Moving to Japan in a few months. What can I do NOW to prepare?

[Kasper]

have fun, i wish i was going somewhere...

...now back to cash flow analysis

[soundune]

whats the occasion. i dont tihnki youll last 1 year. youll get homesick i say a good 2 months.youll be flying back to the u.s.a

well, seeing as i've lived in five different countries in the past 23 years (japan will be the sixth) and taking into account i'll be an officer in the Navy and leaving after two months might end up in a courts martial - i think i'll probably stay.

but thanks for the negative attitude! holla

[djrajio]

Again. Welcome to Japan. Enjoy your stay.

[mizanation]

have fun in japan, soundune--you might not want to leave.

and pick up a sukajan while in yokosuka.

[soundune]

thanks, fellas. can't wait to hit tokyo and have some crazy random sufu run-ins!

miz - what's sukajan?

[englandmj7]

miz - what's sukajan?

The Japanese word for genital herpes.

[mizanation]

^^^ close england, but no cigar.

sukajan or sukajyan is the satin elaborately embroidered jackets that they make in yokosuka. it's the melding of "yokosuka" and "jyanpa" (which means "jumper" or jacket). i think they are also called tour jackets.

anyways, the japanese embroiderers in the yokosuka area started making these for military personelle to buy as souveniers. that's why they have such incredibly ridiculous uber-asian themes--the navy guys liked that stuff. eventually, it started becoming a part of japanese fashion as well.

here's a site that sells them:

http://www.sukajacket.com/index.html

[poly800rock]

get used to the idea of unshaved pussy.

to avoid all the political talk...

[Pandemonium]

political talk sucks.

those yokosuka jackets look crazy though~

but it probably wouldn't look good on me.

[guffer]

Can anyone give suggestions/advice on the topic of language software. Is it worth investing a few hundred dollars in? Mille grazie

check out pimsleur:

http://www.pimsleurapproach.com

readily available on torrent sites (if you condone that sort of thing)

[2000dB]

I would recommend making japanese friends for practice (rosetta stone and pimsleur aren't really natural). I found this site really helpful for grammar. Kanji will most likely come naturally from living there, but you might want to try the book "Remembering the Kanji" helpful but very time consuming.

Enjoy Japan! I'm leaving this Thursday and even though I'm glad to leave, I'm sure I'll miss it.

[unklesteve]

Learn to love onigiri.

Balls of rice with assorted "stuff" inside them, you can get them at most convenience stores for 125 yen. Cheap, filling, and healthy.

I prefer the ones with cooked salmon. Yum.

But be careful...some of them have natto and unless it's your jam you REALLY don't want a mouthful of that.

Be sure to check out KiddyLand while your there. It's in Shibuya, and the best toy store ever.

S

[2000dB]

/\

Riceballs from convenience stores are far from healthy!

And go for natto

[thomas_highstreet]

/\

Riceballs from convenience stores are far from healthy!

And go for natto

lies, my missus makes them in a japanese foodshop in soho/picadilly and they are the picture of healthy perfection. haha.

im vege, so i get her to do me 'kake' onigiri. haha. i like them though.

[2000dB]

japanese foodshop in soho/picadilly is delicious and healthy. Convenience store is full of preservatives and sitting there for 5 days.

[naturaljax]

let me bump this and ask... are there any Hookah bars in Tokyo?

That would be awesome if there were.

[englandmj7]

let me bump this and ask... are there any Hookah bars in Tokyo?

That would be awesome if there were.

If you are interested, I can tell you of some hooker bars.

[naturaljax]

Oh England, you dog

[mizanation]

yeah, the riceballs that you can get from 7-11 and lawsons, etc. are awesome.

they have perfected the technology so the rice and the nori are packaged in separate plastic coverings. you just ask the guy at the counter to heat them up, then, you pull on the arrows and voila, you have hot steaming rice covered in dry seweed.

also at the convenience store is oden, and bentos. tastes great and cheap.

[Ryan]

If you are interested, I can tell you of some hooker bars.

that thread in supertrash needs more "love"

[Guest jmatsu]

Be sure to check out KiddyLand while your there. It's in Shibuya, and the best toy store ever.

S

isn't kiddyland in omotesando, aoyama?

[2000dB]

It's on omotesando, but more towards shibuya than aoyama.

[naturaljax]

Hookah bars! Do they exist in Tokyo?

[Guest jmatsu]

It's on omotesando, but more towards shibuya than aoyama.

i know exactly where it is. omotesando dori by the kosaten and the bank. the walking duration from kiddyland is closer to aoyama then shibuya. not to mention it's in minato-ku.

[Guest jmatsu]

Hookah bars! Do they exist in Tokyo?

this is actually a good question. i have not heard of any. there has to be at least one. i'll find it. if not, i'll make it.

[2000dB]

It's not minato-ku, it switches from shibuya to minato after (or close to) aoyama dori.

KIDDY LAND - Harajuku

6-1-9 Jingu-mae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo

MAP

[Guest jmatsu]

It's not minato-ku, it switches from shibuya to minato after (or close to) aoyama dori.

KIDDY LAND - Harajuku

6-1-9 Jingu-mae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo

MAP

fuuukkkk!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

okay, you got me on official geographic logistics (whoever decided on the actual adresses is dumb when you actually think of the closest koban and eki ...)

but seriously, who fuckin calls shit on omotesando dori harajuku or shibuya (except for tourists or really ancient tokyo-jin)?

[2000dB]

fuuukkkk!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

okay, you got me on official geographic logistics (whoever decided on the actual adresses is dumb when you actually think of the closest koban and eki ...)

but seriously, who fuckin calls shit on omotesando dori harajuku or shibuya (except for tourists or really ancient tokyo-jin)?

All my hip japanese friends and all geographically accurate people do, of course.

Omotesando and Harajuku are in Shibuya-ku, that's just how it is.

[Guest jmatsu]

All my hip japanese friends and all geographically accurate people do, of course.

Omotesando and Harajuku are in Shibuya-ku, that's just how it is.

yeah they are, but if someone says "let's hang out or walk around in shibuya..."

i seriously doubt if anyone is going to say "meet me at kiddyland."

i'm not trying to pick a fight with you, but no one refers to stores on omotesando dori as shibuya (even though you're superficially correct).

[2000dB]

yeah they are, but if someone says "let's hang out or walk around in shibuya..."

i seriously doubt if anyone is going to say "meet me at kiddyland."

I don't see the point. If a friend said "lets go vist Tokyo" would you hang out around Tokyo-eki? I mean, Shibuya isn't limited to its station, it goes all the way to Sendgaya in that direction...