Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Japan Tourist Visa for an all-expense-paid travel (Sponsored Travel)?

Question:


My buddy is planning to take me to Japan for a 3 day vacation, all expense paid trip by him. He is a British Passport holder (working & staying in the Philippines) while I'm a Philippine Passport holder. What papers or documents do I need to present to the Japanese Embassy? Do I still need to present an ITR (Income Tax Return) or some sort? How long will it take too? Will it increase my chances of getting a visa if I can prove to them that I have been to several countries (e.g. France, Italy, Thailand)? I hope it won't be that much of a hassle for my friend too.

I hope someone can help me on this. I've always wanted to go to Japan.

Answer:


Check this page for detail.
http://www.mofa.go.jp/j_info/visit/visa/…

What are some arguments to stop japanese whaling?

Question:


im writing an exposition to try and stop the japanese killing the whales.
any arguments to try and stop them?

Answer:


So you're not bothered about the other countries that hunt whales, just the Japanese. Why?
What about these countries:
Canada
Faroe Islands
Greenland
Iceland
Indonesia
Norway
Russia
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
United States

They all hunt whales too.

People from tokyo are super stylish if i went to japan could i be super stylish too on my budget?

Question:


its a cultural revolution banzai! in tokyo most of the youth and young adults are unique, and theres sooo many clothing stores, i've been at a criss cross which country i should vacation to but it's decided, for like 2500$ say (not including plane ride) do you think i could stretch whats left for a month while still buying clothes and styling my hair without being labeled with some stupid western steryotype,i'm 19 right, what are the odds of finding a group of friends to hang out with and show me all the hot spots? arigato! konbonwa :) sorry my japanese is extremely limited only had 1 lesson so far lol

Answer:


I'm going to throw my hat in the ring with Vinegar Taster. But I will take a step further. You couldn't be too stylish in the middle of the swamps of Mississippi. So you just jump right on in.

Keep in mind you asked for an opinion. You got one. If you are focused on style, have had one Japanese lesson and want freakin' GROUP of friends? Take a deep breath and then yell out as loud as you can.....

PIPEDREAM !!!!!

Super stylish. Give me a break.

Final Answer..... NO!!!!

People from tokyo are super stylish if i went to japan could i be super stylish too on my budget?

Question:


its a cultural revolution banzai! in tokyo most of the youth and young adults are unique, and theres sooo many clothing stores, i've been at a criss cross which country i should vacation to but it's decided, for like 2500$ say (not including plane ride) do you think i could stretch whats left for a month while still buying clothes and styling my hair without being labeled with some stupid western steryotype,i'm 19 right, what are the odds of finding a group of friends to hang out with and show me all the hot spots? arigato! konbonwa :) sorry my japanese is extremely limited only had 1 lesson so far lol

Answer:


I'm going to throw my hat in the ring with Vinegar Taster. But I will take a step further. You couldn't be too stylish in the middle of the swamps of Mississippi. So you just jump right on in.

Keep in mind you asked for an opinion. You got one. If you are focused on style, have had one Japanese lesson and want freakin' GROUP of friends? Take a deep breath and then yell out as loud as you can.....

PIPEDREAM !!!!!

Super stylish. Give me a break.

Final Answer..... NO!!!!

What should i do after learning hiragana?

Question:




Answer:


The logical next step is to learn Katakana followed by Kanji. I recommend a book called An Introduction to Modern Japanese by Osamu Mizutani & Nobuko Mizutani. After studying this book you will be able to read all of the hiragana and katakana, recognise a lot of basic words in kanji, and have a good knowledge of grammar.

Introduction to Modern Japanese by Osamu Mizutani & Nobuko Mizutani
http://japan-australia.blogspot.com/2011…

How should i practice hiragana?

Question:


should i watch shows, listen to songs or read books or something else?

Answer:


HELL NO.
silently sit before ur desk.
prepare one piece of paper written all hiragana.
and copy em with ur own hand. Okay?

Can i learn japanese by listening to japanese music?

Question:




Answer:


Absolutely. If you already have a basic knowledge of Japanese, songs are a great supplement because if you study enka and J-Pop, you'll learn how to express feelings and learn vocabulary that you won't get in textbooks. Songs are more conversational as well, and reflect the current culture in language in slang and euphemisms just as it does in Western music.

Music was a great part of my education outside of the classroom. Lyrics are mandatorily included with CDs and are shown on TV broadcasts (so there's no mistaking what's being sung - unlike in the US and elsewhere where you can grow up singing the wrong words to your favorite songs for decades). So I used to look up every kanji of every line and made sure I knew all the words. It becomes an enormous amount of repetition when you can sing along with your favorite songs. When you find songs you like and you know what the lyrics are what they mean when you sing along with them they become a part of you because they're also emotional.

I want to move to Tokyo, Japan?

Question:


Okay so I really want to move to Japan, specifically Tokyo one of the biggest cities in Japan, so I'm from America, and I want to know what is needed to legally move to Japan, visas, passports, flights, etc... P.S. I want to live in Japan not to visit. Also I will visit my family. I also want to be a manga/anime artist, but I also want to be a blueprint drawer for buildings, like a architect that draws the blueprints for the building, this is only if my manga career doesn't work out.

Answer:


Kenny said it pretty well but I'm going to give you a little more specific information -

Unless you are hired by a company while still in the States that decides your manga creations are incredible and absolutely the best and that no one in Japan can do the job that you can, then they may agree to sponsor your work visa to see how you do. When that happens then you will submit your passport to the nearest Japanese Consulate and they will give you a work visa for a specific period of time. If you are truly gifted and the best they have ever seen then they may also agree to foot the $1,500 or so plane ticket from your little town to Tokyo. They may also agree to partially pay, or at least find you a place to live. Go into your parents walk-in closet, put your bed in there and everything you own and that will be just a little bigger than your new home in Japan. If all of this happens then you've got it made as they give very few work visas to foreigners that can't speak Japanese, have never been to Japan and have skills that 1,000,000 Japanese are waiting to do right now..

Once you start receiving a pay check you will be subjected to Japanese Tax and health insurance and after they take that out and you pay your rent and basic food (3 minute cup ramen from 7-11) you will have enough money left over to buy a phone card and call your mother once a month and tell her how great it is and how much you miss her. You will not have enough money for a cell phone, you will not have enough money for cable TV (all your current favorite shows will be a memory) and no more video games because now you have a job.

So now the advice part of my lecture. Stay in school, put the comic books down, study hard, get into a good college and study architecture. Get your degree and then go to work for a great company. After 10 years or so your company may have some business interests in Japan and you'll get to go over and see how tough life really is. Even better, while you are in college, you may get lucky and do a semester or year abroad in Japan and get first hand knowledge that, just like your home town, life is not a comic book.

I want to move to Tokyo, Japan?

Question:


Okay so I really want to move to Japan, specifically Tokyo one of the biggest cities in Japan, so I'm from America, and I want to know what is needed to legally move to Japan, visas, passports, flights, etc... P.S. I want to live in Japan not to visit. Also I will visit my family. I also want to be a manga/anime artist, but I also want to be a blueprint drawer for buildings, like a architect that draws the blueprints for the building, this is only if my manga career doesn't work out.

Answer:


Kenny said it pretty well but I'm going to give you a little more specific information -

Unless you are hired by a company while still in the States that decides your manga creations are incredible and absolutely the best and that no one in Japan can do the job that you can, then they may agree to sponsor your work visa to see how you do. When that happens then you will submit your passport to the nearest Japanese Consulate and they will give you a work visa for a specific period of time. If you are truly gifted and the best they have ever seen then they may also agree to foot the $1,500 or so plane ticket from your little town to Tokyo. They may also agree to partially pay, or at least find you a place to live. Go into your parents walk-in closet, put your bed in there and everything you own and that will be just a little bigger than your new home in Japan. If all of this happens then you've got it made as they give very few work visas to foreigners that can't speak Japanese, have never been to Japan and have skills that 1,000,000 Japanese are waiting to do right now..

Once you start receiving a pay check you will be subjected to Japanese Tax and health insurance and after they take that out and you pay your rent and basic food (3 minute cup ramen from 7-11) you will have enough money left over to buy a phone card and call your mother once a month and tell her how great it is and how much you miss her. You will not have enough money for a cell phone, you will not have enough money for cable TV (all your current favorite shows will be a memory) and no more video games because now you have a job.

So now the advice part of my lecture. Stay in school, put the comic books down, study hard, get into a good college and study architecture. Get your degree and then go to work for a great company. After 10 years or so your company may have some business interests in Japan and you'll get to go over and see how tough life really is. Even better, while you are in college, you may get lucky and do a semester or year abroad in Japan and get first hand knowledge that, just like your home town, life is not a comic book.

Is this another way to say "The cat is not mine" in Japanese?

Question:


Im learning and it shows how to say it as: Neko wa watashi no dewa arimasen

But what I thought up was: Watashi no neko dewa arimasen.

Is that way correct also?

Answer:


The first sentence, "Neko wa watashi no dewa arimasen" sounds a bit odd to me.
It sounds you are talking about a particular kind, this case cats.
So the translation would be like, "Cats are not mine."

Watashi no neko dewa arimasen.
It's ok, no problem.
]Here are some other ways to say it for you.
Sono neko wa watashi no dewa arimasen.
Sono neko wa watashi no dewa naidesu.
Sono neko wa watashi no neko dewa arrimasen.
Sono neko wa watashi no neko jya arimasen.
Sono neko wa watashi no neko jya naidesu.
Sono neko wa watashi no neko jya nai.
Watashi no neko dewa arimasen.
Watashi no neko dewa naidesu.
Watashi no neko jya arimasen.
Watashi no neko jya nai.
I can go on and on and on...

What does shouste mean in japanese?

Question:


it could be spelt differently i'm not sure how you say it?

Answer:


I would guess that it is probably "soo shite" also written as "soushite", which means "and then", "so", "in that case"

What does shouste mean in japanese?

Question:


it could be spelt differently i'm not sure how you say it?

Answer:


I would guess that it is probably "soo shite" also written as "soushite", which means "and then", "so", "in that case"

Japanese online stores.... Something like GMarket (Korean)?

Question:




Answer:


I'm not sure what kind of stuffs you want to buy.

But Rakuten is selling a lot of things.
http://global.rakuten.com/en/?l-id=os_to…

Japanese online stores.... Something like GMarket (Korean)?

Question:




Answer:


I'm not sure what kind of stuffs you want to buy.

But Rakuten is selling a lot of things.
http://global.rakuten.com/en/?l-id=os_to…

How popular is Puroresu (Professional wrestling) in Japan?

Question:




Answer:


Not any more. Probably because puroresu is just a show. Japanese audience got tired of their fixed matches. In contrast, K-1 is very popular now. When it comes to combative sports, Japanese spectators want to watch real fight, not a show.
BTW, I used to be a big fan of Japanese women's puroresu. Japanese women "fighters" were really ferocious and attractive at the same time. I guess you know some of them, right?

Japanese name pronunciation "Nagamine"?

Question:


How do you pronounce the last name "Nagamine"? I believe it's Japanese.... Thank you

Answer:


na-ga-me-nay

Interested in the Tsunami in Japan, asking students questions on it...any ideas rather questions i can ask?

Question:


I have the most basic questions, for 1O points, can someone please give me at least 1O questions i can ask about the Tsunami in Japan( 2011) please make the questions as unique as possible... much appreciated. Thank you, Alexa.

Answer:


Man, 10 questions. Can you settle for four? That's all I willing to give you on this topic....

1- Did you die?
2- Kinda' bad other people did, huh?
3- Since I am asking senseless questions, does fish need a bicycle?
4- I sound like I am dumber than a sack of hammers, don't I?

With this series of questions you cover the past tense, the present progressive, you can introduce 'senseless' if you are an adept teacher, throw in an idiom such as "a fish needing a bicycle", make sure they know 'dumber', then you could progress to superlatives with being "the dumbest", make sure they know 'hammer' and if they can handle ALL of that, well, go to YouTube and check out Hammer Time.

Other than that, I think you should develop some sensitivity and not talk about things the Japanese people really don't want to talk about. Take your basic question, tie it on the back of an airborne rodent, and see how the sphincter muscles respond.

You are either a clueless English teacher or just plain clueless. But that is just my opinion. But go ahead. Dredge up some really sorrowful feelings about the sea rushing in and drowning thousands of people as a topic of conversation. Or you could go to New York, find someone who lost a close friend/relative/loved one when those towers went down, play like a news reporter, and say, "How did THAT feel?"

Why not just ask them how they would have felt to have seen this massive wall of water closing down on them, threatening their very life, and what they would have done?

Man, it really makes me want to ask my students those kind of questions. Really? I have 3 students I can talk about that stuff with. As far as I am concerned, you can take your 10 points and put them where the sun don't shine.

NOTE: Interesting. Some anal sphincter muscle comes on here, leaves a thumbs down, and offers no useful comment to the Asker. Good job ASM. Your thumbs down will keep me up tonight. Uh..... not. I may not have much of a life, but I can do more than just click thumbs down. I pass gas in your general direction. Now, go away or I will taunt you once again.

On another note, I like that movie with George Clooney where he says that someone is as dumb as a sack of hammers. Makes me laugh. Laughing now. ASM.

Groping on crowded trains in Japan?

Question:


Does it happen to young high school boys at all? I'm a foreigner in Japan, and am a bit freaked out about this groping issue in Japan..

Answer:


It happens to young women. I've never heard of a case of it happening to a male.

What is the Female Population In these Cities of Tokyo Japan?

Question:


what is the female population in hachioji, tachikawa,musashino,mitaka,ome,fuchu,aki… kunitachi in tokyo japan?

Answer:


You need the exact figures? Isn't it enough cutting the figures in half and mutiplying the results by 1.05 (average ratio of extra female population versus male) ?

Sources: total population of Japan: 127,510,000 (male:62,130,000, female:65,380,000, as of Heisei 21-nen.)

Creating a Living Room Shrine?

Question:


I'd like to put together a shinto shrine in my living room, but I don't know which materials I should use.

Thanks.

Answer:


Traditionally, a Kamidana is made from Hinoki which is a kind of cedar. However, there is no wrong material.

http://www.davidchart.com/Blog/2011/01/0…
http://www.greenshinto.com/wp/2011/09/28…
http://www.tsubakishrine.org/omamori/kam…
http://eos.kokugakuin.ac.jp/modules/xwor…

What do I need to major in to teach English abroad in Japan?

Question:


I'm about to register for college and was wondering what major I need and what courses I should take to teach English as a foreign language in Japan. Do I need to just major in English teacher education?

Answer:


The better your English / teaching skills, the better chances you have a finding a job.

How can i live in japan?

Question:


well i'm planning for the future and i have some questions.
1) what is a good site for BUYING a house in tokyo?
2) How will i be able to get over there?
3) do i need a different passport?
4) is it true that adults can't do harajuku?
5) How can i become fluent in japanese before i go?
6) What is some good career options for a foreigner?
7) what is £1 in yen?
8) would i get looked down on for being foreign?
9) how can i legally change my name and keep my GCSEs and A-levels?
10) if i go to an english university will it count in japan?
11) will i be able to move without much hassle?
12) can you give me some more information?

thanks!!

Answer:


1) "Real-Estate Tokyo" is trusty
2) Plane
3) Nope
4) Anybody can do it.
5) Take japanese lessons. It takes a long time to become fluent.
6) ESL Teacher, bartending, working in retail, international devlopment and aid, if it interests you
7) 1 pound = 121.31 yen
8) Nope
9) Just change your name, everything is transferable.
10) Yes. Everything is transferable.
11) It will be a very big hassle. Sorry to say but it's a huge move.
12) http://www.japan-guide.com/
(the best site ever)

What does this mean in English?

Question:


Lady gagaの曲はどんなのが好き?
大丈夫だよ☆彡 日本語今のところ間違ってないから♪

I'm trying to comprehend but i can't and its too much kanji

Answer:


Lady gagaの曲はどんなのが好き?

"Hey tell me, what are some of your favorite Lady gaga's songs?"


大丈夫だよ☆彡 日本語今のところ間違ってないから♪

"Oh, you can rest assured that you have so far been getting your point across decently enough in Japanese."


- A natural translation provided by a Japanese living in Japan -

Japanese alter ego names?

Question:


im gonna be singing and dancing to j-pop songs but i dont want anyone to know its me so i need an alter ego! :D My real name is Justine but that dosent matter casue its a new name i need :) First and second names are good but any will do

Answer:


Saori sounds cute enough to me. No one is naming their daughter Yoko or any name ending with -ko any longer.

Does anyone know much about Tsuken Jima off of Okinawa besides the war stuff?

Question:


Like the history of the Island and the people?

Answer:


I've never been to there. But I am knowing legend of island, and it was found by two brother-sister living central of the main island. They hoped make a own village, and moreover it has been inherited to their descendant.

How to improve Japanese pronounciation?

Question:


Can someone give me a link to a video or something which will help me improve my Japanese pronunciation/accent? Do you have to change your voice to get an accent or does it develop? I would like audio please. And for a male speaking Japanese as I'm a male and don't wanna sound like a female o.o. Thanks.

Answer:


I have a french friend who is interested in japanese. She is living her own country and totally apart from japanese society. But she can speak good japanese with perfect pronounciation. I asked why and she answered that she is watching Japanese drama and animation, and listening japanese music a lot. So I think its going to work. And my other recommendation is making some japanese friends. I'm sure it's more fun and easy to remember the new word as well. :)

What kind of Japanese food is this?

Question:


http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-a…
Something to do with sushi bars.

Answer:


Well, the top has enoki mushrooms and fish roe (the red stuff) and the bottom looks like ground up soybean soup... That's my guess. But that seems more like a cross between Korean and Japanese then just Japanese food.

This New Years I will be alone in Tokyo. What should I do?

Question:


This New Years I will be alone in Tokyo. What should I do? I don't want to stay at home being miserable but I don't really have any friends in Tokyo. I don't know how to make any, my Japanese isn't that great... any suggestions?

Answer:


Whether you are Christian or not, check out one (or both) of these two churches (among others) here in Toyko. They are both English-speaking churches that cater to the ex-pat and international communities in Tokyo and you'll be sure to meet many others like yourself who will be stranded in Japan over the holidays. They are wonderful and friendly places and may even have activities organized for Christmas and New Years.

- Tokyo Union Church (non-denominational) - located a short walk from Meijijingumae or Omotesando stns.
http://www.tokyounion.org/

- Tokyo Baptist Church - located near Daikanyama & Shibuya stns
http://www.tokyobaptist.org/shibuya/

For other religions/denominations:
http://www.tokyoapartments.jp/tokyo_guid…

Also, check out the Tokyo Journal and Japan Times (these also cater to ex-pats) for events
http://www.tokyo.to/
http://www.japantimes.co.jp

Or, even better - do what the Japanese do and go visit the big shrines at Meiji Jingu (Shibuya) and Sensoji (Asakusa), then go down to Kamakura shrines and go sit on the beach to watch the first sunrise of the year. It's an interesting and unique kind of feeling to be amidst the hundreds of thousands of people at these places in the middle of the night.

What do you think about recent reports of radioactive hot-spots ?

Question:


I am going to have an internship in Tokyo. But, now, some bad news came out. Those news reported that Cs-137, Cs-134 and Sr-90 were found in various places. I would like to know how local people there feel about it?

Also, some reports from www.radiationdefense.jp/about_us?lang=en said that they found that some places with high radioactive contamination. How local people treat these reports? Is it still safe for foreigners?

Answer:


Many hotspots can be explained in one logical reason or another, some cases have nothing to do with the Fukushima radiation, other cases pose no danger to the public. For example the hotspot found in Setagaya was discovered to belong to a 60year old house, there the original owner was a arts/painter who stored powdered radium226 which was not uncommon to use in florescent paints up to the 1950s (even in the United States and Europe, radium 226 used in florescent paints were common). This case had nothing to do with Fukushima, but the Media got wind of it and it got "blown" all over the news.

In other examples, one would have to stand at the exact spot, not moving, for 24hours a day, being exposed to the maximum limit for years, obviously for active live humans, this is an unrealistic scenario.

Here's a article written on the subject that is non sensationalized and very explainable:
http://www.nature.com/news/2011/111014/f…

"No matter where you go in the world, if you take a radiation instrument with you and look around, you'll eventually stumble across something that's above what the background for that area normally is,"

--
Now if you want to personally know what I think:

If the Emperor and the Imperial family, the Prime Minister of Japan, the US Government/US Embassy and Ambassador were to suddenly evacuate Tokyo along with millions of other people who live there, I'd take that as a good sign that Tokyo is not a good place to go. But since none of that has happened (never happened, even back in March, those people stayed in place, even the US Ambassador, while others were bailing out of Tokyo).

Tokyo is very much a safe place to be for foreigners and Japanese.

Don't go if you are afraid of Godzilla, he's been known to show up every few years.

How many commercial breaks are there in japan and for how long?

Question:


Im just curious

Answer:


It depends, but for every 10 minutes, there is always a commercial in TV, and it lasts for 3 minutes.

How to visit srisailam?

Question:




Answer:


srisailam is in India. Why do you ask this on Japan section?

What r good salsa songs??? and what r good indi and japanese songs?

Question:


If u can give their band name or the author of the song that would be great man???

Answer:


Bands like plastic tree, maximum the hormone, radwimps, oreskaband are good!

What r good salsa songs??? and what r good indi and japanese songs?

Question:


If u can give their band name or the author of the song that would be great man???

Answer:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dGbNGH8L…
Mr.Children (band) Namo naki uta (song name)

Why would I like Japanese/Korean women so much?

Question:


but I still hate cause they don't shave properly.

Answer:


well if you like women with no boobs then you can like them

What is a yen to a dollar?

Question:


i do not know how much yen is to one dollar
i do not know what a yen is
what does a yen look like

Answer:


The yen value changes every day. But now 1 yen is about 1.3 US cents. Or another way, about 76 yen to the dollar.
Yen is the currency of Japan. Yen don't look like anything, just like dollars don't look like anything. They are represented though by bills and coins. If you want to see what they look like, try
http://www.thejapanfaq.com/japanfaq1c.ht…
or some other site that shows currency.

What is Nico Nico Douga?

Question:


is it like youtube? can you submit your own videos or is it like google and finds its own?x
Also do you get more noticed on there? (i dance to j-pop songs ^_^)

Answer:


1)u can upload ur bideo, but its lyk inferior version of UTube. so not much attention.

2) can stream programs in niconama:
http://live.nicovideo.jp/

http://live.nicovideo.jp/recent?tab=inte…
is international category adn foreigners lyk u get 30-100 viewers everytime u stream.
no matter if you cant speak J-language. its a silly language so yeah.

I recommend u to start posting ur videos or broadcasting your singing program
lyk this french woman
http://www.nicovideo.jp/user/17011049