Japan Trippin': Redux ^_^

Igadevil · Apr 24, 2006

Welcome to the board Bueno! How long are you going to be in Japan for (if you know any estimate)?

And I think Bueno & smtemp pretty much covered it concerning costs, although I'd like to add that (in my experience, anyway) the higher costs are usually offset by the higher quality, at least compared to what I have at home (Convenient stores in Japan are actually, well, convenient.) At least it feels like that, I'm going to miss so many things whenever I eventually go back to the US. But only for a few months to finish school, then I plan to come back to work (probably do an 英会話 job), and then at some point in the future move here permanently.

Sage Shinigami · Apr 24, 2006

Igadevil said:
Welcome to the board Bueno! How long are you going to be in Japan for (if you know any estimate)?

And I think Bueno & smtemp pretty much covered it concerning costs, although I'd like to add that (in my experience, anyway) the higher costs are usually offset by the higher quality, at least compared to what I have at home (Convenient stores in Japan are actually, well, convenient.) At least it feels like that, I'm going to miss so many things whenever I eventually go back to the US. But only for a few months to finish school, then I plan to come back to work (probably do an 英会話 job), and then at some point in the future move here permanently.

Wow. I've thought a *lot* about taking a trip there (after lots and lots of studying the language), but living there? I'd heard from a friend of mine it was pretty hard if you weren't actually Japanese.

kyo28 · Apr 24, 2006

Sage Shinigami said:
Wow. I've thought a *lot* about taking a trip there (after lots and lots of studying the language), but living there? I'd heard from a friend of mine it was pretty hard if you weren't actually Japanese.

Well, in my experience it's rather hard to fit in 100%. Even my girlfriend still talks to me in terms of "Ah yeah, us Japanese do like this or that ...". No matter how fluent at Japanese you become or how well you adapt to the local culture, you're always the 'gaijin' of the neighborhood.

Sage Shinigami · Apr 24, 2006

kyo28 said:
Well, in my experience it's rather hard to fit in 100%. Even my girlfriend still talks to me in terms of "Ah yeah, us Japanese do like this or that ...". No matter how fluent at Japanese you become or how well you adapt to the local culture, you're always the 'gaijin' of the neighborhood.

I know you live there, but are you staying permanently? *is curious*

Anyway, I guess its the same no matter where one goes. I barely fit in in America (especially as a black kid who likes listening to J-Rock...:anime, after all, and that's my home country. :laugh:

Bueno · Apr 24, 2006

Igadevil said:
Welcome to the board Bueno! How long are you going to be in Japan for (if you know any estimate)?

And I think Bueno & smtemp pretty much covered it concerning costs, although I'd like to add that (in my experience, anyway) the higher costs are usually offset by the higher quality, at least compared to what I have at home (Convenient stores in Japan are actually, well, convenient.) At least it feels like that, I'm going to miss so many things whenever I eventually go back to the US. But only for a few months to finish school, then I plan to come back to work (probably do an ??? job), and then at some point in the future move here permanently.

I'm actually gonna take a trip to Immigration tomorrow to extend my visa. I'm on a working holiday right now and if my visa extention gets approved, I'm gonna be in Japan for another 7 months. However my Wushu coach once said from experience...

"Go to Asia for a year and stay there for 13."

I actually work an Eikaiwa job right now and they happen to sponsor working visas. So if everything works out, then it looks like my coach was right.

Igadevil, if you want me to hook you up, my work has branch offices in the Kansai area. And I think in Kobe nonetheless. Also it's okay to work for them if you're on a student visa. Let me know and I'll hook you up. And if you're ever in the Tokyo or Yokohama area, let's meet up and get wasted at a maid cafe in Akiba.:buttrock:

kyo28 said:
No matter how fluent at Japanese you become or how well you adapt to the local culture, you're always the 'gaijin' of the neighborhood.

You said it man. However, I stand out more cause people don't know what ethnicity. I'm a Filipino-Canadian, but I don't look it at all. But I kinda like standing out from all the typical Gaijin that roam my area.:thumbs:

Where are ya situated kyo28?

kyo28 · Apr 24, 2006

Used to be in Kagawa-ken but the project is finished so I'm back in Europe now.

smtemp · Apr 24, 2006

Yeah, I usually only bring $800 with me for my 3 month stays, but I'm not staying in hotels and half of my food it paid for. I know people who bring way more ^_^ like they said, it depends on what you want to do. I'm pretty thrifty, but I still buy a ton of stuff! I usually buy foods I'm not big on buying many souvenirs.

I love the hyaku en shops! *100 yen equivalent to our dollar stores* cept theirs rock! ^_^ probably just cause they have stuff in it that isn't normally in ours. Nice place to buy souvenirs if you're cheap like me. Got some cute bento boxes and traditional toys and decorations ^_^ hahah yay for my hyaku en decorating ^_^ no one at home knows the difference

Sage Shinigami · Apr 24, 2006

kyo28 said:
Used to be in Kagawa-ken but the project is finished so I'm back in Europe now.

Whoa...when did that happen? I know just a while back someone was mentioning that you actually lived in Japan which was why you managed to comment on a show before most were able to. Did you make a post about it? If not, I think you should've...bigger news than "I got soap in my eyes in the shower!!11" :laugh: :laugh:

Oh, sidenote: I wonder if anyone has a more extreme example about costs in Japan. 14 dollars for what sounds like a very looooooong trip plus a meal (though a small one it sounded like) really doesn't seem so bad to me. Then again I'm a country boy (we don't have trains in my town) so that could just be me. Its possible people who actually take the train to go places saw the price and flipped the **** out. :laugh:

Also...has anyone ever stayed in a hotel in Japan? How expensive are those, usually?

kyo28 · Apr 25, 2006

Usually I don't post so much about my private life on message boards, which is why I didn't mention it. Although some people knew about it since I asked them for advice regarding some private matters/problems that this situation has brought about.

Anyway, I'll keep watching the shows I like through winny.

Regarding life in Japan, I found it to be expensive depending on how you live. Local food in general and going out to eat in not too fancy places is affordable. If you want to buy more exotic kinds of food (exotic in reference to Japan, meaning western food or fruit for example), then it gets noticeably more expensive.
Public transportation is not government sponsored like it is in Europe and thus costs a pretty penny IMHO.
Hotels can be very expensive! When my parents stayed over, they paid about 6,000 yen per person per night which is very cheap for a decent little hotel in the country side. We got a good price thanks to a friend who works for a local travel agency, otherwise, I've seen prices exceeding 20,000 yen per person per night when we visited Osaka, Kyoto, Tokyo and so forth.

Sage Shinigami · Apr 25, 2006

kyo28 said:
Usually I don't post so much about my private life on message boards, which is why I didn't mention it. Although some people knew about it since I asked them for advice regarding some private matters/problems that this situation has brought about.

Anyway, I'll keep watching the shows I like through winny.

Regarding life in Japan, I found it to be expensive depending on how you live. Local food in general and going out to eat in not too fancy places is affordable. If you want to buy more exotic kinds of food (exotic in reference to Japan, meaning western food or fruit for example), then it gets noticeably more expensive.
Public transportation is not government sponsored like it is in Europe and thus costs a pretty penny IMHO.
Hotels can be very expensive! When my parents stayed over, they paid about 6,000 yen per person per night which is very cheap for a decent little hotel in the country side. We got a good price thanks to a friend who works for a local travel agency, otherwise, I've seen prices exceeding 20,000 yen per person per night when we visited Osaka, Kyoto, Tokyo and so forth.

Eh, I'd rather learn to like Japanese food and save money than spend an exorbitant amount of money on a Hardee's Thickburger. :laugh:

6,000-20,000 yen? Wow. See, now that's what I meant. THAT'S expensive. I remember my friend saved for a couple years for a single trip to Japan. I think she had 2 or 3 thousand, maybe more, and she came back with almost nothing. :laugh:

It sounds like, from what I'm hearing, I could go down there with twice that and come back with the same.

Japan Trippin': Redux ^_^

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