meru

We've already met, but welcome anyway~ XD Btw where abouts in the UK are you?

Welcome to the forums! Cute avatar ^.^ Kochira koso yoroshiku~~

Welcome to the forums! What was it about the Air anime that disappointed you? It's my favourite anime ever ;

Hi Zura, welcome to the forums!

I've been watching Pupa - shockingly disappointed that this has been reduced to 5 minute episodes. It's not really living up to expectations. And also Sakura Trick which is ridiculously kawaii~

Hahaha this is soooo true >_< Man it drives me crazy. I think Japan is what you make of it really. If you come with a positive and open attitude, you'll have a great time. Sure, there are times I get pissed off and rant about the way things are done, but I always remind myself to take a step back and look at their way as just being different rather than wrong. Also, if you find it difficult to make friends with Japanese people then try and find people who have lived abroad, and you'll find you have much more similar mindsets.

It depends what brands you use I guess XD You can find a lot of imported brands at big stores like Loft and Tokyo Hands, but they are more expensive. You will have to get used to using different stuff. I get my toothpaste sent from the UK because Japanese toothpaste has much less flouride, and I also get deodorant sent sometimes. It's best to just try and adapt to the readily available brands here as it will be easier and cheaper. Awesome! I'll PM you ^_~ What kind of information? XD The biggest red light districts in Tokyo are probably Kabukicho in Shinjuku, Dogenzaka in Shibuya, and Roppongi. There's lots of stuff on offer there, but expect to spend a lot. People at my work have run up 300,000+ yen tabs ($3000) in one night going to hostess bars... Anyway, if you have any more specific questions just let me know! I've not been to a soapland or anything like that but I've been to some love hotels and host clubs, and know lots of guys who regularly go to strip clubs and hostess bars. Yes there are! If you can get into one of the big banks or manufacturing companies then there are opportunities there. But usually they are looking for a) someone who speaks some Japanese or b) someone with experience in the industry already. My boyf works in PR at Toyota and he got in without any industry experience, but he does speak Japanese. Another way is to get into a multinational company in your own country, and then request a transfer to Japan later. Regarding video games, there are probably a lot of openings for programming but I'm not sure what else. I know Sony regularly hires foreigners (I have a friend working there) but again they're mostly looking for people who can speak some Japanese. You should give their site a look though. Learning about Japanese language and culture while abroad.. well the best way would to be enroll in classes if you can. Other than that, use the web and all of the amazing things it offers. There's tons of Japanese people out there who want to practice your English, so try and connect with someone via a language exchange site. You'll have no problem finding someone Tokyo is of course amazing. It's also the most foreigner-friendly city. I also lived in Osaka for 3 months and really enjoyed it there too. To be honest though it's really up to you and depends on what you are looking to get out of your stay here. Regarding the culture, again it depends on you. Research as much as possible before you come - of course there will still be culture shock, but it's good to be prepared. I didn't find it too difficult, but Tokyo is a very cosmopolitan area, and if I was out in the countryside I'm sure I would have to do a lot more adapting.

Right now I'm partway through Corpse Party Blood Covered and am really enjoying it. Highly recommended for fans of horror and supernatural mysteries with plenty of blood and gore thrown in.

Oh no... I can definitely see this spreading XD How about 'The Mare Files'? 'Mare the Vampire Slayer'? 'The Walking Mare'? Yeah, this could go on a while...

Welcome to the forums~

Hello there! I'm always happy to see more fujoshi here~~ I'm sure we'll be friends XD

High whiny voices. Baby voices. High whiny baby voices. High whiny baby voices during H-scenes.

Moooooore answers~ I live in central Tokyo and unfortunately don't have any experience of country life. I have visited some places in the countryside though and had great experiences. I remember I went with a friend to Toyama and we were staying in a family-run Japanese ryokan (hostel/inn type place). However, we got COMPLETELY LOST on the way there due to wrong GPS coordinates, and were eventually saved by a super nice old guy who phoned the place for us which turned out to be quite far away. He then drove us (two complete strangers, and foreigners to boot!) somewhere to meet the people from the ryokan, and they then drove us the rest of the way. Seriously, I can't imagine anyone doing that in the UK! I also had an amazing time on Yakushima, an island off Kyuushu. My boyfriend and I were looking for somewhere to eat but everywhere was closed, until we came upon a tiny little local drinking place. We were kind of wary of going in as some of these small places aren't too welcoming of foreigners, but everyone was lovely to us! So basically my travelling experiences (which include Hakkone, Nikko, Fukuoka, Osaka, Nagano, Yufuin, Kagoshima, Tanegashima, Yakushima) have all been great, but I don't know what it would be like to live there. Hopefully one day I will find out though! Ah I remember the NOVA thing, sorry you were caught up in it Do you think you'll come back to work in Japan again? Yes, it's definitely possible to come over to work as a teacher and then move onto something else. I know a lot of people who started out that way Hehe, to be honest I don't think Japanese people are more intrinsically polite than anyone else, they just have certain manners and ways of acting that seem very polite on the surface. You might like some of these customs, but there might be some that rub you the wrong way. Personally, I operate well within Japanese culture, although there are sometimes cultural differences that sometimes frustrate me such as people not speaking up for themselves in the workplace. Believe it or not there are many people who live here but are very bitter about Japanese people and culture - if you look at the Gaijinpot forums there's a lot of hate - but I just don't understand why they stay here if they hate it so much :/ Mostly no. If you're a foreigner then you might get people approaching you to chat which can be nice, but can also be annoying. As a white female I get men approaching me quite often, under the guise of 'wanting to learn English' haha. I would never ever strike up a conversation with someone on the street except maybe in the nightlife areas like Roppongi, both because that's not in my nature anyway, and I don't think most Japanese people would react well to it. That being said, if you're in a drinking place like an izakaya or a bar then you definitely can! I've had random people (usually middle aged guys with their wives XD) buy me food and drinks and stuff~ Oh also, being female helps :/ There's no limit that I know of (of course aside from your airline's standard luggage limit)! I've brought tons of stuff back in my suitcase, and shipped things back too. The only problem might be with 18+ rated material, but I've also carried that kind of thing out of the country with no problem Yeah, Akiba is pretty awesome!! Lots of huge anime adverts everywhere, anime songs blaring out of the shops, girls in maid costumes trying to get you to come to their cafes.. I'll take some pics next time I'm there~

Alrighty, here's a few answers for some of the latest questions. More to come later~ Language You can survive in Tokyo with no Japanese at all, if you just stay within the expat community. I have some clients who have been here over 10 years and yet speak no Japanese!! Particularly if you live somewhere like Roppongi, which is foreigner-central. That being said, you need to learn the language of a place to truly enjoy it, but I think you already know that It's scary not knowing the language of a place, and it can be difficult and upsetting when you feel you're not making any progress, but that's just something you have to deal with if you want to live abroad. Jobs The only other jobs I can think of that will hire foreigners from abroad (unless you have a special skill set) is recruiting. Anyone looking for work in Japan should check out www.gaijinpot.com, it's one of the best sites for job postings aimed at foreigners. They all list what criteria you need such as required language ability, and whether applications from outside Japan are accepted. And like I mentioned before, connections are also very important. By connections I don't mean that you need some kind of rich and powerful family member, I just mean that it'll be useful to make friends with people who are already in Japan (you've got one right here ) who can offer advice and notify you of any opportunities they come across. Visas This is the hardest part in my experience! Most companies don't want to sponsor a visa for someone from outside of Japan - yet you can't get to Japan without a visa. It becomes a very frustrating Catch-22. The best way to get to Japan is either go with an English teaching company that will sponsor your visa and then look for other jobs once here (many people do this), or come on a working holiday visa which you can apply for by yourself, and again look for things once you're here. As Scars Unseen said, it really does depend on location. I live in central Tokyo which is very expensive, and even within Tokyo prices vary hugely by area. I'm paying 150,000 (split with my bf) for a 40 square metre 1DK place. We definitely could have gone cheaper, but it's in a great location and the building is very new with all mod cons. You can get a small place for less than 50,000, but when I say small I mean SMALL Also move-in costs are extremely high - many places require around 3 months' worth of rent up-front which they call things like 'deposit' and 'key money'. Some places also don't allow foreigners. When I arrived I stayed with Sakura House for 3 months until I could sort out renting a place, and I recommend them for short-term stays as they cater to foreigners who don't want to deal with all the hassle of renting properly. You pay for the convenience though - I was paying 80,000 for 14 square metres. Utilities are okay, water is around 4,000, electricity varies between 4-10,000 depending on the month (more expensive in Summer when using the aircon!), and gas is around 3,000. Internet is 3,800.

Welcome to the forums!

Hi there, welcome to the forums!

Thanks for the questions guys~ I'll do my best to answer them. This is a difficult question to answer, as I'm not really sure myself! There were a few circumstantial things. Firstly, I had experience of living here on my year abroad, so I knew I enjoyed life in Japan. Secondly, I had to find somewhere to live after I graduated. In the UK basically the only place with jobs involving Japanese is London, and I'm not such a fan of the city. Since I had to pack up and move my life anyway I thought it was an ideal time to try living abroad. Now for what I find appealing about Japan? I think it's similar to the UK in a lot of ways in terms of people being more reserved than, say, America, which suits me. I like that people are polite and don't stick their noses in your business. I feel safe when I'm walking the streets. The weather is much nicer than the UK. There's tons of interesting and exciting things to do in Tokyo. Also, I wanted to be a translator and my Japanese language ability is actually kind of crappy considering the amount of time I've been studying it haha, so I figured the best way to improve was to be here. Of course there are things I don't like about Japan, but overall I enjoy life here more than in the UK. In my experience there are 3 ways to get employed in Japan (barring going your own entrepreneurial way): 1. For non-Japanese speakers - English teaching. The easiest way to get here. 2. For non-Japanese speakers - having some kind of in-demand skill or industry experience, particularly in IT, finance, automobiles, or medical implements 3. For Japanese speakers - translation industry, although this is hard to break into. Companies usually prefer native Japanese speakers or at least native level bi-lingualism (I'm nowhere near that yet ^^ I've been working in a real estate investment company where half our clients are foreigners. I actually got this job via an introduction from my senpai. I'd sent off loads of applications but hadn't been successful so far, partly because of applying from abroad, and partly because I was lacking in skills & experience. In other words, personal connections are really helpful!! Yep, my course was dedicated to Japanese Studies! Actually it was half language and half East-Asian studies. The language part was mostly focused on translation and literary studies. The other half was East-Asian history, culture, economy, etc and that was taught in English. In the UK I think there are around 10 unis (maybe more now?) that offers Japanese Studies, although some only offer it in combination with other stuff like business. As far as I'm aware, many of the main universities in European countries offer Japanese in some form (I've met people from Croatia, Turkey, Italy, etc.), and I also know a lot of Europeans who came to the UK to study.

Sooo, I live in Japan! And I thought there might be some of you who had questions about what life is like here The very brief version of how I got here: I'm originally from the UK. I fell in love with anime & manga when I was about 13. When it came to make my university applications, I decided to choose to study Japanese~ I spent 5 years at university, 1 of which was spent at a university in Japan. I graduated in Summer 2012 and started looking for jobs in Japan (which btw is very difficult if you're not already living there). I finally found something and came over in October 2012. Since then I've been living and working in Tokyo. I've been at the same company the whole time, but I'm leaving next month to work as a freelance translator full time~ I know there's a few other members who live in Japan, and I'm sure many people have visited, so please feel free to share your experiences

Congratulations Down~~~! It's well-deserved

You won't regret it (except maybe when characters are dropping dead everywhere and you want to kill GRRM)! I've read the first 4 and am starting on the 5th now. It is soooooooo gooooooood~~!

For me it's basically because of what Scars Unseen said. It's not them denying climate change. I'm no scientist so I can't say whether it's true or not! It's just that I'm a bit of a hippy in that I ~love the earth~ and it makes me upset that some people really don't care about it at all.

Hahaha this still cracks me up! Nosebleed might just be a comedy genius~

I like any company that is trying to get VN over to the West, BUT I was appalled at the quality of translation for the game Enzai. Seriously, they're charging money for this, and yet it's littered with mistakes. It was like it didn't go through any kind of quality check at all. The only other title of theirs I've bought is Saya no Uta and the translation for that was good, so maybe Enzai was just a one off. I'm still annoyed about spending my money on it though!

I want a Kenji route!!!!!!

I started out by reading the first page and getting really worked up.. then I came to the 3rd page and realized it was from ages ago, and people are just having fun in this thread now. *puts away megaphone and pitchfork* Ahh this is so much better~