Quote:
Originally Posted by darksyndrem
Alright, for the few face-palmers and such, I really see no reason whatsoever as to why you would facepalm this? So, please explain yourself.
To everyone else that has commented with information that I was actually looking for....So, Japan is a place where, there is plenty of sexual...'stuff' (whatever you want to call it) but only if your looking for it? I mean in America, there are plenty of strip clubs and stuff out and about, but it's obvious that you aren't being forced to walk in and participate. So, in Japan, there is clubs/love hotels, and whatever else, but it's confined (not sure if that's the right word to use)? What I'm trying to ask is, it's easily avoided/neglected right? It's not like if I was just walking to the store there'd be naked women/pornography/whatever else everywhere?
Please, seriously, I'm not trying to say/assume that Japan is a horrible place, I just want to make sure I have things straight, especially since I want to move there (the reason for posting in Living in Japan). What MMM said about my reason for posting is pretty much exactly right
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It's probably at least as unobtrusive as the US, if not more. The one possible exception might be some bookstores, which may have an "adult section" not hidden away in some back room, but on the shelves like other section of books. But in general, Japan is fairly conservative in many ways, especially outside of the big cities. Some cultural norms are a little different, as was said before (bathing in the nude with the same gender is not considered scandalous, and mixed bathing is relatively rare), but Japan is certainly not like, say, Amsterdam, with pot in the coffee shops and prostitutes in the windows.
Second, Japanese people usually take responsibility VERY seriously. Hosting an exchange student is deemed a great responsibility, and most Japanese people who take it would watch out for the host student at least as much as their own kids, maybe more! While I was teaching in Japan for 2 years, I got to know the exchange students at my school, and they all said that their host families were very protective and doting (sometimes so much so that it annoyed the kids, who were more used to lenient western standards).
I have to wonder if this is all just an excuse for your parents to say "we don't want you to go"... If they are ok with letting you go anywhere for a semester, I honestly couldn't think of a safer place to go than Japan. But maybe going anywhere at all is out of the question for them. If that's the case, you'll have other chances later in life to go to Japan, perhaps in university or teaching English after you get a degree. Moving to Japan at the age of 24 was my first time living outside of my parents' house, and I got by just fine in Japan (without a host family or anything).