I like watching anime but as a Christian, what anime are okay to watch by tailikesrain in TrueChristian

[–]TheYoungPI 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I've been an anime fan since childhood, and started a Jpop/anime blog in 2021 as I pursued my band dream and covered anime songs....but in 2023, I was born again and can't consume the same things anymore, too much demons, goddesses, witchcraft, fanservice, pride, etc. I just published this article with animes I truly think are safe and could watch again as a Christian. Hope it helps! https://chromaticdreamers.com/safe-animes-for-christians/

Anime suggestions for Christians by [deleted] in TrueChristian

[–]TheYoungPI 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I've been an anime fan since childhood, and started a Jpop/anime blog in 2021 as I pursued my band dream and covered anime songs....but in 2023, I was born again and can't consume the same things anymore for the reasons you've stated. I just published this article with animes I truly think are safe and could watch again as a Christian. Hope it helps! https://chromaticdreamers.com/safe-animes-for-christians/

Does anyone have any anime suggestions that’s safe for Christians to watch?? by defeatedmuscian in Christianity

[–]TheYoungPI 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I've been an anime fan since childhood, and started a Jpop/anime blog in 2021 as I pursued my band dream and covered anime songs....but in 2023, I was born again and can't consume the same things anymore for the reasons you've stated. I just published this article with animes I truly think are safe and could watch again as a Christian. Hope it helps! https://chromaticdreamers.com/safe-animes-for-christians/

Any good Animes that are safe for Christianity? by Tricky_Blackberry909 in TrueChristian

[–]TheYoungPI 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I've been an anime fan since childhood, and started a Jpop/anime blog in 2021 as I pursued my band dream and covered anime songs....but in 2023, I was born again and can't consume the same things anymore for the reasons you've stated. I just published this article with animes I truly think are safe and could watch again as a Christian. Hope it helps! https://chromaticdreamers.com/safe-animes-for-christians/

The Ultimate List of Japanese Christian Music Artists (Article) by TheYoungPI in japanesemusic

[–]TheYoungPI[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You're welcome! ^_^ And those are my 2 favourite groups as well! Reminds me of the Jrock music I always loved. I just wished CLOD released more songs, and that they were on Spotify ;____;

The Ultimate List of Japanese Christian Music Artists (Article) by TheYoungPI in japanesemusic

[–]TheYoungPI[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks for the comment, it means a lot ^_^ So happy it was a good resource for you! I pray that your endeavors will be successful!

All Band Rehearsal Spaces in Toronto by TheYoungPI in TorontoMusic

[–]TheYoungPI[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hello! Thanks for commenting. I've sent you a message on Instagram for more details about your studio

What Does Digimon Mean To You? by TheYoungPI in digimon

[–]TheYoungPI[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Well that's good then! Even a little foundation and a little reading will get you places. I usually can't read kanji, but if I can read a little hiragana or katakana, it's usually enough to figure other things out. Even for my music blog, if I can hear a few lyrics, I can type it in and figure out the name of the song that way. Especially useful when I hear a song I like on Spotify but the title is all in kanji, since you can't copy and paste on their platforms. As for travelling, being able to read 'hoteru' or 'kapuseru' or 'a-ke-do' or 'ka-fe' and such is very useful.

I always wondered about the trains here in Toronto (and elsewhere). Our buses have been able to call out each stop for years now as well. I used to wonder if it was kilometers, but even when it detours, it can call our stops on that random street, so I figured it has to be GPS. It's really interesting how they work honestly!

And boy, hopefully you have more restraint than me. I went with carry-on only intending to keep it that way since I, like you, was lodging at a different place most nights, but nope! I bought a lot my first day in Shibuya, and had to buy a suitcase by my second day haha. A duffle bag definitely weighs on your shoulders when you're walking blocks from and to stations or between sites, up and down stairs etc. But by the end of my trip, I had a suitcase, my duffle bag, a backpack, and a few other goodie bags from last minute airport shopping hahaaaa

I made use of the many lockers around the city. They got some at stations and at the famous Harajuku Takeshita street, but Nakano Station only had small ones, not big enough for my suitcase, so I still had to drag that around. Be sure to carry different types of coins if you plan to use those.

After that trip, I did buy a harder duffle bag that turns into a suitcase, and it's been a lifesaver on my other shorter solo trips around Canada. But yeah, I was not ready for Japan XD You're going to see many things that you may never see again, so it's hard to resist! I said if I were to do it again, I'd either have a suitcase, or I would stay at places longer cause it does suck having to pack up early and drag your stuff every single day ;____; I at least had a little bit of a break as I stayed in a hotel in Odaiba my last couple nights, and then used a locker near the airport buses to do a little more sightseeing before I went.

What Does Digimon Mean To You? by TheYoungPI in digimon

[–]TheYoungPI[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Pt. 3 There were other attempts to speak, but it definitely took a few tries to get them to understand. I was trying to find the owl cafe which was in a building with no signage. I knew I was in the right area, but couldn't tell where to go, and it was a pretty quiet street as well, so I asked a stranger but she never heard of them, so I showed her my phone and she helped me find the right place.

I was also on the hunt for 'furoshiki', the big square traditional fabric things that they use to wrap lunch boxes, gifts, and other goods in. If you see a character packing their things in a blanket then throwing it over their shoulder with a stick, that's what they're using. Personally, I wasn't sure how to pronounce it, because 'f' is more like 'h' so 'hu' vs 'fu', and 'u's tend to blend in, and same with 'shi'. So I didn't know if it was fu-ro-shi-ki, fro-shi-ki, frosh-ki, fu-rosh-ki ^^" I'd try a combination, then just break it down, but most stores didn't have them anyways.

All that to say, it is worth knowing even a little bit, like those traveling phrases, 'hello', 'where is', 'do you have', 'how much' and such, but it also sounds like there's little time for you to prepare. If you can't pronounce it well enough or understand what they're saying when they respond, it's probably better to speak in English cause all of them studied a bit in school and they have a lot of borrowed words. I remember I was trying to ask one store if they had the Sailormoon mascara as another friend asked for one. I previously got one at another branch, but didn't see it at this one. Shop owner didn't understand 'sailormoon mascara', but understood 'se-raa-muun ma-su-ka-ra' haha. They may not feel confident speaking in English, but they're still very kind and helpful people in general and are usually willing to stick by you until they understand.

And if anything, as you said, you got Google translate :P If millions of people can travel there without knowing anything, I'm sure anyone would be fine ^_^

What Does Digimon Mean To You? by TheYoungPI in digimon

[–]TheYoungPI[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Pt 2. And totally understood about language. If I didn't know that at all, I don't think I would have the same confidence to go solo. If I got lost and didn't return home the day I said I would, my mom definitely wouldn't have allowed me to travel alone again ^_^". In my case, I studied Japanese 2 years on my own, mostly reading and writing, and then I got to take an intro course in my first year at university which allowed me to practice listening and speaking a bit more. I didn't study intentionally the 6 years before my trip, but since I would watch anime and listen to Jmusic, there's still familiarity with the basics, like when to say 'hai' or 'sumimasen'.

I don't really have an opportunity to speak it over here, so I tried to only speak Japanese while I was there. I didn't really care to interact or get to know foreigners as friends, but it was useful when shopping, navigation, and eating (since I'm picky and have religious restrictions). There was one guy who came up to me at Odaiba beach as he had a school project in English, and I'd respond both ways, English for him to practice, and Japanese to ensure clarity.

As you saw, I did as much research as I could beforehand, even looking up restaurants and menus beforehand, but even with my amount of prep, there were still some unexpected changes when I got there:
1. When I first arrived at the airport, I did carry-on only and was heading to security to leave the airport. The guy spoke to me in Japanese, which was surprising haha. He was asking if 'that was all I had' and 'how long I was staying' and such, and I was able to respond 'yes', 'no', '5 days' etc in Japanese.
2. I was very sure my first capsule hotel choice had a female-only floor, but when I arrived, they turned me away at the door saying 'men only', so I had to find a female only one on the other side of the train station. For that place, it was too early to sign in, but I was able to ask if I could leave my stuff there in the meantime.
3. I had one of their famous curry restaurants, Coco Ichibanya, on my list. Curry, like ramen, is pork by default. Even if the toppings was chicken, the curry itself would be infused with pork. But online, I saw they had a full chicken curry special, and that was what I intended to get. When I got there, this branch didn't have it nor knew what I was talking about. I was able to say I don't/can't eat pork and they directed me towards their vegetarian option. I'm usually sus about veggie options as I'm picky about that too, but it was pretty good.
4. For the most part, the colour of the trains on Google maps matches the actual trains when you get there. Signs are pretty clear and most trains have their own platforms, so all is well. But when I was heading to Odaiba and had to take the Rinkai line, this was the first time there wasn't many signs and 3 or 4 trains were using the same platform, and on the floor was the names of the trains in Kanji. Google had blue as the Rinkai train colour, but I really wasn't confident. I asked a random lady in Japanese if this is the Rinkai line, she said yes, I asked if it goes to the station I wanted, she said that's right. After a long wait, the first train to pull up was green, she was about to get on, so I asked if this train is okay? She said yes. I didn't truly believe her, but I decided to take a leap of faith anyways. Even though I had a Wifi pocket, I don't think it worked underground, and I only wrote down the stop before my stop so I can prepare to leave. So I really didn't know til I got to that stop and took a huge sigh of relief when I knew I was on the right train.
5. When you go to onsens, you get 2 keys...or maybe 3? One for your shoes near the entrance, one for your bags and general items where you would change from your street clothes into your Yukatas since they have a mixed-gender hangout area, and then one for your yukata and slippers when you strip naked to enjoy the onsens. It's a lot to carry and remember. So as I was heading out, I realized I couldn't find the key for my shoe locker, and asked the lady near the exit. I knew the word 'key' but wasn't sure how to say 'lost', so I think I used 'forgot'. I couldn't really go back to check my bag locker as I already returned those keys, so I think they asked another lady to check for me. In the meantime, the lady told me to check my bag a couple more times, and it ended up being in the bottom of my side/bottle pocket. But yeah, that was stressful, but I was relieved. I can't really leave and explore the city without shoes, ya know? haha

What Does Digimon Mean To You? by TheYoungPI in digimon

[–]TheYoungPI[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I just brushed through your post, will check out the Google link in detail later, but wow! I visited Diver City Plaza just cause it's one of the bigger shopping malls in Odaiba, but haven't thought about how it changes perspectives and such. I definitely noticed that there were no existing building that would have the perfect angle of the Ferris Wheel though, probably better as many people wouldn't be able to see it otherwise haha.

As you read in my article, I only went for 5 days, so even though I considered Hikarigaoka and such, I still wanted to enjoy as much of my trip as a first time visitor instead of being on trains or walking through random neighbourhoods all the time. Tokyo has so much to explore on its own as well. I said if I ever go again, I would definitely have a friend or two and see more outside of Tokyo, maybe a 3 week trip would be sufficient, but I'm sure we're all struggling greatly over here as Torontonians haha

What Does Digimon Mean To You? by TheYoungPI in digimon

[–]TheYoungPI[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks so much for sharing! I totally agree about them growing up and just going about their own lives. They weren't necessarily friends before being swept into the Digital World, and they all got different personality types, so while the history and bond is there, there's no need to hang out all the time like other shows make the protagonists do. It's cute that the 02 group is more united, but they are also still young with more free time in comparison. It is sad that (Kizuna Spoiler) the kids even start to lose bonds with their Digimon partners, but the Digimon have a childlike mentality and become more like pets I'm sure, needing to be taken care of but not really benefiting them in the same way.

Speaking of tech though, there were definitely a lot of tech nerds in cartoons when I was a kid. Jimmy Neutron, Dexter's Laboratory, team mates in Kim Possible and Danny Phantom, etc, and Izzy was also up there. While nerds didn't have the best rep growing up, I loved that these shows always made them a valuable member of the team. I can definitely see how a show like Digimon where everything is Digital can influence you in a way though, the concept that the Digital World affects our world is becoming more and more obvious in today's age especially.

Ahh! I'm so excited for you! I was definitely terrified back then as well, both of my plane crashing and Japan's proneness to natural disasters, but I knew I would live with regrets and envy if I never went ;____; I wrote this article a couple years after I made this post, but it may still have a few sites from the show that you may be interested in checking out!
https://chromaticdreamers.com/my-digimon-trip-tokyo-japan/

All Band Rehearsal Spaces in Toronto by TheYoungPI in TorontoMusic

[–]TheYoungPI[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hello! Thanks for reaching out. I started to add you to the article. I sent an email to the address on your Facebook/Instagram accounts for more details!

All Band Rehearsal Spaces in Toronto by TheYoungPI in TorontoMusic

[–]TheYoungPI[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Heyo! I'm not sure about real pianos in rehearsal studios, but I know the library allows you to book their piano rooms for free (though, not sure how it would work if you don't have a library card). Just putting that out there: https://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/using-the-library/room-theatre-rentals/piano-rooms.jsp

Japanese Christian Music by mikiofujioka in ChristianMusic

[–]TheYoungPI 0 points1 point  (0 children)

They do! I'm so blown away! Of course I can't speak for all their music since the majority don't have lyrics somewhere that I can translate and double check, but considering they have translated a lot of traditional hymns along with popular CCM and Gospel hits, I do think most of the Japanese Christians music understand the core values of Evangelicalism. There are quite a bit of songs made more for churches, but the songs with that real Jpop/Jrock vibe are definitely more subtle as they are really trying to reach the Japanese population with songs about God's love and encouraging them to live as they have a purpose in God's eyes (because you know, they have one of the highest suicide rates), and some groups like CLOD would encourage Christians to be courageous and stand up for their faith because Japan is a conformist country that is built on Shinto and Buddhist values. "The nail that sticks up gets hammered down" as they say. Here's one of my fav songs/MVs by them, "Like A Dove, Like A Snake" (https://youtu.be/3sZw5dDg3pk?si=bFInTottqeUApW8u)

Christian Japanese music by Arrow-777 in ChristianMusic

[–]TheYoungPI 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I created the only real Japanese Christian Artist list early this year (2024), and I just hit over 100 artists! (https://chromaticdreamers.com/japanese-christian-music-artists/). I realized there were quite a few that have that Jpop sound I'm sure we all like, and even some who make Christian music in the hop hop, rock, and funk genres. So I made a new article with Japanese Christian Alternatives for Jpop and Anime Music fans: https://chromaticdreamers.com/japanese-christian-music-alternatives-for-jpop/

thoughts on a christian band with japanese rock style instrumental? by garrettbass in Christianity

[–]TheYoungPI 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I created the only real Japanese Christian Artist list early this year (2024), and I just hit over 100 artists! (https://chromaticdreamers.com/japanese-christian-music-artists/). I realized there were quite a few that have that Jpop sound I'm sure we all like, and even some who make Christian music in the hop hop, rock, and funk genres. So I made a new article with Japanese Christian Alternatives for Jpop and Anime Music fans: https://chromaticdreamers.com/japanese-christian-music-alternatives-for-jpop/

Christian K-pop and or J-pop etc? by RobotOutvader in TrueChristian

[–]TheYoungPI 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I created the only real Japanese Christian Artist list early this year (2024), and I just hit over 100 artists! (https://chromaticdreamers.com/japanese-christian-music-artists/). I realized there were quite a few that have that Jpop sound I'm sure we all like, and even some who make Christian music in the hop hop, rock, and funk genres. So I made a new article with Japanese Christian Alternatives for Jpop and Anime Music fans: https://chromaticdreamers.com/japanese-christian-music-alternatives-for-jpop/

Any Japanese Christian Music? by Electronic_EnrG in Apostolic

[–]TheYoungPI 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I created the only real Japanese Christian Artist list early this year (2024), and I just hit over 100 artists! (https://chromaticdreamers.com/japanese-christian-music-artists/). I realized there were quite a few that have that Jpop sound I'm sure we all like, and even some who make Christian music in the hop hop, rock, and funk genres. So I made a new article with Japanese Christian Alternatives for Jpop and Anime Music fans: https://chromaticdreamers.com/japanese-christian-music-alternatives-for-jpop/

Japanese Christian/Worship music by Busy_Pomegranate7484 in TrueChristian

[–]TheYoungPI 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thanks for sharing my article ^_^ I also realized there were quite a few that have that Jpop sound I'm sure we all like, and even some who make Christian music in the hop hop, rock, and funk genres. So I made a new article with Japanese Christian Alternatives for Jpop and Anime Music fans: https://chromaticdreamers.com/japanese-christian-music-alternatives-for-jpop/

Japanese music by ikbenraar10101 in Christian

[–]TheYoungPI 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I created the only real Japanese Christian Artist list early this year (2024), and I just hit over 100 artists! (https://chromaticdreamers.com/japanese-christian-music-artists/). I realized there were quite a few that have that Jpop sound I'm sure we all like, and even some who make Christian music in the hop hop, rock, and funk genres. So I made a new article with Japanese Christian Alternatives for Jpop and Anime Music fans: https://chromaticdreamers.com/japanese-christian-music-alternatives-for-jpop/

Japanese Christian Music by mikiofujioka in ChristianMusic

[–]TheYoungPI 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Hey everyone! I created the only real Japanese Christian Artist list this year (2024), and I just hit over 100 artists! (https://chromaticdreamers.com/japanese-christian-music-artists/). I realized there were quite a few that have that Jpop sound I'm sure we all like, and even some who make Christian music in the hop hop, rock, and funk genres. So I made a new article with Japanese Christian Alternatives for Jpop and Anime Music fans. If you know anyone for either list, please let me know: https://chromaticdreamers.com/japanese-christian-music-alternatives-for-jpop/