Your relationship with Japan

[alantin]

@tada

Well.. I wouldn't go that hard on myself. I have gotten some of that stomping too in the past. Not so much anymore. Perhaps people are beginning to get it that I'm serious and don't really fit their stereotypical ideas of some anime enthusiast that will soon find something else to fuss about. I don't really even watch anime but when you talk about Japan, people instantly think; anime!

My goal is to study in a japanese university after I get my bachelors degree here and later work and live in the country.
While I do recognize it has quite a few flaws, I love the country, it's culture and it's people and I feel a kind of weird attraction to it. Even though it is about the furthest thing possible from my home country - geografically, culturally, etc - while living there for a while last year, for some reason I strongly felt that I was where I was supposed to be and where I want to be in the future.

While someone might ridicule it, it is something that wont change and only gets stronger as time passes.
Hard work will pay itself off and, I think, endeavoring to find and be where you belong is the only way to find happiness. Letting people, who try to ridicule your dream, ruin it just isn't worth it.

Naive? Perhaps so, but who cares!

Well.. That's my relationship with Japan..

 

[tada]

Well.. I wouldn't go that hard on myself. I have gotten some of that stomping too in the past. Not so much anymore. Perhaps people are beginning to get it that I'm serious and don't really fit their stereotypical ideas of some anime enthusiast that will soon find something else to fuss about. I don't really even watch anime but when you talk about Japan, people instantly think; anime!
My goal is to study in a japanese university after I get my bachelors degree here and later work and live in the country.

Sounds a lot like me. I hardly ever watch anime anymore; I love Japan for so many other reasons. I want to go directly to trying to work in Japan after getting my bachelor's though...

While I do recognize it has quite a few flaws, I love the country, it's culture and it's people and I feel a kind of weird attraction to it. Even though it is about the furthest thing possible from my home country - geografically, culturally, etc - while living there for a while last year, for some reason I strongly felt that I was where I was supposed to be and where I want to be in the future.
While someone might ridicule it, it is something that wont change and only gets stronger as time passes.

It's not a perfect place... no place really is. I know it's the right place though, the only place for me, and I feel like I would fit in much better than I ever would here. I always feel like I can never love Japan more than I do now... but in some way I always end up loving it more.

Hard work will pay itself off and, I think, endeavoring to find and be where you belong is the only way to find happiness. Letting people, who try to ridicule your dream, ruin it just isn't worth it.

It's good to know I'm not alone. I hope we both can live out our dreams.

 

[korp]

I starte loving Japanese J-pop many years ago. But that was about it I guess. Since moving to London some years ago and started to having some Japanese friends I really would love to go visit the place sometime. I also very interested in sociology (one of my degrees) and ethnicity so I find the people and culture very interesting also

Other then my J-pop OCD and some J-friends I dont have any connection to the country, oh I also like the food. One day I hope to go to Bejing, Seoul and Tokyo all in one trip, yeah a long one.

 

[Gaberdeen]

I visited Japan last year to satisfy a childhood interest in Japan and increase my worldliness further east. Remarkably enough, during that same trip I met my girlfriend who I now regularly make visits over to Japan to see

The extent of my knowledge of Japanese language and custom before that was very limited, but as Edison said, Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration

 

[Sukotto79]

I am planning on doing a one year study abroad program in Tokyo, Japan. Going to college ,and to get a International Studies Degree in need to do a 10+ week study abroad program so I figured why not save up and go for a whole year.

 

[olosta]

Unfortunately, I haven ´t been in Japan, but one day I definitely go there (when I have money XD). I am in love with Japan for some years now, it started almost classically for my country- with anime, but soon I started to be interested in japanese culture, history and language as well. I am soon moving to Germany, so I hope I can meet some japanese fellows there and chat a little about Nippon.

 

[vegitagojita]

I too hve never been to Japan. It seems almost a an impossible dream to go there. I just seem to be called to go there as I am sure it is for alot of people. I can't really explain it. I didn't know much about Japan until I started watching Anime. I know now that you cannot KNOW Japan by watching Anime or reading Manga. I spend some days at work looking at websites like Photopassjapan.com at longing to go there. Please tell me that I am not the only one who feels this way.

 

[olosta]

vegitagojita, don..t worry, most of us in my country start to like Japan BECAUSE of anime, but as I said, they start to get interested in Japan itself later. But you have to start somewhere, don..t you? BBC has a series called "Japanorama", I think there are some things you could learn about Japan .

 

[Mike Cash]

I too hve never been to Japan. It seems almost a an impossible dream to go there. I just seem to be called to go there as I am sure it is for alot of people. I can't really explain it. I didn't know much about Japan until I started watching Anime. I know now that you cannot KNOW Japan by watching Anime or reading Manga. I spend some days at work looking at websites like Photopassjapan.com at longing to go there. Please tell me that I am not the only one who feels this way.

Why can't you come here? What sort of work do you do?

 

[vegitagojita]

Why can't you come here? What sort of work do you do?

I am a Production Operations Supervisor. The only reason that I browse the Internet at work is because work is slow and there isn't much to do these days. To be quite honest I hope I don't get laid off.

To answer your question as to why I can't go to Japan right now is because I currently support a wife anf three kids. There isn't going to be any way for me to pay for a trip to Japan in any near future.

 

[Mike Cash]

I am a Production Operations Supervisor. The only reason that I browse the Internet at work is because work is slow and there isn't much to do these days. To be quite honest I hope I don't get laid off.

To answer your question as to why I can't go to Japan right now is because I currently support a wife anf three kids. There isn't going to be any way for me to pay for a trip to Japan in any near future.

You'll have to forgive me; for some reason I was under the impression you are independently wealthy and have no need to work to support yourself.

How did you lose so much money in three weeks? Playing the ponies?

 

[vegitagojita]

to answer your question regarding another thread, I was asking a hypothetical question and was just curious. I am not wealthy by any means. Haven't you ever asked a hypothetical question on a thread?

 

[Mike Cash]

to answer your question regarding another thread, I was asking a hypothetical question and was just curious. I am not wealthy by any means. Haven't you ever asked a hypothetical question on a thread?

Certainly. But while the first sentence was phrased in hypothetical terms the second sentence made it appear otherwise. So it was a case of poor composition and not intentional deception? Glad to hear it.

 

[vegitagojita]

sorry to be confusing

 

[Glenski]

Confusing is right! Why on earth would you even pose such a hypothetical question in your situation? Sheesh! Moreover, you never responded to a couple of other posters who were led on and asked you related questions based on the notion that you were wealthy, yet you didn't even respond.

Shame.

Be a little more up front, ok? People here are very willing to help answer questions, but sincerity goes both ways.

 

[vegitagojita]

Maybe I asked because it seems like the only way I can get to Japan is if I win the lottery or something. I am crossing my fingers because the drawing is tonight. HAHAHA! I didn't mean to be misleading. But wouldn't it be nice to not have to worry about money and just explore Japan.

 

[Mike Cash]

Maybe I asked because it seems like the only way I can get to Japan is if I win the lottery or something. I am crossing my fingers because the drawing is tonight. HAHAHA! I didn't mean to be misleading. But wouldn't it be nice to not have to worry about money and just explore Japan.

All it really accomplished, though, was to perhaps cause some people to not take your future inquiries seriously.

 

[Ashikaga]

Maybe I asked because it seems like the only way I can get to Japan is if I win the lottery or something. I am crossing my fingers because the drawing is tonight. HAHAHA! I didn't mean to be misleading. But wouldn't it be nice to not have to worry about money and just explore Japan.

OK, now that we know what your situation is, I think we can move on.

No matter whether you get to visit Japan in the near future or not, it is good to gain some knowlege about the country and prepare yourself in case the Luck smiles on you and you win the lottery... and this is an excellent place to do just that. Please don't hesitate to post your questions/opinions in many interesting threads found on this forum.

As Mike and others pointed out, this being an internet forum where we cannot see each other in person, we have to judge, for the lack of a better term, each other based on what we write. When asking questions, it is important that you be as specific as possible and give information that is true and honest to help theｍ understand where s/he is coming from and give their answers/opinions accordingly.

Lastly, this set of numbers just popped into my head as I was feeding my fish this morning.... 7-13-16-32-34. What do they mean? I don't know. I just wanted to share them with you.

 

[Crystallize]

I don't have much connections with either Japan or Japanese people,
but I like the language and I have a few good online friends from there ...
and I have all intention to try to learn Japanese ... eventually ...


Ok, so how many posts do you have to have to be allowed to post images from third party websites ?

 

[kusojiji]

Wow, some of these posts are a little disturbing...

 

[Chayssie]

cold days in japan

hello there....everyone!We have just move here in japan,together with our 3kids....It's getting colder now, but our family have not much of things to use to warm ourselves...I need to know where to buy things like clothes/jackets for my kids particularly..Are there flea markets in yokohama?Thank you very much...

 

[~Monophobia]

I really want to go in Japan,
But unfortunately I don't go there yet .
I hope I can go later !

 

[Hime]

I have not been there, but I would like to be one day

 

[Red5]

i live in Syria - Aleppo

i haven't ever been in Japan yet , but when i graduate from japanese and English languages from my university , i will do .
for complete studing there and complete chinese language

 

[Sasuke17]

Visiting Japan

I fell in love with the Sasuke tournament a couple of years ago when I saw it on TV. I have been learning the Japanese thru CD's, books, classes. I now feel confident, I can get by if I need to use it. That was the first obstical for me. I felt if I could accomplish that, I could go to Japan. So, that is my next thing. Save the money & get the time off from work. My moto and motivation was from something that Makoto Nagano said "Hard work is always rewarded".
The journey of 1000 miles begins with a single step. If you never take a step towards your goal, you will never get there. Hope this motivates someone. Time is so short, Life is out there, go be a part of it.