The Japan Thread

[chronovore]

Osaka food is good everywhere.

In which part of Osaka will you stay?

[DCharlieJP]

Everytime the Dororich comerical came on i had to stop what i was doing....

[Mr. Gundam]

Huh... they look... bored... yeah... uhh...

Osaka food is good everywhere.

In which part of Osaka will you stay?

Probably somewhere in the core for two or three days before heading up to Tokyo. Not really sure yet, we've got 10 months or so to plan.

[chronovore]

April is hanami season, so make certain you plan to have one night, preferably fri/sat, just wandering around a park and having yattai/yomise food, and drinking under the blossoms. Also make sure you've got your rooms booked WAY in advance.

There are specific places which I can point you at, depending on what you want. If you want to have tonkotsu ramen destroyed for you, so you can never enjoy it again outside Japan, try Kappa Ramen in Shinsaibashi, Ippuudoh has stores in Namba, Umeda, etc. I think there's an Ichiran in Dotonboribashi, but I've not yet been there. The bowl of Ichiran I had in Kawasaki was divine.

For sushi, fugu, and even ikizukuri, there's Jihei in Dotoboribashi.

There's also a fantastic tempura place called Maki in Shinsaibashi, the owner speaks fluent English and his nihonshuu selection is very impressive.

You can tell my stomping grounds are not particularly wide.

And now for something Sho Nuff pointed me at:

It's the seediest WTF Japan stuff around.

[bork]

[Mr. Gundam]

We're looking at some great places on www.airbnb.com for Osaka. Right there in the Namba area, should be good.

[Diunx]

Is it true that fathers teach their sons how to fuck using dolls? And that fathers can legally kill someone who fucks their underage daugther?

[Rufus]

[chronovore]

 

:notsureifserious.gif

[Trent Dole]

BANANA MANGO HIGH SCHOOL

I clicked through and saw that this was posted April 2, 2010 so I am allowed to guess late AFD joke even thought deep down I know this is 100% serious.

[chronovore]

The first AV actress in that video, Akiho Yoshizawa, was in Osaka for an appearance last month. I forgot to go; I've never been to one of those Moe-Moe Creepy Handshake Events... kind of curious.

[Diunx]

Lol I knew my teacher was full of shit.

[chronovore]

Lol I knew my teacher was full of shit.

If you have a chain, it has been successfully pulled.

[Mr. Gundam]

Anyone familiar with the Sangenjaya area in Tokyo? It's close to Shibuya, Setagaya and Shimokitazawa, and there are some great looking rental houses/apartments that we're eyeing for our trip next year. Looks like a fun, quirky neighborhood.

[DCharlieJP]

yeah, it's not a bad area at all. Not too far from my place either ! Unf unf unf

[chronovore]

The first time I visited a hot spring in Japan, I was surprised while undressing by a middle-aged staff woman announcing "excuse me!" To the entire room as she entered. All the men were in various states of undress, as we were readying for the bath. No one else batted an eyelash, so I just went with it as well. This was a long time ago; I am no longer surprised when a woman walks into the men's locker room.

Yesterday I was finishing up at the gym, when a woman announced that she'd enter. I head for the shower, wash off, and begin to exit, when the one other guy in there looks back and forth between me, and the cleaning staff member on his other side. He's doing this multistage double take which I realize means I shouldn't be naked just now. She has her back to us, so I retreat back into the shower room, and the guy lets her know I'm waiting to leave the shower. She leaves in a hurry.

So, apparently, in Japan the female cleaning staff can come into the male locker room, but at a hot spring it is a matter of course, but at a gym they can only do it by permission and when men are clothed.

Or maybe the one guy in there thought that, as a foreigner, I was about to be embarrassed.

[Mr. Gundam]

yeah, it's not a bad area at all. Not too far from my place either ! Unf unf unf

 

Good to know.

[DCharlieJP]

So, apparently, in Japan the female cleaning staff can come into the male locker room, but at a hot spring it is a matter of course, but at a gym they can only do it by permission and when men are clothed.

in the gym at Ebisu the women would announce they were coming in and the 50+ year old cleaners wouldn't wait for a response and would come in to clean. This was all fine and dandy - no one batted an eyelid, and would walk around naked. Then something weird happened : they hired a very young, very attractive cleaner.

Suddenly all the westerners would jump for cover if she came in - this lead to some complaints (apparently) and after not long she was moved from cleaning the mens area to another role.

As pointed out by another guy i know who goes to the gym : It's probably something someone would bemoan - "why cant we have young cleaners!" but the reality is "quick ! HIDE MY PACKAGE!!!"

[chronovore]

Yeah, I could see that.

The other alternative is expecting something out of a porno, or Penthouse Forum to start.

I've heard that Japanese women are considered to have "lost their sexuality" past a certain age, which is why they're able to wander past naked men as a non-entity. That's sad, but if that's what the culture states, I am not up for arguing against it. I don't have the energy.

It doesn't explain how they thought a young, attractive cleaning person should be able to wander past your Full Monty lineup.

[Mr. Gundam]

Anyone familiar with the Sangenjaya area in Tokyo? It's close to Shibuya, Setagaya and Shimokitazawa, and there are some great looking rental houses/apartments that we're eyeing for our trip next year. Looks like a fun, quirky neighborhood.

My wife used to live there.  It's a really classy neighbourhood.  Lots of cool stuff around there too.

Awesome. I think we'll go ahead and book the place, then. Stuff on Airbnb.com fills up quickly, even 294 days out.

Gonna be a little bummed not staying in Yanaka this time, but we really like the idea of renting an apartment in either Sangenjaya or Shimokitazawa.

[DCharlieJP]

Shimokitazawa is reallllly great - then you are really on my doorstep!

[Mr. Gundam]

Shimokitazawa is reallllly great - then you are really on my doorstep!

We spent an entire day hanging out in Shimokitazawa last time and had an absolute blast. Our kind of place. We're finding cheaper and nicer places in Sangenjaya, though, and it's not a very long walk betwen the two neighborhoods.

We're not bringing Lil' Gundam with us this trip (that will be in 2018), so we'd definitely be up for some eatin' and boozin' if you guys are interested.

[chronovore]

There's an even chance I'll still be in Japan, I feel like. Are you guys coming to Osaka/Kansai at all, or ya gonna make me come to Tokyo and get my dumpster action there?

[Mr. Gundam]

There's an even chance I'll still be in Japan, I feel like. Are you guys coming to Osaka/Kansai at all, or ya gonna make me come to Tokyo and get my dumpster action there?

We are flying into KIX and staying 2-3 days in Osaka before hikaring our ass up to Tokyo.

We've been looking at places on AirBNB.com in Namba, but haven't decided on a rental yet.

[chronovore]

Excellent!

Let me know your dates when you have them. I may end up taking you to Kamikaze personally! The last time I was there, they had exclusively Japanese craft beers. You can bulk out a few Untappd badges. 

[Mr. Gundam]

We already booked our flight. I'll check the dates.

[chronovore]

I'm going to Tokyo with my kids on M/W/F, but this isn't my Chronovore in the Big City trip, which will be this fall.

I'll be herding my kids, and meeting up with my sister-in-law and her kid for the two nights I'll be up.

WITHIN ASS-GRABBING DISTANCE OF TOKYOBORE, AND YET UNABLE TO TOUCH. THE HORROR.



Edit: Aaaaaaaand now this is canceled, seeing as our weekend felt two weeks long.

[Polari]

I went to Japan once. I had to wear slippers indoors, got constantly hassled by the police, wasn't allowed to smoke on the street and the toilets were weird. I didn't think much of it.

[Polari]

The old buildings were nice though. I think part of my problem was I conscious as a young white dude in Japan people might assume I'm some kind of weeaboo.

[chronovore]

There are lots of silly rules here. Mostly foreigners can get away with ignoring them.

I always refuse the slippers because they never fit. Nothing like having to walk around with my toes wedged into something 3 sizes too small, and my heels hanging off the back by a good inch at least. No thanks.

[Mr. Gundam]

Chrono,

We arrive at KIX on Friday April 4th at 3:20pm. I think our plan is to stay in Osaka for the weekend (short trip out to Minoh but mostly right in the city) and take the train up to Tokyo on Monday the 7th.

[chronovore]

OK, thanks. I've marked my calendar. If I'm still in Japan, I'll be sure to set that time aside!

[G The Resurrected]

I don't think I got enough of my fill of japan oriented stuff this weekend after the Jpop Summit Festival here in San Francisco. I'm in the early stages of planning a trip for next year with the misses. I met some really nice folks that traveled here to do some work for Baby which is an awesome Lolita outfit store place. One of whom invited us to stay with them in their second home in the outskirts of Tokyo. We talked and ate and talked some more about it. We're gonna offer that they stay at our place when they come back to SF. All of this has got me asking more questions than answers at this time though.

I'm a bit confused about some of the things about japan in general. Like when is the best time to travel and best sites to see without wasting time? As well whats up with the flights? Some places offer super cheap rates, but then add a fuel cost thus killing any deal. Who offers the best deals usually for flight? And finally, what should I expect in the way of culture shock? If I survived the hordes of lolitas will I be ok? Also what are some of the better concert venues there since we'd like to see a concert.

Bonus pics

KPP I took today at the concert.



I also go to see LoVendoЯ with Reina Tanaka from Morning Musume fame. It was awesome to meet them and get them to sign their album.





 

[chronovore]

Is there any way you can keep Carrie Pamyu Pamyu from returning to Japan?

I'd owe you a solid.

[G The Resurrected]

She's not that bad, right? It ain't akb48 bad at least. Don't worry she'll fizzle out one day. She was pretty dead on stage. The other girls rocked it though. Oh and kpp made mention of a possible us tour so you might not have to deal with her staying in Japan for long.

[chronovore]

KPP's trending really hard right now, tied up with several companies for advertisements: cellphones, cars, employment placement companies, etc.

As far as I can tell, when Lady Gaga hit, some Japanese producer created her as an import version of Gaga. Her first hit was "Fashion Monster," and she is famous for designing her own clothes and being outrageous. She's completely manufactured, and just basically artistically dead.

AKB48 are just a bunch of girls who want to be famous so badly that they're willing to give up their childhood to be a pop idol. They're desperate and sad-making. They're not even making any money; their management company is making bank, and the girls are all struggling to get to the higher ranks within their group, hoping they'll become one of the few, well-known main girls within the group before they have to retire. If that works, they can be among the few who "graduate" and go solo with their careers.

What bothers me is how much they're shoved down our throats at every turn. AKB48 seem to have a presence not only in about half the ads on TV, but also most of the variety shows. If I turn on the TV, they're on.

[Mr. Gundam]

What bothers me is how much they're shoved down our throats at every turn. AKB48 seem to have a presence not only in about half the ads on TV, but also most of the variety shows. If I turn on the TV, they're on.

I really hope you've got a Sling Box hooked up in the states. I can't imagine having to watch Japanese TV.

[chronovore]

I don't have one. Maybe I should... I watch a lot of bad Japanese TV.

I buy stuff on iTunes, which is the only shop that doesn't IP block based on physical address. I've got a USA account and a USA bank attached, and Apple seems to think that's enough, unlike Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, Crunchyroll, Last.fm, Pandora, Spotify, and about half the web portals for major networks.

But I'll look into a slingbox.

[Mr. Gundam]

I don't have one. Maybe I should... I watch a lot of bad Japanese TV.

I buy stuff on iTunes, which is the only shop that doesn't IP block based on physical address. I've got a USA account and a USA bank attached, and Apple seems to think that's enough, unlike Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, Crunchyroll, Last.fm, Pandora, Spotify, and about half the web portals for major networks.

But I'll look into a slingbox.

You'll need it hooked to a TV somewhere in the USA and you're set. That TV doesn't need to be on any certain channel, you can do whatever you want with it. One of my best friends used a Sling Box when he was in Kuwait a couple years ago.

[bork]

I just got stuff from the Internet store during my time in TEH NIPPON.  EZTV and KickAssTorrents are all you need.

[chronovore]

I used to love that store, but I actually have more tv in my purchased backlog than I've been able to watch.

Plus, the purchased backlog is always right there and ready to go. I'd have to set up a media server for torrent stuff, to make it as convenient.

Plus: vidya games.

I may hit up that store again though, for some movies which aren't on iTunes.

[Rahxephon91]

I've got a question about the Japanese popualnce mindview.

With stuff like Dragon's Crown and whatnot, there's been talk by animu fans of how sexist these games are. Well wanabee western otaku usually defend this by saying stuff like "Japan is more open about sex" or "these aren't issues and Japanese women don't care".

Well you know I don't know and I'm not going to pretend I know anything about Japan. But what does you're everyday normal Japanese dude or women think about say deceptions of women in these kind of extreme fan service things?

I wana say it's not whats popular. I look at the top selling games and whatnot and it's fall very family friendly thinks like Pokemon and Mario. So what can those who actually live in Japan say about this?

[chronovore]

Japan feels about 30 years behind "The West" in terms of gender issues and sexual equality. Women struggle tremendously for progress in the workplace, where the common role is to be a secretary for a few years, get married to one of the office drones who entered the company around the same time they did, then go make a home, squirt out a kid, and take care of the day-to-day chores. Women who buck against this are uncommon, and in a country where "the nail which sticks out gets pounded" is a truism, they get pounded pretty frequently.

Men read "sports newspapers" on the train, where quarter- and half-page pictures of nude women are included both in stories and as part of the adverts.

In short, the objectification of women is taken for granted here. It's a daily fact of life.

That said, the gross proportions and even the colorful rendering style of Dragon's Crown illos make me think that it's obvious otaku-bait. The average Japanese person sees the weird stuff like this, and hugging-pillows, and wank dolls, zentai kigurumi, etc. and they roll their eyes with the rest of the world.

[chronovore]

I had no idea Danny Choo was British. Is that a British accent? Anyway, I am surprised.

[chronovore]

I returned to Japan yesterday; the customs lines are separated to "Dirty Foreigners" and "Upstanding Japanese People." Technically, it says "Japanese Passports" and "Foreign Passports." The Japanese lines were empty. No-one waiting. Not a single person. The foreigner lines were doubled back on themselves, three rows deep. So, I took my son's Japanese passport (he has both), and went to the Japanese line.

Customs Guy: This line is for Japanese passports.
Me: This is a Japanese passport.
Customs Guy: This line is for Japanese people.
Me: This is my son. He is Japanese. This is a Japanese passport.
Customs Guy: This line is only for ALL Japanese people.
Me: (Gesturing toward son) HE IS JAPANESE.
Customs Guy: (Taking the Japanese passport) You need to go in that other line.
Me: Wait, what? You're separating a family trying to go through customs?
Customs Guy: Your line is over there.
Me:

[Rufus]

Aren't rules just lovely sometimes? They override human decency.

[Polari]

Welcome to Japan, now fuck off.

[chronovore]

I was pretty pissed off at the moment. Then the baggage inspector looked at my inordinately large amount of luggage, looked at my son, and waved us through.

[Rufus]

Lazyness saves the day.

[chronovore]

You mean, in the Canadian Customs' line they don't go through with you?

[chronovore]

Oh, yeah. That.

[chronovore]

It is so damned hot today. I felt like I was melting. 90º f, 80% humidity; even inside in the shade, my forehead looked like a waterfall.

Oh, and while we're on the topic of being "hot," here's some clarification on the Fukushima radiation ignorance wildfire spreading through social media recently:
http://www.snopes.com/photos/technology/fukushima.asp

[chronovore]

A friend of mine is really active in the environmental scene, is pretty concerned at all times about climate change, over-popluation, mercury found in fish, inevitable food crises, Monsanto, etc. She frequently tells me reports about how Fukushima's radiation is going to bring on some end-game for Life As We Know It, and that the government is covering up all manner of things.

I pointed out to her that the sales of Geiger counters to private citizens was through the roof; additionally, there would be no government so completely competent, organized, and totalitarian as to be able to replace or tinker with EVERY ONE of those devices as they flood the market.

As it turns out, the biggest source of radiation found in Fukushima/Touhoku to-date was in someone's basement; it was a long-forgotten item from the homeowner's past... some X-Ray equipment or something. So, the devices work, and they're not picking up this deathly amount of radiation.

Man, there is PLENTY of bad crap going on in this country, and I know this is a pretty serious problem, but I'd rather stick with the measurable facts and not a lot of wild speculation which does nothing but spread more fear.

[chronovore]

What bothers me is how much they're shoved down our throats at every turn. AKB48 seem to have a presence not only in about half the ads on TV, but also most of the variety shows. If I turn on the TV, they're on.

I really hope you've got a Sling Box hooked up in the states. I can't imagine having to watch Japanese TV.

Forgot to look into this while I was around. I might still ask my brother-in-law to set one up for me, provided I can connect and setup remotely. There's no "pairing" step where both devices must be local, is there?

[Mr. Gundam]

I was watching a documentary on CBC on the aftermath of the earthquake both in Japan and North America (debris washing up on the West Coast). It seems like the people in government housing in Japan are way more screwed than Katrina victims here in the states. Damn.

And now for some white whine first world problem bullshit, Delta is eliminating their Seattle-Osaka KIX route in November, so they called my wife and let her know we'll know be on the ANA Dreamliner from Seattle to Narita and then on to Otami in Osaka this coming April. Instead of getting in at 1pm, we'll now get in at 8pm. And we don't get miles now cause ANA isn't a Delta partner. Fuck.

[chronovore]

Are you traveling with Baby Gundam? That layover could be un-fun.

[bork]

I was watching a documentary on CBC on the aftermath of the earthquake both in Japan and North America (debris washing up on the West Coast). It seems like the people in government housing in Japan are way more screwed than Katrina victims here in the states. Damn.

And now for some white whine first world problem bullshit, Delta is eliminating their Seattle-Osaka KIX route in November, so they called my wife and let her know we'll know be on the ANA Dreamliner from Seattle to Narita and then on to Otami in Osaka this coming April. Instead of getting in at 1pm, we'll now get in at 8pm. And we don't get miles now cause ANA isn't a Delta partner. Fuck.

Pray there are no delays on Delta's end- Ana didn't wait for our plane when it came in late, and the Delta staff was basically like "FUCK OFF" when everyone asked what to do.  We had to get a hotel and wait for a flight the following morning.

...And this was very late at night when no English speakers happened to be around.  I think some of the Americans on the flight stayed at the airport waiting area.  We went and chatted with ANA and they got us a hotel.  None of those staff spoke English though.

[Mr. Gundam]

Just the wife and I. Kiddo will be staying with my parents for 10 days.

We're actually flying ANA from Seattle to Narita, but we're nervous about that two hour window between landing and the flight to Otami. Especially since we have to go through customs at Narita before they'll let us on the domestic flight. Like I said before, FUCK DELTA. What was going to be a super easy straight shot from Seattle to Kansai International is already a massive headache that's still six months away...

[DCharlieJP]

Two days until new job and i'm really not sure what happens with pensions... new firm pays into the national pension but doesn't look like there's any 401k/DC set up - so that means i have to.... transfer? my 401k over or something?

Also - the new firm doesn't arrange for local tax payments in the first year of employment which is a touch annoying.

but hey - going back to work is golden especially in the current job climate

[chronovore]

Yeah, I'm sure it must be a huge relief! Congratulations.

I'm about to retire my "sabbatical" status as well; just not sure which Japanese company needs a foreigner, when they're busy trying to figure out how to retreat and reconsolidate locally.