Going to Japan in 2 weeks!!!

[sil80jdm]

Hey guys, i wasnt sure where to post this but Im going to be in japan from April 26th to May 9th and was wondering if anybody knows any events going on i can attend or any cool places to shop otaku style? I would love to meet some fellow macross/anime otakus out there!! I will be staying in tokyo, I definitely plan to go to the Bandai Museum and will probably be in Akihabara most of the time =) Definitely gonna be at super GT on May 1-2. Thanks guys!

Drop me a line!

Edited April 14, 2010 by sil80jdm

[Gubaba]

Hey guys, i wasnt sure where to post this but Im going to be in japan from April 26th to May 9th and was wondering if anybody knows any events going on i can attend or any cool places to shop otaku style? I would love to meet some fellow macross/anime otakus out there!! I will be staying in tokyo, I definitely plan to go to the Bandai Museum and will probably be in Akihabara most of the time =) Definitely gonna be at super GT on May 1-2. Thanks guys!

Drop me a line!

Make sure you go to Nakano Broadway...it's like geek heaven.

Personally, I was a little disappointed in Akihabara (the Animate store in Ikebukuro, for example, is better than the one in in Akiba) until I found the "Liberty" shops. They're all over the place, everything's used (and generally pretty cheap), and there's a very wide selection.

[EXO]

You should hit up Save.

[Lott Sheen]

Nakano Broadway is the new Akihabara for fanboys but if you`re into games then go to Super Potato in Akihabara. The big toystore at Ueno station is good for new stuff...um..and the sakuraya hobby branch at Shinjuku.

[F-ZeroOne]

If you get the chance, order the book "Tokyo Underground" by Brian Flynn; theres a new edition out soon but might not be available before you go. Its full of useful advice and tips on the best places for toy hunting. I can speak from experience when I say that the authors know their stuff.

Quick advice:

1) Get a good map of Tokyo. You have never been lost until you have been lost in Tokyo. If you are meeting someone or need to be somewhere specific, make sure you have good directions, map and if possible a contact number. When instructions provided by a Japanese business say "4 minutes walk from... " they miss out the part that reads "if you're Usain Bolt". Mentally double walking estimates in these situations.

2) You pockets will fill up with coins pretty quickly. 100 yen, 50 yen and 10 yen coins are useful; 5 yen coins pretty much aren't and 1 yen coins make good tiddly winks. Wait until you visit a shrine and dump them in a donation box, or some convenience stores have charity boxes for loose change.

3) Don't be "da hardcore"; department store toy sections and "ordinary" toy shops can be good places to find recent but older items. Ueno station has a very good toy shop across the road from it; Kiddyland in Harujuku is another. Keep your eyes peeled; there may be shops of interest above or below your eye level.

4) Navigating Shinjuku: for the main part, best done by department store. You need a good map of Tokyo for this (see point 1) which names the department stores but beware the "Marui" trap; you will be looking for the Marui stores and all you see are stores marked "OIOI". They are the Marui stores; the OIOI branding is a word/language play on the name Marui.

5) If you want to see Akihabara at its best, visit on a Saturday or a Sunday, when cat-girls prowl the streets and idols promote the latest dating sim. If you want to get anything done in Akihabara, visit on a weekday around 10:30am, when the shops are just opening. On that note, many smaller Japanese businesses tend to open fairly late in the morning and close on a random day of the week instead of a weekend day. This can be annoying if its your one chance to visit a particular place, so check if possible.

6) If you have an iPhone, PDA or smart phone, try and get a copy of Metro, a free public transport guide that covers several Japanese cities. Very useful.

7) If you're in a hurry, Akihabara or Nakano Broadway are probably the best places to do all your Da Culture shopping in one hit. If you're really in a hurry, the looming Yodabashi Akiba store, just behind Akihabara, is a good place for modern toys and the worlds largest collection of iPod socks.

Be prepared to to a lot of walking; Japan has one of the worlds best public transport systems but that doesn't make the corridors any shorter, and shrines, temples and castles are designed to destroy your knees.

9) Travel light; Japanese trains, even bullet trains, tend to be a little short on luggage rack space and some older buildings can have stairs that - I swear - are 90 degrees to the vertical. Bought too much stuff? Ditch packaging before you leave if possible, buy or pack an empty holdall and consider posting items back. Japanese post offices sell boxes, scrunched up newspaper can make reasonable packing material and loans are available to cover the postal costs.

10) Generally, Japanese toilets are of three kinds: traditional "squat" type, Western type (though with unusual twists; that spout on top is not to watch your hands with!) and Toilet Borg 3000s. Toilet Borgs 3000s have control panels which are played with at your own personal risk of being soaked by a six foot arc of high velocity water.

11) DON'T PANIC. Just because everyone else is rushing around doesn't mean you have to. Find a quiet spot, check your map and consider.

12) The tissue thing. You'll find out.

Edited April 14, 2010 by F-ZeroOne

[Gubaba]

I'd also like to add that if you don't yet know where you're staying, I highly recommend Juyoh Hotel in Taito-ku.

It's not terribly close to anything, and it's a pretty crappy area (lots of old drunk men), but the staff is AMAZINGLY friendly, knowledgeable, and helpful, there's an awesome large-style bath on the top floor, there's a really great (if expensive) coffee shop right across the street, and at ¥3200 per night, it's a real bargain.

[Beltane70]

I love Nakano Broadway! I'm also a little biased since a friend of mine actually owns a little video shop there.

[sil80jdm]

Awesome, Thanks so much guys for the insight! Im definitely gonna head to Nakano! Ill actually be staying with a buddy of mine so im pretty squared away with all that but the thing is hes not much into the anime stuff lol.. But ill definitely be checking out all these places! And now i got a good list of where to go =)

[bluemax151]

Lonely planet publishes a lot of useful travel guides for an assortment of locations including Japan. You can purchase direct from them but I've seen their books n store too.

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/us

[F-ZeroOne]

If you're stuck for (English language) reading material, try Towers Records in Shibuya or Books Kinokuniya in Shinjuku (its in the "New Times Square" building, but along a walkway on the fifth floor. I always walk across the building a few times before I get the right corridor... .

Edited April 15, 2010 by F-ZeroOne

[Zentrandude]

12) The tissue thing. You'll find out.

Amen Brother. Also a good way to talk with those cute AU girls that pass them out with the ads.

I never really encountered any cat girl cos players in Akihabara, I mainly seen angle/devil girl, nurses, and naruto ones.

With trains, you should give up your seat if there's an elderly or a pregnant lady standing up nearby.

[Renato]

I just want to add: it is probably going to be crowded as hell while you're over here because it will be "Golden Week", which is like an entire week of work for everyone working regular hours. Be prepared to ride some very packed trains and queue for pretty much anything, even an ice cream.

Also, we're having some extremely irregular whether, it actually snowed a bit today, even though it was short-sleeve summer weather earlier in the week. I am not sure about the coming week but I'd pack a couple of warm wear items just in case.

[Save]

I just want to add: it is probably going to be crowded as hell while you're over here because it will be "Golden Week", which is like an entire week of work for everyone working regular hours. Be prepared to ride some very packed trains and queue for pretty much anything, even an ice cream.

Renato actually everybody leaves Tokyo during Golden Week the subways and trains are pretty much empty all day. Everybody goes to the beaches in Chiba or to Kansai with their family's. It is usually the most quite week in Tokyo except for the day before the end of Golden Week when everybody comes back and the highways are backed up.

Wow all the advise mostly given other than Nakano to me personally is a was of time.

The big toystore at Ueno station is good for new stuff...um..and the sakuraya hobby branch at Shinjuku.

Yamashiro the shop near Ueno has nothing of interest and they all sell everything above retail. Sakuraya hobby is closed there is nothing left for anime fans in Shinjuku besides their merchandise was over priced.

Akihabara is only un-impressive if you don't know your way around, anybody visiting Akiba shouldn't waste time in Animate unless you are a local picking up your pre-ordered merchandise or a Jump comics fan. Keep away from chain stores like Kiddyland, Animate, Gamers and Kotobukiya you can find a better selection else where and in some places save up to 50%.

Best days to shop in Akihabara are Mondays and Thursdays Liberty stores opens at 10:30am Mandarake opens at noon. Monday and Thursday are the usual restocking days for most stores. Most Tokyo based "TOY FLIPPERS" have regular jobs so they don't make it to Akiba till after 7pm Mon-Fri or come early Sat and Sun.

Only come to Akihabara on the weekends for light shopping, sight seeing and picture taking. The side walks are packed with locals and tourists and if you are carrying bags of 1/48s you are not going to make it very far with out damages. Yes you will see Maids "Do Not Take Their Pictures" ask first if they gesture it is OK then go for it, if they say no "Do Not Sneak a Picture" it is RUDE. You also can not take pictures in toy shops. Why you ask, it is just the rules so follow them and don't get caught being a jackass foreigner.

Stay away from Yodobashi Camera biggest waste of time EVER.

Every anime area closes at 8pm Akiba, Nakano and Otome Road. I've meet so many people who show up at 7:30 thinking they have till 10 to shop.

Most importantly NEVER buy the first thing you see, unless it is so rare you would give your right hand for it because some where else you will find it cheaper.

Shibuya Mandarake in my opinion is the best for vintage collectors and it is Macross friendly, and the Moe type of goods are not really stocked there.

If you want me to show you around it will cost you a lunch, and I hate Mc Donalds.

Edited April 16, 2010 by Save

[bluemax151]

Actually you're not supposed to take pictures inside US stores either but it's rarely enforced.. It's actually for a few different reasons including keeping competitors from studying layouts.

[nemesis120]

Renato actually everybody leaves Tokyo during Golden Week the subways and trains are pretty much empty all day. Everybody goes to the beaches in Chiba or to Kansai with their family's. It is usually the most quite week in Tokyo except for the day before the end of Golden Week when everybody comes back and the highways are backed up.

I'll point out that a fair number of places are probably going to have different hours during Golden Week (this year it's April 29 - May 5), but most will still be open.

Also, you might think that since your ATM card worked in random ATMs in Cambodia or Africa that it'll work in Japanese ATMs. Well that's wrong (seriously). Look for 7/11s, Post Offices, Shinseis and Citibanks if you need to get cash. A regular bank ATM won't work.

[sil80jdm]

Alright everybody i just got to Japan yesterday and its so awesome lol (didnt get a chance to do much because of the rain) but the toilets are out of this world lol. Anyways, im gonna try and hit up Akiba today my buddy says were only 20 mins away but it is raining but anybody who wants to grab some lunch or get together shoot me a hollar! I did rent a cell phone for my stay and it gets free incoming calls the number is 090-6172-1415 gimme a hollar! If Anybody is free today lets hit up that new GUNDAM CAFE!!!!

Edited April 27, 2010 by sil80jdm

[Lott Sheen]

Renato actually everybody leaves Tokyo during Golden Week the subways and trains are pretty much empty all day. Everybody goes to the beaches in Chiba or to Kansai with their family's. It is usually the most quite week in Tokyo except for the day before the end of Golden Week when everybody comes back and the highways are backed up.

Wow all the advise mostly given other than Nakano to me personally is a was of time.

Yamashiro the shop near Ueno has nothing of interest and they all sell everything above retail. Sakuraya hobby is closed there is nothing left for anime fans in Shinjuku besides their merchandise was over priced.

Akihabara is only un-impressive if you don't know your way around, anybody visiting Akiba shouldn't waste time in Animate unless you are a local picking up your pre-ordered merchandise or a Jump comics fan. Keep away from chain stores like Kiddyland, Animate, Gamers and Kotobukiya you can find a better selection else where and in some places save up to 50%.

Best days to shop in Akihabara are Mondays and Thursdays Liberty stores opens at 10:30am Mandarake opens at noon. Monday and Thursday are the usual restocking days for most stores. Most Tokyo based "TOY FLIPPERS" have regular jobs so they don't make it to Akiba till after 7pm Mon-Fri or come early Sat and Sun.

Only come to Akihabara on the weekends for light shopping, sight seeing and picture taking. The side walks are packed with locals and tourists and if you are carrying bags of 1/48s you are not going to make it very far with out damages. Yes you will see Maids "Do Not Take Their Pictures" ask first if they gesture it is OK then go for it, if they say no "Do Not Sneak a Picture" it is RUDE. You also can not take pictures in toy shops. Why you ask, it is just the rules so follow them and don't get caught being a jackass foreigner.

Stay away from Yodobashi Camera biggest waste of time EVER.

Every anime area closes at 8pm Akiba, Nakano and Otome Road. I've meet so many people who show up at 7:30 thinking they have till 10 to shop.

Most importantly NEVER buy the first thing you see, unless it is so rare you would give your right hand for it because some where else you will find it cheaper.

Shibuya Mandarake in my opinion is the best for vintage collectors and it is Macross friendly, and the Moe type of goods are not really stocked there.

If you want me to show you around it will cost you a lunch, and I hate Mc Donalds.

Great post! However on taking pictures Japanese won`t hesitate to take pictures of gaijin they think are funny or interesting without asking, actually Japanese are some of the rudist and most selfish people I have ever met, so snap away I say! every man for themselves, its the Tokyo way!

Can the mods turn this into a Japan FAQ thread?

btw Tokyo has wifi everywhere and a good link for your wifi enabled devices is a train route finder, I mostly used jorudan when I lived there, invaluable:

http://www.jorudan.co.jp/english/norikae/

Edited April 28, 2010 by Lott Sheen

[Ghadrack]

Hahaha, great post Save.

I have to admit to being one of those jackass foreigners, we were in one of the multi-level arcades in Akihabara and there was a Gundam Card Machine Tournament going on and I knew one of my friends back home would want to se a picture when I tried to describe the thing to him because we'd never seen games like that before. I got the camera out, snapped a picture and three little japanese guys literally dove in front of me making X's with their arms saying "No No No" in Japanese then they politely escorted me out of the building. I think I got a picture fo them doing their X-Arm dance crossing their arms in front of me trying to get a picture, I need to dig up those pics some time

[sketchley]

Great post! However on taking pictures Japanese won`t hesitate to take pictures of gaijin they think are funny or interesting without asking, actually Japanese are some of the rudist and most selfish people I have ever met, so snap away I say! every man for themselves, its the Tokyo way!

Woah, been in Japan a little too long, eh? First off, it's gaikokujin (foreigner). Gaijin (outsider) has too many negative connotations, and is actually rude.

Second: Save's point was taking pictures of the "Maids", not the general populace.

As far as the law goes: http://tonymcnicol.com/2009/01/26/photogra...re-your-rights/

So, the question then becomes, what is your intended use of the picture?

Concerning Japanese taking pictures of foreigners - the law works both ways. If you find a picture of yourself and it can be proven that your right to privacy has been infringed upon, you'll have a successful case. Nevertheless, please try not to judge everyone from the few bad apples. The same holds true for foreigners in Japan - you're actions reflect on the rest of us. So, if you're treated badly during your stay, it was because some else before you did something bad. If you want better treatment next time, and want to present your countrymen in the best possible way, it's best to think of yourself as an ambassador of your country during your stay.

Can the mods turn this into a Japan FAQ thread?

I think a new thread should be started. In fact, I'm thinking about starting one; but not geared toward the visitor.

btw Tokyo has wifi everywhere and a good link for your wifi enabled devices is a train route finder, I mostly used jorudan when I lived there, invaluable:

http://www.jorudan.co.jp/english/norikae/

I've found it to be... hmmm, not quite exact. If you don't mind not having the fastest and/or most direct route, it'll suffice. If you want the fastest, most direct, etc., and can write Japanese, one of the better ones is: http://transit.map.yahoo.co.jp/

Edited April 28, 2010 by sketchley

[Lott Sheen]

Woah, been in Japan a little too long, eh? First off, it's gaikokujin (foreigner). Gaijin (outsider) has too many negative connotations, and is actually rude.

I lived there from 2005-2009, mostly in Tokyo and I came back to my country (Australia) last year. One of the reasons I decided I couldnt make a life there was that people were so cold, selfish and insular. As a gaijin (I think using gaijin to describe yourself is like a black man using the n word to describe himself and completely acceptable, I dont like when Japanese use it either) I came to realise that no matter how fluent I was in Japanese, no matter how much I lived like my neighbors and followed their customs I was ALWAYS gaijin because of my skin color and face. In Australia if you walk like an Australian and talk like an Australian it doesnt matter what you look like I believe you will be treated the same, if you dont speak English or isolate yourself from Australian life then I think you will be treated differently by most Australians. Sometimes in Japan as a gaijin I was treated better and patronised to, sometimes worse but never the SAME. Equality means a lot to me I guess. The Japanese notion of `you gaijin we Japanese` is so strong that the other day I overheard a conversation between a Japanese couple at a restaurant in my city (in Australia). They were talking in Japanese about all the funny gaijin in my city, `that gaijin this..` `the other gaijin that..` they were saying. Anyway I leaned over and interjected in Japanese: `The only two gaijin I see here are you,` smiled and continued on with my meal. You should have seen the smoke coming out of their ears, it was like I broke their CPUs..haha

Second: Save's point was taking pictures of the "Maids", not the general populace.

So? Shouldnt the rule be less strict for gothic lolita chicks/maids etc since they obviously want to stand out and for people to look at them? When Japanese used to take pictures of me without asking I was just walking down the street in normal clothes.

I think a new thread should be started. In fact, I'm thinking about starting one; but not geared toward the visitor.

Why not just have a general FAQ? Most here dont live in Japan and could use the expertise of long termers like you or me.

I've found it to be... hmmm, not quite exact. If you don't mind not having the fastest and/or most direct route, it'll suffice. If you want the fastest, most direct, etc., and can write Japanese, one of the better ones is: http://transit.map.yahoo.co.jp/

Well most visitors dont understand Japanese so for the visitors purpose jorudan is fine, it gives you 3 or 4 options ranging from cheapest to fastest and I have found it 100% accurate, except on some of the Seibu lines which often ran late.

Edited April 29, 2010 by Lott Sheen

[Save]

I lived there from 2005-2009, mostly in Tokyo and I came back to my country (Australia) last year. One of the reasons I decided I couldnt make a life there was that people were so cold, selfish and insular. As a gaijin (I think using gaijin to describe yourself is like a black man using the n word to describe himself and completely acceptable, I dont like when Japanese use it either) I came to realise that no matter how fluent I was in Japanese, no matter how much I lived like my neighbors and followed their customs I was ALWAYS gaijin because of my skin color and face. In Australia if you walk like an Australian and talk like an Australian it doesnt matter what you look like I believe you will be treated the same, if you dont speak English or isolate yourself from Australian life then I think you will be treated differently by most Australians. Sometimes in Japan as a gaijin I was treated better and patronised to, sometimes worse but never the SAME. Equality means a lot to me I guess. The Japanese notion of `you gaijin we Japanese` is so strong that the other day I overheard a conversation between a Japanese couple at a restaurant in my city (in Australia). They were talking in Japanese about all the funny gaijin in my city, `that gaijin this..` `the other gaijin that..` they were saying. Anyway I leaned over and interjected in Japanese: `The only two gaijin I see here are you,` smiled and continued on with my meal. You should have seen the smoke coming out of their ears, it was like I broke their CPUs..haha s

Sorry to hear your time in Japan went so badly. For me it is not the same case 2005 to present. I've had to deal with the whole Gaijin thing from time to time, but I'm bigger than that and I can roll with the punches. I too unfortunately have had to put a very small percent of strangers in check, but it is not fun nor something to brag about.

[Lott Sheen]

Sorry to hear your time in Japan went so badly. For me it is not the same case 2005 to present. I've had to deal with the whole Gaijin thing from time to time, but I'm bigger than that and I can roll with the punches. I too unfortunately have had to put a very small percent of strangers in check, but it is not fun nor something to brag about.

Oh don`t be sorry, Japan is a wonderful place for many reasons (Women, pervasiveness of specialty stores, individual freedoms, low prices, super fast internet and tons of free wifi) but not where I want to be long term for other reason. I had some great times there, I just think its naiive to assume Japanese are some kind of super polite culture based on the stereotype that seems to be perpetuated by Japanophiles who have little actual experience in Japan or who don`t speak Japanese.

[sketchley]

I lived there from 2005-2009, mostly in Tokyo

There you go. I never liked the people experience in Tokyo, either. Nevertheless, there's the rest of the country. Which begs the question, which other parts of Japan did you live in?

As a gaijin (I think using gaijin to describe yourself is like a black man using the n word to describe himself and completely acceptable,

I don't. Please stop as it perpetuates the misbelieve that it's an acceptable derogative.

So? Shouldnt the rule be less strict for gothic lolita chicks/maids etc since they obviously want to stand out and for people to look at them? When Japanese used to take pictures of me without asking I was just walking down the street in normal clothes.

I was under the impression that Save was referring to workers having to dress up in a costume and hand out chirashi on the street to promote a business, not cosplay or people being fashionable. Nevertheless, it's good manners to ask first, before taking someones picture.

Edited April 29, 2010 by sketchley

[bluemax151]

I guess no one would want to wear one of these then?

http://www.jlist.com/SEARCH/dirty_foreign_devil

[Macross_Fanboy]

Yokoso! When you get here that is. Been living here for 5 years and life is fast, hopefully your stay is not a brief one!

[Lott Sheen]

There you go. I never liked the people experience in Tokyo, either. Nevertheless, there's the rest of the country. Which begs the question, which other parts of Japan did you live in?

A small town in Hokkaido for a year and a bit and in Saitama for a while.

I was under the impression that Save was referring to workers having to dress up in a costume and hand out chirashi on the street to promote a business, not cosplay or people being fashionable. Nevertheless, it's good manners to ask first, before taking someones picture.

yeah I agree, but dont think just because you`re in Japan there is a higher bar of politeness towards strangers in public. There is definately a lower bar when dealing with service staff. I`ve never seen a Japanese be polite to service staff or ask permission to take a picture of someone, so why should you? When in Rome...

[myk]

I guess no one would want to wear one of these then?

http://www.jlist.com/SEARCH/dirty_foreign_devil

Hot link. I'm gettin me one of those shirts...

[sil80jdm]

I went to Akiba yesterday and Save was right.. If you dont know your way around its really tough to enjoy it.. It was super crowded and pretty much everything was jam packed! Im gonna try and go back again next week during a hopefully much less crowded day and hopefully enjoy everything Akiba has to offer! I did however was able to find this!

The line was so LONG to go eat inside but i was able to go to the sideline for only the gundam pancake. Next time im gonna wait in that line no matter how long the wait and get to go inside =)

[Shadow]

Nice pic sil80. I spent alittle time in Japan on an intersession trip. Part of it was spent with a host family. I remember meeting the grandmother and hearing her use "gaijin" quite abit. There was no negativity in her use of it so I didn't let it bother me. She was actually the most friendly/outgoing person in the family.

I've tried to go back to Japan via JET but it's just too tight competitively.

Edited April 30, 2010 by Shadow

[Lott Sheen]

Nice pic sil80. I spent alittle time in Japan on an intersession trip. Part of it was spent with a host family. I remember meeting the grandmother and hearing her use "gaijin" quite abit. There was no negativity in her use of it so I didn't let it bother me. She was actually the most friendly/outgoing person in the family.

I've tried to go back to Japan via JET but it's just too tight competitively.

Thats the thing, people who use it often seem kind but unless you understand Japanese well you won`t understand that they are often very condescending, and use it as if to refer to a pet or animal. The version I hate most is `gaijin san`, its like the equivalent of `colored people` and is very old fashioned and patronising. A lot of people do say Japan is like America in the `50s tho.

I got on JET and I`m a moron, like honestly never held down a job before JET, and JET was the easiest job I ever had, almost impossible to get fired and decent salary with low expenses (in my case I had free rent and car, but its case by case), Keep reapplying, i got rejected one year before I got accepted the next.

Edited April 30, 2010 by Lott Sheen

[Renato]

Wow, some of you guys are really sensitive about this word. From my experience, I can say that there is definitely a negative connotation and the Japanese in general know it, which is why oftentimes they will instinctively blurt out "some gaijin are..." and then they immediately realize they are in public and ought to behave with the standard etiquette and correct themselves, by saying "gaikokujin" (especially if they are in the presence of a foreigner). It's a split-second thing, but it shows that some feel guilt over using the word "gaijin" publicly. It is also an insight into their private use of the word, and you will hear it being used amongst Japanese if they feel that no foreigners are around to hear it.

One time I was in an elevator and a boy and his dad got on, the boy looked at me and said "Ah! Gaijin da", and was promptly smacked round the head by the father, who then apologized to me. I told him it was OK and laughed it off. It just wasn't a big deal, but I can see that to some people it is.

Older people definitely feel no real stigma surrounding the word and just use it willy-nilly. I'm OK with that, too, I guess. Maybe I'm just beyond caring at this point?

Certainly I use it all the time, to describe myself and other foreigners, usually in a humorous context. Maybe I have some kind of darkly comic self-loathing, "pathetic foreigner who will never understand" thing going on, but to me that, plus knowing and adhering to the rules and customs of Japanese society, are sort of what you need to enjoy life over here.

In my personal opinion, being a foreigner in Japan is a lifetime thing even if you are naturalised and get citizenship, that's just the way it is, no kidding yourself about it. Once you make your peace with that while being respectful of the society and playing your part in it, then you can be accepted for what you are. I know there are people out there (and I've met many) who are either like "since I'll always be a foreigner and always be an outcast, I'll just break all the rules, not bother to learn the language, behave how I want, etc.", or "I know this, that and the Other and everything else about Japan, I love Japan, all Japanese are kind, there is no crime in Japan, Japan is the best, and look at all those foreigners, what are they doing in my country, they don't know Japan". I do not feel like I could enjoy my experience here or make the wide variety of friends that I have if I had had either of these two attitudes. But maybe that's just me.

I'm in no position to offer advice, much less what I've experienced thus far. Japan is a different experience for every individual, you make it what it is.

[Lott Sheen]

Great post Renato, I agree with everything you said.

One time I was in an elevator and a boy and his dad got on, the boy looked at me and said "Ah! Gaijin da", and was promptly smacked round the head by the father, who then apologized to me. I told him it was OK and laughed it off. It just wasn't a big deal, but I can see that to some people it is.

haha, this happened to me so much, I used to always point at them and snap back `chuugokujin da!` (It`s a Chinese!), shoulda seen the look on their faces haha.

[Shadow]

I think the most negative experience I had was having myself and a few other students I was traveling with being told to leave a bar because we were American (foreign). Basically told us "No Americans". This was in Kurashiki. We were the only ones in there too. I knew about such incidents from others who had lived in Japan long term so I wasn't surprised to finally encounter this. We left and found another place that was pretty friendly. I've heard such "no gaijin" policies are fairly common in the public baths.

Other then that, I had a great time there.

Question though. How helpful is a TESOL certification for applying to public school ALT positions in Japan or the JET program?

I apologize for going off-topic but does anyone have any experience teaching in Korea too?

Edited April 30, 2010 by Shadow

[Save]

haha, this happened to me so much, I used to always point at them and snap back `chuugokujin da!` (It`s a Chinese!), shoulda seen the look on their faces haha.

Since you say you are fluent in Japanese, did you ever just try telling them that carrying on in such a way is not proper? If I was Japanese and you called me Chinese in response to a Gaijin comment; I would have walked away thinking you proved my point. Do you have any constructive tales?

[Lott Sheen]

Since you say you are fluent in Japanese, did you ever just try telling them that carrying on in such a way is not proper? If I was Japanese and you called me Chinese in response to a Gaijin comment; I would have walked away thinking you proved my point. Do you have any constructive tales?

No, not really, you can`t spend your time in Japan lecturing to and explaining to everybody on why they`re wrong everytime someone offends you (which happened almost every day to me), you`re never going to convert half the country, it`s better to just have a one liner or a quick comeback to confuse them, make them think twice about bugging another gaijin and just make them leave you alone. In the case of the chuugokujin da! comments if I was lucky an adult may understand the irony of me being called a `gaijin` where I could well be naturalised Japanese for all they know and then me Chinese because they look asian and the wrongness of generalising.