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+--- Thread: Mezbup'z First Trip To JAPAN!!! (/thread-8055.html)
Mezbup'z First Trip To JAPAN!!! - Jarvik7 - 2011-07-04
Hashiriya Wrote:I came here for 90 days this time and I didn't get any weird looks.It depends on where you go. No one blinks an eye at a foreigner in bigger cities like Osaka or Nagoya. However, last week I went to the extreme inaka in Hokkaido and got a few looks. Same thing used to happen when I went to the inaka in Osaka.
Mezbup'z First Trip To JAPAN!!! - Sebastian - 2011-07-04
thurd Wrote:Add me to the list (September to March) !thecite Wrote:I'm planning to go there for 3 months in August/ September. I can't wait.dizmox Wrote:I'll be going in September too myself.Javizy Wrote:I should be going for the first time in September as well. I'm just looking for a good flight deal. I might be able to get one for under £500 through the travel agents on cheapflights. If my girlfriend didn't work for a draconian, i.e. typical, Japanese company, I could've gone when Aeroflot are offering flights for under £350... I'm probably going to be limited to areas in and around Tokyo, but I'll try to make the most of itIt will be like an invasion from koohiiI'm going in August for 3 months. We really should get together in Tokyo for drinks.
1 more and we can form our own five-a-side football team!
Mezbup'z First Trip To JAPAN!!! - NoSleepTilFluent - 2011-07-05
Enjoy your trip! I'm in shibuya practically every night! You won't get talked to AT ALL unless you are being extroverted and approachable. My suggestion would be to just start talking with people. I talk to people on the street, next to me in bars, Wherever. And although I understand quite a bit of grammar actually using the grammar i supposedly know is proving difficult for me. I've also only seriously been studying for like 6 months now.
Talk talk talk away and don't be shy or overly nice. Tokyo is Tokyo. No need to be anything your not. You and the people you talk to know your not Japanese and will have more fun if you bring a little spice to the conversations.
Oh and Suntory Premium Beer is where it's at. Kanpai!
Mezbup'z First Trip To JAPAN!!! - Tzadeck - 2011-07-05
My advice is to spend as little daylight as possible in Osaka... that city is really fun at night, but there's nothing to do during the day, haha.
When you go to Kyoto, be sure to do Kiyomizu-dera and Fushimi Inari (on a cooler day), since they're the best. Kyoto has so much stuff that you could never do it in a day, so multiple day trips might be in order. I live right near Arashiyama--be jealous
Mezbup'z First Trip To JAPAN!!! - mezbup - 2011-07-05
I....LOVE.....JAPAN!!!!
Like wow. Just wow. Seriously, soooo cool.
K so the flight from Auckland to Singapore was wonderful, yet the flight to Narita from Singapore was hell. It was a night flight and I just can't sleep on airplanes and I'd been awake for ages. So I spent my first day in Japan without sleeping a wink. However, Singapore airlines are awesome, really good service.
The very first Japanese friend I ever made about a year and a half ago (in NZ) came and met me at ハチ公 in 渋谷 at about 2pm. Before that it was kinda weird because in NZ I know lots of Japanese people and whenever I see them on the streets it's always pleasantries and small talk but in Tokyo I don't know anyone and almost EVERYONE is Japanese but I had no one to talk to! That was super weird for me... and quite lonely. I waited at ハチ公 for about an hour... in which time I discovered....
Japanese people are ridiculously good looking. Like, insanely. Well dressed, cute, over the top, naturally beatiful, kebai, you name it Tokyo has it and in spades. I knew Japanese girls were cute and that some dudes were defiinitely cool but... THAT MANY???????????????????????????????????????????? Blew my mind.
After my friend came on to the scene, the game changed. I checked into the hotel (marks city excel hotel toukyu) which rocks! Has an awesome view and good service. I haven't seen this guy for about a year but talk to him occasionaly on facebook and it was really really cool to see him again in person hanging out like old times. He showed me around different places and we just chatted the whole time - was great.
The trains are fun. Sometimes in a good way, sometimes in a bad. There are just so many people allllllllll the time in Tokyo, in some ways I think it's kinda nice. I like big cities and it's the biggest in the world. By my logic one would assume it's then the city I like the most. They'd be dead right.
I wanted to eat at ファっキン just cos the name gives me a laugh, so we did. The consome flavoured chips are this shiznit. Seriously. Gonna miss that back home. I'm definitely a fan of ファっキン.
The weather is hot, yeah but nothing unbearable (yet). I lived on the Gold Coast for 2 years and that pretty well prepared me for this tbh. What I wasn't prepared for was forgetting the right adaptor for my laptop!!! I bought an adaptor but it only works with 2 pin unearthed plugs and my laptop one has an earthed 3 pin one so that wasn't gonna work. We hopped on a the train and headed to Akihabara because that's the place where you can get computer cable if you need it.
Akihabara was surprisingly fun! I'm not big on anime (anymore) but I managed to pick up a game which a friend asked me to buy back home and also after a lot of looking we found the cable I needed. Then we went to a maid cafe and I shouted the 2 hour 飲み放題! It was totally different than what I expected it to be like tbh, the maid cafe/bar was tonnes of fun and I'd totally recommend it to anyone regardless of whether they are into anime/akihabara-type-stuff or not! So we got a bit sozzled and just enjoyed the atmosphere.
Returned back to the hotel, went to the conbini, got some beer and some snacks and just chilled in the hotel room and talked about random stuff whilst looking out over the city. The room has a wicked view.
It's pretty awesome when you can walk into a shop and talk to the shop assistants in Japanese. I find that novel for some reason... mainly cos that's never been a part of my experience of the Japanese language. Just feels good.
One thing I find really hard is reading all the signage plastered all over the place, on the outside of shops and the like. Why? Cos, I've only had the exposure of reading articles, books, games, fb posts. Stuff like that. Street signage is a remarkably different animal I find and until I live in Tokyo for about a year I probably wouldn't get to good of a grip on it. It's just one of those things. That being said, it's no hassle to get around and find things and talk to people when I need. In fact, it's great fun.
One thing I noticed too is, when buying products in a conbini (particularly drinks) it's not just about your familiarity with the language but with the products themselves. I have a hard time dealing with the drinks isle because it's kinda hard to make out when some of them are even meant to be (tho I can tell if I take a good look). I figure, growing up you learn your language and you get exposed to what products and brands are in ur conbinis and supermarkets because you see them so much. Switch to being fluent in a langauge yet having 0 familiarity with these products and ur back at square one. So it's not just language you have to learn but the background to several things, one which includes food and drinks of that country!
I ate a riceball from the conbini too. SO good. Have the same thing at uni all the time... doesn't even compare. I was like man now I see why everyone says 日本の方はおいしいよ！ That's because, It's just better in Japan.
Tomoz i'm heading out to various places with my mate and i'll let you know how it goes, maybe get some pictures up too. I think asasuka and maybe harajuku, shinjuku, yoyogi... TOUDAI! places like that.
Japan just rocks. End of story.
Mezbup'z First Trip To JAPAN!!! - thecite - 2011-07-05
Sounds like you've had a pretty rotten time then?
Mezbup'z First Trip To JAPAN!!! - Javizy - 2011-07-05
IceCream Wrote:is that return for under £350?!?! when? where? !!! or only one way?
thurd Wrote:@Javizy how did you find such cheap tickets? I paid almost 600£ for mine but the cheapest I could find was 450£ both of them Aeroflot, I was just picky with the dates/arrival hours/total fight time/wait in Moscow.Yeah, just check Aeroflot's prices from Oct(maybe Nov)-Feb. They might have changed now, but it was definitely coming up as £336rtn in mid-February. My friend showed me it on some hot deals website. Depending how things go, I might end up going in February too, since my girlfriend's birthday is the day before Valentine's Day. Can't really pass up a deal like that.
Mezbup'z First Trip To JAPAN!!! - DevvaR - 2011-07-05
In terms of talking, manners while talking, that was fine?
Mezbup'z First Trip To JAPAN!!! - ta12121 - 2011-07-05
Sounds like your having a good time. I can definitely say I like anime,games and manga. Although it's strange, in the beginning phases I enjoyed anime so, so much. Now it's just something I watch for fun(not really learning, as I can watch it all with 100% comprehension for the most part). I guess are interests change as we get farther into the language. Right now I want to be able to read traditional texts(calligraphy,names,etc)
Mezbup'z First Trip To JAPAN!!! - ThomasB - 2011-07-05
It's great to see you're having a good time in Japan. Keep us updated on your impressions!
Mezbup'z First Trip To JAPAN!!! - ta12121 - 2011-07-05
As for the girls, haha. I found an interesting stat. that Japan is ranked 25(lowest) for having the lowest number of obese people. So basically, majority of the population is skinny or slim.
Mezbup'z First Trip To JAPAN!!! - dizmox - 2011-07-05
After a while you just start finding Japan normal and everywhere else a train wreck in that department though.
What's it like flying with Aeroflot? At those prices I'd worry about the plane falling apart. D: There's typos all over their site as well.
I usually go with KLM, myself. I'm gonna book my flights when I get my paycheck this month.
Mezbup'z First Trip To JAPAN!!! - Zorlee - 2011-07-05
Don't get too used to the good looks of Japanese girls.
I did, and am currently suffering the consequences back home in Norway..
Ugly chicks WITH an attitude!? FML.
Mezbup'z First Trip To JAPAN!!! - ta12121 - 2011-07-05
dizmox Wrote:After a while you just start finding Japan normal and everywhere else a train wreck in that department though.Sounds like culture shock to me. It starts out fun but if you stay there for a long period of time(working perhaps). It becomes just like any other place, regular
Mezbup'z First Trip To JAPAN!!! - ta12121 - 2011-07-05
Zorlee Wrote:Don't get too used to the good looks of Japanese girls.haha, I think that happened to me, even though I haven't been to Japan yet. There is a huge Asian population where I live(Canada). So most of the Asian girls are really hot.
I did, and am currently suffering the consequences back home in Norway..
Ugly chicks WITH an attitude!? FML.
Mezbup'z First Trip To JAPAN!!! - dizmox - 2011-07-05
Zorlee Wrote:Don't get too used to the good looks of Japanese girls.In my case I had already given up on the Western hemisphere before I went.
I did, and am currently suffering the consequences back home in Norway..
Ugly chicks WITH an attitude!? FML.
Mezbup'z First Trip To JAPAN!!! - ta12121 - 2011-07-05
dizmox Wrote:I think that's happening for meZorlee Wrote:Don't get too used to the good looks of Japanese girls.In my case I had already given up on the Western hemisphere before I went.
I did, and am currently suffering the consequences back home in Norway..
Ugly chicks WITH an attitude!? FML.
Mezbup'z First Trip To JAPAN!!! - thurd - 2011-07-05
dizmox Wrote:What's it like flying with Aeroflot? At those prices I'd worry about the plane falling apart. D: There's typos all over their site as well.I haven't flown Aeroflot yet but from what I gathered their fleet consists mainly of "normal" planes (various Airbus and Boeings), small maintenance is done in various airports anyway and there is a good chance of having a captain with a military background.
I usually go with KLM, myself. I'm gonna book my flights when I get my paycheck this month.
KLM is nice but there is that thing with them being involved in the biggest crash in aviation history
Mezbup'z First Trip To JAPAN!!! - dizmox - 2011-07-05
Let's just hope there's no fog on the day then.
Mezbup'z First Trip To JAPAN!!! - IceCream - 2011-07-05
oi!! you guys are gonna give me a complex or somethin rrrrrrr >.<
Mezbup'z First Trip To JAPAN!!! - dizmox - 2011-07-05
IceCream Wrote:oi!! you guys are gonna give me a complex or somethin rrrrrrr >.<It was supposed to be your cue to complain about how western men are devils. =p
Mezbup'z First Trip To JAPAN!!! - pudding cat - 2011-07-05
dizmox Wrote:So true, western men are awful! I've given up on them completelyIceCream Wrote:oi!! you guys are gonna give me a complex or somethin rrrrrrr >.<It was supposed to be your cue to complain about how western men are devils. =p
Mezbup'z First Trip To JAPAN!!! - ThomasB - 2011-07-05
So true. Let's just all help the aging Japanese population!
Mezbup'z First Trip To JAPAN!!! - Hashiriya - 2011-07-05
A word of advice: although most Japanese girls are on average better looking than their western counterparts, a lot of them have looks wash away when they come in contact with water. I still wouldn't touch a white girl with a 10-foot pole though.
Mezbup'z First Trip To JAPAN!!! - kitakitsune - 2011-07-05
This thread - yellow fever