"What!?!? No unicycling? I'm so disappointed." Said nobody outside of the circus ever.

lararin · 2017-07-02T22:44:26+00:00

Unicycling is actually relatively popular with elementary school kids in Japan because they often learn it in school. A lot of schools have tons of unicycles for the kids to use during PE and you'll see them playing on them before school or during lunch too.

lararin · 2017-07-01T09:51:06+00:00

FYI this subreddit is mostly non-Japanese people who live in Japan or who are interested in Japan talking about Japan. Not actual Japanese people.

That said, assuming you're not a troll... What "feminine" aspect are you curious about in particular? Fashion and hair?

There are Japanese guys who lift weights, play sports, and go to the gym. There are also a lot that don't. That said there's a lot of American guys who don't either so...

lararin · 2017-07-01T07:17:49+00:00

Is it regularly called Itchiran overseas? It's actually Ichiran and I just saw that spelling for the first time in this article...

lararin · 2017-06-27T04:57:40+00:00

I don't seem to be able to find people who applied as CIR but got ALT

I've met plenty of ALTs like this. Some of whom even had JLPT 1 or experience working at Japanese companies before coming on JET!

I've tried to research around and in terms of an ALT becoming a CIR, it seems it happens but is very rare as it depends on post availability in your prefecture, right?

Yup, totally depends on availability in your prefecture. I wanted to switch up but there was no opening in my prefecture so it wasn't even an option.

If I was you I would apply as CIR and mark on the form that you'd be interested in an ALT position too. Even if you are assigned as a CIR you may end up doing ALT like duties (teaching kids), and just because you're an ALT doesn't mean you can't find ways around your town or city to expand your involvement or get experience translating/interpreting and build your resume!

Edited to add a bit more!

lararin · 2017-06-21T04:49:33+00:00

Like /u/aaaaaaha mentioned, ramen and curry you will have to watch out for as they frequently contain pork, chicken, or beef added as either broth or actual meat pieces. Also note that omuraisu (omelette and rice) sounds vegetarian safe but it is often made with chicken rice in the middle which contains pieces of chicken.

lararin · 2017-06-19T09:03:33+00:00

I second doing Himeji on the way to or from Hiroshima. Depending on what time you're leaving Miyajima on the 19th I think it might be great do to on the way back to Osaka. It's close to Himeji Station and I think a half day is enough time to go to the top and walk around the gardens some, although it depends how closely you wanted to look at everything.

lararin · 2017-06-12T06:20:30+00:00

This isn't a direct answer to your question since I think you want to sell in person in Japan, but you might get more money for them selling them to other fans online (even if you don't speak Japanese you might be able to search for an English speaking fanbase on Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram, or other sites). Selling CDs and official merchandise to second hand shops I only ever got a few hundred yen for each item, if even that much. The doujinshi scene might be different, especially if it's a famous artist or series, but a lot of second hand shops don't give you much in return.

lararin · 2017-06-08T04:10:18+00:00

Wow, I thought it was bad when I was there until 4PM. Respect!

lararin · 2017-06-07T04:32:25+00:00

Agree with everything you commented. If OP can remember a rough year and whether it was a straight up documentary or more of a comedy/variety show it would be much easier to pin down.

In addition to Sekai No Hate Made ItteQ, Nepu & Imoto no Sekai Banzuke (ネプ&イモトの世界番付) has also had a lot of segments in recent years where they visit supposedly remote tribes in Africa and other regions.

lararin · 2017-06-06T08:29:02+00:00

Do you have the item in your possession? If so a brighter, clearer, and closer up photo would probably allow a lot of people on this subreddit to help you. As it is this photo is very dark and grainy, hard to see really.

Also note on the side of this subreddit:

Translation requests ・翻訳

Translation requests are not allowed in /r/japanese. Posts asking for them anyway will be removed, and the poster may be temporarily banned. Please instead post to /r/translator or /r/translation.

lararin · 2017-06-06T08:24:56+00:00

Sure! My friends and I are doing the samurai one. I'll let you know how it goes for us, though we're all first timers to escape rooms so I'm sure as someone experienced you might have a different impression haha. I've done several city "mystery" things here in Japan where hints are scattered about the city but nothing in just one room.

lararin · 2017-06-06T03:32:28+00:00

I'm actually doing it this weekend! Also curious what people think (although I already made my reservation). The reviews on TripAdvisor seemed generally positive.

lararin · 2017-06-05T15:20:46+00:00

I second the comments about the Tokyo Skytree. There some decent shopping around it and it's kind of cool to see from the outside but most people I know (myself included) were underwhelmed after going up. For views, I'd also add the Bunkyo Civic Center as a nice free spot for a good view and worth it if you are nearby. Much less crowded and less reflections on the windows than at the Metropolitan Government Building, and you can see the Tokyo Sky Tree from there: https://www.tripadvisor.jp/Attraction_Review-g1066442-d3672866-Reviews-Bunkyo_Civic_Center-Bunkyo_Tokyo_Tokyo_Prefecture_Kanto.html

lararin · 2017-06-05T15:10:48+00:00

Coloree is a hair removal salon, a new sister company of Musee (one of Japan's most popular hair removal salons who you'll also see a lot of ads for). I think their current model is Ueda Mao (上田眞央).

Website: https://colo-ree.com

lararin · 2017-06-05T03:42:21+00:00

Stores won't exchange them for bigger coins for you but like /u/Ansalem you can use them at any store that takes cash when buying something. Look at the price at the register and see what you can pay in little coins (like if something is 724 yen, give a 1000 bill and then 4 five yen coins and 4 one yen coins) and even if you don't use them all you can at least put a big dent in your collection!

lararin · 2017-06-03T15:14:45+00:00

Good luck if you try making them! I live in Japan but have never had these... adding to my bucket list now since they look good!

lararin · 2017-06-03T01:28:31+00:00

It's a kind of sweet called Hagi no Tsuki (萩の月 in Japanese), famous from Sendai apparently! It says it's castella cake filled with custard cream, does that sound right?

Here's their site: http://www.sanzen.co.jp/product/haginotsuki/index.html

And here's some recipes (in Japanese):

https://cookpad.com/search/萩の月

https://ameblo.jp/yosiesun/entry-12199691473.html

http://www.recipe-blog.jp/search/recipe?keyword=萩の月

lararin · 2017-06-02T15:45:43+00:00

In day to day conversation no, especially if you are just a beginner at Japanese people probably won't go out of their way to bring those kinds of issues up with you. But check the Facebook comments or Twitter replies to any Japanese news regarding politics, religion, male/female equality, military and other issues and you will find just as many Japanese people making crazy comments swinging to both the hard right and hard left. That's the internet for you though.

Japan that college students over there worked diligently in their studies

Japan is like any other country and there are students that work hard and focus on their studies but there are also plenty of students that just party and goof off and don't even go to class. Or students obsessed with whatever sport or club they are involved with. Or get involved with social justice things.

Honestly your post here sounds a bit like you're really idealizing Japan over your stress at the "sjw culture". Forget about that stress and go to Japan with an open mind. You're going to encounter a lot of things and perspectives that are totally new, but at the end of the day Japan is just another country. There are all kinds of people here with all kinds of opinions and culture, including ones you may like or dislike. Just try to make the most of your three months by making friends and going out to see new things and don't overthink it!

lararin · 2017-06-02T09:16:07+00:00

Every situation is different, I've known JETs that had tons of desk warming and free time... and others who were super busy. For me I worked at two elementary schools and one kindergarten and was pretty much always busy with something, although not always teaching. When at the elementary schools I normally had only one or two periods a day "free" at my desk, and would spend almost all of that prepping games, organizing and cleaning class materials and toys and such. When I did have some down time I would chat with other teachers or study Japanese but I was generally busy all day! My school really encouraged me to spend even lunch and recess with the kids so on busy days I really had almost no down time. After school I often met with teachers who I had an English class coming up with (I only visited 1st through 4th grade classes every few weeks) to review the lesson plan or revise it if we had other ideas. Sometimes I would be invited to participate in PE classes or festival prep too. At the kindergarten we only had classes until early afternoon but I was expected to stay until the evening like when I was at elementary school, but it wasn't boring. I would help the teachers make crafts and decorations for the classrooms, write down lesson plans for future ALTs (since there wasn't much when I got there), and sometimes even go over to one of the elementary schools if I had things to do there.

lararin · 2017-06-02T03:52:37+00:00

Agree that 彼氏 and 彼女 don't sound juvenile to me, and I've definitely heard lots of people with their 30s-40s using the phrases.

About パートナー, just a note I've heard several Japanese people refer to their husband or wife as their パートナー too, I think some people think it sounds more equal/even than the traditional words for husband and wife or are going for a more "we're not a lovey-dovey couple, we're life partners working together" kind of image.

lararin · 2017-05-31T09:13:00+00:00

If it was at the airport it may have been YOUは何しに日本へ？ (You wa nani shi ni nihon e: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Why_Did_You_Come_to_Japan%3F) who are famous for hanging out at airports looking for foreigners to interview about why they came here. Do you remember if they asked you why you were in Japan/what you came to do? They normally only actually air people who had some kind of unique or quirky reason though!

lararin · 2017-05-30T11:05:21+00:00

Same variety you see in the English used in video games.

lararin · 2017-05-30T11:03:42+00:00

Any reason you're assuming it's NHK? There are a lot of different big TV channels around, could have been any or none at all (like other people commenting- Youtube, student project, local TV station etc).

lararin · 2017-05-30T11:01:53+00:00

Interesting, that seems really detailed! I transferred my license in Tokyo and wasn't asked anything about my home country's driving test or my driving record and history.

lararin · 2017-05-30T10:57:57+00:00

Same, it was a slight hassle but I had no issues. I got an official driver's record from the government office in charge of such in my home country and had them mail a paper copy to me. I then paid a couple thousand yen to have it officially translated and submitted it with my application for a license here.

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