please. From July 15th, stores in Japan are giving away a special "Jara" for the new 3DS game, Snack World. You simply need to request one.
It's the size of a small keychain but I'm only too happy to pay shipping costs and whatever is considered appropriate for the effort involved in obtaining one for me. I'd usually ask my Japanese friend to help me out, but he is going to be travelling during July.
The fine text of the image is too small/blurry to read. What are the participating stores? Geo? Bic?
pock3tmonster
Banned
Sorry, I'll try to find a better quality image so I can confirm the stores participating.
You will have an awkward moment.
ジャラがほしいんジャラ！！......
I've got it all worked out, I'll go to the Bic in Akiba, and pretend to be a tourist, putting on my thickest American accent "Hi, umm, excuse me, *pull paper out of pocket with romaji written* jaRA guHAshen JUra." that way no one knows that I know what I am saying is nonsense.
pock3tmonster
Banned
Does this mean you're going to attempt to grab one for me?
Yeah, I can go do that for you.