What Foreigners Miss About Home

sina · 11 Dec 2005

Hi! I'm a Canadian freelance journalist writing a story for The Japan Times about "What Foreigners Miss About Home." If there's something in particular you miss that you can't find in Japan (food, products, clothes, etc), I'd love to hear about it. If you don't mind, please tell what country you come from, your name, and let me know if it's OK if I might quote you in my story. Thanks a lot! PS - deadline is Dec. 15

Mikawa Ossan · 11 Dec 2005

The only thing I ever miss is pretzels. You can find them if you look, but not the ones I like. Mostly you find the flavored ones, and they put on way too much flavoring!

I'm from America, and I never post my name on the internet.

ArmandV · 11 Dec 2005

What I missed was more readily available American candies. I found peanut M & Ms at my hotel in Tokyo and Snickers at a 7-11 in Kyoto. Also, free coffee refills.

Mike Cash · 11 Dec 2005

Catfish and Mrs. Sullivan's pecan pies

Other than that, nothing, really.

I'm one of those fortunate few who can honestly say he has never been homesick a day in his life.

I'm from Tennessee, and my name is easily deduced from my user name.

mad pierrot · 11 Dec 2005

Great idea....

Besides the obvious, (food) I really miss the way classes are conducted in the United States. Ever attended a college course in Japan? No discussion whatsoever. Just one lecturer droning on and on while half the class sleeps and the other half plays on their cellphones. The atmosphere is so, so.... LACKING. At least in the states there is active debate, and students aren't afraid to stand up for their opinion.

mr.sumo.snr · 11 Dec 2005

In no particular order of preference (I must say that the lack of which have never made me ever really wonder what I'm doing here...but anyway):

Wide open spaces, sidewalks, road junctions that make sense, railway bridges, urban planning, urban landscaping, a police presence that immediately commands respect, speed cameras, shops that open at 8.00 AM, rural pubs, real ale, live theater and opera, family doctors, free banking, 'streaming' in schools, size 12 shoes, and Welsh rugby!

--

Mike Cash · 11 Dec 2005

Japanese urban planning is all the work of one individual, Nariyuki Makase.

Grandpa Frank · 11 Dec 2005

Food was always my empty spot.

Being from New England, a good Italian sandwich and plate of spaghetti & meat sauce. Also a good fish chowder.

Frank

DoctorP · 11 Dec 2005

There are plenty of wide open spaces in Japan if you get out of the city

Carlson · 11 Dec 2005

not the same thow.. i could drive 200 miles in a straight line at times.. cant do that in japan... lol

UFSI · 12 Dec 2005

Carlson said:
not the same thow.. i could drive 200 miles in a straight line at times.. cant do that in japan... lol

You could buy a cheap fishing boat and head out to sea?

Carlson · 12 Dec 2005

lol but then id never get back..

made me laugh though...

DoctorP · 12 Dec 2005

Drive out to the mountains...it may not be a straight line, but you may forget you are in Japan!

advigilo · 12 Dec 2005

im not i japan or never have been.
but when i go abroad for a long time i alway mis 'drop'

im such a sweet tooth sometime

advigilo · 12 Dec 2005

this would be it

advigilo · 12 Dec 2005

well not all the kinds of drop the have but some....

Bramicus · 13 Dec 2005

Turkey!

Any breakfast meat that isn't pork.

Katrean Shard · 13 Dec 2005

It is kind of funny and interesting that the things people miss the most are food! ^^ I haven't been to Japan, so I don't know what I miss about home. When I go away for a time, I miss my friends and family a lot.

Pachipro · 14 Dec 2005

mikecash said:
I'm one of those fortunate few who can honestly say he has never been homesick a day in his life.

I have to agree with Mike as when I lived there I was never homesick and never missed any food as most was available somewhere in Japan if you looked hard enough for it. Call me weird, but I am more homesick for Japan since I left than I ever was about the US while living there. Each year I count down the moons and days till I will visit again!

ArmandV · 14 Dec 2005

Pachipro said:
I have to agree with Mike as when I lived there I was never homesick and never missed any food as most was available somewhere in Japan if you looked hard enough for it. Call me weird, but I am more homesick for Japan since I left than I ever was about the US while living there. Each year I count down the moons and days till I will visit again!

This is pretty much my attitude. I never missed the U.S. while in Japan, just maybe a minor convenience or two. But I was never homesick. I am looking forward to a return visit next Spring.

MeAndroo · 14 Dec 2005

Well, the much of what I missed was restricted due to my status as an exchange student, but I really missed driving. Getting in a car and going where you want, when you want is a great privelege and it's one I'll never take for granted again. We weren't even allowed to get scooters/motorcycles, which sort of put the kibash on one of my goals: a road trip from Hokkaido to Kyushu.

I also missed decent horrible-for-you mexican food. Growing up in LA, I had access to it pretty much anytime, and to go just 6 months without carne asada was kind of weird. The only decent taco I found was in Okinawa...there were attempts at places like Odaiba, but they certainly weren't up to par.

sina · 14 Dec 2005

country please!

Thanks so much to everyone who has contributed their ideas! I understand if you don't want to tell me your name, but for those of you who haven't, could you please tell me what country you come from? Thanks again!

Pachipro · 15 Dec 2005

ArmandV said:
... just maybe a minor convenience or two.

Upon second thought I have to say about the only thing I really missed was authentic New York City Italian Pizza!

MeAndroo said:
but I really missed driving. Getting in a car and going where you want, when you want is a great privelege and it's one I'll never take for granted again.

Ah yes, driving. I have to include that. One of my passions. Even though I owned a car in Japan I really missed the wide open spaces of the west and mid-west of the US. To be able to drive for hours on end, never stopping except for gas, with nary another car or city in sight was a delight.

Whilst in Japan I drove everywhere. My wife and I would take a week off every few months or so, get in the car and just drive around Japan with no particular destination. From Kyushyuu to Hokkaido we drove. We thought we drove a long distance, but after four years of driving, what I thought was alot of miles in Japan, and covering the entire country from Honshu to Kyushu to Shikoku and Hokkaido, we only put 37,000 km on the car (about 20,200 miles!). Very expensive also when you take tolls and gas into account. We mostly stayed in "Love Motels" as they were quite cheap. And Fun too! Here in the US I drive a minimum of 20,000 miles (33,000+km) in one year! And that is just going back and forth to work! Still, I love to drive and I now do it for a living.

Kinsao · 15 Dec 2005

Pachipro said:
authentic New York City Italian Pizza!

Has a kind of oxymoronic sound to it...........

Mike Cash · 15 Dec 2005

Kinsao said:
Has a kind of oxymoronic sound to it...........

Like "British cuisine".......

(I couldn't help myself!)

What Foreigners Miss About Home

Sina

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Eight Times To Japan

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I jump to conclusions

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