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06-20-2011, 06:40 PM
I am confident that I would have issues with any place I move to, and it is not because of the place, but due to my really difficult character and strong personality. I simply know what I like and dislike, and nothing (or nearly nothing) can change it. I cannot really blame the place for that, can I? I am also not shy to speak up my mind, regardless of consequences. If you cannot voice what agrees with you and who you are, you don't exist.
Nonetheless, or perhaps because of its "oddness", Japan is the best place for me to be. The most difficult to understand is the futile struggle with reaching out to Jaopanese poeple, and in matcheting through all those shells and masks of artificial politness. On the other hand, plastic politeness is way better that outright rudeness that I often experience, whenvisiting plaaces like American base in Yokosuka, or interacting with people back in Europe (including my own country, which I find extrememly anoying). The anonymous life we lead in Japan, has its pros and cons. You can do push ups on the street wearing eye-poking orange spandex, and no one will bother. On the other hand, you may be dying on the sidewalk and people will pass without even looking. Nausea-causing cuteness, Western kitsch blind fascination, Disneyhell mania, brand brain washing, really dull pop-culture mass-production, and mass-murdering of the beauty of traditional Japanese taste are other factors that put me in a war mode. I mean how can you forget this:  and go with this instead:  This is a subject river, but despite my ranting and numerous frustrations with Japan, I think it's a great place to be. After all, it is in Japan where I found my soulmate, and discoovered what I want to do with my life (calligraphy). I also met Japanese people that share the same passion and we understand each other through art. Besides, my calligraphy teacher is like a father to me, and him alone would be a good reason for me to stay here. I am not a type of person that could be any-nation-phile. I simply choose the people to interact with, and don't bother with those who waste my time or bring nothing that I can learn or appreciate, in which capacity, a small talk that starts with 暑いですね！drives me bananas, and makes me instantly want to strangle the person. My teacher comes to mind again. He is posibly one of the most knowledgable people in the field of calligraphy in Kanto region, yet his humblemness and naturalness stuns me every time I meet him. He is the best teacher of dealing with ego issues. At the age of 73 he is more open minded and curious of other cultures than 90% of the kids in Japan. That also teaches me to try to be more understanding and patient towards those who I don't agree with. So here is the irony, I admire a Japanese for teaching me how to stop ranting about the Japanese, and all those things that make me rant about them. In short, I feel that life in Japan is a great challenge on its own, and difficult enough for me to enjoy it, and settle down here for good. 
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06-20-2011, 07:21 PM
Wow Ryuryui.. not sure what to say, just enjoyed reading this post.. and it trigger something in me.. i felt similar at some point..
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I lived fairly close to the Yokosuka base when I was a kid, I think the experience was positive for the most part, though i never had any interactions with the adults in the area.. Kids live a simple life...
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06-20-2011, 07:25 PM
Cheers man. Well I was just honest about it, perhaps that was it?
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06-20-2011, 07:50 PM
Ok, two questions, I hope they aren't that polemic:
Is it true that there is a great amount of pornography and prostitution in japan? I have read some blogs here and there, and they all claim this is somewhat frequent, however some of these seem a little biased. What about the whale and dolphin hunt? What is japan's usual response to this? In the case of whales, I read they are ok with it, due to cultural differences ( I agree). However in the case of dolphins, the only region that actively hunts dolphins is taiji, and there are many risks related to eating their meat, the taiji hunters attempted to promote it... What is YOUR opinion on the subject? I am not criticizing (pfft, I am morally nihilist), I just want to know how you see it as foreigners living there...
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06-20-2011, 09:36 PM
Come to think of it,while we're on the topic of controversial subjects,people say avoid Roppongi bars and clubs but if I'm not a woman who's into risky things why would anything happen to me? I don't get it.
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06-20-2011, 10:11 PM
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06-20-2011, 11:44 PM
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06-21-2011, 12:54 AM
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In Japan, to me, it certainly feels much more present and part of regular life than it did abroad. In Canada, if it wasn't a part of your life,you were rarely exposed to it, if it was a part of your life, it was ever-present. On tv last night there was a bit about police busting into parlors to make sure they aren't operating without license (yes that's right, a license is available and required). 2 days ago I get yet another of my about-weekly ピンクチラシ (Pink flyers) in the mail, featuring about 4 pictures of obviously-sex (I mean penetration) poses and fellatio. The costs are about 9500yen for 90 minutes if you let them chose the girl you get, more if you pick yourself. I've gotten about 30 or so in the last year, it seems like it's picking up a little actually, it was less before. I can't walk downtown Sannomiya without seeing about 40 hostess/kabakura/sekukaba/whatever girls in a huge variety of clothing standing outside trying to lure men in. And about 4 or 5 cross dressers. Sex isn't viewed as an evil thing here. regarding the whale hunts, there's a thread about "the cove" already, it goes over a lot of this
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06-21-2011, 01:53 AM
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I think the reason is that Japanese people do not feel personally connected to religion or politics the same way people in the West do, as you said. Japan is not a religious nation, and politically the masses are more apathetic than in the West. This is probably due to the constant changes in leadership and the constant scandals that fill the news every night. Other topics, like US military bases, drug legalization, gun legalization, whale hunting, the young generation, etc. might get more interesting discussions started.
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06-21-2011, 01:55 AM
Sex / pornography - as long as people are not forced to do it, I say let them do whatever the hell they want. One sells skills in painting, another in his own body. Besides there are those who enjoy shagging few times a day so why not get paid for it. Also, I agree with James, that sex is looked at differently here, not as a subject taboo, but as a nromal human behaviour. Influence of the Church on politics and people minds in general in Western countries really pisses me off. The couple ends up having sex under the blanket in a dark room, which leads to many sexual related frustration and tensions, then marriage issues and divorce or even murders. (If you read more about sexuology, sexual perversions and their causes, and influence of sex life quality over person's mental state you will know what i mean). And it is all because people are too shy to talk about it.
Dolphins - I think humans are the only creatures on Earth evil enough to kill for profit, and not because they need to eat. Karma will get them. Roppongi - I worked in there for 2 years, so I will tell you from my own experience. Long time ago, that place was dangerous in a different way. I mean you could actually be stabbed or beaten up. Iranian mafia running around with long Kebab size knives under winter coats, Chinese mafia fighting with Yakuza, Cuban pimps and prostututes, Russian mafia selling drugs, etc. However, people acutally came there to have "fun", though I will never underdand why, bar were packed that one could not move, everything was well overpriced, and the whole place was really filthy (literally and metaphorically). Today Roppongi is not as dangerous, however, drink spiking is common (drugs in drinks), credid cards frauds, champain business girls circling like hungry vultures, and money hungry Nigerians and Ghanians dragging you desperately by your clothes to their empty joint. Roppongi is deserted and dying (thank God for that), anyway in few years they plan to rebuild it from scratch, as they did with R.Hill and Midtown area (I believe that is how it is called). So, even I do not get how one can enjoy spending the evening in a smokey bar with bunch of random people drinking overpriced alcohol while mindlessly stearing at the TV screen, you can go and party. Just leave your credit card at home. I never heard of any attacks on women there. Women are the sharks. Guys are main target as they are the ones who's ego is retarded enough to let them "impress" the ladies through buying a bottle of Dom Perignon for 350.000yen (zero'z are correct) hoping to be able to drag them to the Ibis hotel and shagg them. Little do they know they are being scammed. Girls have deals with bartenders, and their drinks are fake, not to mention that many of them are ladyboys anyways... Guy gets drunk, girls don't, guy's cc gets raped and the girls don't. All they do get is a cut from the bar sales, and the guy wakes up with 1.000.000 debit on his cc, headache and a mental jet lag. sorry for typos, but i slept only 3 hours...
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