# Discover Japan



## samba_man (Dec 26, 2004)

*Ukiyo,*

What are the must-see historical cities of Japan ? Can you please make a list that suits all the history of Japan ?

ありがとう


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## RyukyuRhymer (Sep 23, 2007)

Bob the Labourer said:


> I have questions, please don't judge me, but;
> How do I get pot in Japan?
> What are local marijuana laws and customs like when it comes to scoring weed?
> 
> For social and recreational use, I don't want to smuggle it or become a drug dealer in Japan or anything...


its very very strict. The way people react here to Marijuana is like how they'd react to a hard drug in America like Heroin or Meth. It's a big no go. You can easily go to jail or get deported. It's probably why those who do want to get high, use dappo herbs (synthetic marijuana), which is harder to regulate.


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## RyukyuRhymer (Sep 23, 2007)

AndyWarhol said:


> 1-Popular bands and music from japan?
> 
> 
> 2- it's true that japanese hates south koreans?
> ...


1. I stopped following japanese music because its crap these days. The girl bands like AKB/SKB/HKT are popular. Perfume is popular. Exile is really popular among guys. I think rock/metal isn't as popular as it was 10-20 years ago when you had L'arc en Ciel, Dragon Ash, X-Japan, etc.

2. No. Most probably don't really think of anything beyond "oh, kim chi, good dramas, kpop". There's a vocal right wing minority that other countries love to focus on, trying to give the impression that all Japanese are like that. Also I've tend to find those who dislike Koreans tend to be around ages 40 and up. the younger generation is really into Korean media.

3. I guess 1LDK if you're in the city. bigger if you're out in the boonies.


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## ukiyo (Aug 5, 2008)

samba_man said:


> *Ukiyo,*
> 
> What is the must-see historical cities of Japan ? Can you please make a list that suits all the history of Japan ?
> 
> ありがとう


Well first the popular ones: Kyoto, Nara, Kamakura, Nikko

For less popular ones (less crowds )

Shirakawa-go, Kurashiki, Himeji Castle, Kawagoe etc. Actually there are too many for me to list. At this point if you want to see more you might as well do a google search for "historical sites japan" lol.


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## Zaz965 (Jan 24, 2015)

ukiyo, why yamanote line is so famous?


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## ukiyo (Aug 5, 2008)

Zaz965 said:


> ukiyo, why yamanote line is so famous?


Is it famous? Do you mean in your country?


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## Rocan (Dec 9, 2011)

I love traveling to Asia, and Japan is certainly next. Once I find that $600 fare, I am out. As I said, with all my interactions with Japanese people, I have nothing but respect and admiration for them. They are always nice, classy, clean, quiet, and super generous. 

1) How much and how long to get from NRT to Center?

2) How much would I spend in a normal basic hotel room per night?

3) My thing is to eat the weirdest/craziest food possible. When I went to China I did just that. I still do not know why the Travel Channel hasn't booted the ugly bald-fat Jewish guy in favor of me, cause I am down to take that gig anytime. Anyways, where could I get the live octopus, whale meat, sea urchin, or whatever would be considered exotic? And yes I would totally eat Flipper---hated that show anyways.

4) Are most signs also in English? Very important for using the Subway.

5) Do most people understand English?

6) What do Japanese girls think of white boys?


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## ukiyo (Aug 5, 2008)

If you watch both of these videos you can really get a feel for the Tokyo IMO.

here is driving in Tokyo with sunlight 






Here is a nice driving video in Tokyo at night. I recommend to just go to 0:30


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## ukiyo (Aug 5, 2008)

Rocan said:


> 1) How much and how long to get from NRT to Center?


You can fly directly to Haneda since 2010 since they opened an international terminal. From Narita you can take the Narita Express train and it takes about 55 minutes or so. There is also the keisei skyliner



> 2) How much would I spend in a normal basic hotel room per night?


Maybe like $60 or so, it depends on the seasons since depending on the season prices can skyrocket because of chinese tourists overtaking everything.



> 3) My thing is to eat the weirdest/craziest food possible. When I went to China I did just that. I still do not know why the Travel Channel hasn't booted the ugly bald-fat Jewish guy in favor of me, cause I am down to take that gig anytime. Anyways, where could I get the live octopus, whale meat, sea urchin, or whatever would be considered exotic? And yes I would totally eat Flipper---hated that show anyways.


I honestly don't know where you can find whale meat, I have never seen it before or tried it. As for live octopus that's not as common in Japan than in Korea generally they will be dead before (that famous video where they add soy sauce and it moves, it is dead, that is just biochemistry from the sodium shocking the muscles). You can eat very expensive sushi/sashimi where the fish is basically killed right in front of you etc but its very very expensive...your best bet it just to search online. The most common "live" item you can get easily would be live shrimp, you can see that in various places...you put them alive into the boiling water =/. Many sea side areas will have that.



> 4) Are most signs also in English? Very important for using the Subway.


Yes, every single one basically.



> 5) Do most people understand English?


No, and even when they do they often pretend not to. But they will still try to help you in broken english and strange sign language 



> 6) What do Japanese girls think of white boys?


White or not doesn't matter to the majority of them.


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## goocheslamb (Jul 31, 2014)

Do Japanese girls like Dark skinned men? Like Indian or African?


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## ukiyo (Aug 5, 2008)

goocheslamb said:


> Do Japanese girls like Dark skinned men? Like Indian or African?


Honestly Japanese are not racist generally speaking. There is "xenophobia" depending on the area or a slight "mistrust" of the "unknown". For example a shy japanese might think like this on the train...

"Oh my god a foreigner sat next to me, is he going to speak to me? But I can't speak english...what happens if he speaks to me? Should I move? Yes I should move". 

^ This is rare, but it happens. So besides those people, your average japanese girl and guy could care less what race you are. As long as you are polite, nice and don't smell bad.

If anything, except for the xenophobes being a foreigner is kind of a plus in Japan because you are "exotic", "interesting" so any japanese with any interest in the world (and there's many) will be interested/happy to talk to you. Also tourists are guests in Japan, so tourists/foreigners are treated like 10x better than native Japanese and can get away with everything. Oh you broke a plate? Whatever. Oh you cut in line? Oh it's ok you must not know japanese rules go ahead in front of me. etc.


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## RyukyuRhymer (Sep 23, 2007)

Zaz965 said:


> ukiyo, why yamanote line is so famous?


because it is a circular line that connects to most of the major JR East stations in Tokyo. it also comes very often.


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## ukiyo (Aug 5, 2008)

^^ Speaking of Tokyo lines...enjoy everyone 


Greater Tokyo Railway Network by Kzaral, on Flickr


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## ukiyo (Aug 5, 2008)

This is Osaka's


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## KB335ci2 (Aug 19, 2008)

Well if you haven't been to Japan, you should fully and totally go! I could move to that country!


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## diz (Nov 1, 2005)

Visited in 2014. No wifi anywhere except for the JR Shinkansen stations -- which were kind of difficult to access. Food was expensive. Local trains (non-JR) were even more expensive. Hardly if any English beyond the tourist alleys. And I never had the chance to use my credit card.

With that said, it was one of the best trips I've ever been on. I would love to live in Japan for a few years.


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## KB335ci2 (Aug 19, 2008)

ukiyo said:


> Honestly Japanese are not racist generally speaking. There is "xenophobia" depending on the area or a slight "mistrust" of the "unknown". For example a shy japanese might think like this on the train...
> 
> "Oh my god a foreigner sat next to me, is he going to speak to me? But I can't speak english...what happens if he speaks to me? Should I move? Yes I should move".
> 
> ...


You're probably unaware of the fact that goocheslamb is our resident racist, skin colour-obsessed pakistani posing as an Indian (as they often do) here on SSC. His question was meant to be racist in nature, despite his denying the fact every now and then. Now you know.


Good thread, by the way.


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## ukiyo (Aug 5, 2008)

^^ Yes I know he is. He is "proudarabian".

@ diz There is wifi everywhere, including in 2014. Every single main station in Tokyo and Osaka has it as well as convenience stores. But I'll be honest and say that it is really stupid how to connect to it, you need to download the "Japan Wi-Fi" app. I guess they expect you to download it in the airport, your hotel room, or before you go to Japan. Not the most user friendly =/

This is the app: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/japan-connected-free-wi-fi/id810838196?mt=8

As of 2015 though I think they are starting to do away with this weird registration/app nonsense and you can directly connect. Japan is slow to change though unfortunately so it'll probably be another 5 years.


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## Rocan (Dec 9, 2011)

goocheslamb said:


> Do Japanese girls like Dark skinned men? Like Indian or African?


Hell no lol. Look at their obsession with getting WHITER and more FAIR, and their billboard models. Does that look to you like a society which is attracted to people with lots of melanin? This isn't racism---it's personal preference. They are very polite so they will NEVER be explicitly racist or rude. 

Side note--As the instigator I am, I always ask them "What do you think of the Chinese?" to get reactions out of them. To be fair, when I was in China I did the exact same thing, in reverse. Very interesting. The Chinese guy I asked said: "Japanese?!" and then went on to imitate a man shooting machine gun...


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## dodge321 (Sep 5, 2007)

ukiyo said:


> Did you get a train card? It makes travelling so much easier (and I never understand why tourists buy paper tickets >_>). As for routes, just use google maps there's generally free wifi in every station (I have used the wifi on numerous occasions).
> 
> 
> Ikebukuro is not really a red light district, more like a lower income area, but it's still safe etc...it just doesn't look as clean etc. But it also has the best chinese food and super cheap japanese food everywhere.
> ...


I got an IC card. Second thing I bought in Japan was a Suica (first was a delicious lunch set from the airport convenience store). There really isn't a reason to not have one, and they also work for convenience stores and vending machines. I still have my Suica with me to remind me all those unnecessary transfers and length travelled :doh:

With the Ikebukuro red light district, I was referring to just the one area a little out from the JR East exit IIRC. And no I felt there was nothing unsafe about the area, same with Kabuchiko in Shinkuju.

I agree with Yokohama. And just 30mins away from Shinjuku, too. The Shibuya renovation must be huge if it takes 10 years to complete. 

I was surprised that there were Korean and Chinese translations in addition to English on a lot, if not most, signage in public space. Is this a recent thing or has it just always been like that?


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## Fotostatica (Nov 6, 2007)

diz said:


> Visited in 2014. No wifi anywhere except for the JR Shinkansen stations -- which were kind of difficult to access. Food was expensive. Local trains (non-JR) were even more expensive. Hardly if any English beyond the tourist alleys. And I never had the chance to use my credit card.
> 
> With that said, it was one of the best trips I've ever been on. I would love to live in Japan for a few years.


I rented a Pocket Wi-Fi and it was great, worked in any single place I went to even in the shinkansen. 

I also informed myself about the usage of credit and debit cards and I carried all my money in cash instead and had 0 problems. The only place where my boyfriend was able to use his card was at a karaoke place.


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## ukiyo (Aug 5, 2008)

dodge321 said:


> I got an IC card. Second thing I bought in Japan was a Suica (first was a delicious lunch set from the airport convenience store). There really isn't a reason to not have one, and they also work for convenience stores and vending machines. I still have my Suica with me to remind me all those unnecessary transfers and length travelled :doh:


I am SO happy you bought a suica. Correct me if I am wrong but did we help you out in the Japan forum? If so I am glad we helped you out, if not I am glad you are smart . I always see tourists staring at the train map, confused, shocked and desperate and trying to buy paper tickets....just get a train card and you don't need to deal with that! And yes it works in convenience stores, many restaurants, convenience machines and even sometimes as key lock for your hotel. It's great 



> I was surprised that there were Korean and Chinese translations in addition to English on a lot, if not most, signage in public space. Is this a recent thing or has it just always been like that?


It's a recent thing . Japan in the past 10 years has become a very tourist friendly country (or at least trying to do so), it's a national effort that basically everybody supports.


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## ukiyo (Aug 5, 2008)

Fotostatica said:


> I rented a Pocket Wi-Fi and it was great, worked in any single place I went to even in the shinkansen.
> 
> I also informed myself about the usage of credit and debit cards and I carried all my money in cash instead and had 0 problems. The only place where my boyfriend was able to use his card was at a karaoke place.


Yeah using credit cards are not common, cash is king...it's part of the "saving money" society too, people prefer to see and feel their money. With that said, if you want to use a card you need to use the train card...you put money in it and then you can pay with it all over the place. I guess it's more like a debit card than a credit card.


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## Rocan (Dec 9, 2011)

Does Japan have 7-11s on every corner like HKG does?


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## Raj20 (Mar 2, 2015)

ukiyo said:


> But I will answer your question regardless. Japan has already paid reparations, in fact in monetary terms Japan has paid more in reparations than Germany. You can read about it here: http://www.jiyuushikan.org/e/reparations.html


I meant real reparations (the amount of damage Japan had inflicted on Asia is in trillions of dollars (we're talking about quadrillions of yen) so is there a national movement to allocate a fixed or growing percentage of national budget to fix what your country had done?


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## ukiyo (Aug 5, 2008)

Rocan said:


> Does Japan have 7-11s on every corner like HKG does?


Yup! I think Taiwan has the highest density of convenience stores followed by Japan..or it might be the other way around :dunno"

You might be surprised to learn that 711 is actually a japanese company .

Basically in Tokyo and Osaka it can be ridiculous sometimes, if you stand on a corner you might see 4 convenience stores lol.


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## Dubai_Boy (May 21, 2003)

I do plan to visit Japan one day (my wife more so) and we Arabs, usually, just go without plans or booking in advance or have any prior knowledge of the place just for fun ! Yes it can be inconvenient and messy at times , but life would be a tad boring if we researched and prepared for everything. At least this is how we look at it 

Anyway, I do have one question. Do you think it will be okay if my wife walked around looking more like the lady on the right dress wise ?










Source: http://static.gulfnews.com/polopoly...61.jpg_gen/derivatives/box_475/1098321161.jpg


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## Rocan (Dec 9, 2011)

^Yep, I knew it was Japanese 

Do they have fresh food inside?


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## Rocan (Dec 9, 2011)

Raj20 said:


> I meant real reparations (the amount of damage Japan had inflicted on Asia is in trillions of dollars (we're talking about quadrillions of yen) so is there a national movement to allocate a fixed or growing percentage of national budget to fix what your country had done?


No, sorry. If we go far enough every country would have to pay reparations.


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## Rocan (Dec 9, 2011)

Dubai_Boy said:


> Anyway, I do have one question. Do you think it will be okay if my wife walked around looking more like the lady on the right dress wise ?
> 
> 
> 
> ...


They would probably think she's the monster from Princess Monokee


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## ukiyo (Aug 5, 2008)

Dubai_Boy said:


> I do plan to visit Japan one day (my wife more so) and we Arabs, usually, just go without plans or booking in advance or have any prior knowledge of the place just for fun ! Yes it can be inconvenient and messy at times , but life would be a tad boring if we researched and prepared for everything. At least this is how we look at it
> 
> Anyway, I do have one question. Do you think it will be okay if my wife walked around looking more like the lady on the right dress wise ?
> 
> ...


Yup no problem at all! Japan is seeing a boom in tourism from Indonesia and Malaysia and the girls dress like that also, nobody cares . Actually because of Indonesia and Malaysia Japan is also opening more and more "halal" friendly restaurants etc.

For example here is a recent news: http://www.thestar.com.my/News/Nation/2015/10/12/Sapporo-all-out-to-woo-Muslim-tourists/


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## Zaz965 (Jan 24, 2015)

ukiyo, is it possible to japan builds some more supertalls?


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## Raj20 (Mar 2, 2015)

ukiyo said:


> Trillions in dollars in todays dollars due to inflation, those figures are already in the hundreds of billions/trillion when you account for inflation (100 billion in 1955 is like over a trillion today for example).


The figures in your source are in yen. These are laughable amounts!



> Don't ask another question about this in this thread, just send me a PM if you want to continue it.


I understand it's an unpleasant issue to you but I'm not violating any rules.


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## ukiyo (Aug 5, 2008)

Zaz965 said:


> ukiyo, is it possible to japan builds some more supertalls?


Yup, Japan has recently built 300m supertall in osaka and 634m Tokyo Sky Tree (not a building though but a tower)...

Tokyo currently has a plan for a supertall: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=1848267

However compared to other countries it's hard to build supertalls in Japan. Major reasons is engineering cost due to earthquakes, deflation, and height limits due to airports.


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## dodge321 (Sep 5, 2007)

ukiyo said:


> I am SO happy you bought a suica. Correct me if I am wrong but did we help you out in the Japan forum? If so I am glad we helped you out, if not I am glad you are smart . I always see tourists staring at the train map, confused, shocked and desperate and trying to buy paper tickets....just get a train card and you don't need to deal with that! And yes it works in convenience stores, many restaurants, convenience machines and even sometimes as key lock for your hotel. It's great
> 
> 
> It's a recent thing . Japan in the past 10 years has become a very tourist friendly country (or at least trying to do so), it's a national effort that basically everybody supports.


I didn't ask any questions myself but looked through the threads in the Japan forum and I remember I found some helpful info 

With the signage, that's a nice gesture. I mean even if station names, most of which are in Kanji, are pretty much the same thing in Chinese but it does make you feel more welcome.


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## AdnanPD (Jul 6, 2008)

I visiting Tokyo in late spring/early summer, what kind of a weather can I expect?
And is there anything special things for couples to visit that you recommend, besides the most famous tourist spots?


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## ukiyo (Aug 5, 2008)

dodge321 said:


> I didn't ask any questions myself but looked through the threads in the Japan forum and I remember I found some helpful info
> 
> With the signage, that's a nice gesture. I mean even if station names, most of which are in Kanji, are pretty much the same thing in Chinese but it does make you feel more welcome.


That's nice . I think they also have announcements in chinese now too? Or is that only the airports? I haven't paid much attention in trains. I do know there is definitely english announcements for trains.


AdnanPD said:


> I visiting Tokyo in late spring/early summer, what kind of a weather can I expect?
> And is there anything special things for couples to visit that you recommend, besides the most famous tourist spots?


That is the perfect time to go! Well when in "early summer" exactly? June is the beginning of the rainy season.


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## AdnanPD (Jul 6, 2008)

ukiyo said:


> That is the perfect time to go! Well when in "early summer" exactly? June is the beginning of the rainy season.


It all depends on my vacation time, would you recommend late May?
I'm just sad I wont be there for cherry blossom. hno:


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## ukiyo (Aug 5, 2008)

AdnanPD said:


> It all depends on my vacation time, would you recommend late May?
> I'm just sad I wont be there for cherry blossom. hno:


Yes, except for missing the cherry blossom season May is IMO the best month (along with October) to visit Japan. It's warm but not hot, and generally there's no weather problems (rain, snow, typhoons etc). All the trees are nice and green by then also.


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## Zaz965 (Jan 24, 2015)

ukiyo, is it possible some time in the future, high speed rail to sapporo?


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## AdnanPD (Jul 6, 2008)

One more question, is it hard for foreigners to get tickets for concerts? 
Lets say a band like Wagakki Band is performing, would it be hard to get tickets(or any other concert for that reason)?
Is there any procedure for foreigners, or is it easy as getting them online? There are problems for Korea because for the most part you need to have their ID number to buy tickets online is there anything similar?


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## Svartmetall (Aug 5, 2007)

Zaz965 said:


> ukiyo, is it possible some time in the future, high speed rail to sapporo?


I can answer this! Hokkaido Shinkansen is under construction now.


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## ukiyo (Aug 5, 2008)

Zaz965 said:


> ukiyo, is it possible some time in the future, high speed rail to sapporo?


Yes it will be built. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hokkaido_Shinkansen



AdnanPD said:


> One more question, is it hard for foreigners to get tickets for concerts?
> Lets say a band like Wagakki Band is performing, would it be hard to get tickets(or any other concert for that reason)?
> Is there any procedure for foreigners, or is it easy as getting them online? There are problems for Korea because for the most part you need to have their ID number to buy tickets online is there anything similar?


I don't think there's any procedure..just buy them online!


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## ukiyo (Aug 5, 2008)

BTW if you visit in August you can see very huge fire work displays. Here is a video I took this august. How do these fireworks compare to fireworks in your guys countries?
Check out 1:50 if you don't want to see it all. Fireworks displays generally last for 1 hour.






Chinese invented gunpowder/fireworks and Japan imported that from China so we have had a very long history of big fireworks displays.


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## dodge321 (Sep 5, 2007)

ukiyo said:


> That's nice . I think they also have announcements in chinese now too? Or is that only the airports? I haven't paid much attention in trains. I do know there is definitely english announcements for trains.


I took the Keisei line from Narita and I remember there were announcements in Chinese and Korean. Not on any other trains from what I remember but the signage should be your first guide anyway.


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## ukiyo (Aug 5, 2008)

dodge321 said:


> I took the Keisei line from Narita and I remember there were announcements in Chinese and Korean. Not on any other trains from what I remember but the signage should be your first guide anyway.


What kind of food did you eat btw?

I am curious as to what the average tourist eats and if it is the same or really different than what your average japanese eats.

This question goes to anyone who has visited.


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## Antonio227 (Mar 10, 2006)

My interest in Japan is originated almost exclusively by literature and cinema. Not anime or manga (generational gap in order here, ha ha).

I like your Yasunari Kawabata. I think I have read every book of him published in Spanish.

Some of them:


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## musiccity (Jan 5, 2011)

Ukiyo, does Tokyo have any areas or neighborhoods that are considered more traditional (especially with architecture), like this? (In Kyoto)



Umbrellas of Kyoto, Japan by Luke Zeme, on Flickr


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## ukiyo (Aug 5, 2008)

Hmm, not really. The firebombing of Tokyo basically destroyed the entire city. Not to mention the huge earthquake a few decades before which burnt down the whole city. So must of the traditional stuff you see will be scattered through out, like temples shrines etc. But they are not all concentrated in a specific area. The closest thing to that are all in the Shitamachi Area (east Tokyo). For example Asakusa:


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## musiccity (Jan 5, 2011)

Thanks! What cities (besides Kyoto) have the best traditional districts?


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## ukiyo (Aug 5, 2008)

musiccity said:


> Thanks! What cities (besides Kyoto) have the best traditional districts?


Nara has some. 

Kurashiki, the entire city is basically like that 



















Near Tokyo there's Kawagoe










Also the mountain cities/villages have tons of old buildings.


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## ukiyo (Aug 5, 2008)

BTW I think you will love this video, walking through Kyoto 






I like how already in the very beginning of the video you see monks, showing how traditional Kyoto is. But this video also shows downtown Kyoto which is very modern as well.


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## Jennifat (Aug 7, 2005)

I have always wanted to go to Japan, and it's definitely on my to-do list as far as my future vacation plans.

I'd really love to visit Tokyo, climb Mt. Fuji, see Kyoto and the Golden Pavilion Temple, and see snow monkeys. They're so humanlike and expressive it's almost scary!


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## Marathaman (Jul 24, 2007)

y u do this japan. y.


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## Bob the Labourer (Sep 30, 2015)

I see Japan kin to the UK because we're both islands off Eurasia... :lol:
But IDK.

I've been to the Japanese embassy in London twice; When I was 15 asking about a visa, and when I was 17, invited with my Japanese class to don a kimono and take part in a real life Japanese tea ceremony with real life Japanese geishas, ocha and cake held in our honour;
- On that trip, I learned that the UK has the highest population of Japanese people outside Japan.


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## Tokei (Aug 24, 2014)

I do have an interest and I'll always have it even if I went there every weekend.

But I have no questions for now.


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## JMGA196 (Jan 1, 2013)

I dream of going to several places in Japan, but specially of watching this guys live. Japanese concert crowds are also amazing


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## Bob the Labourer (Sep 30, 2015)

Japan be all fun with their hologram shows bringing their anime to life...






The West be all honouring/raising the dead.


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## goocheslamb (Jul 31, 2014)

Dubai_Boy said:


> I do plan to visit Japan one day (my wife more so) and we Arabs, usually, just go without plans or booking in advance or have any prior knowledge of the place just for fun ! Yes it can be inconvenient and messy at times , but life would be a tad boring if we researched and prepared for everything. At least this is how we look at it
> 
> Anyway, I do have one question. Do you think it will be okay if my wife walked around looking more like the lady on the right dress wise ?
> 
> ...



You have three wives already? aren't you like only 30?


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## Inconfidente (Oct 5, 2006)

I have a question. Why is Kyoto the same of Tokyo but changing the order of their syllables?


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## Ivan the Immigrant (May 20, 2014)

This is my general geography knowledge of Japan: 

Japan is composed of four main islands: Honshu(central), Hokkaido(north), Kyushu and Shikoku(south). There is island of Okinawa on the most southern part of Japan which is considered as Japan's suburb. Four biggest cities are: Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya and Fukuoka. Sapporo is Japanese snow capital and is situated on the northern Japanese island Hokkaido and is very close to Vladivostok, Russia. Jokohama is big city connected with Tokyo and Kobe is substantially big city connected to Osaka. Kobe features longest suspention bridge in the world - Akashi-Kayiko suspension bridge which connects Honshu and Shikoku(I think) and is 1,900 m long...Hiroshima and Nagasaki are situated in southern Japan.

There are two smaller cities that I recall. Kawasaki between Tokyo and Jokohama. It's very famous for motorcycle manufacturing(it was big ship building concern in the past) and Toyota - famous for hosting Toyota automobile factory. City of Toyota is somewhere close to Nagoya.

There is one big city in southern part of Japan but cannot remember it's name right now. 


Problem with Japan AFAIK is that this big cities like Tokyo and Osaka are really vast metropolitan areas and are very difficult to comprehend. It's not easy to get the whole picture. I was observing Tokyo on Google maps and what I remebered so far is that big bridge in the harbour, I think it's 'Rainbow bridge' and those two TV towers: 'Tokyo tower' which irresistibly reminds on Eiffel tower but is 'red' instead and the other tower: 'Tokyo Sky Tree', a 600 m tall giant which is situated a couple kilometers to the east. And of course Mt. Fuji in the background. Besides that my picture of Tokyo is pretty blurred....

Osaka, I don't know anything about except it is more on the south...:dunno:

My knowledge of Japan is pretty much concentrated on WW2. I know almost every single battle in Pacific between American and Japanese troops. I was reading a lot about battles of Iwo Jima, Kwajalein, Midway, Phillipines, Pearl Harbour, etc...I always knew a lot about Japanese navy and battle ships from WW2 but didn't know anything about Japan itself for long time. Recently I am doing an effort on improving my knowledge but it's slow process. It would be nice to learn Japanese language a bit. Knowing language makes learning easier....:cheers2:


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## ukiyo (Aug 5, 2008)

Well if you want to begin to figure out how Tokyo looks, you can check out my thread in my signature 

Also I recommend reading the Osaka discussion thread: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=1480138
Tokyo discussion thread: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=1478097


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## G Callen (Jan 3, 2013)

Ivan the Immigrant said:


> What is that mountain? It's not Mt. Fuji?


It's Mt. Yotei in Hokkaido. The area surrounding it has some of the best skiing places in Japan.


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## Ivan the Immigrant (May 20, 2014)

ukiyo said:


> Well if you want to begin to figure out how Tokyo looks, you can check out my thread in my signature
> 
> Also I recommend reading the Osaka discussion thread: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=1480138
> Tokyo discussion thread: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=1478097



Yes, I was already looking. I will keep looking. Thing with Japan is very simmilar to that of China. There is lot of stuff to learn what makes the process slow (especially because I am doing lot of things at the same time which sometimes creates confusion). :cheers2:


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## OnTheNorthRoad (Oct 17, 2010)

Do average japanese people know who a guy like, say.. Noriaki Kasai is?  How popular are winter sports? Either by doing one of them or watching on TV, like alpine skiing, ski jumping, snowboard, XC skiing and so on. 

Bonus from the Sapporo championship (2007):


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## Inconfidente (Oct 5, 2006)

RyukyuRhymer said:


> A few people explained it including Ukiyo
> 
> Tokyo is written like this: 東京 meaning Eastern Capital
> 東 Tou = East
> ...


It seems like it was me who jumped Ukiyo's answer then. :shifty:
That explains it all. Thanks.



ukiyo said:


> IMG_5495 by ukiyo634, on Flickr


How do you get in there? You stay stand inside of it while there's a shower above, right? :sly:


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## ukiyo (Aug 5, 2008)

Yes, basically bathroom in japanese is literally that a room that is the bath...area. It is a bath...room. I don't know if I am making sense. The entire room is water proof. Toilets are always separated in their own room.

So we will go in that room naked (right outside those sliding doors is a little area to put clothes etc) and rinse off in the shower and then go into the bath. The shower head is not in that pic.


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## Ivan the Immigrant (May 20, 2014)

G Callen said:


> It's Mt. Yotei in Hokkaido. The area surrounding it has some of the best skiing places in Japan.


Yes thanks. It very much resembles Mt. Fuji. Btw, what are common differences between Hokkaido and the rest of Japan. Since you are in a way isolated from mainland, I guess there must be something to say on that topic? I've already heard Ukiyo and Ryukyu Rhymer talking about their views on some differences between central and southern Japan. It would be interesting to hear how Hokkaidans see it. As I understood till now there is some social split between north and south Japan and east and west. Tokyo and Osaka are north. Hiroshima, Fukuoka and Nagasaki are south. At the same time Tokyo is considered east Japan. How Hokkaido fits into that social map?


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## ukiyo (Aug 5, 2008)

Here is a video explaining what I did 1000x better :lol: Just watch this


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## Ivan the Immigrant (May 20, 2014)

RyukyuRhymer said:


> A few people explained it including Ukiyo
> 
> Tokyo is written like this: 東京 meaning Eastern Capital
> 東 Tou = East
> ...



Does it mean that Kyoto was somekind of capital city in history? Why is Kyoto so popular turistic destination anyway, what's so special about Kyoto that everybody keep mentioning it all the time?


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## Svartmetall (Aug 5, 2007)

Ukiyo said that already - short answer is yes.



Ivan the Immigrant said:


> Why is Kyoto so popular turistic destination anyway, what's so special about Kyoto that everybody keep mentioning it all the time?


Temples, palace, history. Culture. Gion. Geisha. All of these can be had in Kyoto. Not to mention a pretty awesome surrounding of mountains, having amazing food (especially the tofu) and also being very close to Osaka and Nara (another gem for temples).

I really should go back and upload my photos of Japan from 2010 - I had photos of Nara and Kyoto in that set.


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## ukiyo (Aug 5, 2008)

OnTheNorthRoad said:


> Do average japanese people know who a guy like, say.. Noriaki Kasai is?  How popular are winter sports? Either by doing one of them or watching on TV, like alpine skiing, ski jumping, snowboard, XC skiing and so on.


Olympics are very popular in Japan, so during winter olympics everybody becomes huge winter sports fan, besides that people don't follow except for in the snowy areas of Japan.


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## ukiyo (Aug 5, 2008)

BTW that channel has another video on another topic we talked about recently...train cards. 






Anyway point is just get a card and use google maps.


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## Ivan the Immigrant (May 20, 2014)

Svartmetall said:


> Ukiyo said that already - short answer is yes.


It's long thread. I haven't read it all, sorry


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## Svartmetall (Aug 5, 2007)

^^ I answered the rest of your question too, though. 

PS: since Ukiyo has plugged her Japanese photos, I shall do the same. Check out my signature for two sets of photos from Japan. One in 2013 and one in 2015 (still uploading to that one).


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## ukiyo (Aug 5, 2008)

I just realized Expedia made travel videos for Tokyo and Kyoto.

Tokyo





Kyoto


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## Tom_Green (Sep 4, 2004)

ukiyo you have a very clean and tidy Apartment


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## Inconfidente (Oct 5, 2006)

ukiyo said:


> Yes, basically bathroom in japanese is literally that a room that is the bath...area. It is a bath...room. I don't know if I am making sense. The entire room is water proof. Toilets are always separated in their own room.
> 
> So we will go in that room naked (right outside those sliding doors is a little area to put clothes etc) and rinse off in the shower and then go into the bath. The shower head is not in that pic.


Now I got it. I used this kind of bathroom in a hostel of Paris once.


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## Bob the Labourer (Sep 30, 2015)

Is Japan racist?

I mean gaijin was one of the first words ever learnt... Literal translation is means 'foreign ogar' :lol:


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## Ivan the Immigrant (May 20, 2014)

Well, thanks to this thread I've learned that Tokyo is east capital and Kyoto is historic or west capital of Japan. And former name for Tokyo is Edo. And symbol for capital is the same in Chinese and Japanese. But it is pronounced differently. Chinese is 'jing' and Japanese is 'kyo'...:cheers2:


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## Siopao (Jun 22, 2005)

ukiyo said:


> It literally means "foreign person" where did you get ogar from?
> 
> Foreign person = 外人
> 外 = outside
> ...


You are right. But, the word has become derogatory, isn't it?

People used to call foreigners formally as "外国人". Literally meaning "foreigners".

But the problem is, as time progresses, more and more people take out the 国 part and it becomes 外人, which literally means "Outside person" or an *"Outsider" *. Many foreign expats despise the use of 外人 and instead would wish Japanese people and media use the friendlier, more literally and politically correct word, "外国人".


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## Zaz965 (Jan 24, 2015)

why did they change the capital to tokyo from kyoto?


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## RyukyuRhymer (Sep 23, 2007)

Zaz965 said:


> why did they change the capital to tokyo from kyoto?


Capital was Kyoto but the real power was with the Shoguns. The last and most powerful one was the Tokugawa family and they made Edo (now Tokyo) their base. They were there for so long that many of the institutions were developed in Edo.

Then the Meiji Restoration happened. People wanted the end of Shogun rule and the return of real power to the Imperial family. That finally happened and the Meiji Era happened, but the emperor had to move to Edo since everything was there. The move to Tokyo also symbolizes Japan's entrance to the modern world as it began rapidly modernizing and westernizing around that time.


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## AndyWarhol (Jul 30, 2015)

Can you show us some rich neighbourhoods in japan?


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## abhijeetm29 (Mar 25, 2010)

Ukiyo, can you suggest some vegetarian (not vegan) cuisine in Japan? Japan is great to travel but for a vegetarian Indian like me it can be a real problem. 

I knew (and tried) few things
1. Kitsune-Soba/udon











2. Yakisoba Sandwich (Available in combini like Family Mart, Hearts.in for 120-130 Yen)











3. Hiroshima type okonomiyaki 










Sources: Shamelessly lifted from Google images.

As I lived in Japan, I had less problems. But for someone who is traveling, this can be an issue.


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## RyukyuRhymer (Sep 23, 2007)

abhijeetm29 said:


> Ukiyo, can you suggest some vegetarian (not vegan) cuisine in Japan? Japan is great to travel but for a vegetarian Indian like me it can be a real problem.
> 
> As I lived in Japan, I had less problems. But for someone who is traveling, this can be an issue.


Those may not be vegetarian appropriate.
I dated a girl who was Hare Krishna (but Japanese) before, you'd be surprised at what things still contain pig or cow based stuff in them. The short answer is, cooking yourself.


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## abhijeetm29 (Mar 25, 2010)

RyukyuRhymer said:


> *Those may not be vegetarian appropriate.*
> I dated a girl who was Hare Krishna (but Japanese) before, you'd be surprised at what things still contain pig or cow based stuff in them. The short answer is, cooking yourself.


Agree. I often got really distilled down vegetarian version for me. By the time the dish was prepared according to my requirements, it long ceased to be like your regular Japanese 'ryouri'. 

For e.g. I'd go to a Okonomiyaki eatery near my apartment and have it made without- eggs, any kind of meat and fish. 

That said, I have a policy that I don't consume products which are directly non-vegetarian- sushi for e.g. But have no problem with food which is cooked in pans/utensils (used for preparing meat, fish etc.), or food which has some animal/egg extract which is difficult for me to detect.

I don't know if cooking yourself can work? Do you mean living in AirBnb or hostels where one can prepare their own food?

As I lived in Japan, I had little to no problem with food (since I cooked). And on trips, I went to Indian restaurants as I'd usually have no option.


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## RyukyuRhymer (Sep 23, 2007)

abhijeetm29 said:


> As I lived in Japan, I had little to no problem with food (since I cooked). And on trips, I went to Indian restaurants as I'd usually have no option.


when travelling, she brought some kind of portable electric stove and knives to cook in the hotel. i thought its a pain but for her it was necessary. often we'd go to the local market so she could carefully choose her ingredients.
Also went to specific Indian restaurants that specialized in vegetarian food (easy in the bigger cities like Osaka and Tokyo)


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## Guest (Oct 14, 2015)

Been there twice and well, one lifetime is not enough to fully experience that gorgeous country.

Can't want to go back.


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## rayvs99 (Jan 3, 2014)

Bob the Labourer said:


> Is Japan racist?
> 
> I mean gaijin was one of the first words ever learnt... Literal translation is means 'foreign ogar' :lol:


I think Chinese are more racist than any other Asian countries.


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## ukiyo (Aug 5, 2008)

Siopao said:


> You are right. But, the word has become derogatory, isn't it?
> 
> People used to call foreigners formally as "外国人". Literally meaning "foreigners".
> 
> But the problem is, as time progresses, more and more people take out the 国 part and it becomes 外人, which literally means "Outside person" or an *"Outsider" *. Many foreign expats despise the use of 外人 and instead would wish Japanese people and media use the friendlier, more literally and politically correct word, "外国人".


It's not derogatory unless the persons tone is explicitly derogatory. The majority of gaijin living in Japan even refer to themselves as such, only people who always want to find controversy are offended. Some half people find "haafu" offensive while I think it's just a word and don't know why some people want to find outrage in everything in their life. Leaving out "koku" is simple, japanese shorten everything as I am sure you aware.


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## ukiyo (Aug 5, 2008)

AndyWarhol said:


> Can you show us some rich neighbourhoods in japan?


Japan is pretty egalitarian society so you tend to have rich people living next to poor etc. With that said most of the skyscraper districts you see in Tokyo _are_ the "rich" neighborhoods, although even there you might find old/poor houses next to a skyscraper. http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=1726723&page=7 
From post 125 in that thread is a kind of rich residential area.



Simon91 said:


> Been there twice and well, one lifetime is not enough to fully experience that gorgeous country.
> 
> Can't want to go back.


Why don't you move?


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## ukiyo (Aug 5, 2008)

For people who don't know much of a difference between Korea, Japan and China here is a recent video on some of the differences between Korea and Japan.











Honestly after watching this koreans seem more similar to Americans than japanese, which actually is what I already thought before watching the video lol. Koreans are also easier to be friends with in general and they will be more helpful than japanese IMO.


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## ukiyo (Aug 5, 2008)

Annnnnnd for the quadruple post! Someone mentioned before japanese teeth, check out the girl in this video. This is basically what I mentioned, people my generation may tend to have teeth like her because braces are very rare. Also maybe a tiny tint of yellow, once again not because of lack of brushing (in general who knows about her specifically lol) but due to heavy consumption of green tea.


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## Bob the Labourer (Sep 30, 2015)




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## Ashok (Jul 17, 2004)

Yes! I do - I am fascinated by the Japanese culture. Though, it has to be after I finish my studies.


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## Bob the Labourer (Sep 30, 2015)

ukiyo said:


> Annnnnnd for the quadruple post! Someone mentioned before japanese teeth, check out the girl in this video. This is basically what I mentioned, people my generation may tend to have teeth like her because braces are very rare. Also maybe a tiny tint of yellow, once again not because of lack of brushing (in general who knows about her specifically lol) but due to heavy consumption of green tea.


Kawaii Desu


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## Scba (Nov 20, 2004)

How are other cuisines represented in Japan? Do they have Italian restaurants (besides pizza chains), American style restaurants (besides burger chains)? Tex-Mex?


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## RyukyuRhymer (Sep 23, 2007)

Scba said:


> How are other cuisines represented in Japan? Do they have Italian restaurants (besides pizza chains), American style restaurants (besides burger chains)? Tex-Mex?


Yes we have and they all suck if you're looking for something authentic.
They are like Panda Express is to Chinese food.


Japanese chains for
Italian: Italian Tomato, Saizeria, etc
burgers: Lotteria, Mos burgers
Chinese: a ton of smaller chains

Note:
There's fusion pasta that combines Japanese ingredients with pasta noodles like Mentaiko pasta
most so called Chinese food are really Japanese food like ramen and gyoza. They don't have the same thing in China (similar stuff but not the same. It evolved differently)
Indian food is generally better because there's a crap load of South Asians here 
Mexican: Japanese people think Taco Bell is real Mexican. They try to imitate it using hard shells and ground beef. They never heard of real Mexican stuff like tacos al carbon or carne asada


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## castermaild55 (Sep 8, 2005)

Tom_Green said:


> Why do so many Japanese have so bad teeth?


it is an evidence that Japanese people is mixed race though it is said homogeneous. just google it


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## godgame (Jun 17, 2015)

how are chinese perceived in japan?


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## castermaild55 (Sep 8, 2005)




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## castermaild55 (Sep 8, 2005)

Bob the Labourer said:


> ロバートはカースティに恋をしています
> Robāto wa Kāsuti ni koi o shite imasu
> 
> "ni koi o shite imas"
> ...


Japanese language is agglutinative language
it does not need grammar much^^
all japanese understand what you want to say
just try and speak in chance



> Debunking the Japanese sentence order myth
> Posted on February 16, 2005
> I’ve mentioned this before, but I’d like to repeat myself here to hopefully help the debunking of the age-old Japanese sentence order myth.
> 
> ...


 http://www.guidetojapanese.org/blog/2005/02/16/debunking-the-japanese-sentence-order-myth/


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## Bob the Labourer (Sep 30, 2015)

So I can use 4 for 'for'?

EDIT: Sumimasen - I misunderstood...


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## RyukyuRhymer (Sep 23, 2007)

Bob the Labourer said:


> What is (if any) the culture shock between Tokyo & the rest of Japan.
> Is Osaka Japan's 2nd city?
> Is Tokyo just big like London? London is British, Tokyo is Japanese, (and Eastern), but I hear Tokyo is a world city... What is the difference; between Tokyo and the rest of Japan and how does Tokyo feel compared to Osaka?


The problem with Japanese stereotypes about each other has much to blame on both the media and the ignorance of Japanese people.

1. The Japanese media like to exaggerate and maintain these stereotypes. Osaka people are supposed to be funny, crude, direct, loud, open, aggressive, etc. Tokyo people are supposed to be cold, polite, distant. But in many cases, Tokyo is framed as being "normal". Japanese dramas, anime, manga, keep framing Osaka people in such a way, even though in reality while there are some slight differences here and there, they are more or less the same.

2. Another big problem is that Japanese people don't really know much about their own country. Most only travel to big cities (for work or tourism) or common tourism places. I'm a bit of an exception, I lived in Okinawa, Kanto, Kansai, and now Tohoku region and been to 33-35ish prefectures out of 47. However most Japanese go nowhere near that much. When I lived in Tokyo as a university student, even though Yamanashi and Nagano are rather close, not many of my friends there say they visited those prefectures. In contrast when I lived in Los Angeles, most of my friends said they visited Nevada (Las Vegas).

There's a strong level of ignorance Japanese have about other prefectures. Because of this they tend to hold romantic or stereotypical views of places they don't know well or never been to.

For example:

Akita Bijin: A prefecture in Northern Japan that is known as one of the 3 cities known for beautiful women. My Okinawan friends would always ask me if I met Akita Bijin. I've been to Akita many times and I can say, they don't look that different from any other Tohoku region. There's pretty ones yes, and ugly ones, and every day ones. magazines and tv shows like to cherry pick some beautiful girl there and say her beauty is because she is from Akita.

Sendai ugly girls: Sendai, another city in northern Japan, is known as one of the 3 cities known for ugly women. Like Akita, theres ugly ones, beautiful ones, and many regular ones. I would argue there's more beautiful girls in Sendai simply because it's the biggest city in Tohoku, and one of the few (maybe only city) in the region that can maintain a population of young people. In terms of looks, there's not that much regional variation. Living in Tohoku, sometimes you see a face that's more common in Tohoku than other regions, but in general its more or less the same as Tokyo. The only place where you begin seeing some differences is Okinawa, Kagoshima, and sometimes the Chugoku and Kansai regions. From Okinawa to Hokkaido, all of the people are the general same admixture of various Jomon tribes and Yayoi tribes. They only differ in the ratio of mixture.

Osaka openness: As I said, many of my Okinawan friends know nothing about Tohoku and have romantic images of that area. Likewise, some of my Tohoku friends, know nothing about Kansai. They think its some kind of wild west filled with aggressive rude people. While its somewhat true Osaka people are more open about their emotions than other regions, they're still much more reserved and polite compared to other cultures like Americans, Koreans, etc. Aside from that, speaking in Kansai-dialect, standing on the right side of the escalator, etc.. there's not any significant differences.

migration and regional intermixing is also blurring these lines. In many cities in Tohoku, many people age 23-50 are not there. They are in Tokyo or other big cities for work/school. They tend to stay there for a while, marry some one from there, only to return to their home towns in golden week or some other holidays. Its a big problem in rural areas. The government has tried since the 80s to prevent agglomeration, but its success is limited. It's a very difficult problem with no easy solutions. (investments, job creation, revitalizing rural cities and towns have only had limited effect).

there's two types of migration, intra-regional and inter-regional.

intra-regional is migration that happens within the region. For example Tohoku as a whole is declining rapidly, but everyone there is going to Sendai, the biggest city in the region. Okinawa is the only region outside of the big 4 metro areas that has a growing population, but only Okinawa and Ishigaki Island has a growing population, all the other islands are depopulating because they're moving to those other islands.

Inter-regional migration is between regions. Such as Tohoku to Tokyo. Usually inter-regional migration is everywhere else in Japan to Tokyo metro, Osaka metro, and sometimes Nagoya and Fukuoka metro. That's because all the jobs are there.


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## RyukyuRhymer (Sep 23, 2007)

godgame said:


> how are chinese perceived in japan?


depends on person, different people perceive them differently.

It also depends on which generation of Chinese.

Excluding Taiwanese, Chinese people entered Japan at two different periods.

One was pre-WW2 (and shortly after), these ones are pretty much totally assimilated. I dated a girl who was descended from this group. Her surname was the Japanese version of her Chinese family name. Her first name is Japanese as is her entire family. She lived near Chinatown in Yokohama and some of her friends were also the same as her. Chinese background but totally Japanese. People don't think much of them until they hear the surname then realize they are of Chinese ancestry (or Korean, since some Korean surnames are the same as Chinese like 利 or 張).

Then there's the new group, mostly coming after 2000. Within this, one are a group of students or short-term laborers who migrate to Japan. They generally take up blue collar jobs like working at the convenience store, sales clerk, etc. The ones I knew said they came to Japan because it was easier for them than going to America. I think their opinions of Japan tend to change after living here for so long. The other group is this new wave of tourists.. the stores and Japanese government love them because they spend a lot of money. The everyday person, not so much. Because they buy up everything, can't queue, have different driving behaviors, and ignore rules. In Okinawa, I noticed a large increase of mainland Chinese visitors (but they still pale in comparison to Taiwanese visitors), you can tell who they are because they tend to be older and dress differently. They are very noticeable on the road as they drive more erratically. I feel bad for people in some parts of Okinawa where they gotta deal with erratic American soldiers driving like its the US (average Japanese need drivers education for 1 month, US soldiers can get it only in 3 days), but now gotta deal with Chinese drivers. It seems that as a result, many rental cars now have a sign that says "Foreigner driving", as well as the standard green-yellow sign that is usually associated with student drivers. It warns others on the road to give this guy space and be on the defensive.

Chinese food is regarded very highly and one of the three world's great cuisine. (in Japan everything comes in threes). The other 3 are Italian (or was it French?) and Turkish. Many Japanese variety shows go into some unknown place in China in search of good food. But quite frankly, the average knowledge of a Japanese person on Chinese food is limited to Ma-bo Tofu, Ebi-Chili Gyoza, and Ramen, the latter two are actually Japanese (or Japanized Chinese). They don't know the differences between regional foods other than Sichuan.

Taiwanese tourists and students are generally viewed very positively. Taiwanese tourists tend to have some level of Japanese speaking ability. Their manners are closer to Japanese. Quite simply, they are the easiest to relate to out of all the foreign groups. Hong Kongers are also pretty good, but there's a stereotype that they're a bit more aggressive and open than their Taiwanese counterparts. Both are miles different from mainland PRC.


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## CharlieP (Sep 12, 2002)

I "visited" Japan in 2009/10 but felt like I didn't really get to know it at all, as it was a snowboarding holiday - apart from the transfer from Narita to Haneda, the bus to and from the resort and a night at Sapporo Airport, I only ever saw the snow resort of Niseko for two and a half weeks, which was full of Australians! :lol:

I'd love to do it properly in four years' time when the Rugby World Cup is on, but I fear I won't have the funds to do it.


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## skymantle (Jul 17, 2010)

Japan is an awesome country and I enjoyed my time there working, travelling and playing. The food alone is one of the reasons I really liked it, as well as other things like taking an _onsen_, but most of all it was the people, because at the end of the day, it's mostly the people that make a place favourable. :cheers:


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## castermaild55 (Sep 8, 2005)

I think most Japanese people do not hate the Chinese except CCP
the chinese people who are living in Japan are assimilating to Japan
however it might be a lack of trust by their cultural background especially in business.
they are always afraid to be cheated.
china is the longest distances country from Japan in constitution of the civilization　more than western countries though many things influenced to Japan

as for talking in chinese and korean loud, most Japanese are bored. they can not talk in a low voice as a language?
chinese people who are from north east china like Harbin　do not have a prejudice much about Japan' ww2 because of Manchukuo?


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## Kappa21 (Sep 24, 2005)

I feel everything is super expensive in Japan. Plus the people are racist from what i hear.... they dont like foreigners


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## AndyWarhol (Jul 30, 2015)

^^ That's something in what i'm curious of; i have heard that currently, but also that japanese are the kindest persons with foreigners, so i'm confused XD


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## castermaild55 (Sep 8, 2005)

Kappa21 said:


> I feel everything is super expensive in Japan. Plus the people are racist from what i hear.... they dont like foreigners


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## RyukyuRhymer (Sep 23, 2007)

Kappa21 said:


> I feel everything is super expensive in Japan. Plus the people are racist from what i hear.... they dont like foreigners


There's a tendency for foreigners to think
Tokyo = Japan

Tokyo's land prices and cost of living is high, but Tokyo only represents about 10% of Japan's population. It's much cheaper to live in other prefectures.

As for racism, there's racism everywhere. It's an issue of degree and type of racism.

Big cities like Tokyo or Osaka are generally used to foreigners because they are international cities. Or in Okinawa because 20% of the land is a US military base, so you see foreigners all the time.
in the rural areas they are a bit rarer.

Some of the racism (negative, bigoted ones) tends to be focused more on the older generation. Unfortunately the younger generation has a different type of racism referred to as passive racism as well as micro agressions
you can read here
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/communi...oaggressions-that-grind-us-down/#.VihxR9IrLIU

for example: "can you even use chopsticks?", "you said sayonara! you're Japanese is so good", etc.
Many are still very judgmental based on your looks. They believe Americans must look a certain way, French a certain way, etc. They don't realize the world is changing, becoming diverse, etc.
this video is a good example





A lot of my half friends experienced racism when they were young. Then when they got older and being half is cool, they receive another kind of bias.
this kid I knew who is half African-American said everyone expected him to be athletic simply because that's how Japanese perceive people of African ancestry to be, and they were disappointed he wasn't.

Foreigners also receive discrimination when looking for housing. There's lots of landlords and owners who have a "no foreigners allowed" policy. When I worked at an international student support division at a Japanese university, many of our students had hard time finding a place.

In media, thieves, robbers, etc are usually portrayed as foreigners too, see this
http://news.tv-asahi.co.jp/news_society/articles/000060244.html

that said, I do think the current situation is tame compared to elsewhere. There's no racial clashes that you sometimes see in other countries, of any other violent confrontations over race. Most Japanese government offices, establishments, etc generally try to do their best to accommodate foreigners, even if they often don't have good language abilities (please understand that for Japanese there's few related languages, unlike Indo-European languages where they are close enough to each other making it easy for them to learn each other's languages)


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## Svartmetall (Aug 5, 2007)

Even Tokyo is not expensive any more compared to the rest of the developed world. I can only wish the Swedish real estate market in cities here looked like the one in Tokyo, let alone the costs of goods and services. Even compared to New Zealand and the UK these days Japan is cheap.


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## k5villan (Mar 20, 2012)

Kappa21 said:


> I feel everything is super expensive in Japan. Plus the people are racist from what i hear.... they dont like foreigners


i was amazed at how cheap it was, eating out is really cheap, you can get two meals with drinks for around £10-15 (circa $20)

i went there last year, canada this year and it was far cheaper and thats with the canadian dollar on its ass

its a flooded market so there are tons of options, the main difference i found between japan and the UK is that here cheap means mass produced shite that has sacrificed quality to hit its price point, a cheap meal here would be a burger that you wouldnt give a dog, cheap there means low cost no frills produce such as noodles but still cooked and prepared in a really professional manner giving you that quality

and the racist bit, they really dont care, compared to china where everyone stared, loads of people took photos, they just dont give a ****, they've got their own thing going on, i had absolutely no trouble there, not many people spoke english but they'll still interact with you, its one of the politest countries ive ever been to


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## Occit (Jul 24, 2005)

I'm afraid of radiation in Japan... that's the one reason i would not visit it.


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## Svartmetall (Aug 5, 2007)

Occit said:


> I'm afraid of radiation in Japan... that's the one reason i would not visit it.


Japan has strict standards, the radioactive contaminants were largely contained to a limited area. In fact, the tolerance for radioactivity of food is more strict in Japan vs. the EU or the US. 

Equally, the highly respected scientific journal, Nature, has covered Fukushima quite extensively. This article from back in February of this year covers radioactivity in food:

http://www.nature.com/news/fukushima-data-show-rise-and-fall-in-food-radioactivity-1.17016

Equally, just for Americans just in case the water is brought up...

http://www.natureworldnews.com/arti...iation-west-coast-waters-harmless-experts.htm



No, I really would not worry about radiation. You're more likely to come to Europe and have problems from the massive release of radioactive materials from Chernobyl here in Sweden (for example) than you are to worry in nearly all of Japan.


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## apinamies (Sep 1, 2010)

As manga/anime fan I would like to know difference between words yokai and ayakashi both means monster?


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## Kappa21 (Sep 24, 2005)

Ok, so racism is just a white mans tool and pricey Japan is only in Tokyo... 
got it...lets go. 

Also can someone explain why Japan Porno censors vaginas and Penises...i wanna see some **** dammit


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## RyukyuRhymer (Sep 23, 2007)

Occit said:


> I'm afraid of radiation in Japan... that's the one reason i would not visit it.


there's a widely believed exaggeration on the degree and extent of the radiation. If you're outside of a few cities in Fukushima Prefecture, you should be fine.


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## RyukyuRhymer (Sep 23, 2007)

apinamies said:


> As manga/anime fan I would like to know difference between words yokai and ayakashi both means monster?


No.

yokai = 妖怪, it means ghost like these









ayakashi = あやかし, a very specific type of Yokai that appears in the ocean


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## RyukyuRhymer (Sep 23, 2007)

some info about sports.

in Japan, when we enter the gym, we must take our outdoor shoes off and wear indoor shoes. i don't see this done in other countries. This is to keep the floors clean, especially the court floors









Baseball is, or was the most popular sport. But it's quickly being replaced by soccer as the preferred sport by young people. Like America, baseball is an old man's game. It's not easily accessible because you need a large field and many people to properly play. Every year we have a national tournament called Koshien where high schools from the entire country play against each other. Traditionally the strongest base ball schools are from Miyagi, Kanagawa, and Okinawa Prefectures. However basketball is my game and in my free time I'm often involved working with youth in basketball









Compared to American basketball, Japanese basketball has a lot less fouls and trash talk.
Its tempo is very run and gun like the old Suns, or fundamental like the Spurs. Very little Iso play like Kobe









Michael Jordan came to this gym and left this behind


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## ukiyo (Aug 5, 2008)

k5villan said:


> and the racist bit, they really dont care, compared to china where everyone stared, loads of people took photos, they just dont give a ****, they've got their own thing going on, i had absolutely no trouble there, not many people spoke english but they'll still interact with you, its one of the politest countries ive ever been to


Yeah, also the "racism" one experiences in Japan is totally different than "go home mexican" type you can hear in the US, it's a weird mix of "positive-racism" (wow foreigner is interesting/cool!) and extreme ignorance. Overall "negative racism" is rare, mostly old people, and even then mostly around US military bases. The overwhelming majority of people just don't care, and even if they do care they won't say or do anything anyways.


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## abhijeetm29 (Mar 25, 2010)

It's funny when I realize that most of the people think of Anime when it comes to Japan.
In my entire stay in Japan I hardly came across Anime (I remember my Japanese colleagues asking me of it but I replied in negative). Stayed several times in Manga/Internet cafe but only understood this word once I came to Denmark.

My cultural knowledge is just so poor hno:


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## OnTheNorthRoad (Oct 17, 2010)

RyukyuRhymer said:


> some info about sports.
> 
> in Japan, when we enter the gym, we must take our outdoor shoes off and wear indoor shoes. i don't see this done in other countries. This is to keep the floors clean, especially the court floor


Did you check all of them  In my experience, we also always use indoor gym shoes - at least in the school context. I'm sure it's true in several other countries as well. But the outdoor shoes are never visible like that, since we change them in cloakrooms.

I remember I was surprised when I first went to america and saw that people didn't take off their outdoor shoes inside their own homes.

The only times that I don't take them off inside a home is when I wear suit shoes, but this is true only for homes and some other places. For all kinds of public places, shoes are kept on of course.


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## RyukyuRhymer (Sep 23, 2007)

OnTheNorthRoad said:


> Did you check all of them  In my experience, we also always use indoor gym shoes - at least in the school context. I'm sure it's true in several other countries as well. But the outdoor shoes are never visible like that, since we change them in cloakrooms.
> 
> I remember I was surprised when I first went to america and saw that people didn't take off their outdoor shoes inside their own homes.
> 
> The only times that I don't take them off inside a home is when I wear suit shoes, but this is true only for homes and some other places. For all kinds of public places, shoes are kept on of course.


you're right! and yes I was a bit apalled about the habits of some Americans in the gym or their own homes. but i've noticed it varied from region to region. in Hawaii, they take their shoes off.


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## Peregrin Tuk (Oct 20, 2007)

I would like to know about the "education revolutions" in the XX century
or some kind of information about how it was before and after about educational politics.

if it's not much trouble of course.


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## RyukyuRhymer (Sep 23, 2007)

Peregrin Tuk said:


> I would like to know about the "education revolutions" in the XX century
> or some kind of information about how it was before and after about educational politics.
> 
> if it's not much trouble of course.


that's such a broad topic, especially since Japan underwent 3-4 major changes in that century (Meiji period of rapid modernization, war time Japan, post-war Japan, and rapid development Japan).

Did you check here first?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_education_in_Japan


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## LtBk (Jul 27, 2004)

Few more questions:
1.Why the speed limits on Japanese expressways are low?
2.What is the most popular European country?
3.Are supermarkets popular?


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## RyukyuRhymer (Sep 23, 2007)

LtBk said:


> Few more questions:
> 1.Why the speed limits on Japanese expressways are low?
> 2.What is the most popular European country?
> 3.Are supermarkets popular?


1. I don't know the official reason why its lower than other countries. Japanese express ways are a little narrower and has more turns than their US counterparts though

2. I don't think there ever was a survey done on what all Japanese like. in general Japanese are familiar with the major ones: UK, France, Germany, Italy, Russia. In terms of tourism, France is the #1 destination for outbound tourists, followed by UK.

3. Japanese use supermarkets everyday like any other developed country.


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## castermaild55 (Sep 8, 2005)

apinamies said:


> As manga/anime fan I would like to know difference between words yokai and ayakashi both means monster?


Zashikiwarashi. one of good Yokais
it makes happy in your family


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## Peregrin Tuk (Oct 20, 2007)

RyukyuRhymer said:


> that's such a broad topic, especially since Japan underwent 3-4 major changes in that century (Meiji period of rapid modernization, war time Japan, post-war Japan, and rapid development Japan).
> 
> Did you check here first?
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_education_in_Japan


Yes I readed it before
I know is a really heavy topic, I'm asking because I want to do an analogy between what is happening right now in some developing countries and what happened in japan , I think the part of the meiji period is a kind of old same thing with WWII .

_______________

I remember that there is a agreement between Us- Japan ..."mutual protection" (Anpo jōyaku) ....what think Normal Japanese people of this?

ps: Sorry if I'm being tedious :lol:


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## RyukyuRhymer (Sep 23, 2007)

Peregrin Tuk said:


> Yes I readed it before
> I know is a really heavy topic, I'm asking because I want to do an analogy between what is happening right now in some developing countries and what happened in japan , I think the part of the meiji period is a kind of old same thing with WWII .


There's actually alot of similarities what South Korea and China are doing in terms of development that Japan did. In many ways they are more or less a decade or two from each other. South Korea being much more closer to what Japan did. But there are differences too. However I do feel South Korea has a bit more "flexibility" in terms of avoiding some of the mistakes Japan has made



> I remember that there is a agreement between Us- Japan ..."mutual protection" (Anpo jōyaku) ....what think Normal Japanese people of this?
> 
> ps: Sorry if I'm being tedious :lol:


do you really want to get into this? its a complicated topic that's not simply anti or pro security treaty despite what some people think. I can answer, but it'll likely end up thread jacking this thread into a more serious and heated discussion


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## brahimweldl7aja (Nov 18, 2010)

how popular is the emperor ? is there any advocates for republicanism ?


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## Arnorian (Jul 6, 2010)

I love watching documentaries about Japan on NHK World. Programs about smaller places and traditional crafts are especially good. One about washi inspired me to plant couple of kozo trees in front of my house.


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## RyukyuRhymer (Sep 23, 2007)

brahimweldl7aja said:


> how popular is the emperor ? is there any advocates for republicanism ?


not really, its probably because the Imperial family only has a ceremonial role and no real power, so that people don't mind them. It might be an issue one day because there's only 5-6 members left anyways due to various birth issues and the insistence of only recognizing a male heir. There's a real possibility it may end in a few generations unless they recognize women heirs.

Outside of a few ceremonies, no one really thinks about the family because unlike say, the British Royal Family, the Japanese royal family is low key. Thus very few think about changing (removing it or maintaining it, etc) at all.


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## Svartmetall (Aug 5, 2007)

Arnorian said:


> I love watching documentaries about Japan on NHK World. Programs about smaller places and traditional crafts are especially good. One about washi inspired me to plant couple of kozo trees in front of my house.


One of my favourite things that an NHK documentary taught me was about the concept of "wabi sabi". I really liked that a lot. NHK does a lot for promoting Japanese culture abroad. I just wish it was easier to watch it as it isn't broadcast everywhere (like here for example)...


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## apinamies (Sep 1, 2010)

Is it true that Japanese usually get married by Shinto style, but their funerals are Buddhism style?

Does Shinto or Buddhist priests need formal education (university or something like that) to being officially accepted in their job?


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## Arnorian (Jul 6, 2010)

Svartmetall said:


> One of my favourite things that an NHK documentary taught me was about the concept of "wabi sabi". I really liked that a lot. NHK does a lot for promoting Japanese culture abroad. I just wish it was easier to watch it as it isn't broadcast everywhere (like here for example)...


I think there is live streaming online now.


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## RyukyuRhymer (Sep 23, 2007)

apinamies said:


> Is it true that Japanese usually get married by Shinto style, but their funerals are Buddhism style?
> 
> Does Shinto or Buddhist priests need formal education (university or something like that) to being officially accepted in their job?


no. marriages are done in various ways these days. not everyone is Shinto or Buddhist. 
But yes, most funerals are done buddhist style.However there are Shinto elements. There's a lot of overlap between the two religions in Japan as they merged at times.


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## Jonesy55 (Jul 30, 2004)

Marbur66 said:


> I've always wanted to see Japan, but the flight puts me off a little.


Just take the train to Vancouver then hitch on a cargo ship..


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## Menshommes (Sep 6, 2015)

Nexis said:


> Just a side question... but why isn't the Japanese forum large on SSC? Is there a very popular Japanese Skyscraper site?


dude, i tried posting in that section and i noticed that
it averages like 5 posts a week, 5!!! per week!!!
all the posts come from the same 5-6 guys, almost all of them are non japanese posting about trains. there's one girl who's latin and an islander who posts news no one reads, and a korean ancestry guy posting reconstruction pics of his home he accidentally burnt down.
and there's like a jillion forums! The Korean section is just as slow but it only has 2 sub sections, just two!

I think admins should like, merge korean and japanese section back into the general Asian section and make it a sub forum of there. its tooo small.


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## Svartmetall (Aug 5, 2007)

^^ Ouch. Girl who is Latin? Islander posting news no one reads? 

You have some funny ideas my friend. Also, no, no for mergers.


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## LtBk (Jul 27, 2004)

There are articles(like this one from BBC:http://www.bbc.com/news/business-34667380) and personal stories from foreign expats that Japan is several years behind when it comes to adapting new technology. Is it true?


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## RyukyuRhymer (Sep 23, 2007)

LtBk said:


> There are articles(like this one from BBC:http://www.bbc.com/news/business-34667380) and personal stories from foreign expats that Japan is several years behind when it comes to adapting new technology. Is it true?


I think its referring to just the IT sector?
in my office we have a fax machine, but its only used once in a blue moon.
I don't know anyone who uses a walkman.


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## ukiyo (Aug 5, 2008)

LtBk said:


> There are articles(like this one from BBC:http://www.bbc.com/news/business-34667380) and personal stories from foreign expats that Japan is several years behind when it comes to adapting new technology. Is it true?


Yes and no. According to some measures Japan is the most innovative country in the world, according to others it is not innovative at all.... As for the article's examples...let's look at fax machines:

In Japan everything needs to be stamped to be valid, so without a fax it would look more or less like that:
1. print it out
2. stamp it with your personal stamp
3. scan it
4. email it

Then the recipient has to print it out, approve it with a stamp, if you need a return copy, then they need to scan it again and email it to you.
As odd as it may sound, using a fax machine actually simplifies things."

In Japan stamps are signatures/seals of approval etc. Japan would need some big cultural change to get rid of stamping since that dates to the samurai period and people have been signing like that ever since. Fax machine works perfectly for this..."if it isn't broke don't fix it" as they say. But even then the article is anecdotal not all companies are like that.

Another example of this is computer skills. Many japanese, especially the young generation (ironically) are kind of horrid with computers and programs like word...but not because japan is some old school country and nobody has seen computers but because Japan kind of _skipped_ computers entirely. Japan invented internet phones and 3G service for phones...the result? Pretty much an entire generation of Japanese have had no need for computers and have been using cell phones since the 90s to surf the net, send emails, watch videos, chat with others etc...people simply saw no need to buy a desktop in their home. So many of these japanese are then hired into the corporate world and have to do everything on a desktop and have to learn from scratch.

Their examples of "human flash lights" has nothing to do with technology, Japan basically pioneered LED technology and invented blue LED....for example here is my video from Tokyo:






The reason you see many (usually elderly) people on the street doing menial jobs is mostly because of the governments huge public works and spending programs. Japan even has entire hotels operated by robots...so that point is kind of ridiculous IMO.

Another example is how (like the article mentions) despite inventing the first contactless payment system in the world, japanese tend to use cash money far more than maybe places in Europe...but that again is just half the picture...Japan is also simultaneously the country with the most contactless payments in the world and the infrastructure is far more advanced than what you see in the US, even after Apple pay. Using cash has more to do with the conservative culture when it comes to spending (hello deflation) and obsessiveness with saving money. Japanese like to feel their money, when you use credit cards it tends to feel like you can spend out of control.

So to sum it all up, the article is very anecdotal and has some truths to it, but is missing the other half of the picture and is missing some of the key reasons for usage of old technology. Hope that answers your question.


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## ukiyo (Aug 5, 2008)

Nexis said:


> But that doesn't stop Thailand or Vietnam or Malaysia from having a large section...


They all use 2ch and other forums, 2ch was the largest forum in the world until recently and has existed for many many years...so they have no reason to use SSC basically.



Menshommes said:


> dude, i tried posting in that section and i noticed that
> it averages like 5 posts a week, 5!!! per week!!!
> all the posts come from the same 5-6 guys, almost all of them are non japanese posting about trains. there's one girl who's latin and an islander who posts news no one reads, and a korean ancestry guy posting reconstruction pics of his home he accidentally burnt down.
> and there's like a jillion forums! The Korean section is just as slow but it only has 2 sub sections, just two!
> ...


:lol: You really need to stop trolling if you want to stick around.


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## Menshommes (Sep 6, 2015)

ukiyo said:


> They all use 2ch and other forums, 2ch was the largest forum in the world until recently and has existed for many many years...so they have no reason to use SSC basically.
> 
> 
> :lol: You really need to stop trolling if you want to stick around.


stop what? telling the truth? that japan forum is nearly dead and there's hardly any posts? you should take a look at the forum.
korean forum and hong kong forum are also inactive.


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## ukiyo (Aug 5, 2008)

Menshommes said:


> stop what? telling the truth? that japan forum is nearly dead and there's hardly any posts? you should take a look at the forum.
> korean forum and hong kong forum are also inactive.


You know exactly what I am talking about. Using a vpn or not doesn't hide anything.

As for the Japan forum it has 8x as many posts as the korean forum per day and it is on par with the chinese forum. 

Posts from 08/19/2015 - 11/03/2015

*China Forum*: +1,542 posts; +142 posts per week
*Japan Forum*: +1,232 posts; +113 posts per week (not "5" hno
*Korean Forum*: +154 posts; +14 posts per week

Of course we would like more, but it's hard when the only active japanese members there are myself, ryukyurhymer and castermaild so we mostly rely on foreigners who are interested in Japan. All the japanese are using 2ch (which I also use) and other forums. Before I became mod the Japan forum had less total posts than the Korean forum...around ~19,000 posts in 2010 and the Korean forum had ~23,000...today the Japan forum has gained a total of +51,498 posts and the korean forum a total of +9,000. So the Japan forum has had a mini revival comparatively speaking.

Anyway this doesn't really have to do with the topic.


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## RyukyuRhymer (Sep 23, 2007)

Nice stats!


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## madonnagirl (Aug 7, 2011)

I do because Japan still maintains lots of its culture and traditions until now.


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## sylodon (Sep 5, 2004)

I've visited Tokyo and Yokohama. Experienced the ride on the Bullet Train. I've also visited Osaka, which I think was a more significant experience. In Osaka, there is the castle of Hideyoshi, who is, I believe, a hero of Japan, but then the brutal enemy of my country, Korea. It was an interesting visit. I hope to visit Kyoto next time. By sea, to Fukuyama, then to a rail ride to Kyoto, if there is one. :cheers:


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## Svartmetall (Aug 5, 2007)

^^ Yep. You can take the Sanyo Shinkansen/Tokaido Shinkansen to Kyoto, or just the Sanyo to Shin-Osaka and change to local trains to Kyoto from Fukuyama.


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## RyukyuRhymer (Sep 23, 2007)

cydevil said:


> there is the castle of Hideyoshi, who is, I believe, a hero of Japan, but then the brutal enemy of my country, Korea


not sure if Hero is the correct word, but certainly labeled as one of the 3 great unifiers of Japan. I think most Japanese understand that alliances were constantly changing due to the civil war at that time. Especially Tokugawa an Toyotomi (Hideyoshi's family) had a complicated relationship..fighting at some times, cooperating at others. But eventually Tokugawa usurped the Toyotomi family.


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## 2co2co (Apr 8, 2008)

ukiyo said:


> :lol: You really need to stop trolling if you want to stick around.


I don't mind trolling  Have been seeing that for 15 years in 2ch, 10 years in 4chan :lol:


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## AndyWarhol (Jul 30, 2015)

Ukiyo when you've been abroad, do you ever have to deal with people referring to you as "chinese"?


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## ukiyo (Aug 5, 2008)

cydevil said:


> I've visited Tokyo and Yokohama. Experienced the ride on the Bullet Train. I've also visited Osaka, which I think was a more significant experience. In Osaka, there is the castle of Hideyoshi, who is, I believe, a hero of Japan, but then the brutal enemy of my country, Korea. It was an interesting visit. I hope to visit Kyoto next time. By sea, to Fukuyama, then to a rail ride to Kyoto, if there is one. :cheers:


He is not a "hero" just a historical figure who helped unite Japan. Each region of Japan tends to have their own "hero" but the national figures are just something we learn about in school. Hideyoshi became a little crazy at his old age and he worshiped Oda nobunaga as if he were a deity. Oda Nobunaga wanted to conquer China and even other parts of the world so Hideyoshi wanted to fulfill that. Something important to note is Tokugawa Ieyasu was completely against the invasion of Korea and kind of thought Hideyoshi was crazy. That is why Japan's strongest military faction, the Tokugawa did not participate in both invasions and basically just waited for Hideyoshi to die. After he died the Tokugawa ceased control and Hideyoshi's son ended up dying at the same Osaka castle his father built while it burnt down with Tokugawa's forces outside. Ieyasu used to be revered as a deity during the Edo period and Hideyoshi's reputation was basically destroyed.



AndyWarhol said:


> Ukiyo when you've been abroad, do you ever have to deal with people referring to you as "chinese"?


Yes in the US and New Zealand it happened a lot.


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## Svartmetall (Aug 5, 2007)

^^ I think that's because Japanese people are very rare in NZ. It's quite hard to find you guys there! Ran into Chinese all the time there (and quite a few Koreans) but Japanese? Met only a couple.


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## ukiyo (Aug 5, 2008)

Svartmetall said:


> ^^ I think that's because Japanese people are very rare in NZ. It's quite hard to find you guys there! Ran into Chinese all the time there (and quite a few Koreans) but Japanese? Met only a couple.


Japanese are basically rare everywhere in the developed world except Hawaii.

BTW Osaka in Autumn

Cloudy Osaka by Tan Yilmaz, on Flickr


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## RyukyuRhymer (Sep 23, 2007)

ukiyo said:


> Japanese are basically rare everywhere in the developed world except Hawaii.
> 
> BTW Osaka in Autumn
> 
> Cloudy Osaka by Tan Yilmaz, on Flickr


a girl i dated lived right next to there. i saw it every day. she thinks the area is cursed though. ghosts of all the people who died there in past conflicts.


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## sylodon (Sep 5, 2004)

ukiyo said:


> He is not a "hero" just a historical figure who helped unite Japan. Each region of Japan tends to have their own "hero" but the national figures are just something we learn about in school. Hideyoshi became a little crazy at his old age and he worshiped Oda nobunaga as if he were a deity. Oda Nobunaga wanted to conquer China and even other parts of the world so Hideyoshi wanted to fulfill that. Something important to note is Tokugawa Ieyasu was completely against the invasion of Korea and kind of thought Hideyoshi was crazy. That is why Japan's strongest military faction, the Tokugawa did not participate in both invasions and basically just waited for Hideyoshi to die. After he died the Tokugawa ceased control and Hideyoshi's son ended up dying at the same Osaka castle his father built while it burnt down with Tokugawa's forces outside. Ieyasu used to be revered as a deity during the Edo period and Hideyoshi's reputation was basically destroyed.





RyukyuRhymer said:


> not sure if Hero is the correct word, but certainly labeled as one of the 3 great unifiers of Japan. I think most Japanese understand that alliances were constantly changing due to the civil war at that time. Especially Tokugawa an Toyotomi (Hideyoshi's family) had a complicated relationship..fighting at some times, cooperating at others. But eventually Tokugawa usurped the Toyotomi family.


My bad. I guess I took his prominence as some form of heroism. Anyways, it was a fresh perspective for me since Hideyoshi is very infamous in Korea.


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## musiccity (Jan 5, 2011)

*JAPAN | Travel (questions and answers only, no googled photos)*

*THE OFFICIAL JAPAN TRAVEL THREAD*

Planning on travelling to the Japan? Ask all travel related questions here and Japan based forumers and other knowledgeable forumers can answer.

Also post travel related news and articles regarding the Japan.









_worldatlas.com_


Fuji with Chureito Pagoda by Reginald Pentinio, on Flickr


Fushimi Inari-taisha by Totoro', on Flickr


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## musiccity (Jan 5, 2011)

*Richard Christiansen and Vanessa Holden’s Travels in Tokyo*

Richard Christiansen, the founder of Chandelier Creative and Vanessa Holden, former senior vice president of West Elm, document their three-week trip around the world searching for creative inspiration exclusively for T.

“We feel like we’ve seen everything about everything!,” says Naoki Kotaka, an editor and creative entrepreneur and one of the founders of Vacant, an agency, retail and art space established in Harajuku in 2009. We immediately dove deep into conversation with him over dinner in Tokyo, connecting over the rise of digital inspiration and the demise of analog experience. We were soon to learn that although Naoki is right about the effect the Internet has had on our sense of aesthetic fatigue — the “everything about everything” effect — there was so much to see in Tokyo that we could truly say felt totally new.

It was in pursuit of great pictures, and even better stories, that we put Tokyo on our itinerary — most pressingly, we wanted to experience for ourselves the fabled Hotel Okura before the doors of its beloved main building are closed forever on Aug. 31. The Okura has been an icon of Japanese elegance and restrained beauty for nearly 60 years — a magnet for politicians, diplomats, businessmen and discerning travelers … plus hordes of design nerds. And for good reason: Upon entering the hotel, it’s clear that everything from the positions of the chairs to the hue of the hexagonal-cut pendant lamps have been precisely art-directed. (Of course, it’s also about what you don’t see: There’s no over-communicating or over-servicing, and not a touchscreen or piece of collateral in sight.) Almost unchanged since it was built for the 1964 Olympics, Hotel Okura’s lobby has remained a glowing enclave for the world’s design curious. Designed by Yoshiro Taniguchi, the hotel’s spaces are rich with indigenous Japanese patterns and traditional craftsmanship. The blue namakokabe tiles on the hotel’s exterior are inspired by rural storehouses. Partitions in the lobby are lined with vertical strips of kimono fabric painted by ceramic painter Kenkichi Tomimoto, while lobby tables are coated with Japanese lacquer sourced from the Ishikawa Prefecture.

Architecture: In Japan, History Has No PlaceAUG. 11, 2015
We saw the same respect and reverence for craft and detail reflected up close during visits arranged for us by Yuko Inamasu of Toki, a new travel company specializing in creating artisanal craft experiences for travelers keen to get hands-on with Japan’s cultural traditions. After traveling about two hours — and what felt like 200 years – from central Tokyo, we arrived at Studio Kosoen in Ome to meet Hiroshi Murata, a master indigo dyer, and his apprentices. Textile production has flourished in this area since the 13th century, and Hiroshi has been working in this studio for over 30 years, stubbornly maintaining the traditional practice of aizome, or Japanese indigo dyeng from scratch. Traces of blue indigo catch our eyes everywhere in the studio, from a gentle blue ombré on the walls to the fingernails of the apprentices. It’s almost impossible to obtain new dyeing vats in the aizome tradition today; Hiroshi has 10, and they’re beautiful, soaking an array of beautiful Japanese textiles. After the delicate, precise washing process is complete, the results contain thousands of rich colors — all of them blues.

Informed by the same respect for tradition, Rumiko Murata, along with her son and husband, own and run Kyukaen Bonsai in Omiya Bonsai Village, a suburb of Tokyo that hosts about a dozen top Bon-sai nurseries. The family has been cultivating bonsai since 1929 — some of their trees are more than 300 years old — and its members are the official caretakers of bonsai for the Emperor of Japan. Rumiko says her bonsai are “priceless,” and means it almost literally. When collectors arrive, they tell Rumiko how much they have to spend and some detail about where they’ll be putting their trees. She selects the bonsai that’s right, presenting each buyer with only one option. In this sense, there’s no price tag; the path to purchase is based on a feeling.

There’s a similar spirit in play at Pass the Baton, a consignment shop founded by Masamichi Toyama, where the mission lives up to the name: The store connects buyer and seller, including a photograph of the previous owner and a personal note from them about each item. It’s the perfect retail idea for a city whose inhabitants are famous for their punctilious accessorizing and propensity to turn one-room bars into idiosyncratic mini-theater.

Speaking of which: Tucked away in a nondescript building near Shibuya station, JBS (Jazz, Blues, Soul), a small bar that rocked our world, is perfectly hidden on the second floor up a narrow staircase. Once you open the door, you’ll be welcomed by a jaw-dropping collection of more than 10,000 vinyl LPs neatly organized around a wooden bar with just 12 seats. The crowd here has a deep respect for the music and sits quietly sipping sake, smoking cigarettes and listening. The vibe of simplicity at JBS was a far cry from another bar we loved, Piano Bar, where it’s all about spectacle — if Liberace were Japanese, this would be his hideaway. Created by Hayao Matsumura, Piano Bar is the most extravagant cubicle in Shibuya’s Nonbei Yokocho bar district. The shoebox-size spaced is crammed full of crystal chandeliers and red velvet. There’s only space for three people at the ground-floor bar counter (which, true to the name, is fashioned from an upright piano). Seven or eight more can fit upstairs, in what feels like an elevator in Versailles.

Just a few doors down, we meet Tamai Hamamori at her tiny bar. It’s no more than 10 feet square and seats only six people, but inside this little space, there’s a small revolution going on. Tamai, a natural hostess and great storyteller, knows and loves all her regular customers, and she makes everything with incredible dedication — right down to the beautifully hand-cut ice spears that guarantee a drink will stay colder for longer. (All the better to sit and talk with Tamai for hours.)

It was thrilling to see the obsessive Japanese attention to detail play out on the grand scale of the giant, exquisitely curated bookstore Daikanyama T-Site, which is comprised of three interlinked buildings connected by a 180-foot-long “magazine street” that cuts through the middle at ground level. It’s easy to lose hours working through the selections here: everything from music and film to food and philosophy, to vintage and new art books and full sets of just about every magazine ever printed. On the top floor, you can lounge with vintage books and sip cocktails at Anjin, a cocktail lounge that feels more democratic and genuinely creative than any Soho House. It’s like going into a casino — time stands still, and before you know it, you’re broke and it’s dark outside.

Article and Slideshow


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## RyukyuRhymer (Sep 23, 2007)

I can help answer some questions. I've been to ALMOST all of the prefectures and lived long term in 4 different ones.


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## HansCity (Jul 9, 2012)

Urban tourism


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## Yellow Fever (Jan 3, 2008)

moved.


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## clemente_e1 (Feb 4, 2016)

good post


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## Yellow Fever (Jan 3, 2008)

^^ which one?


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## LtBk (Jul 27, 2004)

Do Japanese cities look similar to each other? They seem to.


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## RyukyuRhymer (Sep 23, 2007)

LtBk said:


> Do Japanese cities look similar to each other? They seem to.


By now I've probably been to every Japanese prefecture except a few in Shikoku region and Chubu region.

Japan has a habit of conformity and following the same trends all over.
I would say most look similar, and can be divided into the following categories:

super big cities: Tokyo, Osaka, Yokohama, Nagoya, etc. Outside of a few major attractions, the vast majority of the city more or less looks and feels the same

medium cities: Sendai, Hiroshima, etc. The area around the central train station will likely be interesting and unique, but perhaps a few km beyond it, they all start looking alike

small cities: considered rural by Japanese, but more closer to suburban America with distinct zoning, car centric culture.. I think these, more than any other category of city, look almost uniformly the same. With endless sea of one or two story houses, and virtually all commercial activity relegated to a large mall, usually AEON, JUSCO, etc

actual rural areas: where there's a ton of farms. I feel there's a little more variety simply based on the geography and type of agriculture being grown, but I guess if you lived there, it's functionally all the same.

but that's just structural. culture and personality wise, while Osaka and Tokyo might look similar, they certainly feel different. the Atmosphere of the locals and society is different.

also there are some cities that I feel have a very distinct look to them.
From my experiences (and not limited to these cities)..

Nagasaki - It's very hilly there and a lot of old architecture remaining. because of its geography and history, the city feels and looks pretty different.

Kobe - a mixture of half new and half old. The big earthquake in the 90s saw the reconstruction of a lot of new buildings and areas, so it has a relatively new look and feel. yet many of the old architecture from its open port trading days remain. Its like a combination of modern Japanese architecture, Chinese, and European.

Okinawa - it followed a different developmental pattern because it was a colony of Japan from the mid 19th century to ww2, then directly controlled by the US for nearly 30 years after that. Its urban pattern is very different. the main island is incredibly dense (small island but a density similar to a big city), yet its a car society which is unusual for dense areas in Japan. however the rural areas tend to look all the same.

Sapporo - this place is unique because it follows an American planning system with grid streets. 

Hakodate - similar to Nagasaki..but more slopey than hilly. 

Fujisawa - many would probably argue its no different than other cities. But for me it had a very beach city feel.


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## Trunkys (Dec 10, 2015)

Is japanese society progressive or conservative ?


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## RyukyuRhymer (Sep 23, 2007)

Trunkys said:


> Is japanese society progressive or conservative ?


according to what standards?


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## Robi_damian (Jun 15, 2008)

Bus pass or JR Rail Pass? I am trying to look for transport options for a friend and they seem to be rather expensive, with the bus pass seeming cheaper but travel times being longer. Any other tips on cutting down transport and housing costs?


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## diz (Nov 1, 2005)

Robi_damian said:


> Bus pass or JR Rail Pass? I am trying to look for transport options for a friend and they seem to be rather expensive, with the bus pass seeming cheaper but travel times being longer. Any other tips on cutting down transport and housing costs?


I got the JR Pass. Didn't regret it one bit.

It does take a lot of planning if you want to maximize its use.


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## RyukyuRhymer (Sep 23, 2007)

Robi_damian said:


> Bus pass or JR Rail Pass? I am trying to look for transport options for a friend and they seem to be rather expensive, with the bus pass seeming cheaper but travel times being longer. Any other tips on cutting down transport and housing costs?


JR rail pass by far, especially if you plan to go to distant areas. It allows you to use the bullet train as many times as you want during the duration.

Its not expensive at all..

the JR rail pass costs as much as ONE one-way trip between my city to Tokyo, maybe ONE round trip between Tokyo to Osaka


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## Trunkys (Dec 10, 2015)

RyukyuRhymer said:


> according to what standards?


To the world's standards ? I am intersted in an overall view, how much japanese are progressive regarding some issues like marriage for everyone (homosexuality), religion, traditions vs modernity etc ...


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## RyukyuRhymer (Sep 23, 2007)

Trunkys said:


> To the world's standards ? I am intersted in an overall view, how much japanese are progressive regarding some issues like marriage for everyone (homosexuality), religion, traditions vs modernity etc ...


well my capsule corp friend. there's no such thing as a "world standard" for many things. values differ around the world and thus perspectives. Often when people say "world or normal standard", what they really mean is "my standard". The role of women in society for example, varies greatly. what might be "normal" or even "conservative" in many countries may be considered too "progressive" in many others.

on homosexuality: its gaining more acceptance. 3 months ago, Japan had its first official same sex marriage. But its still an uphill climb
http://edition.cnn.com/2015/11/05/asia/ripley-same-sex-union-certificate-japan/

religion: I think Japan is like many western countries. functionally secular or aethiest, but still celebrates shinto, buddhist, even christian related events out of tradition. There was some kid in this forum who argued "if they're not religious, why do they still go to the temple on new years".. its the same logic as "nearly all Americans celebrate Christmas, they must all be Christian".
lately I see a lot of Christians like Catholics, Mormons, etc aggressively trying to convert people in Japan. Most of them are foreigners. I think many Japanese tend to see them as a free way to learn English and foreign culture.

tradition vs modernity: I think this is a very long topic. But the themes are similar, there's a gap between the old and young generation and how they view tradition. This gap is much bigger in Asia than it is in the west because of how rapidly they modernized. It also differs greatly depending on area, but I guess that's true with many countries.
since its such a broad topic, why don't you pick a few subjects and I'll answer them.


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## k5villan (Mar 20, 2012)

the JR pass, you've got to be clever or at least half think about what day you "cash it in" i managed to do a fair bit of tokyo with it as well as travelling to hiroshima / kyoto / osaka 

think the only bus i did was to disneyland and it was cheap as chips

suica cards in my head are the future, i dont live in london so had no knowledge or use for an oyster card but got one when i got back, i feel like they dont do half the things they could 

cities feeling the same, i didnt spend that much time in osaka and i did tokyo first (shinjuku 1st night in the country, deep end...) and i wasnt overly fussed by it, didnt pick up the differences and felt it was like a less impressive city, one of the main attractions dotonbori was kind of lost after spending 4 days before walking round tokyo, Hiroshima and especially Kyoto, completely different from the minute i stepped off the train, i loved the drop in pace when i got to kyoto


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## RegioManio (Jun 21, 2010)

ukiyo said:


> To start off, first let's talk about the japanese tourism industry. Despite Japan being the 2nd largest economy for decades (recently third) the tourism industry has been basically non existent. We are talking only 3 million tourists a year for decades or something. However that has all changed. Let's look at the figures
> 
> 2011: 6.2 million
> 2012: 8.3 million
> ...



I've read about Japan's history and culture and definitely is one of my favorite countries to visit. I love its food and its culture.

I've not been there yet, even though it was going to be one of my first countries to visit. This was going to happen in a study tour when I was studying my undergraduate, but it was cancelled. Then, I have had more opportunities to do it, but for one reason or another, they didn't materialize. 

Now, I've been to 60 countries or so so far and I think it's time to do it. I expect to visit your country not later than next year.

Regards


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## KeanoManu (Mar 1, 2012)

So... I just booked a trip to Tokyo alone in May. I booked a hotel in Shinjuku, Tokyu Stay Nishi-Shinjuku, just on the other side of Central Park from the Tokyo Government Building. At the north-west corner of the park. Is this a good area?


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## Yellow Fever (Jan 3, 2008)

everywhere in Japan is good area.


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## KeanoManu (Mar 1, 2012)

Well, yeah. I've done as much research as I've could and it seems like all areas are good in their own way. Even Kabukichō have alot of good hotels.

What I was more thinking of is if the hotel are good in terms of getting into the other areas of the city. I've read that there's alot of homeless in the Central Park, which I'll have to pass after dark to and from the Shinjuku Station.


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## RyukyuRhymer (Sep 23, 2007)

KeanoManu said:


> Well, yeah. I've done as much research as I've could and it seems like all areas are good in their own way. Even Kabukichō have alot of good hotels.
> 
> What I was more thinking of is if the hotel are good in terms of getting into the other areas of the city. I've read that there's alot of homeless in the Central Park, which I'll have to pass after dark to and from the Shinjuku Station.


homeless in Japan are generally different than those of the US. they usually keep to themselves, or talk to themselves. don't worry about it.


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## TransportNut (Mar 24, 2016)

I was actually looking at booking a trip to Japan later this year!

The idea was to fly from Edinburgh to Osaka via Istanbul (Turkish Airlines on both legs). Spend a few days in Osaka, then get the bullet to Kyoto then Tokyo- again a few days in each.

You'd be surprised how cheap it is. Using AirBnB staying in private accommodation and including flights, it was working out to be about £600 for just shy of 2 weeks!


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## AndyWarhol (Jul 30, 2015)

Explain me this


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## RyukyuRhymer (Sep 23, 2007)

AndyWarhol said:


> Explain me this


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ladybaby


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## mccarryj (Mar 22, 2016)

I would like to visit Japan but I afraid because of earthquakes.


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## Trunkys (Dec 10, 2015)

^^

:lol:

I want to visit Japan only for its hot women with a nice voice.


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## mw123 (Oct 23, 2009)

I just booked a $340(USD) return Jetstar sale fare to Tokyo in October. Have been to pretty much every other country in East Asia so it's been a long time coming. 

All up I have two weeks there - can't wait!


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## soremi (Apr 24, 2016)

I want to see visteria tunnel, deers in Nara and make lots and lots of photos! But I won't be able to afford it propably ever


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## OtAkAw (Aug 5, 2004)

I have thoroughly loved Japan from my travels in Kansai.

Video here:








Going to Tokyo this year. Is the Kanto area better?


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## Yellow Fever (Jan 3, 2008)

^^ great video, thanks for sharing!


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## ukiyo (Aug 5, 2008)

Depends what you like of course. Kanto is generally cleaner, Tokyo has more skyscrapers, most things are more expensive and people are "colder". I prefer living in Kansai by far but as a tourist Kanto is very clean with skyscrapers so you could say "better". If you like temples than Kyoto and Nara are better.


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## jaquy (Jun 9, 2016)

I already had a flight to Japan and bought the ticket on the day that the Fukushima accident happened! But I was lucky and got my money back as one of my travelpartners was pregnant! Just because of the nature incident we wouldn't have gotten our money for the flights back!


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## japanese001 (Mar 17, 2007)

★ A List of Chain Cafes in Japan

*MORIVA COFFEE*
http://www.morivacoffee.com/
black coffee ￥170





































*CAFE VELOCE*
https://chatnoir-company.com/chatnoir/html/brands/brands_veloce.html 
black coffee ￥190





































*CAFE LA CORTE*
https://chatnoir-company.com/chatnoir/html/brands/brands_lacorte.html black coffee
black coffee ￥190





































*Saint Marc Cafe*
http://www.saint-marc-hd.com/cafe/
black coffee ￥200





































*KEY'S CAFE*
http://www.keycoffee.co.jp/e/index.html
black coffee ￥220


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## japanese001 (Mar 17, 2007)

★ A List of Chain Cafes in Japan

*DOUTOR*
https://www.doutor.co.jp/dcs/
black coffee ￥220





































*BECK'S COFFEE (Station cafe)*
http://www.jefb.co.jp/becks/
black coffee ￥230





































*PRONTO*
http://www.pronto.co.jp/
black coffee ￥240





































*CAFE de CRIE*
http://www.pokkacreate.co.jp/
black coffee ￥260





































*Cafe comme ca*
http://www.cafe-commeca.co.jp/
black coffee ￥280


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## japanese001 (Mar 17, 2007)

★ A List of Chain Cafes in Japan

*CAFFE SOLARE*
http://www.pronto.co.jp/solare/
black coffee ￥280





































*EXCELSIOR CAFFE*
http://www.doutor.co.jp/exc/
black coffee ￥300





































*Chat noir*
http://chat-noir.net/top.php
black coffee ￥310





































*UESHIMA COFFEE HOUSE*
http://www.ueshima-coffee-ten.jp/
black coffee ￥360





































*CAFE SEJOUR*
https://chatnoir-company.com/chatnoir/html/products/sejour.html
black coffee ￥390


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## japanese001 (Mar 17, 2007)

★ A List of Chain Cafes in Japan

*HOSHINO COFFEE*
http://www.hoshinocoffee.com/
black coffee ￥400





































*Komeda Coffee*
http://www.komeda.co.jp/index_en.php
black coffee ￥420





































INODA COFFEE
http://www.inoda-coffee.co.jp/english/index.html
black coffee ￥420





































*cafe COLORADO*
http://www.doutor.co.jp/col/
black coffee ￥440





































*KOHIKAN*
http://www.kohikan.jp/
black coffee ￥480


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## japanese001 (Mar 17, 2007)

★ A List of Chain Cafes in Japan

*Coffee Tetsugaku*
http://www.tetsugakuCoffee
black coffee ￥495





































*OGAWA COFFEE*
http://www.oc-ogawa.co.jp/english/
black coffee ￥500





































*Cafe Miyama*
http://www.ginza-renoir.co.jp/miyama/
black coffee ￥500





































*Mauka Meadows*
http://www.doutor.co.jp/muk/
black coffee ￥500





































*Kuroudo Kakura*
http://www.kuroudokakura.jp/
black coffee ￥530


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## japanese001 (Mar 17, 2007)

★ A List of Chain Cafes in Japan

*Cafe Renoir*
http://www.ginza-renoir.co.jp/renoir/
black coffee ¥580


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## japanese001 (Mar 17, 2007)




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## japanese001 (Mar 17, 2007)




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## japanese001 (Mar 17, 2007)




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## japanese001 (Mar 17, 2007)




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## japanese001 (Mar 17, 2007)




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## japanese001 (Mar 17, 2007)




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## japanese001 (Mar 17, 2007)




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## japanese001 (Mar 17, 2007)




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## japanese001 (Mar 17, 2007)




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## japanese001 (Mar 17, 2007)




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## japanese001 (Mar 17, 2007)




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## japanese001 (Mar 17, 2007)

*NIIJIMA Island* in the Izu Islands is a volcanic island with about 3 hours by Tokai-kisen high-speed jet ship from Tokyo.Because the geology of the island is a white rhyolite, the coast is a beautiful white sandy beach.Located on the east coast of the island, the Habushiura beach is a beautiful beach with world famous surfing spots, white sand beach and accompanying milky blue sea lasting 7 kilometers.


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## timo9 (Oct 24, 2008)

#P'k_ya_weldi :applause:


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## japanese001 (Mar 17, 2007)




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## japanese001 (Mar 17, 2007)




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## japanese001 (Mar 17, 2007)




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## japanese001 (Mar 17, 2007)

*Japanese Ballet Company & School*

*■ BALLET COMPANY*

♯ Asami Maki Ballet Tokyo
♯ Ballet Chambre Ouest
♯ Higaki Ballet Company
♯ Houmura Tomoi Ballet
♯ Iwaki Ballet Company
♯ inushi Kaoru Ballet Company
♯ K-ballet
♯ Matsuoka Reiko ballet
♯ Matsuyama Ballet
♯ NBA Ballet Company
♯ Noism
♯ Noma Ballet Company
♯ Noriko Kobayashi Ballet Theatre
♯ Ochi International Ballet
♯ Osaka Ballet Academy
♯ Sadamatsu Hamada Ballet
♯ Sasaki Michiko Ballet Studio
♯ Star Dancers Ballet
♯ Tani Momoko Ballet
♯ The Inoue Ballet Foundation
♯ The Matsuyama Ballet
♯ New National Theatre Tokyo
♯ Tokyo Ballet
♯ Tokyo City Ballet

*■ BALLET SCHOOLS*

♯ Academy de ballet de Kyoto
♯ Asami Maki Ballet Tokyo
♯ Ballet Chambre Ouest
♯ Jinushi Kaoru Ballet Company
♯ Higaki Ballet Company
♯ Houmura Tomoi Ballet
♯ K-ballet
♯ Matsuoka Reiko ballet
♯ Noma Ballet Company
♯ Nowa Ballet
♯ Ochi International Ballet
♯ Osaka Ballet Academy
♯ Sadamatsu Hamada Ballet
♯ Sasaki Michiko Ballet Studio
♯ Tani Momoko Ballet
♯ The Inoue Ballet Foundation
♯ The Matsuyama Ballet
♯ Tokyo Ballet
♯ Tokyo City Ballet
♯ Tokyo Komaki Ballet
♯ Yoko Tsukamoto Theatre de Ballet Company


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## japanese001 (Mar 17, 2007)




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## japanese001 (Mar 17, 2007)




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## japanese001 (Mar 17, 2007)




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## japanese001 (Mar 17, 2007)

Love that makes you cry


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## japanese001 (Mar 17, 2007)

Raintree no Kuni


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## japanese001 (Mar 17, 2007)

Good Morning Call


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## japanese001 (Mar 17, 2007)

Seisei Suruhodo, Aishiteru


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## japanese001 (Mar 17, 2007)

Sukina Hito Ga Iru Koto


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## japanese001 (Mar 17, 2007)

Chihayafuru


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## japanese001 (Mar 17, 2007)

Voice Love : Koe Koi


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## japanese001 (Mar 17, 2007)

Hanamizuki -May your love bloom a hundred year-


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## japanese001 (Mar 17, 2007)

Kimi Ni Todoke : From Me To You


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## japanese001 (Mar 17, 2007)

Yell For The Blue Sky


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## japanese001 (Mar 17, 2007)

Your Lie in April


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## japanese001 (Mar 17, 2007)

Oboreru Naifu


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## japanese001 (Mar 17, 2007)

Boku wa Ashita, Kinou no Kimi to Date Suru


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## japanese001 (Mar 17, 2007)

Kiseki: Sobito of That Day


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## japanese001 (Mar 17, 2007)

Reverse


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## japanese001 (Mar 17, 2007)

Our Meal For Tomorrow


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## japanese001 (Mar 17, 2007)




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## japanese001 (Mar 17, 2007)




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## japanese001 (Mar 17, 2007)




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## japanese001 (Mar 17, 2007)




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## japanese001 (Mar 17, 2007)




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## japanese001 (Mar 17, 2007)




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## japanese001 (Mar 17, 2007)




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## japanese001 (Mar 17, 2007)




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## japanese001 (Mar 17, 2007)




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## japanese001 (Mar 17, 2007)




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## japanese001 (Mar 17, 2007)




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## japanese001 (Mar 17, 2007)




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## japanese001 (Mar 17, 2007)




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## japanese001 (Mar 17, 2007)




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## japanese001 (Mar 17, 2007)




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## japanese001 (Mar 17, 2007)




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## japanese001 (Mar 17, 2007)




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## japanese001 (Mar 17, 2007)




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## japanese001 (Mar 17, 2007)




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## japanese001 (Mar 17, 2007)




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## japanese001 (Mar 17, 2007)




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## japanese001 (Mar 17, 2007)




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## GeorgeS1 (Sep 7, 2017)

I dream to go to Japan. I was told that there are very friendly people, beautiful architecture. And free umbrellas in each kiosk... Who doesn't like freebies?)


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## japanese001 (Mar 17, 2007)




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## japanese001 (Mar 17, 2007)

10 / 21 [ SAT ] YUKIHERO PRO-WRESTLING


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## japanese001 (Mar 17, 2007)

10 / 21 [ SAT ] ZIN KATO


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## japanese001 (Mar 17, 2007)

10 / 21 [ SAT ] MEMUSE


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## japanese001 (Mar 17, 2007)

10 / 21 [ SAT ] GLOBAL WORK


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## japanese001 (Mar 17, 2007)

10 / 21 [ SAT ] UNITED TOKYO


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## japanese001 (Mar 17, 2007)

10 / 21 [ SAT ] MURRAL


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## japanese001 (Mar 17, 2007)

10 / 21 [ SAT ] MIKIO SAKABE


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## japanese001 (Mar 17, 2007)

★ BALLET COMPANY

♯ Asami Maki Ballet Tokyo
♯ Ballet Chambre Ouest
♯ Higaki Ballet Company
♯ Houmura Tomoi Ballet
♯ Iwaki Ballet Company
♯ inushi Kaoru Ballet Company
♯ K-ballet
♯ Matsuoka Reiko ballet
♯ Matsuyama Ballet
♯ NBA Ballet Company
♯ Noism
♯ Noma Ballet Company
♯ Noriko Kobayashi Ballet Theatre
♯ Ochi International Ballet
♯ Osaka Ballet Academy
♯ Sadamatsu Hamada Ballet
♯ Sasaki Michiko Ballet Studio
♯ Star Dancers Ballet
♯ Tani Momoko Ballet
♯ The Inoue Ballet Foundation
♯ The Matsuyama Ballet
♯ New National Theatre Tokyo
♯ Tokyo Ballet
♯ Tokyo City Ballet


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## japanese001 (Mar 17, 2007)

★ BALLET SCHOOLS

♯ Academy de ballet de Kyoto
♯ Asami Maki Ballet Tokyo
♯ Ballet Chambre Ouest
♯ Jinushi Kaoru Ballet Company
♯ Higaki Ballet Company
♯ Houmura Tomoi Ballet
♯ K-ballet
♯ Matsuoka Reiko ballet
♯ Noma Ballet Company
♯ Nowa Ballet
♯ Ochi International Ballet
♯ Osaka Ballet Academy
♯ Sadamatsu Hamada Ballet
♯ Sasaki Michiko Ballet Studio
♯ Tani Momoko Ballet
♯ The Inoue Ballet Foundation
♯ The Matsuyama Ballet
♯ Tokyo Ballet
♯ Tokyo City Ballet
♯ Tokyo Komaki Ballet
♯ Yoko Tsukamoto Theatre de Ballet Company


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## japanese001 (Mar 17, 2007)




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## japanese001 (Mar 17, 2007)




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## japanese001 (Mar 17, 2007)




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## japanese001 (Mar 17, 2007)

Karasawa Cirque


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## japanese001 (Mar 17, 2007)




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## japanese001 (Mar 17, 2007)




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## japanese001 (Mar 17, 2007)




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## japanese001 (Mar 17, 2007)




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## japanese001 (Mar 17, 2007)




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## japanese001 (Mar 17, 2007)




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## japanese001 (Mar 17, 2007)




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## japanese001 (Mar 17, 2007)




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## japanese001 (Mar 17, 2007)




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## japanese001 (Mar 17, 2007)




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## japanese001 (Mar 17, 2007)




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## japanese001 (Mar 17, 2007)




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## japanese001 (Mar 17, 2007)




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## japanese001 (Mar 17, 2007)

*Austal inks $68m deal to build trimaran for Japan’s JR Kyushu Jet Ferry*

WA shipbuilder Austal has finalised a $68 million contract to design and build a ferry that will run between Japan and South Korea.

Austal says the 83-metre trimaran ferry for JR Kyushu Jet Ferry of Japan will carry 502 passengers at an operational speed of 37 knots between Fukuoka, Japan and Busan, South Korea.

Construction of the vessel will start late this year. and services are scheduled to begin before the Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2020.

The contract was flagged last December. Austal is yet to decide whether the ferry will be built at its Henderson facilities or Philippine shipyard, which specialises in commercial vessels.

Chief executive David Singleton said it marked a positive start to the year for the company, following a record year for commercial vessel sales in 2017.

“(The contract) reflects our continued focus as a technology-led organisation in developing industry-leading, customised solutions for commercial operators around the world,” Mr Singleton said on Monday.

“This exciting new vessel will deliver excellent seakeeping and an unparalleled customer experience to JR Kyushu’s ferry network.”

Vice president sales and marketing Ben Marland said Austal had nine trimarans already in operation around the world, seven under construction and five on order.

“It’s fair to say we are seeing a transformation in the market - and genuine customer enthusiasm for the proven technology, efficiency and capability of our design,” Mr Marland said.

Austal shares were down 0.5¢ to $1.80 at 11.47am.


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## japanese001 (Mar 17, 2007)




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## japanese001 (Mar 17, 2007)




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## Shreya Surana (Mar 12, 2018)

Does metro work for 24 hours a day?


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## japanese001 (Mar 17, 2007)




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## kanjeng taat pribadi (Oct 10, 2016)

sure, i wish can go to japan someday to watch njpw wrestle kingdom :cheers:


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## japanese001 (Mar 17, 2007)

KOBE


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## japanese001 (Mar 17, 2007)




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## japanese001 (Mar 17, 2007)




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## japanese001 (Mar 17, 2007)




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## japanese001 (Mar 17, 2007)




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## japanese001 (Mar 17, 2007)




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## japanese001 (Mar 17, 2007)




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## japanese001 (Mar 17, 2007)

*DNA-based study reconstructs face of woman from 3,800 years ago*

Researchers for the first time reconstructed the head of a woman from the Jomon Pottery Culture period (c. 8000 B.C.-300 B.C.) using a DNA analysis that removed much of the guesswork usually involved.

The project team, including scientists from the National Museum of Nature and Science in Tokyo’s Ueno district, revealed the head on March 12.

The DNA was collected from a molar of the Jomon woman from about 3,800 years ago. Her skeletal remains, including the skull, were unearthed at the Funadomari historic site on Rebunto island, Hokkaido.

The genetic analysis provided the team with information about her facial features, including skin and eye color.

The scientists concluded that the woman had darker skin and brown eyes , double eyelids than Japanese people today, as well as freckles and thin, frizzy hair.

The team also confirmed that her *blood was type A*, and she stood about 140 centimeters tall.She had spots on her cheeks.

Conventional facial reconstructions have been based mainly on the physical features of the skull. Researchers have had to assume skin and eye colors based on the attributes of modern people.

The genetic information allowed for a more accurate reconstruction, the team said.

“Backed by solid data, we now can reconstruct (facial features) with quite a high accuracy, a process that has been done only through imagination,” said Kenichi Shinoda, director of the Department of Anthropology of the national museum.

The reconstructed model and project outline will be included in a feature exhibition at the museum, “The Body: Challenging the Mystery,” which runs from March 13 through June 17.

The exhibition is organized by The Asahi Shimbun and others.


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## japanese001 (Mar 17, 2007)

*Japanese Model Agency List*

札幌　｜　ＳＡＰＰＲＯ

ジェードモデルズ JADE MODELS　http://jade-models.jp/
ミストケイズカンパニー MIST K's COMPANY　http://sapporo-mist.com/
モーディア Model Production MODEA　http://www.modea.co.jp/
レピュテ Model Agency Repute　http://www.repute-m.com/

仙台　｜　ＳＥＮＤＡＩ

ファッションスタジオ モデル エ－ジェンシー Fashion Studio Model Agency　http://www.fashion-studio.co.jp/
モックプランニング MOC Fashion Model Agency　http://www.moc-planning.com/
ラ ディセ La Deesse Model Agency　http://la-deesse.jp/

東京　｜　ＴＯＫＹＯ

アークプロダクション arck production　http://arckproduction.com/
アースモデルス Earth MODELS　http://www.earth-models.net/
アートリック ARTRICK Model Agency　http://artrick.com/
アウェイク・モデルズ aWake Models Inc.　http://www.awake-models.com/
青山オフィス AOYAMA OFFICE Model Agency　http://www.aoyama-office.co.jp/
アクアモデル Acqua Models　http://www.acquamodels.com/
アクセル axelle Model Management　http://www.axelle.co.jp/
アクティバ モデル エ－ジェンシー ACTIVA Model Agency　http://www.activamgt.com/
アソビシステム ASOBISYSTEM　http://asobisystem.com/
アデッソ ADESSO　https://adessonet.co.jp/
アトミックアンドプリミティブエナジー Atomic & Primitive ENERGY　http://www.energystyle.net/
アベニューワン avenue1 Model Agency　http://www.avenue1.co.jp/
アボカド AVOCADO　http://www.avocado.co.jp/
アマゾーヌ AMAZONE　http://www.21amazone.com/
アンモーダ aNmoda　http://anmoda.jp/
イアラ IARA　http://www.iara-ag.co.jp/
イプシロン IPSILON　http://www.ipsilon-japan.com/
イマージュ Image　http://www.image-tokyo.co.jp/
インディゴ INDIGO　http://indigo012.com/
インセント INCENT　http://www.incent.jp/
ウィザード WIZARD MODELS　http://wizardmodels.com/
ヴィズミックモデルエージェンシー Vithmic Model Agency　https://www.vithmicpro.co.jp/
エイジアプロモーション PROMOTION　http://asiapro.co.jp/
エービーピー Asia Business Partners inc.　http://abp-inc.co.jp/
エクザイルス・ハイプ EXILES・HYPE　http://www.exileshype.com/
SOSモデルエージェンシー Society of Style Model Agency http://www.sos-model.com/
エトレンヌ etrenne　http://www.etrenne.com/
オフィストキ Model Agency OFFICE TOKI　http://www.office-toki.co.jp/
オフィス夏　Model Agency OFFICE NATSU　http://www.natsu-co.com/
ガンズ Gunn's　http://gunns.jp/
ギグマネージメントジャパン GIG MANAGEMENT JAPAN　http://www.gigmanagement.jp/
ギャラリーモデルズ Gallery Models　http://www.gallerymodels.jp/
クラージュ Courage　http://www.courage-models.co.jp/
グランディア GRANDIA　http://www.grandia.ne.jp/
クラウディア Claudia　http://claudia-e.co.jp/
クリエートジャパンエージェンシー CREATE JAPAN AGENCY　http://www.cja.co.jp/
クルバマネジメントヘラヘラ Cruva management・HelaHela　http://cruvahelahela.com/
コンセルジェ ConCierGe　http://ccg-tokyo.co.jp/
コンディショングリーン　Condition Green　http://www.c-green.jp/
サージ Surge　http://www.surgemodels.com/
サトルジャパン SATORU JAPAN International Model Agency　https://www.satorujapan.co.jp/
サンクドウアン CINQ DEUX UN　http://www.cdumodels.com/
シニアリストモデルエージェンシー SENIORLIST MODEL AGENCY　http://seniorlists.co.jp/
ジュネス Junes　http://www.junes.co.jp/
ズッカ Zucca　http://www.zucca-models.co.jp/
ステージ東京モデルエージェンシー STAGE TOKYO MODEL AGENCY　http://stage-models.com/
スプラッシュ SPLASH model agency　http://www.splash-jp.com/
スペースクラフト SPACE CRAFT GROUP.　http://www.spacecraft.co.jp/home.html
大君モデルエージェンシー TYCOON MODELLING AGENCY　http://www.tycoonmodels.com/
館岡事務所 Tateoka Office　http://tateokaoffice.com/
ティーム・エヴィーバ TEAM・EVVIVA　http://www.team-evviva.com/
ディヴァイン DIVINE　http://www.divinejpn.com/
トヨタオフィス TOYOTA OFFICE　http://www.toyotaoffice.jp/
ドンナ Donna　http://www.donnamodels.jp/
ナウファッションエージェンシー Now Fashion Agency　http://www.nowfashion.co.jp/
ナノン マネジメント Nanon management　http://nanon-mgt.co.jp/
ニュートラル マネジメント Neutral management　http://neutral-tokyo.com/
ネイム マネジメント Name management　http://www.name-mgt.co.jp/
ネポエット Model Managemen NEPOEHT　thttp://www.nepoeht.com/
バークインスタイル BARK in STYLE　http://barkinstyle.jp/
パール Pearl　https://pearl-tokyo.jp/
ビーナチュラル BE NATURAL　https://www.bnm-jp.com/
ピノキオプロモーション Pinokio Promotion　http://www.pinokiopro.com/
フィット FIT　http://fit-fan.co.jp/
ブース Booze　http://booze.jp/
フォリオマネジメント FOLIO management　https://www.pre21.jp/
フライディ model agancy friday　http://fridayfarm.net/
ブランシェ BLANCHE Model Agency　http://www.blanche-models.co.jp/
プレステージ Prestige Model Management　https://www.pre21.jp/
ブラボー Bravo Models　http://www.bravomodels.net/
フリー・ウエイブ Free Wave　http://www.f-w.co.jp/
フロス FLOS　http://www.flos.ne.jp/
フロント FRONT Model Agency　http://www.flos.ne.jp/
ベイサイド BAY SIDE　http://www.bay-side.biz/
ヘッズコーポレーション HEADS　http://www.heads-japan.com/
ボンイマージュ Bon Image　http://www.image-tokyo.co.jp/
マドモアゼル　https://www.mademoiselle.co.jp/
ミシェルエンターテイメント MICHLLE ENTERTAINMENT　http://www.michelle-e.jp/
夜詩江 YOSHIE Modeling Agency　https://www.yoshieinc.co.jp/
ライトマネジメント LIGHT management http://lightmodels.net/
リベラ LIBERA　http://libera-japan.com/
リミックス Remix Modeling Agency　http://remix-model.co.jp/
レプロエンタテインメント LesPros Entertainment　http://www.lespros.co.jp/
ワールド・トップ・インク WORLD TOP INC.　http://worldtop.co.jp/
ワイエムエヌ YMN　http://ymn.bz/
ワイルドフラワー WILD FLOWER Model Agency　http://www.wildflower1998.com/

名古屋　｜　ＮＡＧＯＹＡ

アリス・イン・ワンダーランド ALICE IN WONDERLAMD　http://www.aliceinwonderland.jp/
アリュール ALLURE model office　http://www.allure-japan.com/
カオスモデルエージェンシー Khaos Model Agency　http://khaos-model.jp/
キャンベル Model Agency CAMPBELL　http://model-campbell.com/
ゴールデングース GOLDEN GOOSE　http://www.g-goose.co.jp/
サイクル SAIKURU Model Agency　http://www.saikuru.jp/
ジオット JIOTTO　http://www.jiotto.com/
シスターマネージメント SISTER MANAGEMENT　http://sistermanagement.jp/
セブンプロモーション Model Agency Seven Promotion　http://www.seven-promotion.co.jp/
セントラルジャパン CENTRALJAPAN　https://central-j.com/
ネオアルファライン NEO ALFA LINE　https://www.neoalfaline.com/
ブライト Bright　http://www.bright-co.jp/

長野　｜　ＮＡＧＡＮＯ

サーラアビリタ Model Agency Sala Abilita　http://www.sala-a.jp/

金沢　｜　ＫＡＮＡＺＡＷＡ

アドバンス社 ADVANCE　http://advance-sya.co.jp/

京都　｜　ＫＹＯＴＯ

オフィス・レディ・エム　Office・Lady・M　http://www.office-ladym.co.jp/

大阪　｜　ＯＳＡＫＡ

アライブエンタテインメント ALIVE Entertainment　http://www.aliveent.jp/
ヴィズミックモデルエージェンシー Vithmic Model Agency　https://www.vithmicpro.co.jp/
エルグモデル erg-Au Model Agency https://www.erg-au.jp/
イグレック IGREK model agency　http://www.igrek.biz/
イリア・モデルエージェンシー ILLIA MODEL AGENCY　http://illia-models.com/
SOSモデルエージェンシー Society of Style Model Agency http://www.sos-model.com/
OGM,OGAKI MANAGEMENT　http://www.ogm-models.com/
グラム GRAM Model Management　http://grammodel.jp/
シルエット SiLHOUETTE Model Agency　http://www.silmodel.com/
セレクト・イブモデルマネージメント SELECT eve model management　http://www.selecteve.com/
ジャパンモデルエージェンシー Japan Model Agency　http://www.jma-model.com/
スタジアム STADIUM PROMOTION　http://www.e-stadium.co.jp/
ゼム ZEM Model Management　http://www.zem21.com/
ディーバ　DIVA Model Management　http://www.diva-diva.net/
トルーヴェ trouver　http://www.trouver.co.jp/
パーソンズイノベーション　PERSON`S INNOVATION　http://www.persons-innovation.co.jp/
ビサージュ VISAGE　http://www.pre21.com/visage/
フィガロ FIGARO　http://www.m-figaro.co.jp/
ポイントマネジメント POINT MANAGEMENT　http://www.point-pro.net/
モデルス Model Agency・MODELS　http://www.models.co.jp/
ライトマネジメント LIGHT management http://lightmodels.net/
ラピスラズリ LAPISLAZZULI Model Agency　https://www.lapislazzuli.jp/
ワイルドフラワー WILD FLOWER Model Agency　http://www.wildflower1998.com/

徳島　｜　ＴＯＫＵＳＨＩＭＡ

アン・モデルエージェント AM MODEL AGENT　http://www.am-model.com/

広島　｜　ＨＩＲＯＳＨＩＭＡ

ウエルストン プロモーション WELLSTONE PROMOTION　http://wellstone-p.com/

福岡　｜　ＦＵＫＵＯＫＡ

アドバンス、プランニング アコ ADVANCE PLANNING AKO CO LTD.　http://www.akofashion.com/
アンズモデルエージェンシー Anzu Model Agency http://www.anzu-model.jp/
SOSモデルエージェンシー Society of Style Model Agency http://www.sos-model.com/
エムエスティ MST　http://www.photoshino.com/
岡本組 Okamotogumi Model Agency　http://okamotogumi.jp/
オフィスノアール Model Management OFFICE NOIR　http://www.office-noir.jp/
グレート・ジェマー Great Gemmer Model Agency　http://www.greatgemmer.jp/
クロアモデルズ croix models　http://www.croix-models.com/
ファルーカモデルズ Falucca Models　http://falucca-models.com/
マイストーリー My Story　http://mystory-japan.co.jp/
リーズオフィス REES OFFICE　http://rees-office.com/
レイ・ワールド Lay-WORLD　http://www.layworld.co.jp/


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## japanese001 (Mar 17, 2007)

*Japan is set to plant 1,000 of its iconic cherry blossom trees in Britain*











A fundraising project aimed at planting 1,000 cherry blossom trees across parks in Britain is about to get under way, the Japan Times reports. The scheme, which has been proposed by the Japan Britain Society, is initially aiming to raise funds to grow, plant and maintain between 50 and 60 of the iconic trees across four major parks in London next autumn.The organisers are reportedly working with The Royal Parks charity on finding locations and sourcing tree varieties ahead of the first round of planting in green spaces across the capital. It's thought that the remaining trees will be planted at later dates.










'We want to honour the Japanese and British predecessors who built cultural links between our countries, and express the determination of the Japanese who have taken root here (in Britain) to continue those links even if Britain finds itself in difficulty after Brexit,' Sandy K. Sano, creator of the project and chairman of the Japanese Association, told the news outlet.The tree planting is due to coincide with the UK Season of Culture, which will take place in Japan between 2019 and 2020. A government announcement of the season stated that the Prime Minister has 'warmly welcomed the proposal by the Japan-Britain Society to plant cherry blossom trees in the UK as a symbol of the friendship between Japan and the UK'. 










If the proposal goes ahead, it won't be the first time Japan has gifted its famous trees, which are said to represent a time of renewal as they bloom each March. In 1912, the Japanese government gifted 3,000 cherry blossoms to Washington DC, as a reminder of US ties with Japan. The city now hosts a National Cherry Blossom Festival, attracting large crowds to the Tidal Basin every year.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saul


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