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inukiba32

PostPosted: Sat Aug 15, 2009 11:59 pm


i plan on making it over to japan and if i can keep all this in my head illl think ill be fine
very good info arigato minna(is this right?)
PostPosted: Sun Aug 16, 2009 3:13 pm


uhmmm try not to ask for women`s age and dont try to be so respectfull thats only i can give xD

vongola_18


echo-dono

PostPosted: Sat Aug 22, 2009 3:20 pm


cool, i found this thread both informational and entertaining. thank you.
PostPosted: Wed Aug 26, 2009 12:40 pm


Yeah and...pouring anything on your rice is an insult to the chef.

Who knew? surprised

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Tougenkyou

PostPosted: Wed Aug 26, 2009 4:40 pm


Slurp your ramen. Just look around a bit and see what the natives are doing, more or less. If they slurp, you slurp. I'm not sure how it goes based on what noodle- I think udon and soba are also slurpable. c:
PostPosted: Wed Sep 23, 2009 9:07 pm


che_hyun
k a n a g u s u k u
Kuuryuro
Hmm, 1st I'd like to say that Japanese people aren't any more or less racist than anyone else. Like every country, there are people who are and people who aren't...so don't even worry about it, ya'? ^_~
Some things I didn't see up yet:
Don't go outside barefoot...its just about equal with wearing your shoes in someone's house...which, generally, you should also not do. Knowing when to de-shoe yourself is obvious - there's a step, as split level apartments/houses have, and usually a collection of shoes lined up to the side : P

With sticking your chopsticks straight up in your rice...that's not really the rude part (though it is odd). The rude part comes in when you eat the rice that you just offered to the dead (Like stomping on grave-flowers, I suppose = =??).
The American "okay" sign - with which your pointing finger touches your thumb and your other fingers are extended - means "money" in Japan. Its the equivalent of rubbing your thumb across your fingerpads in the American "pay up/money" gesture. On that note, "Thumbs up" signs are just dandy though^_~ and the "come over here" gesture is upsidedown. Cupping your dominant hand the same side of your mouth means you're telling a secret (same as U.S.), in the middle means "sorry", and to the opposite side means you're implying that someone is homosexual (use that one wisely).
Don't whistle at night. Its believed that, "if you whistle at night, a snake will come to you."...really...this one took me a few months to figure out (no one would explain crying )...people really don't like it= =;;
Oooh! Snorting the snot back into your nose is more polite than blowing your nose (Funny story there^_~)!
...and I'll cut my cultural wisdom short with: When in doubt, apologize! Apologies are taken very seriously and are given for everything. Learn then quick, learn them well, and put them to good use!



For Hawaii - If you whistle at night, you're calling the dead. Hawaii also has the thing with the shoes, take off your shoes before coming into the house, apartment, or wherever you live, it's considered rude if you wear your shoes inside.


We have this where I live (Washington State in the US) except for it's a Native American custom against Stick Indians, which are mischevous forest spirits. They've been said to kidnap those who whistle at night, because it's some kind of a signal for them.
Ugh, Stick Indians are scary though.


Thats kinda cool...becuss for hmong people, we also refer whistling at night as some kind of way to call or attrack the lost souls or spirits...

XxDaRK_CRAvExX


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PostPosted: Wed Oct 28, 2009 5:15 am


Wow so many things to do. I will remember this and use it well. Thanks for leaving so much information.^^
PostPosted: Sun Nov 29, 2009 11:38 pm


No really, I'm curious about this sugar on rice thing. Who do you know that does that?

kyuuketsuki4


Eijay

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PostPosted: Mon Nov 30, 2009 1:04 pm


I hope to go to Japan at some point, but one thing I'm worried about is standing out too much. I'm a girl but I'm very tall (Like, five foot nine or ten) and have wide shoulders, and big hands and feet. I also have long wavy brown hair, brown eyes and freckles. I'm very shy and I don't know if I would feel comfortable attracting a lot of attention. Also, would it be difficult for a bigger female to buy clothes in Japan?
PostPosted: Mon Nov 30, 2009 2:51 pm


Eijay
I hope to go to Japan at some point, but one thing I'm worried about is standing out too much. I'm a girl but I'm very tall (Like, five foot nine or ten) and have wide shoulders, and big hands and feet. I also have long wavy brown hair, brown eyes and freckles. I'm very shy and I don't know if I would feel comfortable attracting a lot of attention. Also, would it be difficult for a bigger female to buy clothes in Japan?


The general rule is the taller you are, the more you stick out, with trying to hide the fact attracting more attention to it. Just treat the people with kindness and respect, and things should go smoothly. And concerning buying clothes, the Asian race is generally known for being on a smaller side, so it may be a bit though to find clothes that perfectly fit you, at least on your own. I would advise befriending someone fashion conscious while in the country, so they can find clothes can play to the strengths of your physical appearance and personaility

Koiyuki
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Shadowheart Pixie

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PostPosted: Fri Dec 11, 2009 6:36 am


I'm studying Japanese using "Japanese for Busy People".
Has anyone else used this workbook? If so, was it very useful,
or does it only teaches you enough to appear polite in Japan?

In three years or so I'll be heading over to Japan for school,
half a year to learn more about the country and the language,
half a year to work there and mingle with the people.
Then I'll head home again to graduate. Anyone done this before?

Thanks to everyone who posted useful information in this topic,
it really is helpful, though some things that are posted seem to be
contradicting or false. But I learned enough to dare going to a restaurant!

Arigato gozaimasu minna!
PostPosted: Wed Dec 16, 2009 5:16 pm


Shadowheart Pixie
I'm studying Japanese using "Japanese for Busy People".
Has anyone else used this workbook? If so, was it very useful,
or does it only teaches you enough to appear polite in Japan?

In three years or so I'll be heading over to Japan for school,
half a year to learn more about the country and the language,
half a year to work there and mingle with the people.
Then I'll head home again to graduate. Anyone done this before?

Thanks to everyone who posted useful information in this topic,
it really is helpful, though some things that are posted seem to be
contradicting or false. But I learned enough to dare going to a restaurant!

Arigato gozaimasu minna!

Since books of that fashion are mainly made to help you scrape by in Japan, it's likely you'll be learning what I like to call Tourist's Japanese(which is marked by polite, but sometimes also unnatural grammar structure and tone). I would recommend pairing that with school texts, speaking with Japanese friends in Japan(befriending Nikkei, Japanese born outside of Japan, also helps, but their experiences with the culture are a bit more removed than those who are born and live in the country itself) and makimg mistakes with speaking the language. As we learn to walk from our falls, we better our language by discovering what not to do in given situations.

Koiyuki
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Eijay

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PostPosted: Wed Dec 16, 2009 7:13 pm


Koiyuki
Shadowheart Pixie
I'm studying Japanese using "Japanese for Busy People".
Has anyone else used this workbook? If so, was it very useful,
or does it only teaches you enough to appear polite in Japan?

In three years or so I'll be heading over to Japan for school,
half a year to learn more about the country and the language,
half a year to work there and mingle with the people.
Then I'll head home again to graduate. Anyone done this before?

Thanks to everyone who posted useful information in this topic,
it really is helpful, though some things that are posted seem to be
contradicting or false. But I learned enough to dare going to a restaurant!

Arigato gozaimasu minna!

Since books of that fashion are mainly made to help you scrape by in Japan, it's likely you'll be learning what I like to call Tourist's Japanese(which is marked by polite, but sometimes also unnatural grammar structure and tone). I would recommend pairing that with school texts, speaking with Japanese friends in Japan(befriending Nikkei, Japanese born outside of Japan, also helps, but their experiences with the culture are a bit more removed than those who are born and live in the country itself) and makimg mistakes with speaking the language. As we learn to walk from our falls, we better our language by discovering what not to do in given situations.


I am using a combination of Japanese for Busy People and Genki, which seems to be working well.
PostPosted: Thu Dec 17, 2009 6:21 am


Shadowheart Pixie
I'm studying Japanese using "Japanese for Busy People".


My experience with Japanese for Busy People is that it is, frankly, terrible. It's the worst book I've ever seen that claims to be a serious textbook. As mentioned earlier, the best you're going to learn with it is tourist's Japanese. I think the worst part about it is that it doesn't teach you how to read or write, which makes it pretty close to worthless in my opinion.

Coda Highland
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Nigt bladez

PostPosted: Mon Jan 04, 2010 11:18 am


Kita Cloud
When I went there, I didn't notice/hear any sort of racist comments behind my back, I did, however, catch a few people staring at me after I walked past them. sweatdrop I turned around to look at the shoes/purse/hat/clothes the people/person had on and they were looking back at me. Pretty nerve racking at times. I tried to keep a low profile, but how could I, when I'm 5'5", bright blond, pale skinned, and green eyed? Honestly, I knew it was a losing battle to begin with. It was sort of cute to have a boy confess that he "fell in love with me at first sight". In Chinese of all languages... (I know a bit of that one too). heart And the time a random guy asked to do a purikura with me. rofl Though if you're there long enough, you'll start staring at foreigners too. It's pretty funny. I think I stared at another woman who had blond hair for a good 2 minutes. sweatdrop You just have to meet the right people and keep them close at hand, then your time will be great there! heart


i am 5'7 im 2 inchess taller than you ^
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Japanese Popculture

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