Young people and their attraction to Japan.

[dogsbody70]

Originally Posted by GoNative

In my area dogsbody it's pretty rare to see school age children ever out playing around their home or hanging out down the shops or wherever. Sometimes a bit on weekends but almost never on a week night. Besides seeing them all walking to school in the morning and coming back in the evening you'd almost think there weren't any kids in this town.

HI GONative--------- Actually we don't see so many kids out-- because many are indoors on their computers.

The playparks are not so full of kids playing as there used to be.

We do now have a decent skateboard park and its great to see mostly boys practising. I strongly feel that all children need some other interests or hobbies in lives apart from constant studying.


Are music lessons available do you know-- at school? here we seem to have dropped Music in manyof our schools which is detrimental.

[HikoSeijuro]

lol @ watashi wa ..charisma man desu and how suddenly he has chiseled features.

Hilarious!

Along with what was being said on "things handed to the younger generations" (paraphrased of course):

It's funny to hear some college kids talk about their 6 figure jobs and/or corner office complete-with-desk-to-use-as-foot-rest that are, apparently, on the way. All that's left is graduating and applying for tha job.

It's true that SOME of the younger generations are a bit naive as to what it takes to actually "make it" (financially I suppose we're talking about). Ah well, I was the same way...and I'm sure a lot of others were and eventually you'll figure it out or......you'll die. (okay maybe a little dramatic there)

A quote from the owner of a micro-brewery that stuck with me: " You know the old saying...It took me 20 years to become an overnight success."

It's the age old saying of the older generations:
"back in the day..music was better" "back when I was growing up kids were more respectful" "when I was younger people had values" "when i was younger when milk was a quarter and bread a nickle..."

[cranks]

Originally Posted by dogsbody70

Well memories of the war still linger-----------about the cruelty to so many Prisoners of War.


whereabouts were you in UK Cranks-- were you here working or studying?

Oh, don't get me started on the abuse of Prisoners of War. Wars are cruel. I don't believe westerners were completely fair and humane to Japanese either. But in any case, I don't think Britain in general is an anti Japanese country today. I lived in a city 30 minutes from London studying, and was mostly in Japanese bubble so my knowledge on the UK is not as comprehensive as the one on the US. I don't have a hint of British accent which I really should have picked up when I was there

[cranks]

Originally Posted by Columbine

Considering some of the things I've heard old people say about Japan, I'm not surprised if some people get the impression that Britain is anti-Japanese. Amongst the younger generations I guess there can be derision towards anime and japanese pop-culture, which might be taken as anti.

*laughs* Well they've got a point about the food to a degree. Some of it is truly terrible. Then again, I used to live in Oxford, and looking at what a lot of tourists i saw eating there were tucking into; cheap pub grub, chain cafe sandwiches and hotel breakfasts. No wonder they come away thinking British food is awful.

Yeah, there actually were a lot of things that I found better than the ones in Japan like wine and cheese and bread and malt vinegar on fries, I mean chips, some pies in local pubs, etc, and places like Conran restaurant were very good. It's just there weren't many "English" restaurant where they serve cheap but good meal.

[Columbine]

Originally Posted by cranks

Yeah, there actually were a lot of things that I found better than the ones in Japan like wine and cheese and bread and malt vinegar on fries, I mean chips, some pies in local pubs, etc, and places like Conran restaurant were very good. It's just there weren't many "English" restaurant where they serve cheap but good meal.

I guess 'English' food is kind of hard to pin down to a clear idea of what it is. I mean, a lot of people abroad think it's a roast beef dinner or fish and chips, which it is, but it's like sushi is to Japan, you only really eat it rarely. But then what's really popular tends to not really be British at all, like pasta and pizza, or curry. And the rest of our usual fare is really too hum-drum or too similar to other western countries to really point out as being specially british. :/ Maybe the cornish pasty. That's pretty banging. I did joke once about going to Japan and setting up パスティ屋。Featuring ダイエットパスティ and 和風パスティ for those who find a full on British meat pie just too much to handle.

But yes. Cheese. I sorely missed proper cheese in Japan. and sausages. I never noticed about the vinegar myself, but one of my Japanese friends said she found it too strong, because in Japan normally the table vinegar was for putting on salads?

[cranks]

Originally Posted by Columbine

I guess 'English' food is kind of hard to pin down to a clear idea of what it is. I mean, a lot of people abroad think it's a roast beef dinner or fish and chips, which it is, but it's like sushi is to Japan, you only really eat it rarely. But then what's really popular tends to not really be British at all, like pasta and pizza, or curry. And the rest of our usual fare is really too hum-drum or too similar to other western countries to really point out as being specially british. :/ Maybe the cornish pasty. That's pretty banging. I did joke once about going to Japan and setting up パスティ屋。Featuring ダイエットパスティ and 和風パスティ for those who find a full on British meat pie just too much to handle.

But yes. Cheese. I sorely missed proper cheese in Japan. and sausages. I never noticed about the vinegar myself, but one of my Japanese friends said she found it too strong, because in Japan normally the table vinegar was for putting on salads?

hmm, actually, パスティー屋さん or パイ屋さん may be a good idea. Never seen one in Tokyo before where there are all the kinds of restaurants from Greek to Burmese so that's definitely new, and baking is one area Japanese aren't very good at. Many people don't use or have an oven at home.

Table vinegar is usually for dumplings=餃子 or for Ramen noodles I think. Never used it on salad myself. But it is white vinegar and you never see malt vinegar. Even here in the states, I don't see it that often. mmm now I feel like fresh chips with a lot of malt vinegar on :drool:

[MMM]

Originally Posted by cranks

baking is one area Japanese aren't very good at.

WHAT??!!?? There are bakeries and bread shops all over Japan that are miles ahead of the breads you buy in N. America. Baking is one of the best things Japanese chefs do.

[cranks]

Originally Posted by MMM

WHAT??!!?? There are bakeries and bread shops all over Japan that are miles ahead of the breads you buy in N. America. Baking is one of the best things Japanese chefs do.

Really? That's a great compliment, and yeah, at the professional level, it's probably true, although I like sourdough and rye bread and all other variety of breads here in the states almost better than the Japanese bread (singular on purpose), but that's just personal taste. But at home though. We use oven rarely if at all. My mom used to teach western culinary art so she uses it a lot, but majority of people don't really use it so I thought there may be a business opportunity there. Even my mom doesn't bake pies. The price of pizza, another dish that is cooked by an oven, in Japan is outrageous right?

[Saradus]

Originally Posted by cranks

Really? That's a great compliment, and yeah, at the professional level, it's probably true, although I like sourdough and rye bread and all other variety of breads here in the states almost better than the Japanese bread (singular on purpose), but that's just personal taste. But at home though. We use oven rarely if at all. My mom used to teach western culinary art so she uses it a lot, but majority of people don't really use it so I thought there may be a business opportunity there. Even my mom doesn't bake pies. The price of pizza, another dish that is cooked by an oven, in Japan is outrageous right?

Is it easy to find regular bread in Japan (i.e. not sweet bread). Throughout Asia (Korea, China, Philippines) I've found pretty much every bread I bought is sweet. The only time I had unsweetened bread was at a very high-class hotel where the owner was European and catered specifically to European diets (hearty soups, thick gravies and unsweetened bread!)

If any country in Asia is the exception, I'd imagine it would be Japan If I was there for any extended period of time without regular bread I think I'd begin to miss it despite my love for exotic and new foods.

[cranks]

Originally Posted by Saradus

Is it easy to find regular bread in Japan (i.e. not sweet bread). Throughout Asia (Korea, China, Philippines) I've found pretty much every bread I bought is sweet. The only time I had unsweetened bread was at a very high-class hotel where the owner was European and catered specifically to European diets (hearty soups, thick gravies and unsweetened bread!)

If any country in Asia is the exception, I'd imagine it would be Japan If I was there for any extended period of time without regular bread I think I'd begin to miss it despite my love for exotic and new foods.

Of course, we are Japanese, we have everything :haughty face:
I've heard Vietnam has good western style bread though.
And judging from our local Vietnamese restaurant, that may be true.