Japan Meme Day 23, 24, 25
Day 23 - What is something you have/do in Japan that you wish you had/could do in your home country?
The materialistic side of me would wish for good ramen and okonomiyaki places in Toronto, for sure. Honest to god, I've never had any good ramen until I came to Japan, and my mind was absolutely blown away at not only the quality but the speed at which you get it. At the good places, they're good and fast! All of the ramen that I've had back home always felt like some sort of bootleg copy of the real thing, probably because they're trying to cater to local tastes, much like how pizza in Japan has mayo, tuna and corn, and some other random toppings.
Other than that, I would really like to have the train system transplanted into western culture. I really feel that we're too dependent on cars and that transportation in general needs to strike a balance between the two. I don't believe absolutely relying on the train like Japan does is the best solution, but a car being a necessity in adult western life isn't either. Having said that, the service you get with Japanese public transportation is far above Toronto's, without the shitty strikes and downright rude drivers.
Day 24 - Your favorite Japanese slang or borrow-word (外来語), e.g. セフレ "sex friend"
The one that I use the most is probably ニュアンス, nuance. I use it a lot at work for some reason, so I suppose I've developed a liking to it. My favorite is やばい, yabai, though. Really fun to use when I'm playing fighting games. :p
Day 25 - Most interesting vending machine find.
I've heard of many uh, interesting things in vending machines, but the most interesting one that I've personally seen is this one... curry soup in a can. Yeck. Complete with stereotypical Indian!
The materialistic side of me would wish for good ramen and okonomiyaki places in Toronto, for sure. Honest to god, I've never had any good ramen until I came to Japan, and my mind was absolutely blown away at not only the quality but the speed at which you get it. At the good places, they're good and fast! All of the ramen that I've had back home always felt like some sort of bootleg copy of the real thing, probably because they're trying to cater to local tastes, much like how pizza in Japan has mayo, tuna and corn, and some other random toppings.
Other than that, I would really like to have the train system transplanted into western culture. I really feel that we're too dependent on cars and that transportation in general needs to strike a balance between the two. I don't believe absolutely relying on the train like Japan does is the best solution, but a car being a necessity in adult western life isn't either. Having said that, the service you get with Japanese public transportation is far above Toronto's, without the shitty strikes and downright rude drivers.
Day 24 - Your favorite Japanese slang or borrow-word (外来語), e.g. セフレ "sex friend"
The one that I use the most is probably ニュアンス, nuance. I use it a lot at work for some reason, so I suppose I've developed a liking to it. My favorite is やばい, yabai, though. Really fun to use when I'm playing fighting games. :p
Day 25 - Most interesting vending machine find.
I've heard of many uh, interesting things in vending machines, but the most interesting one that I've personally seen is this one... curry soup in a can. Yeck. Complete with stereotypical Indian!