Little over four years, all in or near Tokyo (Shibuya -> Kawasaki -> Meguro).
Before that, was visiting regularly (three to four times per year) since 1997.
kumanoki said:Defensor- Been meaning to ask ya....who is that chick in your icon? I plead ignorance of Japanese pop stars.
Not to derail but WTF is up with the exchange rate? Everything Japanese is premium now.
TheGreenGiant said:CVXfreak - what are you going for?
CVXFREAK said:I'm going to fulfill my Japanese major there in my college junior year.
Sayaka Fukuokakumanoki said:Defensor- Been meaning to ask ya....who is that chick in your icon? I plead ignorance of Japanese pop stars.
Prob the one reason I am thinking to move to Japan. She has been telling me to move to Japan for quite sometime now. But I worry if I could support her, what kind of job can I get?and the immigration process and all. She has been teaching me a little japanese, just greetings mostly.kumanoki said:2. If you can, find a Japanese girlfriend or boyfriend. Instant access into the particulars of the culture.
Lyte Edge said:^^^^^^^^^^
I hope to be living there next year if all goes well.![]()
TheGreenGiant said::lol tell me that you didn't pick up the language because of video games. I learnt it when I was 13 so I could manage Dragon Quest III (i think). :lol
kumanoki said:Advice for incoming GAFfers:
1. Study. Do not sit on your ass and play games 24/7. Studying will help you in every aspect of your life here. Just ask JackFrost2012.
2. If you can, find a Japanese girlfriend.
Wintermute said:Osaka is good place - I went off at it in another thread but it was just the mood I was in that day. Osaka is like that. When the sun is out it is a bearable place - beautiful in an ugly sort of way. Not a good place to be down and out though.
If you have the option try find a place in the surrounding prefectures/areas like Hyogo, Nara, Toyonaka etc. I'm living on the city limits and it's the pits. Osaka is a real city of industry. The better you can make your personal environment, the easier it is to live here.
What did Andrew get from studying? Is it the job he got after JET?
kumanoki said:Yeah. He's pretty much fluent. He can speak, read, and write. If you could hear the tone in my writing, it would sound a whole lot like awe. We've been here the same amount of time. In fact, we came to Gunma on the same damn bus. Andrew has more effectively used his time in Japan.
I've been here for over 4 years now, all in Tokyo (Ebisu -> Shirogane -> Toritsu Daigaku).
My Japanese is pretty ropey to say the least, but i can get by i guess.
kumanoki said:In Tokyo, the opportunities to speak are severely limited, as silly as that may sound. Everyone speaks English.
Also, screw the haters; Tokyo is #1 as long as you have the sense to live outside the populated areas, preferably near a rapid or express train stop.
Shouta said:Oh and I disagree with Bebpo about furigana =b.
kumanoki said:Biofan- whare are you originally from?
One of the good things about living in Japan is the diversity. Just in my little backwoods area of Japan (Gunma- the Alabama of Japan) (hey, at least we're not in Tochigi- the Arkansas of Japan) there are Americans, Brits, Aussies, Kiwis, Indians, Brazilians, Peruvians, Pakistanis, Iranians, and people from Ghana. It's nutty.
I meant, like, live in Tama or Hachioji, you playa hatah.kumanoki said:Exactly. Tokyo is #1 to visit. Thirty miles in every direction from Tokyo is over-populated. Tokyo is just eight million people stacked five stories high in shoeboxes. Oh, and it also has good shopping.
TekunoRobby said:A somewhat of an OT anecdote: I remember that GAF forum regular who swore he was in Japan. Once a mod posted his IP address I remember him further saying that it was a city in Japan or something similar. In any case it was funny.