Hello everyone!

窶堋ｱ窶堙俄?堋ｿ窶堙ｭﾂ！ (Hello!)

I have been interested in Japan for a very long time. Ever since I was a child, I always had the curiosity of how Japanese lived and what the history behind it was. My dream for a long time has been to visit the country and maybe even live there someday (although right now that's not a high priority, but something I may consider down the road) because there is so much mystery about Japan I want to know about and it has captivated me to this date. A big reason for me having such fondness of the country is because many of my favorite memories as a child came from Japanese products; especially video games and anime. Countless memories just from Nintendo alone, although I am very concern about the status of today's game industry.

I've decided that it was about time that I really get into depth about Japan and learn the inside-out of the country. I have some surface knowledge, but I want to know so much about this country, especially if I were to find myself living in here. However, I am not sure where to start in regards to learning about the history of Japan and its culture. So with that said, what are some recommendations you may have for books about Japan (iBook is fine)? I'd like to start with knowing about the history of the country to get a general idea of what the country is as well as learn about the other aspects of Japan.

I also am looking for recommendations in regards to learning 窶愿ｺ窶怒ﾅ津ｪ (Japanese). I plan on watching animes/reading mangas/playing Japanese video games with their native language to get the best experience and of course I want to be able to associate with the Japanese if and when I do visit Japan. I already have Tae Kim's guide and am currently working through the 窶堙絶?堙ｧ窶堋ｪ窶堙 (hiragana) alphabet (so I've just started), but I'd like to keep in mind some other suggestions as well once I get further into learning Japanese. It doesn't have to be free, but I'd prefer not to have resources that cost me a ton of money if it won't help me in the long run.

Thanks and I look forward to being on this forum!

Hi and welcome to the forum! Thanks for your exhaustive intro!

If you browse the forum, you'll find that many questions relating to Japanese history and in particular the Japanese language have already been asked and answered. In any case, please do not hesitate to start your own threads. Nice to have you on board!

Thanks, I'll make sure to try to browse the forum. I decided to ask in this thread mainly because I didn't want to make a ton of threads about just yet, but I could see where you're coming from. I'll see what I find and see where that leads me.

Edit: I'm trying to find books that covers the general Japanese history. There is a thread here, but it goes back to 2005. Right now, I'm trying to find out about more recent sources.

Welcome to JREF Star !

Also , don't forget to check out all the photos of Japan in our photo gallery at the top of the page. A lot of interesting ones!

Uncle Frank

Hello, Astaris.

I'm from Texas as well, and also a huge fan of Nintendo. I've just joined here, actually.

I think it may be worthwhile to spend time associating with Japanese people online, particularly those who don't mind dealing with foreign cultures. However, I would be cautious with regards to the idea of living in Japan. It's a very small country, and I'm not sure they care for immigrants.

Besides, these days especially, everything is designed to keep people where they are. It's hard to even leave your home state within the US these days. Colleges charge much higher rates if you haven't lived in the state long enough or met certain residency requirements.

If you become wealthy enough, I'm sure any kind of restrictions can be worked through. But if you find yourself struggling with money, don't be too surprised or frustrated if you find yourself stuck close to your family or friends where you've spent most of your life.

That said, I really hope I can leave Texas some day, though I don't look forward to having to start over with building up a social network when I do. I want to get away from the libertarian mentality, and the belief/expectation that every individual can be totally self-sufficient. Economics drive a lot of people here, but it's really not a good place to get stuck. I would much rather live somewhere on the East Coast. I wish it weren't so expensive to live among civilized people, you know what I mean?

Uncle Frank said:

Also , don't forget to check out all the photos of Japan in our photo gallery at the top of the page. A lot of interesting ones!

Uncle Frank

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Just checked out some of the pictures in the traditional Japanese art. Noticed that you did some of them and they look beautiful.

Jeremy Andrews said:

Hello, Astaris.

I'm from Texas as well, and also a huge fan of Nintendo. I've just joined here, actually.

I think it may be worthwhile to spend time associating with Japanese people online, particularly those who don't mind dealing with foreign cultures. However, I would be cautious with regards to the idea of living in Japan. It's a very small country, and I'm not sure they care for immigrants.

Besides, these days especially, everything is designed to keep people where they are. It's hard to even leave your home state within the US these days. Colleges charge much higher rates if you haven't lived in the state long enough or met certain residency requirements.

If you become wealthy enough, I'm sure any kind of restrictions can be worked through. But if you find yourself struggling with money, don't be too surprised or frustrated if you find yourself stuck close to your family or friends where you've spent most of your life.

That said, I really hope I can leave Texas some day, though I don't look forward to having to start over with building up a social network when I do. I want to get away from the libertarian mentality, and the belief/expectation that every individual can be totally self-sufficient. Economics drive a lot of people here, but it's really not a good place to get stuck. I would much rather live somewhere on the East Coast. I wish it weren't so expensive to live among civilized people, you know what I mean?

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Nice to see you. It looks as we joined this forum right around the same time.

I actually have been hoping to speak to someone who knows Japanese fluently; it's just that I'm not sure where I could go so that by talking to them in Japanese, I could help build my skills once I significantly improve my Japanese (which is right now, nearly non-existence).

There are a variety of reasons why I would want to live in Japan (and it is not because of video games/mangas/anime). The main reason is because I really love what the good side of Japan has to offer; great traditional music, an unique culture, new environment, etc. Sadly, however, I am also aware of the many barriers towards getting in the country and the issues that goes on with foreigners should they choose to move to Japan. Knowing myself, if I were ever to live in Japan, it wouldn't right after college; I just wouldn't be able to afford such a move.

But I would much rather face the challenge of being a foreigner while being on my own than be forced to live with someone else. Right now, I'm nearing twenty years, yet I still can't drive and am on Social Security (my grandparents put me on it due to my autism so I could make it through college, although I do have a job). I hate being on Social Security; it makes me feel dependent and every time I'm reminded of it makes me want to cringe on the inside. Plus I feel like I am being controlled and I hate being restricted. It is why I am hoping I can get a degree in a subject that pays well so that I can get myself off of Social Security. Sadly, international aid and careers relating to Japanese history aren't option considering that neither pays well.

Which really sucks because ideally, I would have gone for one of these. Sadly, in the real world, there must be a balance between something interesting and something that pays a respectable amount of money, which is why there are very few people with their dream jobs in this world. Programming is the only thing that interest me at this moment that doesn't have subpar pay, which is why I've been struggling to get a degree in a math-heavy subject (and I may lose a lot of drive for that if video games goes down the gutters this generation).

I just hope that at the very least, whatever degree I end up with will ultimately result in me being able to move out of Texas. I just have no interest in staying in this state anymore and feel there are better things waiting for me out there if I expand my wings rather than keep myself sheltered from the world. This is why I am getting really into Japanese; because I want to expand my knowledge and have a greater understanding of the country and the world in general.

astarisborn94 said:

Nice to see you. It looks as we joined this forum right around the same time.
I actually have been hoping to speak to someone who knows Japanese fluently; it's just that I'm not sure where I could go so that by talking to them in Japanese, I could help build my skills once I significantly improve my Japanese (which is right now, nearly non-existence).

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There aren't a whole lot of people who speak it across the world. I think your best bet would be to find a Japanese person online who wants to work on their English, and chat with them over Skype on a regular basis. They might be willing to give you Japanese lessons in return. I had a friend who used Skype in Japan a year or two ago, so I know for sure that they can use it over there.

But I would much rather face the challenge of being a foreigner while being on my own than be forced to live with someone else. Right now, I'm nearing twenty years, yet I still can't drive and am on Social Security (my grandparents put me on it due to my autism so I could make it through college, although I do have a job). I hate being on Social Security; it makes me feel dependent and every time I'm reminded of it makes me want to cringe on the inside. Plus I feel like I am being controlled and I hate being restricted. It is why I am hoping I can get a degree in a subject that pays well so that I can get myself off of Social Security. Sadly, international aid and careers relating to Japanese history aren't option considering that neither pays well.

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I'd say take things one step at a time. First, focus on finding a way to live on your own. That's one heck of a challenge by itself. I'm 25, and I've never been in a situation where I could afford to live on my own. I know how that must make you feel, and I know some people probably look down on you for it.

What a lot of people don't realize yet is that we don't live in the same world our parents grew up in. Having roommates, carpooling, relying on public transit, and/or living with extended family is where things are headed, and that's going to be a hard pill to swallow for generations of people who were raised seeing independence in such matters as a right of passage into adulthood. I'm not saying you'll be dependent the rest of your life, but interdependence may be something we all have to get used to.

Which really sucks because ideally, I would have gone for one of these. Sadly, in the real world, there must be a balance between something interesting and something that pays a respectable amount of money, which is why there are very few people with their dream jobs in this world. Programming is the only thing that interest me at this moment that doesn't have subpar pay, which is why I've been struggling to get a degree in a math-heavy subject (and I may lose a lot of drive for that if video games goes down the gutters this generation).

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Programming is a very interesting subject. Don't give up if the majority of games take a bad turn this generation. You could very well be the one who writes a revolutionary game that revitalizes things. And that's if you have to go into game programming. I have a feeling that if you take the time to learn programming, you'll start to like it enough to do other things with it.

I'm aiming for a Computer Science degree myself. I've struggled with Math before, but I'm determined to get everything right this time. Maybe we could help each other out with studying from time to time?

I just hope that at the very least, whatever degree I end up with will ultimately result in me being able to move out of Texas. I just have no interest in staying in this state anymore and feel there are better things waiting for me out there if I expand my wings rather than keep myself sheltered from the world. This is why I am getting really into Japanese; because I want to expand my knowledge and have a greater understanding of the country and the world in general.

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That is my goal as well, getting out of Texas. I definitely want to see more of what the world has to offer than what I've seen here.

I think expanding your knowledge of the world is a great idea, a lot of other Americans I know are clueless about other countries as well as their own. But I think it might also be worthwhile to learn about several countries and cultures, and to travel around the US seeing how life is in several different states before you decide on anything permanent. It's good to be aware of all the options that are out there, and not to put all your eggs in one basket. You know what I mean?

In any case, I wish you good luck, and hope everything works out the way you'd like.