2007-09-11, 06:02 | Link #261 |
Munior Jember
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: 常陸大宮市,日本.
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Yes, the Metro covers central Tokyo very well, but the stations are for the most part in obscure places. You usually have to walk 10-15 minutes from a station to get anywhere of any significance. There are of course exceptions, and the Toei lines are closer to places, but more expensive to use.
Basically, you can get everywhere in Tokyo on a 700 yen standard Metro day pass, but be prepared to do some walking as well. The JR is good if you're sticking to the loop, and it does cover most of the major places. But I tend to stay in Asakusa when I go to Tokyo, and that isn't on the JR, so I stick with the Metro pass. |
2007-09-12, 05:37 | Link #263 |
Moving in circles
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Singapore
Age: 49
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Sadly, I'm not looking forward to his most likely successor either. Taro Aso is no stranger to controversy, and quite possible even more hawkish than Abe.
It increasingly looks like Koizumi was a one-of-a-kind, as far as Japanese politics is concerned. |
2007-09-12, 07:42 | Link #264 | ||
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2005
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Aso looks like the LDP's next sacrificial lamb - he'll probably stick around for a year or so before the LDP's unpopularity gets to him as well.
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2007-09-12, 12:05 | Link #265 | |
Moving in circles
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Singapore
Age: 49
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Which was what made Koizumi exceptional. He lasted five years in the "top" position. Five years! That's an eternity in Japanese politics, lol. The Japanese economy began breaking out of its doldrums under his watch. He probably deserves at least a little credit for that, if not all. He even had enough political capital to drag his party, kicking and screaming, into postal reforms. (Not that those "reforms" actually achieved much, but I thought it was a vital step in the right direction at least.) In comparison, what did Abe achieve? A spectacular political freefall from 60% in approval ratings to less than 30%. That must be a new record, even for Japanese PMs. |
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2007-09-12, 12:12 | Link #266 |
Obey the Darkly Cute ...
Author
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: On the whole, I'd rather be in Kyoto ...
Age: 66
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Aye.... like some OTHER countries that I won't name. Japan has an opportunity here to put a shutter on their wingnut right ultra-nationalist fringe or at least make sure they stay in the "clown" category rather than the "dangerous" zone. The general population's mood against the Abe focus on such rhetoric rather than "mochi and tofu" (bread and butter) issues I found a good sign.
If Aso is the next chief clown.... the LDP may marginalize themselves without any help from the opposition parties I always tagged Koizumi as a kind of 'japanese Reagan'. Most voters liked him even if they found some of his policies distasteful. Kind of a unique character. Ah well, I didn't want the culture discussion to ignore the political realm but I also don't want it to smother the more basic stuff like "where are the coolest ryokans?"
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2007-09-14, 02:32 | Link #267 |
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: ALASKA!!! W00t! I'm BACK FINALLY!!!!
Age: 35
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I've seen quite a few depictions of clotheslines in the suburbs of the anime I've seen. Are clotheslines really common in Japan? If so is there any hearsay on why driers didn't become as popular in Japan as they are in the US?
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2007-09-14, 05:40 | Link #268 |
Munior Jember
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: 常陸大宮市,日本.
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There tends not to be room for both a washer and a drier in most apartments. With the heat in Japan in all seasons with the exception of Winter, clothes will also dry outside very quickly, so no real point wasting money on a drier and the electricity you need to use it. Apartments also have balconies with handy little overhangs above them, so even if it's raining you can still hang your clothes up outside and they'll dry.
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2007-09-14, 11:15 | Link #270 |
Obey the Darkly Cute ...
Author
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: On the whole, I'd rather be in Kyoto ...
Age: 66
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Or its shared by the apartment (see Mahoraba: Heartful Days for a somewhat fanciful look ... or Hidamari sketch for a more typical flat).
Even in Oregon, I've taken to hanging a lot of stuff out to dry.... saves a ton of electricity though I'll usually tumble things for 5 or 10 minutes just to knock the stiffness out of things.
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2007-10-10, 17:33 | Link #272 |
Evil Little Pixie
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I believe it's more of a personal preference. In Korea it's as common to see people eating rice with a spoon as it is to see them eating it with chopsticks... I'm more of a chopsticks person myself. At lunch time in the cafeteria here, most people who bring lunch will use chopsticks so they don't have to carry a spoon with them to school.
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2007-10-10, 18:41 | Link #273 | |
AS Oji-kun
Join Date: Nov 2006
Age: 74
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I've always been amused by the number of times high-school girls in anime go off after school to eat cake. It almost always looks like a high-end bakery, too. What about you college girls? Do you visit the bakery after classes, or are visits to bakery cafes only something girls do when their parents are around the pick up the tab?
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2007-10-10, 19:17 | Link #274 | |
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Neo-Venezia...I wish!
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In general, chopsticks are used when it comes to rice bowls. Spoons are used with a plate (curry rice comes to mind). |
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2007-10-11, 02:29 | Link #275 | |
Evil Little Pixie
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There are also a good amount of restaurants here where you can buy a set - lunch, drink, and a dessert of any slice of cake you see in the window. I love how Japanesey cakes aren't too sweet. There are also fruity cakes, which are delish! The reason why I was so touched that Eriko brought me cake even though eating it here is so common was because she'd gone about 40 minutes out of her way late at night just to deliver a surprise custard-filled slice of cake and custard pudding to me. (I gave her a Mister Donut keychain I won from playing gachapon as a thank you. ) |
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2007-10-11, 03:08 | Link #276 | |
Weapon of Mass Discussion
Fansubber
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: New York, USA
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2007-10-11, 03:30 | Link #277 |
Obey the Darkly Cute ...
Author
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: On the whole, I'd rather be in Kyoto ...
Age: 66
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I've come to the conclusion that the secret is --- walking and mass transit.
You can eat damn near anything you want if you have those. about chops vs spoon: I've had a number of people tell me that chopsticks and bowl are an integrated unit, as in its stupid to use one without the other. Our typical place setting is chopsticks and a soup spoon. We use whatever makes sense for the food.
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2007-10-11, 05:06 | Link #278 |
Certified Organic
Join Date: Dec 2005
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spoons are common in most asian homes nowadays.
when i eat food from a bowl with chopsticks i kind of use them more like a shovel I think going to cafe's is more common in the EU, but you can still find lots of them in big cities. Im sure NY has lots of places. I would guess the biggest reason is walking. since everyone drives in more rural cities, take time to stop at the deli just isn't common place. I recently moved to dallas and I was pretty surprised to see so many shops in or close to residential areas. there are like three target stores within a few miles of my house at most. |
2007-10-11, 13:59 | Link #279 | |
勇者
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Tesla Leicht Institute
Age: 34
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So only time they would use spoon for rice are for something like Curry, but now I think thought of another question. Do most Japanese eat rice that is sticky or dried?
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Tags |
culture, discussion, japan, japanese culture |
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