How is life in Japan for a westerner?
 

I'm considering going there for a few months.

I bet the life there is not bad at all :)

nips hate gaijins

you wont get laid there.

depends who you ask
friend of mine was a translator for politicians and went to Tokyo several times and lived there for a few months but says he didn't like it because it was too crowded and the food tasted weird to him

good thread, Im looking forward to the responses :)

here's a site about prices btw

havent really looked into it yet, especially since all the priuces are in yen

http://www.pricechecktokyo.com/

interested myself.Thought about moving there before

I lived in Japan for nearly five years altogether, and travel there to see my in-laws ever few years.

Learn the language and it will be a much more rewarding experience. Also, don't spend all of your time with other foreigners. They have a skewed view.

Tokyo is an amazing city, but there are other places that are more affordable and less crowded (Osaka, Kyoto, etc).

There are good paying jobs for English speakers, but the best ones require a certain time commitment (1 or 2 years).

If you like Japanese food (I love it), then that helps, however you can find practically any cuisine in the world in Japan.

As for the culture, it is definitely different than the U.S. You will undoubtedly find things you both like and dislike about it. If you absorb yourself into it, and go in with an open mind, it can be a truly life enriching experience (that is true about travel to any foreign country).

ADG Webmaster

hm, which ones ?

i have much free time

and agin, how easy are the girls ?

how do they treat foreigners?

Many people go with the plentiful teaching gigs, however if you have technical skills, you can get into many of the larger companies. I had friends with barely any experience that had great jobs with banks.

Try this resource site: Tokyo Connections

You can also Google "Jobs in Japan" for lots of leads.

ADG Webmaster

Women outnumber men by a good percentage in Tokyo, and since Japanese often wait longer to get married, there are many available girls.

If you can get laid where you live, then you undoubtedly can do so in Japan as well, although do not necessarily expect it to result in a serious relationship. Many girls date foreigners just for the novelty.

If you are simply looking to get laid, then that is pretty easy (Japan has a huge sex industry). You can either pay for it in one of the many massage parlors (note that many will not cater to foreigners - some even have signs that say "No Gaijin"), or you can simply approach it like the dating game here (or wherever you are).

Good places to meet girls are concerts, Harajuku park on Sunday (hehe), and any place that features something to do with foreigners (theaters showing Western movies, etc). Bars are okay too, but generally avoid the professional bar girls since they will mostly just hustle you for $$$.

Most Japanese young people speak some English, and some are quite fluent, although you will usually be the one that has to strike up the conversation.

I always enjoy myself in Japan.

ADG Webmaster

Keep in mind that the average Japanese chick falls in love 100 times faster and 1000 times deeper than any Western counterpart. The old "green-eyed monster" will quickly rear its' ugly head and all your occidental and oriental female friends will be froozen out. You have been warned!

Sounds good :)

Oh, well, at least the cartoons are good. :D

I spend about 3 weeks to 1 month a year in Japan visiting my inlaws. I like it but, im ready to come home after about 1 week. Girls do love white guys there though. :winkwink:

went to Japan for the first time a couple weeks ago, was a great experience.
Not being able to speak Japanese wasn't really a problem, there are plenty of signs in english and the people are very polite and patient.

Japan is still quite an insular country (before 1850 they closed the country's borders to foreigners for 200 years) and I've been told it can be quite hard to form close relationships with the japanese. However because of the rigidity of the society a lot of women have this fantasy of escaping the country so a fling with a westerner can be quite appealing (so I'm told anyway ;)).

I'm not really a great fan of Japanese food, but I was beginning to acquire a taste for it after a week of eating nothing but it, and I lost 5 pounds, although the sweltering heat helped also.

I found it great fun, because it was so different yet comfortable and easy.

Thanks for the insights..

I think I'll go for it. Which part of town would you guys recommend for someone in their early 20's?

Shinjuku has a pretty busy nightlife, but Roppongi seems to be where a lot of the westerners go.

I've been living in Japan for the past 6 years or so and I have to say that I really love living here. It's a lot easier now that I'm getting better at Japanese. It took a while to understand what the hell was going on...but now that I can comprehend the language life doesn't seem so foreign.

Tokyo is a bit over-priced, but there are deals to be had just like anywhere else.

Japanese girsl are complete sluts. They'll act shy a first but once you get them going they are total cock lovers. This is no lie. They love dick and they aim to please. They don't shave their muffs...so don't be surprised if you find a grizzly bear between their legs. They will insist on showering before they fuck - so that's a good thing.

Must see places in Tokyo: Shinjuku, Shibuya, Ikebukuro, Harajuku, Roppongi...but the smaller cities in Tokyo are cooler to me. You can find little drinking holes everywhere (Izakaiya) which is the way to go!

Also make sure to get out into the sticks and check out the mountains and the smaller cities. Hit an onsen (hot spring) in Hakone or Nikko...and if you have the time...make sure that you visit Okinawa and take a ferry to the little islands out there. The beaches are amazing. I just went last week for the first time and was blown away.

I'd say a trip to Japan is a must for everyone. It's like going to Mars.

PM me if you decide to come out here and I'll be glad to meet you if you aren't a total wierdo :winkwink:

aaaah.. why dont they shave? :Oh crap they dont like getting oralsex? I thought the hairy muff thingie was only in the jap Porns ;D

shortman syndrome * 50,000,000

I just checked out Roppongi.. seems a little too western. I think I want the full tokyo treatment!

Looking at a map, I thought that Shibuya was nice because it's close to Yoyogi Park.

How is Shibuya?

Thanks :)

big change in time.

I am planning to go one day


Mr. Romance

I live in San Francisco, everything will feel cheap to me!

Thanks for the info about Japanese women!

I'm coming! :thumbsup

I`ve never been there, but I`ve heard that it`s great, but very very expensive

i would go to life to try
but cant afford now:(((

way too wrong.

Japan is awesome in every sense. Exception made of cost of living, which is incredibly high. And you better like fish or pork, don't you ever dream on red meat unless you're Bill Gate's fav nephew. However, Japan's red meat is delicious.

Another funny thing is you'd find (say) a 1 year old Ipod in the garbage. As a matter of fact, there's a whole industry of people going to city dumps to get electronics that they sell to foreigners later and they're still better than what you'll buy in any store in any place of the world.

But as ADGWD said, try other cities, like Kyoto, Saitama, Hamamatsu, Iwate or Nagoya. Less crowded, cheaper and very beautiful :thumbsup

Roppongi (along with Ginza) are probably the two most expensive areas in Tokyo. Shibuya is lots of fun - many cool stores. Shinjuku is good if you want to get down and dirty (live sex shows, etc).

You have to check out Harajuku on a Sunday afternoon...funny stuff.

If you are into electronics, then make sure to hit Akihabara - it's tech geek paradise.

Poe, you said you are in SF (I'm in the Bay Area too), so cruise over to the Kinokuniya bookstore in Japantown and pick up some guidebooks, because you will find there is more to do than you will have time for.

Kinokuniya also carries magazines and newspapers that list upcoming events and special things to see and do.

Depending upon your available time and money, a Japan Rail Pass can be a good investment. You can use the Shinkansen (bullet train), to visit all of the major cities, and it even works on many of the local lines (JNR, etc).

My next trip to Japan will either be this fall or next Spring...can't wait.

Have fun and take lots of pictures...

ADG Webmaster

Thanks, ADG.

Good idea, I'll drop by japan town this week.

Also, I'm planning to stay for about 6 months.. I'll have to do a "visa run" after 3 months, so I'd like to make the best of it and travel around the area for a few weeks.. Any recommendations?

I personally hate Roppongi, but most westerners like to go there to party because they can actually communicate a bit. I go there once in a while but I stay off of the streets and go straight into the club. Between the US military guys acting like drunk assholes, and the Africans acting like they're from NYC trying to lure you into their shitty, overpriced, wanna-be strip clubs...I'd say you're best bet is to skip the street. If you do happen to go to Roppongi...go to a club called Feria. It's right accross the street from a popular club called Velfarre (which blows). In Feria you'll find mainly Russian model chics...and tons of Japanese whores too. It's a must.

If you want the real deal Japanese culture thing then stay outa the big cities. Of course you have to check them out...but spend your time off the beaten path.

Yoyogi is alright, lots of Westerners.

Listen to ADG and get a book and plan out the trip. If not you'll be scatter-brained. Hakone is a must if you come in the winter. Hot springs and the mountains are awesome.

I used to live in a place called Urawa which is about 45 min. north of Tokyo. That's a cool little city and the people are much nicer than in Tokyo. Omiya is cool too which is a little north of Urawa - lots of mobsters and strip clubs there. Pretty dirty city.

Nishi-Kawaguchi has more massage parlors than you'll be able to visit. Most of them don't accept the round-eye...but you'll find some that do.

Oh, I almost forgot...you HAVE to check out the fish market Tsukiji. It's the biggest fish market in the world and it's simply oerwhelming. Check it out online and you'll see what I mean. It's closed on Sundays. Get there early like 6 or 7 AM. You can't see the Tuna auction anymore because they recently closed it to the public...but it's well worth it.

And...if you're looking to teach English and stay in Japan for free in exchange for 12 hours of teaching a week (usually broken into 2 or three days)...PM me and I'll point you in the right direction. No VISA needed. No pay, but free place to lay your head.

PM is disabled...so email me at japanidol at gmail.com

Ohhh, I'm turning Japanese.. I really think so.

My favorite places are Kyoto and Nara, the capital of Japan before Tokyo. While Tokyo was heavily firebombed during WWII (only a few places such as the Imperial Palace were spared), the U.S. did little damage to Kyoto (it was considered a possible target for the A bomb, but was removed due to it's historical significance).

Kyoto is also close to the large port cities of Osaka and Kobe. The more you read in advance about the history of Japan, the more ideas that will come to you with regards to what you will want to see.

In my case, I truly wanted to make a trip to Hiroshima. It was an incredible experience, as I was able to meet and talk with actual Hibakusha ("A" Bomb survivors).

Japan is steeped in a rich tradition of arts as well. Much like Europe of old, apprentices would study for years under master artists/craftsman, so the level of skill and artistry in many areas is amazing.

Younger Japanese are very much into popular culture and various avante garde art movements, and that is fun to see as well.

If you look at Japan on the surface you will at first see a good deal of homgenity, conformity and sameness, because traditionally the idea is to fit in (an idiom is the peg that stands up, gets pounded down). However, once you get past the surface, you will see the great diversity that exists in Japan today.

As others' said, do try to get off the beaten path. When I lived in Japan, Americans were rare, except near U.S. military bases, now Americans and foreigners from all over the world can be seen practically anywhere.

One excursion which is difficult to coordinate is to hike up Mt. Fuji (this is because it is only open for hiking for a month or so per year). A fun thing to do is start your hike up in the afternoon, and then spend the night in one of the inns on the mountain (in a room with 100 or so other people). Then you get up and hike the rest of the way in the very early morning so that you arrive at the top for sunrise - it's an incredible experience.

It sounds like you have the right attitude, so I'm sure you will have fun.

ADG Webmaster

japs are crazy

hey, yeah i went to the fish market last week, my gf freaked out because they speed around on those motorized carrying things, crazy busy but so cool.

I haven't been to Shibuya at night, but it's pretty crazy during the day for shopping. If you walk up the hill there's hundreds of love hotels up there too. I was trying to find one that had some crazy ass theme but they mostly seemed quite bland there.

Is the technology cheaper in japan?

depending on your adjustment period and method.. :)

Thanks again for your insights.

I'm really looking forward to traveling through Japan!

41 replies and still no pics ;)

Going in may.. woot!

that's hot

i'd love to visit japan, so many amazing sites.

I would very much like to live in japan and learn japaneese

Go there once a year. Probably skipping this year though, too busy and have a new baby on the way, plus youngest girl is in her terrible 2's. No fun on a plane. :winkwink:

It will be a tough one; especially if you don't appreciate ramen and raw sushi dishes. :pimp