(no subject)
Thanks for the comments, people, asking me questions and the like. As such, I will deign to answer said questions. Sorry it's late, I headed off on a little weekend trip that I will tell you all about later.
How long have you been living in Tochigi City (and how long will you)?
I have been living in Tochigi City for 9 months now. I got here on the 31st of July, and the initial contract was for a year. However, I will be taking on another year (at least) and will, at the very least, be here until July of next year. This, however, is also subject to whether or not I will be extending the contract one more time. I won't know that until I get to February of next year, and make the decision. There are a number of factors involved... Hmm. I wonder what they are, myself.
Can you give me a place to stay? Also, What are some things that you just really wish Japan had that you had in Australia, or really are glad Japan doesn't have that you had to deal with in Australia?
Of course! Just note that it takes me 2 hours by train to get to Tokyo, so unless you want to stay in a little town, I would suggest a cheap hotel. It also costs $20 or so to get to and from Tokyo from here (return, that is). However, I live close (relatively) to the world heritage site in Nikko. So if you make a day trip there, you can come back and stay here before going back to Tokyo or wherever you want. This is open to anyone, by the way - in Japan or not!
As for things that I miss, and things that I am glad are not here... To be honest, I don't think about it that much. The way that I think about each of these countries, is as separate units. One is completely independent of the other. When I first came here (when I went to Kyoto for exchange), I wanted to have more of this in Australia, or less of that in Japan. Now, I try not to think like that anymore - Japan is Japan, and Australia is Australia. BUT... There are things that I really like here. People are less suspicious here. More trusting. I have started to become a lot like that myself, and it is almost scary what might happen to me when I get back to Australia. In Australia, on the other hand, people are more relaxed. Going out for coffee, hanging out at someone's place, and so on. I miss those kind of interactions.
How expensive is it to sightsee in Japan? Is there backpacker-type accommodation around? What is Japan like in September?
Sightseeing in Japan can be very cheap, if you are prepared to eat like Japanese people eat (and no, I don't mean sushi and sashimi - that can get expensive). If you don't expect to eat at restaurants where you sit in a chair, don't expect to be eating something Japanese every night, then food will be fine. http://www.jyh.or.jp/english/ is the site for Japan Youth Hostels, I think they are all over the place. And most places are not too expensive to get into nowadays, as long as you don't go to Disneyland and the like. That one sets you back $60 just to get in the gate. Trains can be a little expensive, depending on how much time you have -- if you take the time and don't ride the express, you can cut a lot of costs there. Take your iPod and a book.
Japan in September will be very, very hot. I remember doing things in September last year and when I was in Kyoto, and it was tough, to be honest. You wouldn't want to climb all the stairs in Himeji castle on the hottest day of summer. The weather, however, will be pretty much a given that it is nice (if hot). Take a look at some of the guides on the web, as places vary - I can only speak of my area, and Kyoto. It will also be very humid around that time, as the wet season will have ended not too long before. Not comfortable if you are not used to it. And, with clothing and things the way they are here, it's best not to show arms and the like - no sleeveless shirts, so no relief there. If you aren't prepared to deal with it, then I suggest the end of November, or somewhere around then, when it is not so uncomfortable.
And last, but not least - I heard that a lot of teenagers are facinated with America over there and like, try to mimic us, in the same way teens around here get really fascinated with Japanese things. Japanophiles. Is this true? ... Are there really Ameriphiles?
As far as I can see, there aren't a lot of people dressing up like Carrie from Sex and the City - in comparison to the way that the 'otaku' of America dress up their favourite Anime characters. A lot of the charm and allure of America(I would say the west, but in Japan, if you are white then you are American until proven otherwise) is that it is completely different to Japan. And the most visible difference is face and body - I have kids that pat me all over to see what the heck I am made of. I also have kids that exclaim, "Your eyes are so close together!" in the I-want-to-be-like-that-too kind of way. But I think that for most people, this is as far as it goes. There are a lot of people with some sort of fascination, but from what I have seen, there isn't that kind of maniac sense to it. I don't go to Tokyo often, so I might not be seeing a lot of it, but I didn't get that feeling in Kyoto either.
There are girls who want Gaijin (foreigner) boyfriends as trophies (I ran into these from time to time), the same way as some guys want that beautiful model girlfriend that they can bring out for parties. But then, there are just as many guys who want cute little Japanese girlfriends. People are not so different in the end. In summary - I think there are Ameriphiles around, but I don't think they are as prominent, no have they created a word for themselves, as the American 'otaku' have.
N.B. Otaku is a word in Japanese, but it has an embarrassed feeling to it - to call yourself one with pride is something that would never be done. To use the word in reference to yourself, is like admitting a dark secret of your past. That is why I say that the American Japanophiles have created a word, not used an existing one.
Next time, I write about onsen! Again, keep questions coming, if you want me to talk about something more, etc!
How long have you been living in Tochigi City (and how long will you)?
I have been living in Tochigi City for 9 months now. I got here on the 31st of July, and the initial contract was for a year. However, I will be taking on another year (at least) and will, at the very least, be here until July of next year. This, however, is also subject to whether or not I will be extending the contract one more time. I won't know that until I get to February of next year, and make the decision. There are a number of factors involved... Hmm. I wonder what they are, myself.
Can you give me a place to stay? Also, What are some things that you just really wish Japan had that you had in Australia, or really are glad Japan doesn't have that you had to deal with in Australia?
Of course! Just note that it takes me 2 hours by train to get to Tokyo, so unless you want to stay in a little town, I would suggest a cheap hotel. It also costs $20 or so to get to and from Tokyo from here (return, that is). However, I live close (relatively) to the world heritage site in Nikko. So if you make a day trip there, you can come back and stay here before going back to Tokyo or wherever you want. This is open to anyone, by the way - in Japan or not!
As for things that I miss, and things that I am glad are not here... To be honest, I don't think about it that much. The way that I think about each of these countries, is as separate units. One is completely independent of the other. When I first came here (when I went to Kyoto for exchange), I wanted to have more of this in Australia, or less of that in Japan. Now, I try not to think like that anymore - Japan is Japan, and Australia is Australia. BUT... There are things that I really like here. People are less suspicious here. More trusting. I have started to become a lot like that myself, and it is almost scary what might happen to me when I get back to Australia. In Australia, on the other hand, people are more relaxed. Going out for coffee, hanging out at someone's place, and so on. I miss those kind of interactions.
How expensive is it to sightsee in Japan? Is there backpacker-type accommodation around? What is Japan like in September?
Sightseeing in Japan can be very cheap, if you are prepared to eat like Japanese people eat (and no, I don't mean sushi and sashimi - that can get expensive). If you don't expect to eat at restaurants where you sit in a chair, don't expect to be eating something Japanese every night, then food will be fine. http://www.jyh.or.jp/english/ is the site for Japan Youth Hostels, I think they are all over the place. And most places are not too expensive to get into nowadays, as long as you don't go to Disneyland and the like. That one sets you back $60 just to get in the gate. Trains can be a little expensive, depending on how much time you have -- if you take the time and don't ride the express, you can cut a lot of costs there. Take your iPod and a book.
Japan in September will be very, very hot. I remember doing things in September last year and when I was in Kyoto, and it was tough, to be honest. You wouldn't want to climb all the stairs in Himeji castle on the hottest day of summer. The weather, however, will be pretty much a given that it is nice (if hot). Take a look at some of the guides on the web, as places vary - I can only speak of my area, and Kyoto. It will also be very humid around that time, as the wet season will have ended not too long before. Not comfortable if you are not used to it. And, with clothing and things the way they are here, it's best not to show arms and the like - no sleeveless shirts, so no relief there. If you aren't prepared to deal with it, then I suggest the end of November, or somewhere around then, when it is not so uncomfortable.
And last, but not least - I heard that a lot of teenagers are facinated with America over there and like, try to mimic us, in the same way teens around here get really fascinated with Japanese things. Japanophiles. Is this true? ... Are there really Ameriphiles?
As far as I can see, there aren't a lot of people dressing up like Carrie from Sex and the City - in comparison to the way that the 'otaku' of America dress up their favourite Anime characters. A lot of the charm and allure of America(I would say the west, but in Japan, if you are white then you are American until proven otherwise) is that it is completely different to Japan. And the most visible difference is face and body - I have kids that pat me all over to see what the heck I am made of. I also have kids that exclaim, "Your eyes are so close together!" in the I-want-to-be-like-that-too kind of way. But I think that for most people, this is as far as it goes. There are a lot of people with some sort of fascination, but from what I have seen, there isn't that kind of maniac sense to it. I don't go to Tokyo often, so I might not be seeing a lot of it, but I didn't get that feeling in Kyoto either.
There are girls who want Gaijin (foreigner) boyfriends as trophies (I ran into these from time to time), the same way as some guys want that beautiful model girlfriend that they can bring out for parties. But then, there are just as many guys who want cute little Japanese girlfriends. People are not so different in the end. In summary - I think there are Ameriphiles around, but I don't think they are as prominent, no have they created a word for themselves, as the American 'otaku' have.
N.B. Otaku is a word in Japanese, but it has an embarrassed feeling to it - to call yourself one with pride is something that would never be done. To use the word in reference to yourself, is like admitting a dark secret of your past. That is why I say that the American Japanophiles have created a word, not used an existing one.
Next time, I write about onsen! Again, keep questions coming, if you want me to talk about something more, etc!