AnimeSuki Forums

yoropa · 2010-04-19, 22:39

When I described what I was talking about, I mean it even beyond the level of Japan from what I've learned, and everything you said I already knew.

Samari · 2010-04-20, 00:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by WanderingKnight

but yeah, Japan is not lala happy land.

A lot of people think that though. It's hilarious. I was only there for ten days, mostly in Tokyo. I had a great time, but I was on vacation. I'm sure if I lived there and had to make a living, I'd get tired of a lot of aspects of it...just like anywhere else in the world.

H23 · 2010-04-20, 01:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by Samari

A lot of people think that though. It's hilarious.

Hahah, blame the japanese animes and video games!

Samari · 2010-04-20, 01:04

Quote:

Originally Posted by H23

Hahah, blame the japanese animes and video games!

The anime craze in my opinion has gotten out of control here in America. Perhaps world wide. Everytime I go to deviant art, 90% of the creations in the drawing categories are all anime inspired. I don't mean to sound like a jerk, it just seemed like there were a lot more original ideas, concepts, and stories going on in the world of anime like 15 years ago when it wasn't in a person's face all the time.

But yeah, people are getting the wrong idea about Japan. I have a few Japanese friends I've met over the years that are glad to be here or trying to stay here as international students because they don't want to go back to Japan. It's easy to get tired of any one place when you've been in it long enough.

WanderingKnight · 2010-04-20, 03:23

Quote:

When I described what I was talking about, I mean it even beyond the level of Japan from what I've learned, and everything you said I already knew.

Trust me, it's easy to get carried away by the outward appearance of any given society. I also knew about all that beforehand, but you need to be here to really see how it is, for yourself.

I didn't mean to let you down. Japan is a really interesting country in a lot of aspects that go far and beyond the pale, shallow Akihabara image it tries to showcase to the world. But it's not really any better than anywhere else in the world, not even my country which is not a particularly good place to live in.

I love this country. I really do--I plan on coming back to photograph it better once I take a course back in Argentina (I've discovered my love for photography here). I love the language and I love a lot of aspects about its people and its society. But loving means also embracing the bad side, the conflicting side. Its good things and its problems. Every society has that on different degrees and expressions, but it's always there.

yoropa · 2010-04-20, 16:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by Samari

The anime craze in my opinion has gotten out of control here in America. Perhaps world wide. Everytime I go to deviant art, 90% of the creations in the drawing categories are all anime inspired. I don't mean to sound like a jerk, it just seemed like there were a lot more original ideas, concepts, and stories going on in the world of anime like 15 years ago when it wasn't in a person's face all the time.

But yeah, people are getting the wrong idea about Japan. I have a few Japanese friends I've met over the years that are glad to be here or trying to stay here as international students because they don't want to go back to Japan. It's easy to get tired of any one place when you've been in it long enough.

This is what I've been warning this girl I know about. She bought strongly into the idea that the entire country is about anime and manga. She seems to ignore that she is Vietnamese and that Japan would be xenophobic. I'm not saying she shouldn't go but I don't want her to go only to have her world image crushed. She got extensively angry at me when I told her that anime and manga aren't as popular in Japan as she thinks.

It's really bad when you end up going to Japanese camps every summer, take up kendo, draw "anime style," and do other such activities solely for wanting to become Japanese. This is the same complaint I have about almost all the Americanized Asians in the school. They're ignorant to how the country actually is. Now granted I'm no official source for the inner workings of the country, but I have a feeling I know a lot more about it than the average person. Also, they're ignorant to their own culture and would rather just be Japanese. May just be me, but I don't like it when a person of directly foreign parents doesn't know their own culture.

I'm more worried for her mother who's going with her than her to be honest. Her mother has been wanting to go back home to Vietnam for a very long time, but can't because her daughter doesn't want to.

Now don't think I'm some Japan hater from this. I do enjoy anime (not as much as most of the guys here) and video games (only old ones) but I take that in knowing that Japan has some serious problems. It's not a utopia. But I'd still enjoy visiting it, possibly. Hopefully. If I had money.

~~Arbitres~~ · 2010-04-20, 20:28

Quote:

Originally Posted by yoropa

This is what I've been warning this girl I know about. She bought strongly into the idea that the entire country is about anime and manga. She seems to ignore that she is Vietnamese and that Japan would be xenophobic. I'm not saying she shouldn't go but I don't want her to go only to have her world image crushed. She got extensively angry at me when I told her that anime and manga aren't as popular in Japan as she thinks.

It's really bad when you end up going to Japanese camps every summer, take up kendo, draw "anime style," and do other such activities solely for wanting to become Japanese. This is the same complaint I have about almost all the Americanized Asians in the school. They're ignorant to how the country actually is. Now granted I'm no official source for the inner workings of the country, but I have a feeling I know a lot more about it than the average person. Also, they're ignorant to their own culture and would rather just be Japanese. May just be me, but I don't like it when a person of directly foreign parents doesn't know their own culture.

I'm more worried for her mother who's going with her than her to be honest. Her mother has been wanting to go back home to Vietnam for a very long time, but can't because her daughter doesn't want to.

Now don't think I'm some Japan hater from this. I do enjoy anime (not as much as most of the guys here) and video games (only old ones) but I take that in knowing that Japan has some serious problems. It's not a utopia. But I'd still enjoy visiting it, possibly. Hopefully. If I had money.

Let the tranquil image shatter and scatter, that is how we learn. If this girl is strong enough then she will realize what you meant and gain experience as a result. Japan is no utopia for Otaku, it's just imagined as such.

I would want to live in Japan because of their values and their standing in the world, though I am influenced to go there to see what exactly is the otaku industry really like.

Still, this girl has a harsh reality waiting for her at the end. Whether or not that is the end to her obsession is entirely up to her. Learning kendo and drawing anime-style shouldn't be for nothing, I admire that kind of devotion.

But devotion matters very little when the imposing edifice of reality stands in it's way.

Roloko vi Britannia · 2010-04-20, 20:47

This was one of the couple places I always wanted to go (the other country being England) I really want to go to Mount Fuji and climb it lol xD I also want to ride this one Roller coaster I forgot what it is called, but I do know its near mount Fuji and it goes up to 4Gs I saw it on the Explore show on the Ion Life channel. I also want to go to Tokyo Disney Land and explore around the shrines, country sides, and stuff.

Guardian Enzo · 2010-04-20, 22:07

Hey, can someone kindly parouse ketto.com and let me know what's on for 5/16 or 5/23? I see a couple things on there.

http://ketto.com/

Your help is much appreciated!

Ottocycle · 2010-04-21, 06:38

Quote:

Originally Posted by Guardian Enzo

Hey, can someone kindly parouse ketto.com and let me know what's on for 5/16 or 5/23? I see a couple things on there.

http://ketto.com/

Your help is much appreciated!

On 5/16 it's a Touhou-only doujin sale and convention with cosplay and crossdressing permitted, from the limited Japanese I know.

I fail to understand the meaning of the [満了御礼！] annotation though. (Registration expired or something?)

I don't see any events on 5/23 on the page.

Doraneko · 2010-05-07, 11:58

I am planning to go backpacking in Kansai area with my friend in late August. My budget for the trip is $1000.

With the air tickets, taxes and surcharges eating up 30%, I am left with around $700 for a 10 day trip, or around $70 a day.

Here is my itinerary. Surprisingly the monetary side is doing quite good according to my estimates. But I would love to hear your comments on the general arrangements. Say whether it is too hectic, or whether there is any place are closed for maintenance.

Note: the arrangement of Kyoto->Hiroshima->Nara with Osaka randomly inserted in between may seem weird, but it is for cost cutting purposes. And no, I have no interest in Osaka at all.

Spoiler:

I mostly ~~copied from~~ referred to these itineraries:
http://www.kyotojp.com/modelplan.htm
http://wikitravel.org/en/World_Heritage_Tour_in_Nara

WanderingKnight · 2010-05-07, 20:14

With $70 a day you're golden if you look after your wallet. I had 10 000 yen a day for my trip and I had a surplus of about 30 000 by the end of it (which saved my ass because I got stuck in Tokyo for three days because of the volcano in Iceland). Keep a look out for cheap places to eat (tip: conbinis are expensive. Supermarkets are cheap), keep in mind that transportation is expensive as hell, and don't plan on entering too many Buddhist temples (they charge you there, the Shinto shrines are free).

Other than that, you're packing quite a bit of stuff in your schedule. As a fellow backpacker, I would strongly suggest you not to plan ahead in so much detail. Something will always happen, something will always force you to change your plans, maybe you'll run late to the train, maybe you got lost and it took you longer to reach whatever you were looking to visit. In Osaka in particular it's easy to get lost because of the stupid train system there.

Have a couple of things in mind of "what to see" in each city. Try to make them no more than maybe three a day. Take your time, relax--you're there to enjoy the place, not to make it into a business schedule.

Quote:

Day 6 (Hiroshima)
- Bus arrives at Hiroshima on 0630
- Miyama

What is that? Did you mean Miyajima? The place is huge and you would probably do better to allocate a whole day for it (I totally recommend it, I'm sure it's even better in summer with the beach and stuff). I was there for just half a day since I woke up too late and ended up arriving to the island at 12:30, and got really disappointed with what I missed (namely, the hiking to the top of one of the mountains there, unless you want to pay for the cable car which is expensive as hell).

Guardian Enzo · 2010-05-08, 12:07

I tend to agree - that schedule looks really regimented to me. I think it's OK to have a couple of "tent-pole" events every day - places you have to see or restaurants you can't miss - but in Japan, I found myself improvising a lot. For food, I tended to go to a place that was crowded with locals and not too expensive rather than pick something out of a guidebook (which I tend to do in Europe). And I would have one temple or shrine in mind, then along the way stumble across a half-hidden one that looked so appealing I couldn't resist and waste away the day in that fashion.

I'm leaving Wednesday for my second trip, and really looking forward to it. I took some notes for the places I'm visiting, packed lots of maps, and plan to more or less leave the guidebooks alone while I'm there.

Doraneko · 2010-05-08, 12:32

Thanks a lot for the advice.

For the destinations, I just referred to those online itineraries. I have a few that I really look forward to, like the Houzugawa Boat Ride and A-bomb museum. But I agree that they are in general too packed.

I plan to stay in small family size hostels where I can easily gain good advice on where I should go each day. I also plan to cycle around Nara and Kyoto, so the shrines/temples listed (except a few major ones) are more like checkpoints and photo opportunities than major sightseeing spots to be spent hours to appreciate.

As for food, it is okay for me because I very much enjoy cheap local food. Those restaurants without seats are usually even cheaper.

@WanderingKnight: Yes the island is Miyajima and it was a typo. Thanks also for the comment on Osaka's train system. Can you elaborate a bit on how it is so bad?

@Guardian Enzo: Have a nice and safe trip, and remember to share your experience after you have been back.

Guardian Enzo · 2010-05-08, 12:39

Don't worry - as my trip posts from last year show, the hard part is getting me to shut up.

WanderingKnight · 2010-05-08, 12:43

Quote:

@WanderingKnight: Yes the island is Miyajima and it was a typo. Thanks also for the comment on Osaka's train system. Can you elaborate a bit on how it is so bad?

It's got like 7 lines and there's a circular section shared by them all (similar to the Yamanote line in Tokyo), but not all the lines stop in every station there. Also, sometimes a train would stop all of a sudden and you'd have to wait for the next one to continue. I didn't really ask why it was like that since I was there for just one day, but it certainly seemed a bit messy.

martino · 2010-05-09, 16:07

Quote:

Originally Posted by WanderingKnight

It's got like 7 lines and there's a circular section shared by them all (similar to the Yamanote line in Tokyo), but not all the lines stop in every station there. Also, sometimes a train would stop all of a sudden and you'd have to wait for the next one to continue. I didn't really ask why it was like that since I was there for just one day, but it certainly seemed a bit messy.

It seems messy, but it's not that bad getting used to it. I actually got to like it after a few days, but then I always just needed to use the loop line and a couple more lines that went outside of Osaka. Just carefully study the map, and if unsure just ask the locals for help.

(I still found Tokyo's system to be more complicated -- way too many lines)

Yozuru · 2010-05-09, 19:15

Personally I never went to any major cities. I live in the countryside, pretty peaceful and slow paced. My kind of thing. Did I mention that I live about 30 minutes away from a beach? It's great.

~~Arbitres~~ · 2010-05-10, 20:33

You are rather lucky, Yozuru. I always wanted to go to either Osaka or Okinawa BECAUSE of the beaches. On the other hand, I'd like to go anywhere in Japan.

In particular, I'd like to go to one of the annual festivals. Your country is something I admire, Yozuru. Hardwork and effort means a lot in my eyes.

Yozuru · 2010-05-11, 21:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arbitres

You are rather lucky, Yozuru. I always wanted to go to either Osaka or Okinawa BECAUSE of the beaches. On the other hand, I'd like to go anywhere in Japan.

In particular, I'd like to go to one of the annual festivals. Your country is something I admire, Yozuru. Hardwork and effort means a lot in my eyes.

I guess I take it for granted, I pretty much go there every chance I could get. You would love our festivals, if you do have the time to go to japan i'll be forward to see you here.

Haha I don't work harder than my peers, I just try to get the best grades I can to stay out of trouble. We work hard but not to the brim.

2010-04-20, 20:47	Link #828
Roloko vi Britannia The Dark Empress Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Battleship Hyperion Age: 33	This was one of the couple places I always wanted to go (the other country being England) I really want to go to Mount Fuji and climb it lol xD I also want to ride this one Roller coaster I forgot what it is called, but I do know its near mount Fuji and it goes up to 4Gs I saw it on the Explore show on the Ion Life channel. I also want to go to Tokyo Disney Land and explore around the shrines, country sides, and stuff. __________________

2010-05-07, 11:58	Link #831
Doraneko The Owl of Minerva Join Date: Apr 2006	I am planning to go backpacking in Kansai area with my friend in late August. My budget for the trip is $1000. With the air tickets, taxes and surcharges eating up 30%, I am left with around $700 for a 10 day trip, or around $70 a day. Here is my itinerary. Surprisingly the monetary side is doing quite good according to my estimates. But I would love to hear your comments on the general arrangements. Say whether it is too hectic, or whether there is any place are closed for maintenance. Note: the arrangement of Kyoto->Hiroshima->Nara with Osaka randomly inserted in between may seem weird, but it is for cost cutting purposes. And no, I have no interest in Osaka at all. Spoiler: Day 1 (Kyoto) - arrive at Kansai Airport - travel indirectly by trains to Osaka and then to Kyoto - hostel check-in - (DINNER) Day 2 (Kyoto) - Kinkakuji - Ryoanji - (LUNCH) - Imperial-Palace - Kiyomizu - Sannenzaka - Ninenzaka - Yasaka Shrine - Gion - (DINNER) - hostel stay Day 3 (Kyoto) - Toji - Nijo Castle - (LUNCH) - Arashiyama - Kyoto downtown walk & otaku shopping - (DINNER) - hostel stay Day 4 (Kyoto) - Heian Shrine - Nanzenji - Path of philosophy - (LUNCH) - Ginkakuji - Ohara Sanzen-in - Kyoto Station - (DINNER) - hostel stay Day 5 (Kyoto, Kameoka, Uji) - hostel check-out - Hozugawa Boat Ride (in Kameoka) - (LUNCH) - Fushimi Inari - Byodoin (in Uji) - (DINNER) - Watch Ghibli movie at night - Take the overnight bus to Hiroshima Day 6 (Hiroshima) - Bus arrives at Hiroshima on 0630 - Miyama - (LUNCH) - Peace Memorial Park and museum - Hiroshima downtown walk & otaku shopping - (DINNER) - Take the overnight bus to Osaka Day 7 (Nara) - Arrive at Osaka on 0530 - Train to Nara - Arrive at Heijoukyou. Visit Heijo Palace Site - Arrive at Nara - Kofuku-ji - Gango-ji - (LUNCH) - Todai-ji - Kasuga Taisha - Kasugayama Premeval Forest - hostel check-in - (DINNER) Day 8 (Yoshino, Asuka) - Take the earliest train to Yoshino and spend the morning there. - (LUNCH) - Take a 1-hr train ride to Asuka and cycle around for the rest of the day - (DINNER) - Return to the hostel in Nara Day 9 (Nara) - Horyu-ji - Hokki-ji - Toshodai-ji - (LUNCH) - Yakushi-ji - Nara downtown walk & otaku shopping - (DINNER) - hostel stay Day 10 (Nara) - Nara National Museum (LUNCH) - Isui-en - leave for Kansai Airport (departure time: 1650) I mostly ~~copied from~~ referred to these itineraries: http://www.kyotojp.com/modelplan.htm http://wikitravel.org/en/World_Heritage_Tour_in_Nara __________________ Twitter: Kailyu \| Light novel review blog: novel.co.nr \| Nanoha Force Next TL: 01 02 05

2010-05-08, 12:32	Link #834
Doraneko The Owl of Minerva Join Date: Apr 2006	Thanks a lot for the advice. For the destinations, I just referred to those online itineraries. I have a few that I really look forward to, like the Houzugawa Boat Ride and A-bomb museum. But I agree that they are in general too packed. I plan to stay in small family size hostels where I can easily gain good advice on where I should go each day. I also plan to cycle around Nara and Kyoto, so the shrines/temples listed (except a few major ones) are more like checkpoints and photo opportunities than major sightseeing spots to be spent hours to appreciate. As for food, it is okay for me because I very much enjoy cheap local food. Those restaurants without seats are usually even cheaper. @WanderingKnight: Yes the island is Miyajima and it was a typo. Thanks also for the comment on Osaka's train system. Can you elaborate a bit on how it is so bad? @Guardian Enzo: Have a nice and safe trip, and remember to share your experience after you have been back. __________________ Twitter: Kailyu \| Light novel review blog: novel.co.nr \| Nanoha Force Next TL: 01 02 05

2010-04-19, 22:39	Link #821
yoropa Director Join Date: Feb 2010	When I described what I was talking about, I mean it even beyond the level of Japan from what I've learned, and everything you said I already knew.

2010-05-09, 19:15	Link #838
Yozuru .:{Love. Live. Laugh.}:. Fansubber Join Date: May 2010 Location: Japan Age: 31	Personally I never went to any major cities. I live in the countryside, pretty peaceful and slow paced. My kind of thing. Did I mention that I live about 30 minutes away from a beach? It's great.

2010-05-10, 20:33	Link #839
~~Arbitres~~ Disabled By Request Join Date: Jan 2010	You are rather lucky, Yozuru. I always wanted to go to either Osaka or Okinawa BECAUSE of the beaches. On the other hand, I'd like to go anywhere in Japan. In particular, I'd like to go to one of the annual festivals. Your country is something I admire, Yozuru. Hardwork and effort means a lot in my eyes.