Soldato
How about a realistic perspective on a country so many seem to idolize without ever visiting?
Friend is going japan, what should i ask for?
- Thread starter eyyaz
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A Soldam (Windy) Alcadia.
Caporegime
You've misunderstood mate.
My original reply was not family friendly, not the video. Hence the "Edit:" prefix.
has she been in unfriendly videos now ?
just saying...not like id want to see that... honest.
No he couldn't. it would be confiscated by customs on arrival to the UK, and he might face legal repurcussions.
If he's visiting the Airsoft District though... get him to bring back as many KSC MP7 gas magazines as he can find
UK Airsoft law is stupid imo.
it's true though...
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Wasabi KitKat. Sorted.
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Do they really any more than many other countries? Grass is always greener stuff?
When I went (4 days only) Tokyo was pretty crazy, everything seemed so familiar but so different. I would love to go back, a tour to the north and the south would be great, many places I have been for a few days I think I get a feel for the country but Japan was nothing like that, 4 busy days didn't scratch the surface?
Soldato
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A cuddle pillow!
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This x100, some of the **** people come out with about Japan is ridiculous!
Soldato
Oh give them a break and a chance to dream
Soldato
And yet my friend who now teaches English over there is 100% happier than when he lived here due to the respectful society. Which is half of what people love about Japan.
I've been a few times now, it's just as ****ing awesome as i thought it was going to be
Soldato
You mean in the same way that we see all those threads in the forum regarding moving to Australia or the US?
I've been to Japan a couple of times; it is a interesting place to visit with a lot of different things to see.
The public transport system is excellent so getting around is quite easy. The systems in places like Tokyo look complicated on the surface but when you actual come to use them they are not too bad and they have a sensible attitude in Tokyo if you have the wrong ticket (you can use a machine at your destination to pay the excess fare without issue). If you are travelling around a lot then a Rail Pass is a good idea and sites such as HyperDia can help finding what trains to catch.
In general people tend to be friendly and try to help you even with the language barrier, (they do English at school but their ability (and the level of ability they admit too) varies widely) ... both in shops, where they do still seem to want provide a reasonable level of service despite the language barrier, and just people in general. Like anywhere not stressing about not understanding things and smiling and being laid back goes a long way.
The crime rate is generally low and I've been out in Shinjuku on a Saturday night (with hardly a foreigner in sight) and felt safer than being out at home, although admittedly I like in Nottingham
It's the same as any other country, respect their people and customs and you'll be fine.The food, in my opinion, is good but that is a matter of personal taste and it's possible to have dishes which you do not like.
Soldato
My post about getting a realistic perspective comes from a few people I know, well friends of friends really, who seem to view Japan through rose tinted glasses, one lad's even emphatic that he wants to move there, but none of them have ever been. That's what irritates me. They harp on and on about it, and dismiss anything that offers anything negative about Japan with no base of experience from which to comment from.
I myself spent a couple of days in Japan back in December. I'm a cadet training to be an engineering officer in the merchant navy, and at the time I was aboard a Norwegian owned, UK flagged car carrier that docked in Kobe (well, Port Island at least), and got an evening's shore leave with a few of the lads from the ship. We walked from the docks, through a couple of parks to the center of the island, where there was a cluster of hotels, shopping centres, museums and so forth. To be honest I found the people cold and distant, unless of course their role was to serve you, such as in shops and the hotel bar we went into (then they fell over themselves to be polite), a friendly "Konbanwa" was often met with stoney silence, and on a few occasions we got the distinct sense we were being stared at (one of the deck cadets fault I think, he was ginger), I overheard the word "Gaijin" being thrown around casually as well, which is from what I understand a slur for foreigners. "Barbarian" is the direct translation I think.
However, the experience of being sat in the bar atop the Kobe Plaza Hotel over looking Kobe and Osaka Bay while drinking draft beer and Sake was awesome, if expensive. Six glasses (not pints) of Asahi and one small 180ml bottle of Sake between 3 of us came to 3000 yen if I remember correctly.
Our other port of call in Japan was Higashiharima, a grim little industrial town where we spent two days taking on CAT excavators built there. I only got off the ship for an hour or so to do some shopping on the second night. There was a 7-11 type place called 'Lawson' just down the road from the port. The security guard on the port gate, though he couldn't speak much English (nor I any Japanese), couldn't have been any friendlier, taking the time to draw us a map to the store and giving us directions. I also wound up buying two 6 packs of Kirin beer on his recommendation "Kirin beer, very delicious" were his exact words, so I slipped him a can as a thank you on the way back in too, which seemed to make his day.
The best experience of Japan for me though was the Island Sea. On the day we left it was the other engine cadets turn to man the engine with the chief and 3rd engineer, so I had the day off. I spent it sat in the officer's rec room on the top of the accommodation block looking out of the windows, or out on the weather deck taking in the sights and taking the occasional photo as we sailed past and between cities. The Straits of Shimonoseki, or Kanmon Straits where you pass between islands of Kyushu and Honshu were a particularly impressive sight, passing under a massive suspension bridge by the city of Shimonoseki itself. Below's a pic of the Kanmonyoko bridge I took from the stern.
I'd like to see more of Asia when I qualify, and perhaps when I've got my first trip and (most importantly) pay cheque behind me, I'll spend some time travelling. Although Singapore and Hong Kong are higher on my list of places I'd like to visit than Japan to be honest. I know for sure that I won't go back to Kobe, overall I didn't like it there, but perhaps Tokyo's different. Maybe one day I'll find out.
I myself spent a couple of days in Japan back in December. I'm a cadet training to be an engineering officer in the merchant navy, and at the time I was aboard a Norwegian owned, UK flagged car carrier that docked in Kobe (well, Port Island at least), and got an evening's shore leave with a few of the lads from the ship. We walked from the docks, through a couple of parks to the center of the island, where there was a cluster of hotels, shopping centres, museums and so forth. To be honest I found the people cold and distant, unless of course their role was to serve you, such as in shops and the hotel bar we went into (then they fell over themselves to be polite), a friendly "Konbanwa" was often met with stoney silence, and on a few occasions we got the distinct sense we were being stared at (one of the deck cadets fault I think, he was ginger), I overheard the word "Gaijin" being thrown around casually as well, which is from what I understand a slur for foreigners. "Barbarian" is the direct translation I think.
However, the experience of being sat in the bar atop the Kobe Plaza Hotel over looking Kobe and Osaka Bay while drinking draft beer and Sake was awesome, if expensive. Six glasses (not pints) of Asahi and one small 180ml bottle of Sake between 3 of us came to 3000 yen if I remember correctly.
Our other port of call in Japan was Higashiharima, a grim little industrial town where we spent two days taking on CAT excavators built there. I only got off the ship for an hour or so to do some shopping on the second night. There was a 7-11 type place called 'Lawson' just down the road from the port. The security guard on the port gate, though he couldn't speak much English (nor I any Japanese), couldn't have been any friendlier, taking the time to draw us a map to the store and giving us directions. I also wound up buying two 6 packs of Kirin beer on his recommendation "Kirin beer, very delicious" were his exact words, so I slipped him a can as a thank you on the way back in too, which seemed to make his day.
The best experience of Japan for me though was the Island Sea. On the day we left it was the other engine cadets turn to man the engine with the chief and 3rd engineer, so I had the day off. I spent it sat in the officer's rec room on the top of the accommodation block looking out of the windows, or out on the weather deck taking in the sights and taking the occasional photo as we sailed past and between cities. The Straits of Shimonoseki, or Kanmon Straits where you pass between islands of Kyushu and Honshu were a particularly impressive sight, passing under a massive suspension bridge by the city of Shimonoseki itself. Below's a pic of the Kanmonyoko bridge I took from the stern.
I'd like to see more of Asia when I qualify, and perhaps when I've got my first trip and (most importantly) pay cheque behind me, I'll spend some time travelling. Although Singapore and Hong Kong are higher on my list of places I'd like to visit than Japan to be honest. I know for sure that I won't go back to Kobe, overall I didn't like it there, but perhaps Tokyo's different. Maybe one day I'll find out.
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