|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Mon Aug 17, 2009 5:27 am
Chiris i'm also african american, and have light skin. A couple of my friends are as well, and one has had the opportunity to go to Japan. She wasn't treated any differently than anyone else because of skin color, by the majority of the people (just like in America), and she had a blast. So go, but just don't worry about that. Go to have fun and experience a new culture. biggrin Exactly. Why do people think we're so racist? Just because we don't have people with dark skin doesn't mean that we hate them.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Aug 18, 2009 6:43 pm
IdiotbyDefault JayStar101 Something I've seen a lot but not necesarily in Japan is that people think that American school system is crap and we're all morons with no manners. Why is that, why do people just downright hate Americans?!? I just hate it when people stereotype like that. Well, Japanese school systems is that in elementary school you see many students passing grades regardless of individual ability and scholarship and that all that middle and high school do is prepare students for college entrance exams and once students get into a college they kind of do their own thing and goof off because the hardest part of the education so far is over. They study facts and dates for the testing when asking other questions like why and how aren't asked a lot. We also see students as not having as much fun in high school as us because of this and that sometimes creativity and individualism is shunned in the classroom. [/stereotype] To each and their own. I haven't actually met anyone in Japan that has necessarily hated our school system in the states; many of my friends think that it would have been cool to study abroad when in high school or go to high school in the states. Sometimes the pressure is high for some students to get into a similar university that their parents went to (or to follow in the same footsteps as a parent) or to enter the university that is really competitive and this creates lots of stress. Many friends found that schools in the states are more free going because lack of intense testing and such (they don't know about SAT or anything like that), so they wanted to have gone to high school. Other countries, I am not sure of however. There are probably better systems than our own in the world. As for the "no manners" part, it could be said that about any person that travels to a foreign country they have never been to and they could still do something to offend someone no matter how much they study culture and customs. That is why humility, understanding, and apologizing are important aspects when doing something that is considered offensive. Japenese people have a lot of pressure to follow in their parent's footsteps, right? Man I feel bad for them...no creativity in the classroom? I would get bored easily. wink
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Aug 18, 2009 11:39 pm
I WOULD LOVE TO GO TO JAPAN!!!! LOVE IT!!! xp
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Aug 19, 2009 6:17 am
I am only but a new teenager, but my dream is to teach Japanese children
in Japan when I grow up.
I have often talked about it with my family and they think it is a very good idea.
I have also talked to my step sister about how I think if I were to go to Japan I would have to learn fluent japanese too.
What my step sister had told me was you neccessarily don't have to learn japanese to go to japan, yes learning the basic would would help to talk to some people when starting off, but there will be japanese people who understand english.
Is this true, I dont really have to learn all Japanese when I start out? (Of course though I probably will learn it from experience there)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Aug 29, 2009 6:05 am
I actually had the experience of living in Japan for three years from 98-01. I was pretty young for the most post, so its harder to remember things like I use to. My family was moved there because my mom was in the military. I lived on a base in Sagamihara, Kanagawa which was pretty cool. I was given the choice of going to the school on base or off of base. I choose to go to school on base because I was use to that. The classes were kind of the same like American school but I took a Japanese class. There was a Japanese school not that far from my school, so every now and then they would come onto the base and visit my school. I've been around the city a few times, and it was pretty nice yet really crowded with people. When I first got there I thought it would be strange since I wasn't Japanese and I was American. I'm African American yet I really wasn't treated all that different. The people there were nice and polite. Some of my old best friends were Japanese,America, Chinese, Korean, etc. The funniest thing that happened to me was when a friend of my mom's braided my hair and I went to a Japanese school for a visit. All the girls would touch my hair and say that it was pretty. The food over there really good, but it took some time for me to get use to. I was a bit of a junk food pack over there and buy a lot of it. I miss going to the Dove Store because it had such interesting things there. When I finally did leave Japan to come back to the states I made sure to bring back a few things like kitchen ware, dishes, dolls, kimonos, and other things.
I eventually want to go back to Japan for a visit, but I want to get down the language first. Its sad that I don't really remember much of it.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Aug 29, 2009 11:24 am
I definately want to live in Japan when I'm older. Preferably Harajuku in the Tokyo district, but I love Tokyo. I know that every country has it's ups and downs and I don't care.
I told my mum I want to live in Japan, but unfortunately she's very close-minded. She said she wouldn't dream of moving that far away and if I needed help or my family, how would I get it? Everyone else I've spoke to are very supportive of my dream except my mum. I suppose she can't help but worry, but it just upsets me when she says things to me.
I'm glad that I'm English and we have less strict education systems, but I still want to study and get good grades. It's just a bummer hat we're forced to take our GCSEs (without them in England, you're pretty much screwed for a good job), and they don't mean jack in Japan. Even college diplomas aren't that important and the only good qualification is a university degree.
I'd really love to be a manga ka, so would I need to go to university? If I do go, I want to take Japanese Studies and either Graphic Design and/or ICT (computers).
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Aug 30, 2009 8:33 pm
Nefetiti I definately want to live in Japan when I'm older. Preferably Harajuku in the Tokyo district, but I love Tokyo. I know that every country has it's ups and downs and I don't care.
I told my mum I want to live in Japan, but unfortunately she's very close-minded. She said she wouldn't dream of moving that far away and if I needed help or my family, how would I get it? Everyone else I've spoke to are very supportive of my dream except my mum. I suppose she can't help but worry, but it just upsets me when she says things to me.
I'm glad that I'm English and we have less strict education systems, but I still want to study and get good grades. It's just a bummer hat we're forced to take our GCSEs (without them in England, you're pretty much screwed for a good job), and they don't mean jack in Japan. Even college diplomas aren't that important and the only good qualification is a university degree.
I'd really love to be a manga ka, so would I need to go to university? If I do go, I want to take Japanese Studies and either Graphic Design and/or ICT (computers). There are actually specialty schools for that particular profession, such as Kyoto Seika's recently minted Manga Department, and like all trade schools they teach you a lot about what it takes to start off right as a pro manga-ka. If you expect to go pro, you'll have to be able to turn out around 8-10+ complete pages a week every week. If you're looking to do it for passion there are several other ways to go about it besides through the big boys that run many of the major publishing firms. There's also the Doujinka route(which is probably about the same workload, but in trade for often times smaller pay you get more creative freedom, and can even step up to the major leagues, if someone catches wind of the stuff you put out and you make that decision). Just remember that career paths aren't always on the straight and narrow, especially in this global economy, and that you can take your talents wherever you please, especially when you learn to network, advertise yourself and get your hustle on. This and this is a good idea of what to expect from aiming for Mangaka status(and as a foreigner it's likely you'll have to work twice as hard to impress them)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Sep 06, 2009 6:48 am
When talking to a native person in English. You might want to put more detail into what your saying. You can't say carrot. Instead say carrot veggtable(sp?). My spelling is horrible.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Sep 12, 2009 1:55 am
lets just be optimistic and head to japan !!! im interested in the YAKUZA business like the one in the PS2 game hahaha blaugh
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Oct 19, 2009 2:11 pm
Ahem, hi there. I don't often come here, but I hope you guys who have been to Japan (specially as tourists) can help me out.
I'm thinking of going to Tokyo within a year, and I'll stay there 10 days. Now, my question is, how much would that cost? Flight, hotel, food and other transports I might need included?
My friend guaranteed me 2000€ (2,993.48 US dollars roughly) are enough, but I'm rather skeptic.
Of course you can't give me an exact number, for starters, flight costs differ according to country (I'm from Portugal), but if you've ever gone there as a tourists, maybe you could tell me how much you spent on the basic needs?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Oct 19, 2009 2:28 pm
I'd love to go to Japan as an exchange student for a semester, or maybe a year.... But I really have to formal education in Japanese, which is probably unacceptable. I need to get on that and get a tutor or something. I'm probably gonna go into linguistics or game design. So Japanese is useful for either... right?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Oct 21, 2009 2:10 pm
Hmmmm... most of the posts here are from people planning to go to Japan as tourist, students, or teachers. I'm a little different. I'd like to move to Japan to settle permamently. I was wondering if anyone here had any practical information about that, applications for Japanese citizenship, Immigration requirements, ect. Another quick note. Once I get there, I do NOT want to be an English teacher. I'd prefer to get a normal job at a company like pretty much everyone else, so any practical information about job hunting, house hunting, and the like would be much appreciated. Oh, and don't worry, I'm not planning to move for a good long time yet, I still need to master Reading, Writing, and Speaking Japanese fluently. Still, any info you guys can give me on what to expect when I finally do make the big move would be much appreciated.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Oct 31, 2009 9:12 am
japan is a wonderful place
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Oct 31, 2009 1:22 pm
High_Assassin Hmmmm... most of the posts here are from people planning to go to Japan as tourist, students, or teachers. I'm a little different. I'd like to move to Japan to settle permamently. I was wondering if anyone here had any practical information about that, applications for Japanese citizenship, Immigration requirements, ect. Another quick note. Once I get there, I do NOT want to be an English teacher. I'd prefer to get a normal job at a company like pretty much everyone else, so any practical information about job hunting, house hunting, and the like would be much appreciated. Oh, and don't worry, I'm not planning to move for a good long time yet, I still need to master Reading, Writing, and Speaking Japanese fluently. Still, any info you guys can give me on what to expect when I finally do make the big move would be much appreciated. I should tell you this before you decide to make any moves: as a foreigner, everything is going to be harder for you(the way it is for every foreigner in every country). Certain places turn you away because they don't want foreigners living there, the language barrier will be ever present(especially when you get into the more technical Japanese that the forms you ask for require) and you'll to work odd jobs here and there just to get by in the country. With all that in mind, if you still want to move to the country, there are a couple things you'll want to ask yourself. First, are you doing for a permanent residency, or to become a full blown citizen? If you intend to go for Naturalization, not only do you have to give your name up, you also give up your birth country's citizenship. The test to become a citizen with dual citizenship is even more difficult. Here's a couple links to get your started: Moving to JapanSome of the requirements for living seriously in JapanMore information on what you needThe short version of it, is that if you want to make this happen, you have to willing to do a lot of paperwork, jump through a lot of hoops, and make a lot of important connections to become a citizen. Get the grit, then the degree, then the money, then return to grit once you hit the countryside, because you'll need every ounce of it
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Nov 09, 2009 6:53 pm
this is really random, but my mom is taking me to Japan if I get a scholarship, and any1 have any recommendations of the best place to go? I have a friend that used to live in Japan, and she is always talking about her hometown Okinawa. I might go there since she says its soo wondrful, but any1 think I shuldnt?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
