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10-01-2008, 03:43 AM
watch this guy's videos
YouTube - tokyocooney さんのチャンネル Gives you a better idea of Japan than anything I could write here. |
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10-01-2008, 10:22 AM
Hmm, what is living in Japan like?
Superficially, it's not much different than living in America. People wake up, go to work or school, and then come home. On weekends they go out to visit friends and relatives, or whatever. The language, food, and culture is different, but life is basically the same anywhere you live. I'm in my office right now, the last of the students have left, and it's dark outside. Fall has definitely arrived, the heat and humidity of the summer are just a memory now, and the trees surrounding the school are beginning to change color. The video rental shop across the road is busy, television in Japan is pretty bad for the most part, so the video rental shops do a good business. There is a ramen shop next to the video store which is popular with the students, and there are a group of them standing outside it now, leaning on their bicycles and talking so loudly that I can hear them from here. Tomorrow I'm planning to take a hike in the hills which overlook my town. The hills are heavily forested, and I like the peace and quiet I find there. My school is located at the foot of the hills, near a large temple. Next to the temple are a large series of steps which lead upward toward a hiking path. The hiking path runs along the hills between two train stations, for a distance of about 10 kilometers. This weekend I'll be going to Tokyo to visit friends. We'll meet at my girlfriend's apartment by the Sumida river, walk to Hamarikyu garden, and then take the water bus to Odaiba. We'll catch a movie there, and then have dinner at Zest Cantina, which is one of the few good Mexican restaurants that I know of in Tokyo. On Monday I need to go get a reentry permit for my trip to America for the New Year's holiday. I also need to get my hair cut, and get photos for my visit to the drivers licensing bureau the next week. I'm in the market for a car at the moment, so I might go to a car dealership or two and see what's available. On Tuesday I have to come back to school, and the routine begins again. It's not much different from my life in America, when I think about it. As for Tokyocooney, his outlook on Japan is rather humorous, and there is a lot here to laugh about, but no more than any other place. |
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How is Life Here in Japan -
10-03-2008, 01:16 PM
My description of what life is like in Japan is a little different from the people who live on the main island of Honshu. I live in a very small farming community of about 30 households.
Life here is one word "country", we have to look out for bears when we walk through the woods, foxes are a daily site, and the weather is mild in the summer and very cold in the winter, not to mention lots and lots of snow. Everyone knows each other here, and hospitality is the best I have ever experienced in all of my life. We never buy vegetables in the summertime, either having plenty from our own garden, or everyone else supplying us with so much that we can't possibly eat it all. In the autumn the trees explode with reds, yellows and oranges, I have snow capped mountains right outside of my window. The air is clean, the water is straight from the ground. The winters are long and harsh, with snow on the ground for about 6 months of the year. Skiing and snowboarding here is among the best in the world, and it is very cold. You can't leave your house unattended for more than 2 days because your pipes will freeze, and you have to pour anti-freeze in the toilets to keep the toilet water from freezing. The rents here are very cheap, with the average being about 3-400 a month, and many places giving land away for free, if you build a house and live there permanently. If your single, you need a degree to get a work visa, but English teaching jobs are fairly easy to find. Teaching English here is very lucrative, and much less competition than mainland. So that's about it, my answer is much different than living in mainland. When most people think of Japan they imagine Tokyo, but there are a vast amount of places that are very different here in Japan. If it is your desire to come here and live, If your desire is strong enough, you can accomplish anything. Never let anyone discourage you from your dreams. |
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