Bittersweet Candy Bowl Forums

Intro

A lot of people like Japanese culture, especially anime and manga. Some of you out there may eventually want to take the plunge and travel to or live in this country. A lot of information exists out there to help you with that process, but I think it's important to also hear firsthand accounts of life in this country.

Hopefully this thread can help you with ANY questions you may have.

About Me

I'm Tom. I'm an American who's been living in Japan since 2006. I teach English and live in Nagoya, Aichi prefecture, which is pretty much smack dab in the middle of the main island of Japan. Nagoya is the third-largest city in Japan with a population of about 2.2 million people. I've been to many places in this country as well, ranging from Tokyo to the east and Hiroshima to the west.

Why Come to Japan?(AKA the 'basic' questions)

I get asked this question almost every day by my students, and, although the answer seems to shift somewhat over time, I keep finding myself coming back to this fundamental theme that runs across the years:

Exposure to cultures outside your own is one of the most enriching experiences you can ever have.

You will learn, you will grow and you will understand a whole lot more about yourself and how you fit in the world.

But, apart from that, let me get some of the basic questions out of the way:

1) Holy cow, how can I live in Japan?!

-Well, if you don't have Japanese relatives, the quickest and easiest way to live here is to get a Visa and start teaching English. The whole process is a bit time consuming, but no more difficult than your average job application. You'll need to have finished college with a 4-year degree (any major), get accepted to an English school in Japan (usually an 'Eikaiwa,' or conversation school), and pass a health check. The entire process takes a couple months.

2) Where do you work? How much money do you make?

-I can't divulge the exact place I work, but it is one of the aforementioned Eikaiwas. If you work for one of these companies, you will be a salaried employee who makes approximately 250,000 yen a month (About $3000 dollars based on current exchange rates). Not bad at all, but stuff here tends to be pretty expensive.

3) How much do things cost?

I'll just list some items here:

• Rent- Anywhere from 40,000 to 80,000 yen or more , the size of which averages 25 sq meters (VERY small)
  
• Utilities- About 8000 yen on average a month (Includes Water, Gas, Electricity)
  
• Other bills- 6 to 10,000 yen (Cell phone, Internet, etc)
  
• Eating out- Average lunch is about 800 yen, Dinner runs between 1000 to 2000 yen.
  
• Groceries- 5000 or so a week. Fruit is particularly expensive, with a single apple costing 120 yen or so.
  
• Entertainment/Clubbing- A night on the town runs about 6000 to 10,000 yen and includes drinking, club fees, etc. You can definitely cut this down, but this is the range for a pretty awesome night out.
  
• Movie Ticket- 1800(!) yen... 1200 for late show.
  
• Parking- Don't bother. Cars are a ripoff here. But if you HAVE to, expect 10,000 to 20,000 or more a month.
  
• Hair Cut- 1000 yen for a basic trim, up to 10,000 or more for a stylist. Average is around 5,000.
  
• Private Japanese Lessons- 2500 yen an hour or 90 minutes is standard. They will come to your house at this price. 2000 yen if you want to meet up at a cafe or something. Cheaper prices are possible, but you take a real hit in quality there.

As you can see, if you're not careful, things add up quickly. How much you save depends on willpower in a lot of cases, but I easily manage 40,000 yen a month.

4) I saw this one Japanese show on TV and they were all wearing crazy costumes and screaming at the camera! What the heck is that?!

-Welcome to バラエティ TV (Variety television)! It dominates the television world in this country and topics range from quiz shows, to cooking shows, to humiliation game shows, to special interest topics to watching random celebrities walking into stores and shopping! Dominated by タレント (TV 'Talents') whose sole purposes are to... actually I have no idea. They just do things and people laugh along or nod their heads.

Sometimes, if you're lucky, you can find an out-of-place international celebrity on one of these shows (or a commercial). Here's a clip from 'Waratte Iitomo,' arguably the most famous show in Japan. Oh, Avril Lavigne... it's ok. Just do your best!

5) Are Japanese women easy?

Keep the testosterone in check, amigo. There's this stereotype that Asian women are 'loose' compared to Western women, but honestly, women here are the same as anywhere else. Treat them with respect and I'm sure you'll one day find the love of your life here, there or anywhere else in the world.

I believe this stereotype exists solely because Japan is not a Christian nation and, therefore, does not follow Christian norms on sexuality. But that doesn't make things easier if you're a weirdo.

6) Man, Japan is AWESOME! Why would you ever want to leave? (AKA: Let's take off the rose-tinted sunglasses for a moment)

• Women's rights (for Japanese citizens) are at least 20 years behind most of the world, if not more.
  
• No matter how hard you try, you can never be a 'true' Japanese citizen.
  
• Racism.
  
• The news media is inept and unable to properly inform the public (see Tsunami nuclear reactor crisis)
  
• Government / Business is hopelessly corrupt.

There's more, but that's just a taste.

7) Damn man. Why WOULD you stay in Japan?

• Freedom to do what I want and be left alone.
  
• A good job with good pay and benefits.
  
• Experiencing a new culture and learning so much about the world.
  
• Anime and Manga!
  
• The bustle of city life and the thrill of always finding something new.
  
• The food. GOD THE FOOD IS SO GOOD.
  
• People are extremely polite and customer service is incredible.
  
• It's incredibly safe here. I fear nothing walking home at 3 or 4 am.

Again, just a taste of the good.

With that, I'll leave things open to the general public. I look forward to answering your questions!

This post has been edited by TomTomBBQ: 17 September 2012 - 04:55 PM

Woah, that is interesting!
Since this i sthe purpose of the thread, I'll just shoot the first question! If I'm asking things that are too personal just let me know and ignore the question!
Did you manage to make good friends over there? How are your relationships with students and colleagues?


also

This post has been edited by Cavara: 17 September 2012 - 09:14 PM

What do you recommend we familiarize ourselves with prior to visiting Japan?(culture, language, etiquette wise) What Western habits should we be conscientious about while over there?

I will be flying into Osaka in December with my friend and his newly wedded native Japanese wife. They will be my direction for the most part, but anything to supplement my preparations before heading over there would be much appreciated.

So, cars are a ripoff huh. I guess I have actually no reason to visit.


And yeah, business is absolutely corrupt. Look up trade tariffs.

Being a Westerner, do you think you'll be drafted into the inevitable war with China?

Japan is definitely somewhere id like to visit, but based on these descriptions, im perfectly comfortable living in 'murica

I'll be that guy to ask the question on everyone's mind but they are too scared to ask; have you bought underwear from a vending machine yet?

How many of your acquaintances killed themselves?

Quote

Usually, the first friends you make are going to be coworkers, other foreign people from English-speaking countries like the USA, Canada, Australia, England, etc. It wasn't difficult to make new friends, as there was a real sense of camaraderie among us in sharing the whole experience of first being here. I've got a lot of friends here, but many come and go after a year. Thank God for Facebook.

Making Japanese acquaintances is very easy, but to break that ice and become a true friend does take some effort.

My relationship with students is friendly and professional. I am, after all, trying to educate them. I've made several friendships with my students, but, even outside of work, I am expected to represent my company and country in my behavior (this is a very common thread in Japanese society... your actions represent the 'group' you belong to), so I don't open up unless I really know them.

Kids are great, though. Some of them treat me like I'm their uncle/dad and that's a lot of fun.

Quote

Basic greeting would be a great way to show that you're putting your best foot forward and trying to fit in. Basic stuff like 'Konnichiwa' 'Ohayo Gozaimas' 'O Genki desuka?' 'Yoroshiku Onegaishimas' 'Arigato Gozaimas' and 'Sumimasen' are good words/phrases to start with.

Whole books have been written about Japanese etiquette. The society is completely built on what is proper social behavior and has been for more than a thousand years. Japanese don't expect you to know much, if any of them (convenient for us), but it's always a good idea to know/follow some of the big ones.

These include:

• Never pass food from chopstick to chopstick! (A big one, it represents the passing of bones at a funeral)
  
• ALWAYS take your shoes off when entering homes / tatami rooms, etc.
  
• Accept gifts with both hands and look at said gift a good moment before placing it down. Usually, you don't have to open it in front of them but they may ask for you to.
  
• Have small 'trinkets' from your home country to share with Japanese people. (This is a great way to leave a good impression)
  
• NEVER say 'Kissama' (you hear this a lot in Anime. In general, don't use anime speak because it tends to be quite rude)
  
• Don't tip at restaurants, unless they ask for it (they don't usually).
  
• Pour drinks for other people if you can and don't pour your own. (This is sometimes not followed too closely, but it's good form)
  
• Eye contact is much less than in Western countries. Also, touching is iffy in a lot of cases, but a friendly pat on the shoulder can work depending on who it is. Japanese people are not very touchy touchy.

Osaka is well-known as being far more open than the rest of Japan, so you'll probably be given a lot of leeway in making mistakes. In general, foreigners are given a lot of leeway anyway. ('They are unable to understand our culture,' a good example of 'positive' yet still racism, racism)

A good point: I used to call Japan 'reverse America' for the many things they did that were basically the opposite of what I'd do at home!

Quote

Quote

Don't let those thing discourage you from visiting. It's a real blast to check out the country and it leaves a lot of people with great memories. It's only when you scratch the surface that these things settle in, and that takes years.

Quote

Nope! I'm heading to my consulate and getting a helicopter ride out of here if that should ever happen. I'm not worried about war, though, because globalization basically kills the idea of open war, in my mind, between first world countries.

Quote

No way! Those machines were a novelty quite some time ago and you can't see them anywhere anymore, but I could be wrong. Maybe some corner of Akihabara has one. A lot of these nutty machines were phased out a long time ago to put a 'good face' on for visitors and to also prevent kids from buying this stuff.

Quote

One. Jumped off a building.

This post has been edited by TomTomBBQ: 18 September 2012 - 01:41 AM

what questions do your students typically have, if any, about American culture?

also, have you been to any concerts while there?

oh, and about the stereotype of Japanese women being "loose", that's a stereotype that started around WWII. it came from the practice of "comfort women" being used by soldiers. these women would be from many different parts of East/Southeast Asia, but would commonly be either Filipino or Japanese. the stereotype just stuck to Japanese women because Japan was one of the "enemies" and anti-Japanese sentiments still held for a looooong time.

To your question the other day sadley I have not ben to japan . I would like to see the country side but I dont think I could live ther to many pepole for my taste. Im really into the past of japan and its history mostley the wars and samurai.

This post has been edited by bluefox: 18 September 2012 - 03:04 AM

Quote

I get a lot of 'Why did you come to Japan?' This is usually because low-level students only have a few sentences they know how to say. American-specific questions fall all over the place, though.

I get questions like:

• What is your favorite American food?
  
• What is your favorite American drama/TV show?
  
• Do you like *Insert random celebrity here*?
  
• What American movies do you like?
  
• Is American food big? How much does it cost?
  
• Do Americans own guns?
  
• Is America safe?
  
• Do you like American women or Japanese women more?
  
• What is a good city to visit? (I get tons a questions asking about New York or Detroit or Los Angeles)

I'll occasionally get a really oddball questions or statements, but I brush those off because they generally come from harmless ignorance/curiosity.

• Have you seen any cowboys?
  
• Have you met a black person? Do you have black friends?

Japan is practically 99% Japanese people. Minorities are almost non-existent, so perspectives tend to be very skewed and pop culture has a massive influence on general opinions Japanese have on foreign cultures. This is particularly noticeable the farther away you get from major cities. I've had children chase after me with cameras to take pictures of me because they hardly ever see a foreigner.

I've been to a few concerts. I've seen the Pillows, Bz's, Asian Kung Fu Generation, the Killers and Vampire Weekend here.

Quote

You should really check out Kyoto and Nara then. You'll see loads of traditional Japanese temples and shrines, as well as the occasional Geisha. For a true taste of traditional Japan, taking a temple walk in the mountains or going to smaller villages is a real eye-opener.

And there are so many castles to choose from. I love Matsumoto castle in Nagano.

No, there aren't samurai anymore, unfortunately.

This post has been edited by TomTomBBQ: 18 September 2012 - 04:36 AM

TomTomBBQ, on 18 September 2012 - 04:34 AM, said:

How mythical.

How 'bout that car culture?

See any modified cars? People driving erratically while street racing? Are there any American cars?

What are the prices for a couple of cars, if you don't mind me asking you to find out.
( I am not sure what they call them there, sometimes they use a different name here in the US)
Toyota Corolla
Nissan 370Z
Subaru Impreza
Nissan GT-R

~~
EDIT:
Somehow this is relevant...
http://imgur.com/gallery/zKzzE

Which begs, how are their toilet units?

This post has been edited by DLancer: 18 September 2012 - 10:02 AM

Quote

I wish I could help you, but I don't own a car and don't know much about Japanese cars. What I do know is that cars in Japan are usually different models from those sold in the USA. This has to do with different environmental standards as well as customer demand. Space in Japan is at a premium, so the average citizen prefers smaller cars to bigger ones. SUVs are quite rare.

I have seen cars that are called 'Itasha' (rough translation: 'Painful cars'), which are the dream creations of Otaku who want to show off their undying anime loyalty. Personally, I love to see them because I can respect a man or woman who's willing to lay his cards down like that without shame.

I'll very rarely see a drag race between two cars, but that crazy 'Initial D' style of racing is usually done on nearly-empty mountain/country roads. I've never seen one myself. I know illegal street racing exists, though.

Most cars here are Japanese models, obviously. Toyota holds a massive edge over the other models, since their headquarters are literally 20 miles away from where I live.

Of the international cars I see, they tend to be luxury cars like BMWs or Mercedes. I have seen a couple mustangs, one corvette and a random Ford Taurus on the streets, though.

Quote

Here's all you need to know. They're either holes in the ground ('Squatters'), normal style like you see most other places or the ultra deluxe toilets of kings.

This post has been edited by TomTomBBQ: 18 September 2012 - 02:03 PM

Have you ever seen Madoka Magica? How much of a cultural sensation is it in Japan?

Quote

Yes I have. I absolutely loved how it deconstructed the magical girl genre. The art style during battles is also really cool.

When it came out, it was a massive hit here in Japan among anime fans. You know a series has made it when you can buy little figurines of the characters in convenience stores.

But the anime market is always shifting and changing. Successful series here kind of retire from the spotlight after a year or two to enjoy a steady veteran status of being well-known and available to the general public.

It was like that for Haruhi. It's been like that for Evangelion since forever and K-ON! still has whole marketing campaigns around it in the convenience stores. It's all cyclical.

This post has been edited by TomTomBBQ: 18 September 2012 - 02:13 PM

if you have any, what are some of your favorite exclusive menu items from Japanese McDonald's?

Quote

Are the Teriyaki McBurgers unique to Japan these days? Those are great.

McDonald's has a lot of experimentation going on down here. There's this yearly series that's themed on either American or International locations that they run during the summer months. There's usually 4 or 5 burgers during July/August that make the rounds.

I only stop by McDonalds once or twice a month down here, so I didn't get to try a lot of the unique burgers. But one of them was this absolutely delicious thing called the Golden Chicken Masala.

Imagine a chicken Filet dipped in sweet curry dressing. It was SO GOOD.

I'll be sure to take a look at it if I can make it. Hideyoshi is one of my favorit samurai. And I dont no about other pepole but when I think about MODERN day Japan theres onley two things that come to mind technology and sex. By loking around what whould one feel if they never ben to Japan before. How did you react?

Quote

Everyone has a different first day in Japan story. I'll share mine.

My memories of the first day I landed in Japan are still crystal clear almost 7 years later.

On the airplane, English is still spoken and you're sitting in this little bubble, knowing you're traveling somewhere but not really sensing where you're going to end up.

The second, and I mean the SECOND, I got out of the baggage claim area, it was like I was on another planet. Nobody spoke English, all the signs were written in 'moon language' and there were people EVERYWHERE.

Where I'm from, public transportation is pretty rare, so I was stumbling around the airport, looking for how to get into the city from the airport, and I managed to find someone who helped me buy a ticket to Kanayama station from Chubu Centrair International Airport.

I lug my bags onto the train and sit down, mind you, in a complete daze from jet lag and whatnot and the first thing I notice is the sheer amount of advertisements on the train: flyers all over the place, little TVs playing commercials and jingles with cute dancing anime characters, the works.

Absolute sensory overload.

If I hadn't gone with a friend, I don't know how I could've handled it.

So, there's a 30-minute train ride where every other sentence between me and my friend are: "I can't believe we're in fucking Japan." or "Dude, we're in fucking Japan." or "Dude. JAPAN." Mind you, this is as much the 'we're realllly far from home and I'm kinda scared' feeling as the 'this is totally awesome' feeling.

Then we get off the train. We spend 5 minutes finding our way out of the station and we walk out into the city streets. It's 9:30 PM and drizzling cold rain in late March.

We stand around for 10 minutes and a white van stops next to us and a British dude comes out, shakes our hands and drives us to our new home. I don't remember anything about that conversation other than him telling us we're going to do all our bank stuff and phone purchases the next day.

I'm looking out the window: I can't read anything, the street signs are all different, and we're driving 5 kilometers to the suburbs.

We get to our house, which is this old 1980s two-story building. There's no central heating, so we have to bum a kerosene heater off our next door neighbor. We each have futons but no covers, so I'm sleeping on the floor with my jacket as a blanket and a single pillow.

It had to be one of the most miserable nights of my life. I woke up the next day with a vicious hip-pointer.

That was day one. But it got better, a lot better.

Give me a day to collect some pictures and I'll post a little story or something. I think that's the best way for you all to get a feel for the experience.

This post has been edited by TomTomBBQ: 19 September 2012 - 02:19 PM

I'm seriously considering going to Japan with either the WWOOF or the SWAP programs in March. I know through my dad's colleague someone who did both and I'm going to talk to them soon. I'm curious though, do you know of jobs or the like that an English speaker could do besides teaching?

Also how many earthquakes have you felt since being there?

This post has been edited by MiwAuturu: 19 September 2012 - 06:05 PM

Bummer. But im glad its going better for you. Do you stand out in the croud as in your height?

This post has been edited by bluefox: 19 September 2012 - 11:01 PM

Quote

I have a friend who did WWOOF in Japan. He said it was a blast, but a lot of hard work. It is what it sounds like: you're working on a farm in the middle of the countryside. He totally recommends it if you're into farming and living on the land.

Jobs wise, it depends on qualifications. If you're fluent in Japanese, you can probably find work for a logistics company, a trading company, work as a translator/interpreter and so on. Breaking into something like the gaming / anime industry is a huge challenge though, and requires knowing a few people and probably taking an online test or two (and some of these tests are basically just like high school where you're doing math problems and history questions and whatnot!)

If you're not fluent in the language, your best bet is to work as a teacher or make your way to the country via international transfer from a branch in a company you're working for. If you're willing to work a factory job, I suppose that's also available. I know there's a large Brazilian minority here that works those jobs, but I'm not sure of the availability to other foreigners.

But, honestly, to have a chance at any of this you need to get your foot in the door, and teaching English is the easiest way to get said foot in said door (visa sponsorship).

Quote

Thousands. They're a daily occurrence here. Most last a second or two and are hardly noticeable.

Quote

I'm taller than most Japanese people, so yeah, I stand out some. But I think I get stares more for being foreign than for being tall. You'll get some gawkers, especially if you're black. I hardly notice anymore.

This post has been edited by TomTomBBQ: 20 September 2012 - 03:22 AM

I heard that Madoka Magica appealed to the casual audience, but I heard that anime has been nerd shit and always will be nerd shit in Japan there.

Do you have a maneki neko? They should be all over the place.

I hear their national sport is "Rape."

Quote

I doubt the veracity of your source. Anime is a huge business in this country and not just because otaku spend loads of money on it. Manga, especially, is a huge deal in this country, and I see people of all ages reading manga on the train, in cafes and elsewhere. On television, anime takes up prime time blocks on major networks like Asahi TV and Fuji TV. I'd go so far as to say manga is a big part of the reason Japan has such a high literacy rate.

And it's more than what Westerners perceive a comic to be. Manga isn't only used for entertainment. Manga exists to educate as well, and I've looked at manga that addresses topics such as business, farming, mathematics and engineering!

Still, there is 'nerd shit' out there that only the otaku get into. The stuff that's all 萌え ('moe'), fan service, etc. But as mediums, anime and manga are largely accepted here. I mean look at Studio Ghibli!

Quote

There are a lot of them, that's for sure. Most stores will have one or more set up somewhere. I used to have one but it fell off a desk and shattered into a billion pieces. Thanks for reminding me to get another one.

Quote

That's Sumo, but I get what you're implying here, and I'll play along.

Sexual assault is a problem in Japan. Probably the most visible form would be 'Chikan' (public groping). I can't cite any concrete sources for this, but what I've read and heard over the years is that sexual assault tends to be vastly under reported here.

It's a combination of power and sexual harassment. In a culture which emphasizes respect for superiors, it can create an environment that allows for, say, a sensei to take advantage of a student. And the student will either not report the abuse in the first place or, in a worst-case scenario, be blamed for it somehow. The same thing can happen in an office between a boss and his/her subordinate.

But to assume Japan is a country of rapists is just plain wrong, and would be just as wrong as saying America is a country of gun-toting bible-thumpers.

Your welcome have you ben to a sumo mach

This post has been edited by bluefox: 22 September 2012 - 04:06 PM

Quote

Yes. I went to one 3 years ago. It was fun. The fights are very short, though, so it's not everyone's cup of tea. There's a lot of ceremony that goes into each fight, which can drag it out some.

At the latest Nagoya sumo tournament, there was a really cool development. An Ozeki (the second-highest sumo rank), named Harumafuji, beat a Yokozuna (the highest rank), named Hakuho, in the finals. This was a pretty big deal, and, if you watch the last fight in this video, you'll see the crowd get really excited when the upset happens.

This post has been edited by TomTomBBQ: 23 September 2012 - 01:20 AM

I've been playing a little game called Total War: Shogun 2, and wanted to know if any of the Clans of Japan still exist.

Quote

No, they do not. The last of the Shogunate ended in 1868 under a historical period called the Meiji Restoration. In a nutshell, the Meiji Restoration placed the rule of Japan back into the hands of the emperor instead of several clans under the rule of a Shogunate. It was a massive consolidation that was necessary mainly because the emperor realized how far behind Japan was technologically, militarily and socially to the West.

You may know about Admiral Perry from history class. Basically, his arrival to Japan with his 'Black ships,' which included the threat of force if diplomatic relations were not opened, threw the Japanese for a loop. There was a big divide over how to continue, between the Shogunate preferring isolation and a complete expelling of the 'foreign barbarians' and the Imperials who saw the writing on the wall and pushed for an opening of relations. For them, it was probably a case of 'if we don't do this now, we're going to get destroyed later.'

The war between the two factions was called the Boshin War. It was the first step in what eventually created modern Japan.

As for the Shogun 2, it's a really fun game, huh? I played the heck out of it for about 3 months.

This post has been edited by TomTomBBQ: 23 September 2012 - 12:15 PM

Ever have any run-ins or witness anything related to organized crime?

Quote

I have not had run-ins with the Yakuza personally, but I have a friend who has. I'll leave it at that.

As for witnessing organized crime... yeah, I've seen some stuff. I've seen what I guess you'd call pimps, I've seen the nice cars they drive, I've seen their tattoos and gaudy fashion sense, and I've seen a couple public shakedowns. I dunno. Maybe the guy got dragged out somewhere and beaten. I don't like to think about it.

You can tell one of them on the street pretty easily. They don't usually bother foreigners but that's more because we'd be an annoyance to them rather than a threat. I understand that and make sure to stay away from them.

But I've seen maybe 2 or 3 of these events over a 6.5 year period.

This post has been edited by TomTomBBQ: 24 September 2012 - 01:04 AM

How many Japanese school girls have you abducted for your secret basement "fundgeon?"

Isn't their national healthcare system composed of honorable seppuku?

Do they count placing newborns on a tree trunk in the the woods a valid form of birth control?

Quote

Zero. I am totally abducting the word fundgeon, though. Fundgeon.

Quote

No. The National Healthcare System is strange, though. It's a 30% copay on stuff with a maximum ceiling based on income level. A mix of socialism and capitalism, kind of. Some people find suicide easier. Still better than the USA's system, though.

Quote

No.

Tell me more about this Healthcare system. I get the feeling suicide is a bit of a pride/ego thing more than anything else.

(Once watched a bit of a documentary on homeless people there, and majority some 90% were males that left their families out of shame)

Quote

Sure. Japan's Healthcare system is a single-pay universal care system. Everyone pays to the government and, in exchange, everyone can go to any hospital or clinic in the country.

My healthcare and pension ('Kokumin Kenkou Hoken' / 'Shakai Hoken', etc) fees are taken out of my paycheck each month, along with any taxes. The fees are ridiculously cheap the first year, like 1000 yen a month because the fees are based off of last year's monthly income. Compare that to now where my total premiums/taxes are 50,000 yen monthly. After the initial shock, you get used to it.

Let's say I go to a clinic that I've never been to. I'll walk into it and the nurse will hand me a form to fill out, then she'll give me a card and that's it. I'm good to see the doctor after a wait.

After I finish my meeting and get whatever prescriptions they give me, I pay a 30% copay to the clinic. A doctor's visit with blood samples, consultation and RX will run anywhere from 2000 to 5000 yen. My average is 3000. In USD, it's about $40.

To get my prescription, I go to the pharmacist who is always within 2 minutes walk away from the clinic (great how they work that way) and get my medicine. Medicine is VERY cheap here. The most I've ever paid for a month's supply of medicine was 3000 yen.

You cannot be denied coverage. There is also a monthly ceiling to your medical treatments, but I'm not sure of the exact figure.

Being a U.S. citizen and having experienced both sides of the fence, I will say, without a shadow of a doubt, that Japan's medical system is superior to the U.S. system in nearly every conceivable way. Don't believe the garbage that politicians are telling you over there: socialized medicine is the way to go. Here's an example:

About 2 years ago, I herniated a disc in my spinal column. I went to my local clinic with an English-speaking doctor and had a leg-lift test done. He referred me to a specialist the same day where, in a period of 3 hours I had blood work, an X-ray AND an MRI done. I was given prescription medicine, cold packs for my back, and a brace to wear and sent on my way. I was given the option of pursuing physical therapy should I need it.

All of this cost me EXACTLY 8800 yen, or about $110 dollars.

Show me where I can get this done in the US on the same day on such short notice for this kind of price and I'll show you a liar.

And, before people try this, I'll tell you that without insurance, the same group of procedures would have run about 300 dollars. Think about that, really.

Sorry, but this is something that I feel very strongly about. The U.S. system is a joke, and I pray that the changes to it are a step towards a system that will one day work. For the past 30 years or so, the U.S. healthcare system has been the single greatest injustice to its citizens I can think of. And they've somehow convinced us to argue over such a simple right and lose sight of what's really important over political pandering.

If I can get a complete overview of my back with prescriptions without insurance for $300 bucks in Japan and at the same time, in the U.S., get charged $450 bucks for a single 30-minute consultation and a chest x-ray (I didn't have insurance when I was getting my health check done before moving to Japan), there's something wrong.

As for suicide in Japan, I am completely unqualified to answer it. Wikipedia will help you there.

Quote

Shame is a powerful thing, and Japan is the biggest shame culture on this planet. I don't think we could really wrap our minds around how the Japanese think, just as they could not wrap their minds around how different Westerners seem to them.

This post has been edited by TomTomBBQ: 25 September 2012 - 05:16 AM

imo shaming is awful and lowers people's self-esteem and it seems like an incredibly arrogant thing to do

says the guy half of whose handle is composed of the word for shame-propelled suicide

what is dating like for an American in Japan?

how different is your social life in Japan as opposed to America?

Are you known as the white guy in your group of friends?

Quote

It's like dating anywhere else, except you're the minority in the interracial dating and get to feel what that's like.

But seriously, there are some pretty big differences. One can enter a sexual relationship in Japan fairly easily and do things that seem like dating (hang out, etc) but it's not 'going steady' until you actually clear the air and become an 'official' boyfriend/girlfriend to someone. Dating is a pretty serious step in a relationship. In the West, we use the term dating rather flexibly, like we're testing the waters, but that's not the case here.

In short, it's complicated, just like dating anywhere else in the world. I'm sure I'll get it right someday.

Being American (foreign) seems to give you and edge in the first looks department. And I can see how easy it would be for a teacher to date his/her students, but that is something I would never do.

Quote

Most of my friends are expatriates like me, so we hang out and do things like any other group of English-speaking folks would do. Even then, I've learned a lot about the differences between how, say, an Australian, a Scotsman, a South African, a Canadian and an American would act in a bar.

I do, sometimes, feel more alone than back home, though. I've had cycles of pretty bad depression because you really do feel isolated sometimes. And not being able to speak your mother tongue in a way that isn't limited to "Do you like hamburgers?" can numb you emotionally if you're not careful.

Quote

Nope. It's more by nationality than anything else, but I think I'm doing a good enough job just being called by my name. I don't want to be 'that guy' who is all the stereotypes.

Strangers though? They'll call me 'gaijin-san' or 'gaikokujin-san' sometimes, which is not an insult necessarily, but still feels incredibly awkward.

This post has been edited by TomTomBBQ: 26 September 2012 - 05:01 AM

Have you ever had any awkward confrontations with older racist/nationalist types? I've heard of this happening around Halloween especially since it's a western holiday.

Quote

Direct confrontation is rare, but when it happens, it's inevitably with some old guy who's very drunk and just starts yelling at you for no reason. Stuff like "Go back home! We don't want you here!" I'm not going to hate on the guy, though. If he's had a rough enough life where he hates me just for the color of my skin, then nothing I say is going to change his opinion. I can only try to be the better person, and that involves politely ignoring him.

Now, it's the inadvertent/paternalistic stuff that makes it awkward. The people who say things like "WOW! You can use CHOPSTICKS?!" or, when you say one word in Japanese "OH, YOU SPEAK JAPANESE SO WELL!" Because they're trying to be polite, Japanese tend to compliment things that we would take as backhanded. Of course I can use chopsticks, I have functioning hands! Again, it's all innocent ignorance, so I brush it off.

Now, the people who insist on speaking to you in really broken English while you're speaking to them in Japanese... that's annoying. It's like they see a foreigner and assume 'hey, free English practice!' and go at it without regard for how you feel. That's pretty rude.

The nationalist types who drive the big black vans don't want to talk to us and we don't want to talk to them. Why kick a hornet's nest either way? You are right, though, there is some hijinks that go on during Halloween when a bunch of drunk foreigners take downtown for one of the biggest party days of the year. Tokyo and Osaka have more stories of confrontation and general hooliganism. My town's much tamer.

This post has been edited by TomTomBBQ: 27 September 2012 - 05:32 AM

Howes the saki taste?

Quote

Not unlike vodka. There are so many ways of making sake that alter the taste a little. I've heard that really high quality types don't have as sharp an aftertaste, but I don't like the stuff enough to drink it often. I'm more of a cocktails/mixed drinks person.

It's not bad, and you can enjoy it chilled or heated.

This post has been edited by TomTomBBQ: 28 September 2012 - 12:52 AM

My dad got some sake for Christmas last year and it came with a little instruction booklet on how to drink it properly, supposedly only the cheap stuff is heated.

Quote

It really depends. I say if you enjoy it hot or chilled, enjoy it that way. Nobody's going to notice.

Could you tell me about some good places near Okinawa to visit in the wintertime?