Japan...

[BogusKun]

I love Japan guys... I don't ever want to leave. Usually, when I do something big I post it here at PSO-W for all gamers to see... so you guys can either give feedback or advice... or whatever you have to say on your mind.

After graduating college (for the third time)... I finally wanted to take a break and come to Japan.

I only been here 2 weeks... all over Tokyo, Osaka, Hiroshima, Yokohama... and sadly I have to return back to good ol' Texas. Anyways:

How you guys feel about Japan? They're money is extremely strong and though they claim to have economic problems (which everyone does) they seem to be happy and content with being where they are... because they have it all. Am I wrong?

Anyways... let me know how you guys felt about Japan when you all went.
And for those who haven't yet came here... why (if you do) do you want to come?

It was an amazing trip you guys. ^_^

[yoshiblue]

A good place to take a vacation in but some say its best not to live there.

[Zantra]

I've also heard that it's difficult for foreigners to live there. Especially if they can't fluently read and speak japanese.

[Slidikins]

A good place to take a vacation in but some say its best not to live there.

That's how I feel. I can pass the level 2 proficiency exam, but the dated culture and laws are vastly different from what I'm used to in NY. I couldn't think to live there permanently.

[Outrider]

I've also heard that it's difficult for foreigners to live there. Especially if they can't fluently read and speak japanese.

Living in a country in which you're unable to read or speak the local language generally makes things difficult.

[Rusty Spoons]

I went to japan in 2008 for 3 weeks. Definitely the best trip i have ever had.
At the moment plans for another trip is starting. I'd really like to stay longer this time.

If you don't have a basic understanding of the language then you might not have as good of a time; Although you can work around it fairly easily. I went with a group of 8 people, two of which were close friends. One of the two had almost no understanding of the language. He still got around without the rest of the group without too much hassle. I'd say its a good idea to speak and read at least a bit of Japanese before going.

All in all it was a great time.

[NegaTsukasa]

I love Japan as well. there is this certain aesthetic feeling I get when I dive into any part of their culture or even the landmass/Geography and infrastructure.

in short: I love and respect their culture, their styles, geography, food, art, nature, etc.
Its so weird. just everything there I'm attached to. even before my influence and discovery with anime clicks and stuff.
they also know how to have fun and live life as much as possible. the stuff they do over there, in entertainment or fashion for example, is so creative, interactive, and like no other place on the globe from what I have seen. and they have no fear doing it - That Is awesome and I respect that. so many other countries are so high strung.

I could go on and on. :P
I seriously would probably not leave if I went there.

Hungary is pretty sweet as well. they got a cool culture. 2nd in my book.

[Keilyn]

I like Japanese Culture
I hate Japanese Politics

Its a great place to visit to get away from it all, but I would never want to live there unless its for a Job or something.

If I had to choose a place to live outside the United States, it would actually be somewhere within the European Union. I love Spain with a passion because of the kind of strength that you can find in women there.

However, as far as Japan goes....I find that "natural" culture is disappearing, while corporate-controlled and government controlled-culture is replacing personal/social-culture. Japan looks the way it does, and opinion is the way it is because of all the money that government and corporations dump into it.

[Sinue_v2]

I've actually been giving learning Japanese language a serious consideration. I've been wanting to pick up a second language for a while now, but I don't really know anyone in my area who speaks or is willing to learn a new language with me. Well that's changed recently, as my cousin's fiancee is going to learn Japanese so that he can check source documentation when referencing WWII Japanese military documents.

I'm not really that enamored over Japanese culture, though I do enjoy a lot of their media (games, movies, cartoons, comics, etc). So it would have some utility there, but not really useful as a whole. I have considerably less interest in learning Mandarin, but with China's rise in the political/economic world, it may provide me much more relevant utility. Hindi would probably be handy as well, and I'm pretty warm to their culture. I would prefer to learn russkiy yazyk, but since the fall of the Soviet Union, Russia hasn't held high prospects for a future on the world stage. Arabic would be nice too (I've already got the beard for it), and their written language is absolutely gorgeous. It may not have much utility once we start moving off fossil fuels, but it's defiantly got some utility now - especially when it comes to fact-checking translations on the news. (hopefully it'll be useful later if Arab Spring sparks a Renaissance of the Islamic Golden Age)

But Asian languages seem to be the safest bet and have the most available resources, so if I were to learn Japanese now, would it make picking up Mandarin considerably easier later on due to similar grammatical rules derived from their shared template? Or would I be better off pursuing an arabic/hindi dialect?

Oh, and I should probably mention there are plenty of Spanish speakers locally, but I have resolved never to learn how to speak Spanish. It's got nothing to do with illegal immigration. I just hate Spaniards.

Also, Japan seems treacherous. I hear they have "Gaijin Traps" over there.

Spoiler!

[Zyrusticae]

I like Japanese Culture
I hate Japanese Politics

Haha! I could say that about a lot of places on the Earth.

There's honestly not a country on Earth that I could say has a good, respectible body of politicians.


Anyway, as for the topic itself, I'd love to pay a visit someday. The way Japanese culture puts such a strong emphasis on mutual respect and trust is such a loooooong way from typical American culture that it may as well be a different planet entirely! (However, I could say that for most of east-Asian culture, since it is communal/collectivist as opposed to competitive like western culture - although that may slowly be changing thanks to the encroachment of capitalism). There are those who find the Japanese customs of self-deprecation stifling, but such people are pretty obviously a product of a competitive culture where self-aggrandization is the norm. I find it a refreshing change of pace.

I find it particularly interesting that, according to data from the Equality Trust, Japan has one of the highest levels of income equality in the world, which correlates pretty well with its incredibly low (especially relative to the US) crime rates. It's kind of hard to argue against that sort of data. Once I've got my Japanese up to an acceptable level, I'll probably do some overseas job hunting - I'd have an easier time blending in thanks to being Vietnamese, and since the tech sector is pretty much the fastest-growing field in any developed country...

I'll probably want to leave the US eventually no matter what, simply because things WILL get worse and crime rates will eventually soar as the economy breaks down further (no, it's not going to get better any time soon), so getting the hell out of dodge is something I'm prooobably gonna do in the no-too-distant future.