NationStates Jolt Archive

I seem to have seen an influx of other players here in Japan. Where are you, how long have you been here, and what are you doing over here?

Me:
Sakai (South Osaka suburb)
14 years
ESL

not me

Me neither, but I'd like to visit Japan.

Hata machi (Next to Matsumoto City in Nagano)
10 and a half months
JET

bump - anyone else acre to sign in. I know you're out there...

I met a guy from Japan once. He seemed nice enough.

I once saw a picture of Japan...does that count?

Oh wait, you mean the Japan on Terra, not the planet Japan in the Kuhrvellian solar system. :headbang:

I've spent a few years in Japan. Toyama prefecture mostly.

Ah yes, this reminds me. I got called a racist on another forum because I said Japanese culture is sexist and racist. I was hoping one of you could tell me whether what I heard about it is indeed true.

I'd say Japan is more sexist than Australia or Holland. They are maybe 30 years behind Australia (I use Australia as a benchmark because it seems to be the most liberated country I've been in.)

It's hard to judge because different cultures are sexist in different ways.

Is there racism in Japan? Yes. Is it bad? Not for me. I've been stopped by the police for riding while white several times, but once they found out I wasn't a Russian they left me alone. I wouldn't want to be Russian in Japan. I'm also glad I wasn't Brazillian in Japan. Still, maybe if I was Brazillian I'd be more cheerful? Oh well.

I'd just like to give a big trans-national thanks to all Brazillians in Japan for the help I got from a Brazillian guy when I accidently ended up in Not On Map Town in Japan at midnight.

Me neither, but I'd like to visit Japan.

What he said.

Not On Map Town in Japan at midnight.

Sounds like my kind of place!

Sounds like my kind of place!I went through a place in Japan where I swear everyone was a zombie. Maybe it was just due to lack of sleep due to earthquakes that had disrupted everything, but I zombification gas leaking from deep underground seems much more likely.

ten hut

i lived in Niigata city, Niigata prefecture for a year with the rotary youth exchange program last year. My girlfriend is in Funabashi, Chiba right now and wow- this is my first post in like 6 months. whew. :D She is there for 6 weeks with the YFU program.

I kinda wanna live with her in japan somewhere with JET or doing something maybe next year. thats like mah dream.

My sister's going to live in Japan for a year, leaving in July. I'm going to visit her next year.

LOts of nice places to visit

ten hut

i lived in Niigata city, Niigata prefecture for a year with the rotary youth exchange program last year. My girlfriend is in Funabashi, Chiba right now and wow- this is my first post in like 6 months. whew. :D She is there for 6 weeks with the YFU program.

I kinda wanna live with her in japan somewhere with JET or doing something maybe next year. thats like mah dream.


Hisashiburi!!!!

Good to see you're still poking around here. :D

I'd say Japan is more sexist than Australia or Holland. They are maybe 30 years behind Australia (I use Australia as a benchmark because it seems to be the most liberated country I've been in.)

It's hard to judge because different cultures are sexist in different ways.

Is there racism in Japan? Yes. Is it bad? Not for me. I've been stopped by the police for riding while white several times, but once they found out I wasn't a Russian they left me alone. I wouldn't want to be Russian in Japan. I'm also glad I wasn't Brazillian in Japan. Still, maybe if I was Brazillian I'd be more cheerful? Oh well.

I'd just like to give a big trans-national thanks to all Brazillians in Japan for the help I got from a Brazillian guy when I accidently ended up in Not On Map Town in Japan at midnight.

Pretty much agreed on the sexism.

The racism is more complicated.

I always remember the distinction made by certain Blacks back home in the US - the "house n****r" and the "field n****r". The first were thought of as friendly, civilized, and safe by the masters, as long as they behaved. The latter were brutes, good only for their hard work.

That's how I see the foreign community in Japan. Westerners are relatively safe and friendly, but all others (and the darker the pigmentation the worse) are scary unpredictable beasts.
As a result, Europeans, N. Americans, and ANZ types do get a better reception.

Of course there are always the exceptions.

I have been refused service in public baths, barber shops, restaurants, and other business establishments, almost always with the comment "no gaijin!"
At other times, I have been given almost minor-celeb status.

But the really good people here (most of whom have lived overseas or at least travelled quite a bit) don't treat me special either way.

And lot's of Brazillians here. Man, that's a culture that knows how to have a good time! :)

(On the otherhand, there was the complete and total speedfreak steroided out ass of a Brazillian who was my neighbor for about a year. He was arrested for domestic abuse - and in Japan that does mean it was *bad* - trying to throw her over the railing of the stairwell bad. They pinned him on immigration and drug violations as well, so he's long gone.)

My sister's going to live in Japan for a year, leaving in July. I'm going to visit her next year.


Know where she's headed? What's she doing?

I went through a place in Japan where I swear everyone was a zombie. Maybe it was just due to lack of sleep due to earthquakes that had disrupted everything, but I zombification gas leaking from deep underground seems much more likely.

Which quake was that?

I remember the Dai-Hanshin Jishin in 1995. Not a nice day. :(

I've spent a few years in Japan. Toyama prefecture mostly.

I'm in Toyama now. Uozu City, to be exact.

I'm in Toyama now. Uozu City, to be exact.

Hello, welcome to the country (assuming you're new) and to NS. :)

I used to live in Japan; my dad was in the Air Force and he served for 10 years on Kadena Air Force Base on Okinawa (in the Ryuku island chain). We finally left there when I was 12. I think Japan was a cool place to live, if very crowded. The people of Okinawa, to me, appeared to be used to Americans more than the mainland; Okinawa has many Air Force, Marine, Naval, and even Coast Gaurd, bases and the military/citizen ratio is higher. The mainland has many American bases, but there are fewer Americans per capita I suppose. As such, the Okinawans didn't appear to care that I was white. The normal Japanese, however, appeared to at least notice I was white more often.

Which quake was that? Oh damn, I can't remember the name. It was about 7 or 8 months ago. The epicenter was up near whatchamacallit. This isn't very helpful is it? Noto peninsula sticks out of the west side of Japan. Go up north a few peninsula lengths from there and that's about where the quake struck.

I'm in Toyama now. Uozu City, to be exact. I remember hearing about that town but I can't place it. What towns are near it?

Oh damn, I can't remember the name. It was about 7 or 8 months ago. The epicenter was up near whatchamacallit. This isn't very helpful is it? Noto peninsula sticks out of the west side of Japan. Go up north a few peninsula lengths from there and that's about where the quake struck.

The big one in Niigata?

The big one in Niigata?That's it! Niigata! I knew I'd remember as soon as someone told me the answer.

Oh damn, I can't remember the name. It was about 7 or 8 months ago. The epicenter was up near whatchamacallit. This isn't very helpful is it? Noto peninsula sticks out of the west side of Japan. Go up north a few peninsula lengths from there and that's about where the quake struck.

I remember hearing about that town but I can't place it. What towns are near it?

Kurobe and Namerikawa.

Hello, welcome to the country (assuming you're new) and to NS. :)

Not that new to the country (almost two years now), and not new to NS (though I quit a lot earlier than this time the first time I played it, years ago).

I am new to the forums though.

Kurobe? I think I've been there. You know that in Toyama city there is a Mexican restaurant run by an American chap? (Thought I'd let you know in case your from the Americas.) Please don't ask me for directions though. There is also an American Sushi joint run by a cool old Japanese guy who lived in California for a while. While I prefered Japaneses sushi, Americans seemed to love it.

Not that new to the country (almost two years now), and not new to NS (though I quit a lot earlier than this time the first time I played it, years ago).

I am new to the forums though.

Almost two years is new in my circles. ;)

If you ever want to come down and see Kansai, I can set you up.

Almost two years is new in my circles. ;)

If you ever want to come down and see Kansai, I can set you up.

Well, I go to Kansai fairly frequently when I have vacation. Been to Osaka, Himeji, and Otsu once each (for a concert, sightseeing, and a 5-day seminar, respectively), Nara twice, and Kyoto more times than I can count (my friend lives there).

Edit: and the longest I've ever lived anywhere was 7 years, so two years is not that new by my standards

Well, I go to Kansai fairly frequently when I have vacation. Been to Osaka, Himeji, and Otsu once each (for a concert, sightseeing, and a 5-day seminar, respectively), Nara twice, and Kyoto more times than I can count (my friend lives there).

Edit: and the longest I've ever lived anywhere was 7 years, so two years is not that new by my standards

Cool. if you ever want to hook up, drop me a TG.

Mie ken, Yokkaichi shi.
I've been here five years.
I work for NOVA, yes yes all NOVA bashers can now harp and carp about the company but they have treated me just fine. I understand you don't like the NOVA Usagi, it is a big evil corporation and that all NOVA instructors are pathetic creatures who flounder around a classroom because none of us knows how to teach.
But in five years I have worked with many fine teachers, met a lot of great Japanese staff and taught a lot of great students who were very happy with our schools.
I have also met teachers of all of the other schools, Aeon, Geos and ECC and the one thing I have learned is that everybody complains about something different in their schools.

Mie ken, Yokkaichi shi.
I've been here five years.
I work for NOVA, yes yes all NOVA bashers can now harp and carp about the company but they have treated me just fine. I understand you don't like the NOVA Usagi, it is a big evil corporation and that all NOVA instructors are pathetic creatures who flounder around a classroom because none of us knows how to teach.
But in five years I have worked with many fine teachers, met a lot of great Japanese staff and taught a lot of great students who were very happy with our schools.
I have also met teachers of all of the other schools, Aeon, Geos and ECC and the one thing I have learned is that everybody complains about something different in their schools.


LOL
I worked for NOVA in the pre-bunny period - 1995-2001 - 6 whole years. Yep, that describes the eikaiwa industry well, but NOVA did shaft me, and ECC has shafted me less. Of course, Toza (a long defunct company I worked for on moving to Osaka) and NELS (the lousy local school run by a woman now in a mental hospital - really! - I worked at for 2 years in Niigata) made NOVA look like a nice friendly company that only looked out for the employes best interests. And at least ECC isn't running that insurance scam on me like NOVA did. :(

Anyway, us eikawa guys gotta stick together against those JET types .
:::gives NERVUN the hairy eyeball:::

(all in friendly jestering rivalry :D)

LOL
I worked for NOVA in the pre-bunny period - 1995-2001 - 6 whole years. Yep, that describes the eikaiwa industry well, but NOVA did shaft me, and ECC has shafted me less. Of course, Toza (a long defunct company I worked for on moving to Osaka) and NELS (the lousy local school run by a woman now in a mental hospital - really! - I worked at for 2 years in Niigata) made NOVA look like a nice friendly company that only looked out for the employes best interests. And at least ECC isn't running that insurance scam on me like NOVA did. :(

Anyway, us eikawa guys gotta stick together against those JET types .
:::gives NERVUN the hairy eyeball:::

(all in friendly jestering rivalry :D)

I remember about four years ago this program in NOVA started up. It was a campaign to wipe out ECC for supposedly copying NOVA. The staff had these long meetings and action plans were created and all the instructors rolled there eyes and thought, WTH? Most of the staff felt the same. And of course all the instructors in an area hangout and gossip with each other so if NOVA thought they had some big secret plan going they were sadly mistaken.
I saw an article in a local gaijin paper that had farsical movie posters. One of them was Apocalypse NOVA and showed the Usagi in a Huey dropping bombs on ECC by hand. It was pretty funny. He had the most evil expression, demonic little guy that Usagi.

Anyway, us eikawa guys gotta stick together against those JET types .
:::gives NERVUN the hairy eyeball:::

(all in friendly jestering rivalry :D)
Ah, you're just jealous that you don't get to live in more exotic locations like Hata-Machi (home of the best watermelons in Japan) and aren't invited to carve said watermelons during the town's natsume matsuri. :p

(and yes, I'm just kidding as well, I know too many short time JETs who abuse the system to not understand why some of the long timers grumble. ;) )

Hisashiburi!!!!

Good to see you're still poking around here. :D
:)

I come sometimes when I'm bored... but unfortunately this place just pisses me off more then it makes me happy.

Btw, I wanna p'haps live over in japan for 6 months to a year with my girlfriend. Whats the best way to do it? :D

(its just an idea right now, nothing actually planned out, i'm just exploring the possiblities)

I would be just graduating from high school, so no uni degree yet (I planned on it after hopefully) but I just wanted to know if it was possible w/ no degree.

:)

I come sometimes when I'm bored... but unfortunately this place just pisses me off more then it makes me happy.

Btw, I wanna p'haps live over in japan for 6 months to a year with my girlfriend. Whats the best way to do it? :D

(its just an idea right now, nothing actually planned out, i'm just exploring the possiblities)

I would be just graduating from high school, so no uni degree yet (I planned on it after hopefully) but I just wanted to know if it was possible w/ no degree.

It all depends on if you support yourself yen-wise or not.

If you've got the folks payong for it, just do the tourist visa thing - they are good for three months and can be extended once.

More likely, you'll want to do something to get the cash. You're from the US so no working holidays. If you pick the right school, you can do a year abroad program. Or, if you really wanted, you could do uni over here. (I know a guy who was over here with his parents about 3 years ago, and has come back to do uni here.) There is always the option of risking immigration and working under the table on a tourist visa. I know people who've done that, but I'd say don't do it - too risky and the jobs tend to suck.

affter i become a monk i want to live in japanthe rest of my days.

affter i become a monk i want to live in japanthe rest of my days.


My only advice: Chose your temple very carefully.