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Oh no, no, I decided long ago I would never seek any permanent residence in Japan. I don't even really like the society here in America; you think I could live in Japan without going insane?
edited 5th Aug '16 8:19:32 PM by PhysicalStamina
It's one thing to make a spectacle. It's another to make a difference.
Fuck you, Fascist sympathizers
As a foreigner you'd never be *expected* to adhere to all of the politeness standards. Not unless you were a senior diplomat or dealing with other very important people like CE Os or something. That's the beauty of the subtler side of Japanese xenophobia, foreigners generally aren't accosted but expectations of them are very low to the point where you could skate by being more of a dick than you could be in the US.
I wouldn't say low expectations, rather different expectations. Knowing the basic etiquette aside, they don't really want you to attempt it too much. Also the expectation changes depending where you come from. Since not that many people necessarily study abroad, a certain level of stereotyping exists.
edited 6th Aug '16 12:04:38 AM by TerminusEst
Si Vis Pacem, Para Perkele
It sounds like a foreigner who understood the fine nuances of Japanese etiquette would freak them out more than it would please them.
The first impressions counted more than continued behaviour. There is a definite double standard in play though. The most common is naming conventions. They often call westerners with their first names and find it relatively normal for westerners to do so to them (with the -san or -sensei attached), obviously on invitation. Heaven forbid a Japanese student did that though.
Si Vis Pacem, Para Perkele
Knowing human psychology, I wouldn't be surprised if the Japanese were using foreigners to indulge in a little "forbidden informality"
I think I might've heard something about that once.
It's one thing to make a spectacle. It's another to make a difference.
It appeared that one particular stereotypes that I encounter about Japan is that their music is flooded with (female) idol singers. But upon closer inspection, this is highly inaccurate. I've seen non-idol female groups (FLOWER), boy groups (Arashi & NEWS) and even individual singers (Sakura Fujiwara) placing high, if not topping sales chart or hit rankings. I wondered why....
It's pretty hard for one style of any particular thing to completely dominate that thing, especially something as variable and subjective as music.
Causing freakouts over sourcing since 2018
Nobody ever said that idol singers have to be part of a group or women...
I have disagreed with her a lot, but comparing her to republicans and propagandists of dictatorships is really low. - An idiot
You beat me to that one. But yeah, idols can be solo acts as well as groups.
The Japanese read A LOT. In fact, paper is a much more profitable trade there than in America. They also hae 4 ot 5 times the amount of bookstores we do. It's one of the reasons why Bungo Stray Dogs is targeted at the younger generation when the main characters are based on Japanese novelists.
My Hair Provides Affordable Healthcare
Are Japanese bookstores unconsciously expected to have coffee shops or cafes attached to them? Do they also provide public Wi-Fi?
I can testify that not all places offer free wi-fi. For instance, I've been to hotspots where it's linked to mobile phone companies like Softmap. You need to get an account with them.
If you have a Japan tourist app, then you can get free wi-fi.
OK, I have to ask something for troper in japan(and maybe viceversa) what kind of culture shock have you experience, or maybe just those moment when you are take back and said "wait, really?" Im curious
"My Name is Bolt, Bolt Crank and I dont care if you believe or not"
Hey guys, I was hoping you could help me identify a song. I'm fairly sure the song in question is a modern version of a traditional Japanese festival song. Or it could be something from the 90's. Apparently a lot of the ending songs from the anime this came from were popular then and chosen to invoke a sense of nostalgia.
Anyway, I'd really like to know what the origin of this song is, and if there's anything else I can listen to that has the same style. I asked over in one of the anime threads a while ago, but nobody had an answer.
Sounds somewhat similar in rhythm and tune like this, which apparently is a song from some festivals. At least I've seen the lyrics quite often.
edited 8th Aug '16 11:29:36 PM by TerminusEst
Si Vis Pacem, Para Perkele
Just flowing with it.
Blanked
Edited by FlowingCotton on Oct 11th 2020 at 1:37:37 AM
Oh boy, this is going to get ugly. I have a feeling that anime artists are going to have to get out their pitchforks again.
edited 9th Aug '16 1:30:57 AM by Memers
Crown Prince not shy about criticizing Imperial system
The 56-year-old has leveled subtle yet unprecedented criticism at the monarchy, blaming the rigid lifestyle imposed on royals for a decade of stress-related illness suffered by his wife, who was once a high-flying diplomat.
And, like his popular father, Emperor Akihito, the heir apparent has warned that Japan must not downplay its early 20th-century militarism and actions in World War II — remarks seen as a rebuke to the nationalist stance of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
The comments are unusual as Imperial family members are not supposed to wade into political matters under the Constitution imposed by occupying U.S. forces, which stripped the Emperor’s father, Emperor Hirohito, posthumously known as Emperor Showa, of his divine status.
As the eldest of two brothers, the Crown Prince will succeed his father on his death or if the 82-year-old monarch were to step down — a prospect he hinted at during his historic address to the nation Monday.
The Crown Prince briefly took over official duties in 2012 while his father recuperated from heart bypass surgery, and the Crown Prince has said the Emperor should cut back on his duties because of his age.
Born on Feb. 23, 1960, he is the first crown prince to grow up with his parents and siblings under the same roof — it had been the custom for Imperial children to be raised by nannies and officials in charge of education.
The Crown Prince studied at the University of Oxford for two years in the 1980s after graduating from Gakushuin University with a history degree.
A poster of American actress Brooke Shields was hung on the wall of his residence at Oxford, where he met with Britain’s royals.
The Crown Prince married Masako Owada, the daughter of a diplomatic family, in 1993, promising he would “protect her at any cost” as she entered the unfamiliar world of the Imperial family.
The royals lead a cloistered life inside their palace, encircled by stone walls and a large moat, and public appearances are highly choreographed.
In 2004, Imperial officials disclosed that the Crown Princess had been undergoing treatment for a stress-induced adjustment disorder for almost her entire marriage.
In response, the Crown Prince accused palace minders of stifling his wife’s personality in unprecedented public remarks. He later apologized but has called for “new royal duties” to fit the 21st century.
The Crown Prince is active in water conservation efforts, presiding over a global meeting on the issue in 2003, but his wife’s struggles have consumed the couple — and leave open questions about what sort of emperor the Crown Prince might be.
“I think we’re going to have to wait and see here,” said Kenneth Ruoff, author of “The People’s Emperor” and director of Japanese studies at Portland State University.
“He has adopted some causes, including clean water,” Ruoff said. “But needless to say the whole crafting of the symbolic agenda (of the Crown Prince and Crown Princess) has been circumscribed by her illness. So it’s not as clearly set.”
His mother, Empress Michiko — who was the first commoner to marry into Japan’s monarchy — also suffered from stress-related problems.
Citing a Japanese folk tale, the Empress said she wished she had a straw cloak to become invisible so she could go to Tokyo’s used-book shops and “once again take my time browsing,” in an unusually candid remark.
The Crown Princess, who gave up her career to marry the prince, gave birth to their first and only child, a girl, in 2001.
The couple faced intense pressure to bear a son, in keeping with the male-only royal succession, and there was talk of revising the law that excludes women from the crown.
But a political crisis was averted when a boy was born to the family of the Crown Prince’s younger brother, Prince Akishino and his wife, Princess Kiko.
Fuck you, Fascist sympathizers
The new Tokyo governor is also part of the "Textbook Revision Society" or something like that, part of the group that thinks textbooks should ignore most of what happened between 1937 and 1945.
Sounds like the whole Royal Family could use a stock Prince and the Pauper plot. Find some commoner body doubles and leave them to fool the Household Agency while they go gallivanting about.
edited 9th Aug '16 5:39:04 AM by Ogodei
Yep, Yuriko Koike is a Nippon Kaigi member and high-ranking at that.
edited 9th Aug '16 5:40:08 AM by TerminusEst
Si Vis Pacem, Para Perkele
Text of Emperor Akihito’s unprecedented video message in its official English version. Along with the video.
@ Terminus: Thanks! You know, after finding a longer version of that song, I think it might actually be the same melody underneath it all. I'm still not sure though.
Yes, Japan has very strict politeness standards. But as far as they're concerned, you are never going to get them right, so they make no attempt to hold you to them. Just make a reasonable effort to be polite, and they'll think your attempts are cute. It might get annoying eventually if you decide to live there, but for a normal vacation you will feel very welcome.