I live in Japan!

[imiss]

Originally Posted by Nyororin

I second the opinion. Tokyo is crowded, hectic, and dirty.
Tokyo is Tokyo - Japan is Japan. Tokyo is a very limited representation of the country, and is quite different from everywhere else... And not in a positive way.

While I've never been there before, I'm sure it can't be worse then any other large metropolis? Can it? Plus if anything, the reason *why* I want to go is specifically for the reason that its so huge. I think a 3 month "trial" wouldn't hurt; I could get a first hand look at it all and decide if its for me...

But yes, I'm quite aware that Tokyo does not equal all of Japan, and specifically for that reason it is why I want to visit all of the major cities (Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya etc) before making any final decisions concerning staying in Japan

But I see where you're coming from, its kind of like when people visit Moscow, and that sums up all their opinions of the whole country...

[samurai007]

Originally Posted by imiss

While I've never been there before, I'm sure it can't be worse then any other large metropolis? Can it? Plus if anything, the reason *why* I want to go is specifically for the reason that its so huge. I think a 3 month "trial" wouldn't hurt; I could get a first hand look at it all and decide if its for me...

But yes, I'm quite aware that Tokyo does not equal all of Japan, and specifically for that reason it is why I want to visit all of the major cities (Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya etc) before making any final decisions concerning staying in Japan

But I see where you're coming from, its kind of like when people visit Moscow, and that sums up all their opinions of the whole country...

The point is, try to get OUT of the major cities. See the countryside, visit the inaka and enjoy the "real Japan", not just busy, crowded cities full of neon lights and shopping centers.

IMO, the best part of most countries are found outside of the cities. Cities are all alike, wherever you go... busy, relatively impersonal, and filled with all the same kinds of stuff. It's when you get out of the cities that you see the real country, the scenery, the local flavor which is all too often lost or diluted in a big city. It's when you are hiking in the Japan Alps, staying overnight in a mountain-top monastery, or eating at a mom-and-pop restaurant in a small village that you see the real, traditional Japan, IMO.

[imiss]

Originally Posted by samurai007

The point is, try to get OUT of the major cities. See the countryside, visit the inaka and enjoy the "real Japan", not just busy, crowded cities full of neon lights and shopping centers.

IMO, the best part of most countries are found outside of the cities. Cities are all alike, wherever you go... busy, relatively impersonal, and filled with all the same kinds of stuff. It's when you get out of the cities that you see the real country, the scenery, the local flavor which is all too often lost or diluted in a big city. It's when you are hiking in the Japan Alps, staying overnight in a mountain-top monastery, or eating at a mom-and-pop restaurant in a small village that you see the real, traditional Japan, IMO.

Of course, I'd be silly not to go outside of the cities, but I first need to *get* to Japan, via a city, so I can see the rest of it

[Kisama]

I would love to live in japan one day but I think I would live in yokahama,just outside tokyo.

[5teveO]

Wow! congrats on tha new life in Japan. My moms is kinda tha same way.She feels like i should be repaying her all the money she spent to raise me. I just turned 31, so what's that like a million bucks.lol. Anyway, I have a wife and 3 kids now. How difficult do you think it would be for me to relocate there and open a tattoo shop? I've read every thing i could get my hands on about life in jp. I feel deep in my bones thats where i should be. Oh, and my wife wants to know if there really is a HelloKitty land in Tokyo?

[imiss]

Originally Posted by 5teveO

Wow! congrats on tha new life in Japan. My moms is kinda tha same way.She feels like i should be repaying her all the money she spent to raise me. I just turned 31, so what's that like a million bucks.lol. Anyway, I have a wife and 3 kids now. How difficult do you think it would be for me to relocate there and open a tattoo shop? I've read every thing i could get my hands on about life in jp. I feel deep in my bones thats where i should be. Oh, and my wife wants to know if there really is a HelloKitty land in Tokyo?

A tattoo shop in Japan? Probably very difficult seeing as how tattoos are most commonly associated with the Yakuza so extremely few people have them I would imagine...

[Harold]

Originally Posted by imiss

A tattoo shop in Japan? Probably very difficult seeing as how tattoos are most commonly associated with the Yakuza so extremely few people have them I would imagine...

Tattoos are pretty popular among the younger group, that's for sure...

[Nagoyankee]

Originally Posted by 5teveO

Oh, and my wife wants to know if there really is a HelloKitty land in Tokyo?

There really is one.

http://www.puroland.co.jp/index.html

[SSJup81]

Originally Posted by Nagoyankee

There really is one.

http://www.puroland.co.jp/index.html

I would so love to go there. I like Hello Kitty a lot. The toys are just so cute. ^^;

[KikiBunny23]

Japan seems like a really cool place to live but sadly, no where in Alabama has a class that teaches Japanese and I can't really afford to hire someone to teach me. THe most I know is a few sentences, 1-20, and mary had a little lamb [me and laura got bored xD]...I'm currently workin on weather and a few others things as well as copying characters and copying them over and saying what they are about ach week or so...it has been a fail attampt seeing as now I have no time to myself and my computer has refused to let me watch videos for the past month.

Any tips on learning faster? I catch on to things pretty quickly but sometimes I have to hear it in order to learn...which also means I need to find my mp3 player so I can listen to the japanese thing I put on it.