Living in Japan as a (Young) Expat

[Ghost Kitty~]

Hmm i suppose i should go and and try poking more japanese stuff xD I guess vn would help~

 

[Uninstall]

Japanese is quite tricky to grasp if you're used to Western languages but with lots of practice and dedication Im sure anyone can overcome the difficulties. like renano said I also have trouble composing my sentences though understanding is a lot easier. Dad speaks to me in Japanese but I respond mixed in Indonesian, Japanese and Dutch but I try my best to continue learning all languages I know.

Just a heads up you will have Japanese classes based on your current level in all international schools in Japan!

and thank you renano!!(#^.^#)

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[Ghost Kitty~]

Hmm english is hard enough as it is xD Japanese~ Just going to be more difficult for now~ Fancy writing in any language is hard~

 

[Uninstall]

trust me, there are enough that cant tell the difference

I know right, simply by keeping up to date with world issues is enough to wake someone from their Japan is Anime dream. I'm sorry but no place is perfect

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[renano]

English... I speak/write according to the situation... formally or informally. I find no trouble with speaking/writing, but some prefer certain words or formats of speaking/writing so I must adjust to that.

There are levels... My level... not too good~ xD

 

[Shir0]

just saying

 

[Uninstall]

I was in class B standard, which is two below the native levels and one above the foundation classes.. It was pretty intense! So study hard

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[AhGwee]

Not reading all of this would be anything short of rude, especially with all the effort and depth that has been put into this(grammar?).

A great guide to living in japan. It has left me with few words to say.

It was a pleasure to read, my friend.

 

[Ghost Kitty~]

Hmm and im just all that much worse xD

Well i would wonder what brought about the delusions... maybe the just wanted to believe there was somewhere better...

 

[Uninstall]

Not reading all of this would be anything short of rude, especially with all the effort and depth that has been put into this(grammar?).

A great guide to living in japan. It has left me with few words to say.

It was a pleasure to read, my friend.

Thank You for your feedback! Definately appreciate it and I will add more- although these have a "personal" aspect to it, JAPAN GUIDE has some great informative articles!

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[renano]

Much love and support for Uninstall aka Pachi~ ^^

Franz Kafka would be good for 'delusions'... I love his works~ cough*watch Sayonara Zetsubou-Sensei Sam*cough

 

[Ghost Kitty~]

Mehs already on the list xD

 

[AhGwee]

I would also like to add that though it is a shame that (generally/personally speaking) I might not be able to live my life the way I normally do in Japan as I value Reality above Image and Fantasy. I wouldn't be able to look away from wrong-doers if it's something that would pain everyone around them. Would it be bad to say that I value justice too much? I'm not sure. But people usually need a push before they can change or when they happen to face a crisis or be put into another person's shoe (figuratively speaking).

Anyhow, I enjoy these kinds of discussions.

 

[renano]

I said watch not let it sit in your list~ >:3

On topic:

Quite understandable AhGwee... to value certain things and aspects in life.

Perhaps typing up how your trip on the plane to Japan would be insightful as well? Just a suggestion for Pachi or anyone else.

 

[Uninstall]

hmmm the plane experience may differ, since there are different airlines and such, but I could talk about it if you wish, for now I just want to clear up some misconceptions of life in Japan, etc. but of course eventually I'll cover the rest （●＾o＾●）

Also AhGwee mate yeah I get what you mean, I think I had some similar thoughts which got me to start the thread （ ＾ν＾）

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[Ghost Kitty~]

But theres all the other stuff... :x I need to get the drawing in before i disappear for the month...

Hmm cant quite say anyone values something too much~ Of course justice is quite subjective and what one views as right might be wrong in another's eyes~ I guess a bit of flexibility is needed for different situations~

 

[AhGwee]

But theres all the other stuff... :x I need to get the drawing in before i disappear for the month...

Hmm cant quite say anyone values something too much~ Of course justice is quite subjective and what one views as right might be wrong in another's eyes~ I guess a bit of flexibility is needed for different situations~

Definitely. Like they say 'beauty is in the eyes of the beholder', I guess the people's views of justice works in a similar or the same way. I guess it usually depends on the way people have been brought up by the environment around them that changes their opinions on these things.

 

[renano]

Just a suggestion... No need to worry about it~ ^^

All the best for your drawing, Sam~

Which is why the word and term 'compromise' was invented for that 'flexibility' you mentioned. Such a 'compromise' still wouldn't do much anyway if any party decides to revert or stray away from it.

Maybe... some more stories/details about interactions with certain people like political figures or teachers? Just a suggestion.

 

[Ghost Kitty~]

Inflexibility is actually a somewhat childish trait :/ They wont be able to say good from bad depending on situational factors...

 

[renano]

Are we still on topic with this thread... discussing 'inflexibility' and whatnot?

How did it turn out this way? xD

Hmm... Japan... maybe more information about foreigners or tourists? Another suggestion.

 

[AhGwee]

Hmmm, would it be possible to talk about the weather all year in Japan as well? It was the first thing that came into mind when I was wondering how hot it was at 3am. :3

 

[renano]

I wouldn't mind about the seasonal and climate changes as well... ^^

 

[Uninstall]

Hmmm, would it be possible to talk about the weather all year in Japan as well? It was the first thing that came into mind when I was wondering how hot it was at 3am. :3

I wouldn't mind about the seasonal and climate changes as well... ^^

Sure thing, I'll do that when I get home this afternoon, for now I'll just type up a part before I need to go (○・▽・○) Although unfortunately I've only experienced change of season in two parts of the country, so I can't go too far in depth in that as the climate in Sapporo is way different than in Okinawa

If you've run out of tracks here's one more

Spoiler: The Day After

Title is "The Day After" and it's brand new, by my homeboys over at ILL EAST RECORDS. The track is about what he remembers about the dreadful day 3/11 - note he says "Omoiokosu 3/11" in the hook which means "Remember 3/11", which is also the idea behind my sig; The guys at ILL EAST RECORDS are great and kind-hearted people, so big up! The MC Akuryo is an incredibly funny dude, he really has heart, I spoke with him last year when I was doing community service for school.

Part 6: Making Friends in Japan, (Social) Acceptance

As I've said before, I may repeat some stuff I've covered before but I've warned you that it was going to be a mess (*´ I｀*) Also some of it may come across as offensive for some, but please, I really don't mean it in a way to hurt anyone!! (o・Д・o)

Anyways, making friends - people in Japan tend to have feelings you really must be careful with and must think about. Firstly, I don't think this happens to kids and adults until they finish some sort of education course in Japan (I mean langauge schools, school, university) but there's many (foreign) adults who experience loneliness in Japan. Heck, I could even mention it's not only a problem in foreigner's, I believe this "loneliness" has become an epidemic and a crisis was announced sometime last year, I believe. Leading to a low birth rate whilst the life expectancy rises, partly leading to an ageing country, similar to Italy, for example. It could also be partly the cause for a high depression and suicide rate in Japan. It's the harsh reality.
I don't have much experience with it myself so I can't say much but generally if you feel lonely, find a foreigner's community, my school had a parent's community where they would have coffee, and they became close; or join a kyudo club, kendo, or whatever if you have the time for that. I'm sure you'll get to know more people you can be friends with.

As a child, making friends is alot easier.
Earlier I explained about introducing yourself in Japan formally to Japanese people, but if you're looking for friends, don't make your introduction so "formal". Once you get closer you will feel a lot more comfortable and most of the time you'll be giving each other nicknames, this is big especially in female circles.
Now is the hard part: not messing up the relationship, which I'm sure any foreigner has experienced with their Japanese friends. As I said before, Honne & Tatemae plays a big roll in this. Don't try to bring up topics that could ruin the "harmony". Everything in Japan is beaureaucratic, orderly and routine, like a train - so think before throwing your opinions around. If the time comes when you do mess up a relationship, most of the time they won't say anything bad about you or to you (honestly, it really depends on the person) but they'll just try to avoid you.

Next I wanna move on to social acceptance, prejudice etc.

I'm sure many of you would consider yourself Otaku. Let's say you absolutely love watching Anime, you know absolutely everything about the U.S. Marines, you absolutely love train spotting, you absolutely love PCs, or whatsoever. Pretty cool, I suppose, but in Japan Otaku is not always considered as cool. It can be frowned upon sometimes.

Otaku can closely be translated to geek or nerd. However there has been discussion about this as you can also use the word otaku to refer to house, which I suppose connotes the fact that Otakus tend to avoid going outside to do whatever they enjoy at home - which I disagree with because I have seen Otaku who spend their days at the train station filming trains and uploading them directly to YouTube from there.
However I'm not gonna say anything about the meaning in English because I don't know myself.

Anyway, my point is, Otaku isn't always socially accepted, sometimes it can be frowned upon. Otaku tend to have bad reputation as many social outcasts are claimed to be otaku, ending up as serial killers, murderers, and so on - so the police tend to suspect Otaku for many different crimes, especially assault.

When it comes to making friends, being one may make it harder to make friends that don't have exactly the same interest, once again because it connotes that you really aren't a fun person and rarely walk out the house, have a super shy personality or whatever.

However that is mostly generelisation and bs. In fact, according to a study which I can't find anymore, more and more ladies tend to date otaku nowadays, simply because they are a lot more trustworthy and a better shoulder to lean on than ones that are not. Just wanted to let you know! It's not over! ヽ(○・▽・○)ノ゛
I have a friend dating a Shin-kan-sen otaku and apparently she says he's incredibly sweet and romantic, sometimes all guys need is a warm hug from a girl haha (*´∀｀*)

Another thing I want to talk about is figurines. I'm sure many of you have them, those ecchi figurines where the females are depicted in a very unfair and possibly offensive manner, you know?
If you're a guy looking to date someone, get rid of them, seriously, or at least hide them
It's a complete turn-off for many ladies! In fact I've asked a Japanese lady friend of mine last night what she thinks. Yes she has allowed me to do this and I will block out the names for privacy. Translated it a accurately as possible for you.

[26-5-2012 10:24:34] ----: thank you.
[26-5-2012 23:32:01] Yono P: go ahead, i'm curious what you think (*´∀｀)
[26-5-2012 23:32:33] ----: well i think it's a bit creepy (lol)＾＾
[26-5-2012 23:40:01] ----: if he has many and polishes them
[26-5-2012 23:43:01] ----: and puts it in a display case (lol) (*´ I｀*)
[26-5-2012 23:44:52] ----: i won't go near (worry) but if it's old figures from when he is a child.. it's okay, maybe
[26-5-2012 23:45:49] Yono P: ah.. i see
[26-5-2012 23:45:59] ----: but yes basically answer is no.
[26-5-2012 23:46:37] Yono P: ah, ok.. I see.. what do you think your friends will think?
[26-5-2012 23:49:23] ----: same (worry)(worry)

of course it depends on whoever you're hanging out with, but generally it's a no-go. Also with cosplay, yes it's cool sometimes, but generally, if you have a girl's cosplay costume, they'll probably think you have some odd fetish and want them to wear it, and completely get creeped out. Cosplay is not considered as cool as you may think. However it really depends! I don't know enough about this but I have known some stories about this. So please don't completely rely on me! Thanks again for reading!!

Anyways hope this helps clear up some stuff! ヾ(ｏ^∀^ｏ)ﾉ Thanks again for reading!

 

[renano]

Friends... Otaku... Manners... Words... Social outlooks... Acceptance... Females...

So much to consider I suppose... :x

Tough for many...

Moving and nice music tracks as well.~

 

[Uninstall]

Thank you Renano, even if it helps even only one person it is worth writing.
Tonight I'll also write about gifts - it is very important in Japanese culture, and you can't ignore it.

Just a video now to show you how the Japanese treat gifts!

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