Japan!

[Down]

 

Yeah, but what I mean is, can you make friends on the street? e.g: I meet you on a shop and I can start talking to you if I see we share common interests?

 

From what most people say, if you're a gaijin, the japanese people who can speak english (ie not that much) will spontaneously come speak with you.

Otherwise it's probably like anywhere else.

 

I'm currently trying to get an internship in Japan, that'd be awesome. Competition is tough and waiting is infinitely frustrating though...

[SieghartXx]

From what most people say, if you're a gaijin, the japanese people who can speak english (ie not that much) will spontaneously come speak with you.

Otherwise it's probably like anywhere else.

 

I'm currently trying to get an internship in Japan, that'd be awesome. Competition is tough and waiting is infinitely frustrating though...

Ooh! Good luck with that >-<!

[O. Van Bruce]

People do that? Just randomly on the street? o_O

 

Welp, I've met some nice people in shops, bars and that. 19 of 20 times it's just iddle chatter that ends the moment we separate but sometimes it goes on.

 

People are nicer and more open the more south you go. Try being in a latinamerican country like Colombia (I lived there) and you can make a friend in every corner.

 

I found depressing how sometimes when I was visiting London and Edimburgh, people didn't even payed attention when I tried talking to then. The scotish were more amiable than than the english I must say.

[Flutterz]

Welp, I've met some nice people in shops, bars and that. 19 of 20 times it's just iddle chatter that ends the moment we separate but sometimes it goes on.

 

People are nicer and more open the more south you go. Try being in a latinamerican country like Colombia (I lived there) and you can make a friend in every corner.

 

I found depressing how sometimes when I was visiting London and Edimburgh, people didn't even payed attention when I tried talking to then. The scotish were more amiable than than the english I must say.

Well, in shops or bars maybe, but I wouldn't go so far as calling them friends.

I should stop derailing threads! >.<

What are the prices in Japan for things like groceries or train/bus fares?

[O. Van Bruce]

Well, in shops or bars maybe, but I wouldn't go so far as calling them friends.

I should stop derailing threads! >.<

What are the prices in Japan for things like groceries or train/bus fares?

 

You get to know then there and then they can become friends or not

[Guest loppez]

 

And how is the personality of people on the countryside? specially in the Kansai (Nara prefecture) and Kyushuu region.

more "japanese". they don't see foreigners as often as people from big cities. don't think they are more opened to gaijins. 

 

I assume this only happens in the city, right? It's one of the reasons I would consider better going to the countryside...

 

 

Thank god... seems like there are sane people in the cities then...

japanese usually don't talk in a train. it is a "bad habit". instead they can fart... 

 

[O. Van Bruce]

more "japanese". they don't see foreigners as often as people from big cities. don't think they are more opened to gaijins.

 

What do you mean by more "japanese".

[Alucard]

I once got stopped on the street by some random Japanese guy who was trying to get me to agree with him that Japan was bad/evil. A real weirdo and basically had to walk away from his ranting ass. There are some self hating Japanese out there but this guy was a bit much

[InvertMouse]

I once got stopped on the street by some random Japanese guy who was trying to get me to agree with him that Japan was bad/evil. A real weirdo and basically had to walk away from his ranting ass. There are some self hating Japanese out there but this guy was a bit much

 

I had some random guy walk up to me when I was in Akihabara asking if we could be friends XD. Some people seem to think Japan is the best place in the universe. It's just as awesome or odd as any other place.

[Charmanderson]

I always wanted to go to Japan, even when i didn't watched anime or read VN's I had that curiosity and admiration towards Japan. I know it is no paradise but i would love to go and live there. Unfortunately my father was always like " Japan's stupid, if you wanna go there ur stupid" and i was like " okay, sorry" xD and because of that i never really looked into what i could do to make it happen, so... i guess this is a good opportunity so here it goes, could anyone be a bit more specific as of which kind of jobs, besides teaching, i could look into? I suck at teaching. And in these jobs is age important? Like, one would get rejected for being too old or too young? Can a foreigner survive with a basic or intermediate level of Japanese. I heard that things in Japan are not really foreign-friendly because they are all in Kanjis and such and to be honest that kindof scares me a bit

[O. Van Bruce]

Get in here. I'll probably be doing this once I get enough money for the plane and some cash reserve.

[Scars Unseen]

The biggest thing that attracts me to japan, is simply the culture and how Everyone seams much more polite and considerate.

 

Be careful not to rely on that; sometimes that surface courtesy can cause problems when it doesn't reflect an individual's feelings.  My ex-wife(Japanese, from Nara) went through a lot of stress because she ended up around people she didn't like(I think I eventually ended up on that list) and couldn't say anything about it for fear of seeming rude.  There were many times she tried to get me to make up an excuse for her so she wouldn't have to go to some social gathering or another.  Being the fairly blunt person that I am, I would usually just tell the host that my ex didn't feel like going, and boy did that earn me some scolding.  

 

Can a foreigner survive with a basic or intermediate level of Japanese. I heard that things in Japan are not really foreign-friendly because they are all in Kanjis and such and to be honest that kindof scares me a bit

 

Okinawa at least has a lot of romaji used for road signs and such due to the larger U.S. presence on the island.  Most chain restaurants can provide English menus, and in most other cases you'd be surprised how far you can get with nothing but gestures and a few Japanese phrases.  That said, you'll get out of a visit to the country what you put into it, and so I'd at least recommend getting to the point where you can hold a simple conversation before going to the great expense of coming out this way.

[OriginalRen]

Well, in shops or bars maybe, but I wouldn't go so far as calling them friends.

I should stop derailing threads! >.<

What are the prices in Japan for things like groceries or train/bus fares?

 

Soda/Pop/Cola is pretty comparable to the states in terms of prices, though it can be a little more expensive if you don't find the right stores. Food itself is actually pretty cheap and things are very comparable in price to the US, however make sure you buy items from an actual grocery mart (like a Wal-Mart), rather than the convenience stores. When I was there, the exchange rate was 1 dollar = 102 yen, so I was saving some money on purchases.

 

The most expensive thing? Milk. Japan has little to no dairy farms, and milk is the most expensive thing you will ever spend money on. Good quality (not 7 Eleven) milk costs abut 157-237 yen, per quart. 4 quarts in a gallon, you're looking at about 700 yen a gallon, so about 7-8 bucks for a full thing of dairy. Gallons where I am from cost about $2.37. It's pretty insane.

 

As for train fares, just get a Suica pass. Main lines like Yamanote and the like run on the main "circle" for districts in Japan (Akihabara, Tokyo, Ikebukuro, Shibuya, Ueno), and so long as you stay within this line, its only about 120 yen minimum for 1 stop, and every stop after adds about 10-20 yen. However, once you branch off the main lines to go to the outer "fingers" of the track, that's when the prices reach about 200-400 yen each. Still, you put 10,000 yen down on Suica, and you should be set for an entire month + some.

[Charmanderson]

Another thing, what's the price of the housing? Not only buying/renting a place but the costs of water supply, power supply, internet, etc...

[SieghartXx]

Do you go to your usual shop and start talking with random people? I can't even talk to a friend of a friend if I don't know a bit about them beforehand D':

Noooooooow, I've been wanting to ask, is it true that there's a limit to the things you can bring with you? Me and some friends want to go to Japan for a week or so in the unknown future, and of course, I would love to buy anime goods in Akiba, but my friend found that they don't let you take more than X number of stuff with you. I thought asking someone who actualy went would be wise.

 

Following up that, how is Akiba? Is it like it's always pictured in anime? Like, a paradise of sorts xD 

:'c

[Scars Unseen]

Another thing, what's the price of the housing? Not only buying/renting a place but the costs of water supply, power supply, internet, etc...

Rent is going to depend on location.  In Okinawa it can vary from around 円25,000 for a crappy 1DK(1 room plus dining/kitchen) on up.  I'm paying 円43,000 for 3DK apartment that is in decent shape near the base I work on and some decent shopping and food within a 5 minute walk.  At one point I was paying 円150,000 for a 3LDK(living room/dining/kitchen), but that was a brand new apartment, and I was in the military at the time(the Okinawans charge military 2-3 times what they charge everyone else because of the screwed up way overseas housing allowance works).

 

I pay around 円2,500 for water, maybe 円4,000 for gas, 円6,500 for electricity and another 円6,500 for fiber optic internet.  Exchange rates are currently hovering right around 円100 <-> $1.00, so altogether, I'm paying about $625 per month on rent and utilities.

[meru]

Alrighty, here's a few answers for some of the latest questions. More to come later~

 

I always wanted to go to Japan, even when i didn't watched anime or read VN's I had that curiosity and admiration towards Japan. I know it is no paradise but i would love to go and live there. Unfortunately my father was always like " Japan's stupid, if you wanna go there ur stupid" and i was like " okay, sorry" xD and because of that i never really looked into what i could do to make it happen, so... i guess this is a good opportunity so here it goes, could anyone be a bit more specific as of which kind of jobs, besides teaching, i could look into? I suck at teaching. And in these jobs is age important? Like, one would get rejected for being too old or too young? Can a foreigner survive with a basic or intermediate level of Japanese. I heard that things in Japan are not really foreign-friendly because they are all in Kanjis and such and to be honest that kindof scares me a bit

 

Language

You can survive in Tokyo with no Japanese at all, if you just stay within the expat community. I have some clients who have been here over 10 years and yet speak no Japanese!! Particularly if you live somewhere like Roppongi, which is foreigner-central. That being said, you need to learn the language of a place to truly enjoy it, but I think you already know that It's scary not knowing the language of a place, and it can be difficult and upsetting when you feel you're not making any progress, but that's just something you have to deal with if you want to live abroad.

 

Jobs

The only other jobs I can think of that will hire foreigners from abroad (unless you have a special skill set) is recruiting. Anyone looking for work in Japan should check out www.gaijinpot.com, it's one of the best sites for job postings aimed at foreigners. They all list what criteria you need such as required language ability, and whether applications from outside Japan are accepted. And like I mentioned before, connections are also very important. By connections I don't mean that you need some kind of rich and powerful family member, I just mean that it'll be useful to make friends with people who are already in Japan (you've got one right here ) who can offer advice and notify you of any opportunities they come across.

 

Visas

This is the hardest part in my experience! Most companies don't want to sponsor a visa for someone from outside of Japan - yet you can't get to Japan without a visa. It becomes a very frustrating Catch-22. The best way to get to Japan is either go with an English teaching company that will sponsor your visa and then look for other jobs once here (many people do this), or come on a working holiday visa which you can apply for by yourself, and again look for things once you're here.

 

Another thing, what's the price of the housing? Not only buying/renting a place but the costs of water supply, power supply, internet, etc...

 

As Scars Unseen said, it really does depend on location. I live in central Tokyo which is very expensive, and even within Tokyo prices vary hugely by area. I'm paying 150,000 (split with my bf) for a 40 square metre 1DK place. We definitely could have gone cheaper, but it's in a great location and the building is very new with all mod cons. You can get a small place for less than 50,000, but when I say small I mean SMALL

Also move-in costs are extremely high - many places require around 3 months' worth of rent up-front which they call things like 'deposit' and 'key money'. Some places also don't allow foreigners. When I arrived I stayed with Sakura House for 3 months until I could sort out renting a place, and I recommend them for short-term stays as they cater to foreigners who don't want to deal with all the hassle of renting properly. You pay for the convenience though - I was paying 80,000 for 14 square metres.

Utilities are okay, water is around 4,000, electricity varies between 4-10,000 depending on the month (more expensive in Summer when using the aircon!), and gas is around 3,000. Internet is 3,800.

[Alucard]

Peanut butter was expensive

[meru]

Moooooore answers~

 

How is the japanese countryside? do you have friends or know how people are in small villages?

And how is the personality of people on the countryside? specially in the Kansai (Nara prefecture) and Kyushuu region.

 

 

I live in central Tokyo and unfortunately don't have any experience of country life. I have visited some places in the countryside though and had great experiences. I remember I went with a friend to Toyama and we were staying in a family-run Japanese ryokan (hostel/inn type place). However, we got COMPLETELY LOST on the way there due to wrong GPS coordinates, and were eventually saved by a super nice old guy who phoned the place for us which turned out to be quite far away. He then drove us (two complete strangers, and foreigners to boot!) somewhere to meet the people from the ryokan, and they then drove us the rest of the way. Seriously, I can't imagine anyone doing that in the UK! I also had an amazing time on Yakushima, an island off Kyuushu. My boyfriend and I were looking for somewhere to eat but everywhere was closed, until we came upon a tiny little local drinking place. We were kind of wary of going in as some of these small places aren't too welcoming of foreigners, but everyone was lovely to us! So basically my travelling experiences (which include Hakkone, Nikko, Fukuoka, Osaka, Nagano, Yufuin, Kagoshima, Tanegashima, Yakushima) have all been great, but I don't know what it would be like to live there. Hopefully one day I will find out though!

 

I lived in Japan for a year in Tokyo. Great experience but sometimes you really do get the isolated feeling since my Japanese was weak. I was teaching English there with a company called NOVA before it ran into trouble and collapsed. It wasn't the best job but it was a way in. I really miss being able to go grab Melon bread and some tonkatsu curry on my lunch.

 

Ah I remember the NOVA thing, sorry you were caught up in it Do you think you'll come back to work in Japan again?

 

i have always wanted to go to japan, After I finish my Bachelor's degree i was contemplating applying under JET, But only If I'm more Competent in Japanese at the time.

I'm curious though, If You could use the Notion of being An ALT or teaching English to get into japan, and then in your spare time branch out and possibly acquire a working VISA after your term being an ALT ends if you can find a company 

 

my personal Dream would be to Do audio production in japan, as that's what I do and am currently studying 

 

The biggest thing that attracts me to japan, is simply the culture and how Everyone seams much more polite and considerate.

 

Yes, it's definitely possible to come over to work as a teacher and then move onto something else. I know a lot of people who started out that way  

 

Hehe, to be honest I don't think Japanese people are more intrinsically polite than anyone else, they just have certain manners and ways of acting that seem very polite on the surface. You might like some of these customs, but there might be some that rub you the wrong way. Personally, I operate well within Japanese culture, although there are sometimes cultural differences that sometimes frustrate me such as people not speaking up for themselves in the workplace. Believe it or not there are many people who live here but are very bitter about Japanese people and culture - if you look at the Gaijinpot forums there's a lot of hate - but I just don't understand why they stay here if they hate it so much :/

 

Yeah, but what I mean is, can you make friends on the street? e.g: I meet you on a shop and I can start talking to you if I see we share common interests?

 

Mostly no. If you're a foreigner then you might get people approaching you to chat which can be nice, but can also be annoying. As a white female I get men approaching me quite often, under the guise of 'wanting to learn English' haha.  I would never ever strike up a conversation with someone on the street except maybe in the nightlife areas like Roppongi, both because that's not in my nature anyway, and I don't think most Japanese people would react well to it. That being said, if you're in a drinking place like an izakaya or a bar then you definitely can! I've had random people (usually middle aged guys with their wives XD) buy me food and drinks and stuff~ Oh also, being female helps :/ 

 

Noooooooow, I've been wanting to ask, is it true that there's a limit to the things you can bring with you? Me and some friends want to go to Japan for a week or so in the unknown future, and of course, I would love to buy anime goods in Akiba, but my friend found that they don't let you take more than X number of stuff with you. I thought asking someone who actualy went would be wise.

 

Following up that, how is Akiba? Is it like it's always pictured in anime? Like, a paradise of sorts xD 

 

There's no limit that I know of (of course aside from your airline's standard luggage limit)! I've brought tons of stuff back in my suitcase, and shipped things back too. The only problem might be with 18+ rated material, but I've also carried that kind of thing out of the country with no problem

Yeah, Akiba is pretty awesome!! Lots of huge anime adverts everywhere, anime songs blaring out of the shops, girls in maid costumes trying to get you to come to their cafes.. I'll take some pics next time I'm there~

[SieghartXx]

There's no limit that I know of (of course aside from your airline's standard luggage limit)! I've brought tons of stuff back in my suitcase, and shipped things back too. The only problem might be with 18+ rated material, but I've also carried that kind of thing out of the country with no problem

Yeah, Akiba is pretty awesome!! Lots of huge anime adverts everywhere, anime songs blaring out of the shops, girls in maid costumes trying to get you to come to their cafes.. I'll take some pics next time I'm there~

I see, I'll have to look more into it, maybe it's just my country rules xD

And you should take photos yeah! ;u; Thanks for the anwers :'D

[OriginalRen]

People want pictures? I provide. This was back in November. Most of the store pictures are of Softmaps and the like. Also, you're damn fucking right I ate at that McDonalds in picture #9.

[SieghartXx]

Alright, it is heaven <3
I always loved those giant anime posters, in my country you would be lucky to spot one for cartoon movies like, dunno, The Simpsons or anything by Disney, but they aren't as big and only near cinema and the like ;A;
I loved that night picture, so many sparkling lights *o*

[neromercer]

Holy shit, that sure is a precious place... I actually had a dream last night, in which for some reasons I HAD in the dream but can't remember right now, I needed to go to Japan :v, but for the sake of ruining my dream, the plane crashed in an unknown island in the world map that appeared out of nowhere... you see... fuck.

[Lewycool]

Welp, I've met some nice people in shops, bars and that. 19 of 20 times it's just iddle chatter that ends the moment we separate but sometimes it goes on.

 

People are nicer and more open the more south you go. Try being in a latinamerican country like Colombia (I lived there) and you can make a friend in every corner.

 

I found depressing how sometimes when I was visiting London and Edimburgh, people didn't even payed attention when I tried talking to then. The scotish were more amiable than than the english I must say.

 

You tried to talk to people on the street in the UK? xD

Why?

[OriginalRen]

I would post more, but there is a lot of censoring I would need to do.

 

#Lazy