Sunday, November 6, 2011

Where can i buy a zelda ocarina in japan?

Question:

12 Hole Ocarina From Legend of Zelda

Answer:

You can find many used game stores in Akihabara, Tokyo.

Buying katana in japan?

Question:

I have money put away for an authentic katana. i'm traveling to japan in a year and I have had zero luck in finding a smith or even a place to buy traditionally made katana in mainland japan. I've studied Iaido for some time now and I want a sword to have as decoration and as an adequate weapon for training and cutting. thanks for your time

Answer:

actually a true katana may NOT be sold and in fact are illegal to own privately now except as museum pieces.

all you can get are semi decent reproductions that will not hold an edge.

Study Abroad in Japan or Korea for computers?

Question:

I want to study abroad for Computer animation... or something multimedia. I'm not quite sure what field I want to go into exactly. Some say Korea has better 3D animation than Japan. Some say Japan has better 3D animation. Help?

Answer:

It depends on where you want to work after that and what job you want to have.

In fact, if you want to have an anime related job in Japan after that, I have to say that it's not a good job in Japan. The salary is extremely low. Sorry for like discouraging you. But this is reality.

Sending letters to (Japanese) friends?

Question:

Hi, I've been having a little problem lately.

I want to send Christmas cards to my friends in Japan. However, when I started to list the names of the people, it turns out there are so many of them. Of course not all of them were very close to me but all are precious to me one way or another. And I cannot afford to send to just a few because they all live in one dormitory and it would be bad if others find out that others received a card but they did not. I want all of them to know that I treasure them but there are just soooo many of them. It is also costly to send over 20+ cards.

Do you have any opinion/advice?

Answer:

Send email to everyone or send e-card to them, or send one card but say "hello" to all.

A few questions about Japan?

Question:

Well its not really about Japan itself. Well me and my friend want to go to Japan in the near future and i read somewhere if i go to Japan and enter the US again and if i have over $10,000 (probably won't bring that much) i have to file a form with Customs and Failure to do so may result in seizure of your assets, DEA scrutiny, and maybe even an IRS audit. I don't know whether thats true or not. I also read "You are allowed to take with you up to $400 of goods duty free into the US". And Im not sure if THAT is also true or not.

Also I was wondering how expensive it actually is to go to japan and back, Hotels, food, and doing other stuff for two or three people.

I've read some things off of this website http://www.japanforum.com/forum/living-j…

Answer:

the $10K in cash is universal.. does not matter what country you are entering the US from, anything over $10KUS cash must be declared upon entering the US .

each country has maximum amounts of duty free you can bring stuff in from, to include limits on size or number of specific items such as sake. $400 sounds about right from my last trip to Japan last year( going again in 2 weeks)

My plane tickets from BWI to Naha( Okinawa) are $6k. ( I am flying First Class). Hotels can be mondo hugely expensive, or you can find some that are disgustingly cheap like the micro hotels which are literally pods that you crawl into to sleep. Hint: if the hotel has a statue or some famous icon like the Statue of Liberty or the eiffel tower on its roof.. it is an..hourly.. hotel used for.. well, you know. ( lots of newlyweds reside with a set of parents and get NO privacy, if you know what I mean...)

you can eat cheaply and VERY well using all night Beef Bowl restaurants, Yakitori stands and street vendors.. and you can drop $200 on a single meal in a Tokyo restaurant.

as for touristy crap: LOTS of free or inexpensive things to do. Ueno Park alone, without even going into the Museums or the Zoo, is great. so are the Outer Gardens of the Imperial Palace. most of the Shrines and temples are either free or have a nominal fee.

the train system is fast, clean efficient and PUNCTUAL to a fault. you can buy passes that last your entire stay but do be careful, there are 2 or 3 companies.. JR and KHK are the two I remember most on the Kanto Plain. and that passes are only god for the one company. and of course Tokyo itself has an internal subway system that pretty much hits all the major areas.

How to be polite while in Japan?

Question:

I don't mean the polite language, I mean polite actions, like would the Japanese be offended by actions such as holding open doors for them or letting them in front of you in line or tipping. I know in some countries, what we regard as polite actions are often considered insults to the people of that country.

Answer:

You Don't Need to Be Polite in Japan in Japanese sense. That is what the word "gaijin" is all about. You are "outsiders" of the Japanese society, who are not expected to be familiar with the rules that are shared by the Japanese as "a common sense."

Fortunately, "gaijins" are free from the rules and customs peculiar to Japan that are tacitly understood by the Japanese unless you break the law of Japan. The word "gaijin" is NOT a term of racism or xenophobia but our extraordinarily benevolent expression to welcome foreigners from overseas regardless of their nationalities.

I have come across some (maybe many) stupid Americans, including those regular contributors here, who claim that "gaijin" is a derogatory term to them by taking advantage of being a gaijin at the same time. Those SOBs are chickens and cockroaches...I don't know how to call them (because I am not familiar with their dirty language), but they are below contempt to say the least.

So, you are gaijin (no derogatory connotations included) and you are totally free from our customs and the Japanese definition of politeness. Let me repeat my first line: You Don't Need to Be Polite in Japan in Japanese sense.

@小林君
それでは君にもう少し日本語の勉強をさせてあげよう。
オレがここで述べたことは次の２点のみ。

１）　日本には日本人だけが共有する暗黙の了解事項が
存在する。しかし、外国人にその理解を強要することはない。
日本人は自らの慣習の多くが特異なものであることを
自覚する。が故に、我々は外国人に我々の暗黙事項を
強要しない。「外人」は日本人のみが共有する
「礼儀」なるものに過敏に対応する必要はない。
「外人」という呼称は、その防波堤として存在する。
「外人」はその防波堤の内部に留まる限り、
我々は彼らに多くを期待しない。
これが日本人の優しさであり、
外国人に対する礼儀であると理解する。

２）「外人」とは「日本人以外の人々」という意味であり、
決して蔑称ではない。仮に「外人」が蔑称であるならば、
"froreigner" も差別用語ということになる。
君は自国民以外の人々を何と呼ぶのかね。
「外人」は「外国人」の短縮形に過ぎず、 foreigner と同義語。
「大阪のおばちゃん」も「博多のおっさん」も、みな使っている。
全く他意はない。皆、善良な人々だ。
君が「外人」に不快感を抱くのは勝手だが、
それは我々の感知するところではない。
「外人」は日本語であり、我々の言語の使用に関し、
他国民に中傷される謂われはない。

Question about getting married in Japan?

Question:

Hello,i'm 19 and so is my boyfriend. We're out of High school,and soon be going to college. We both want to go to college on base,but since he's half Japanese and i'm full American he is allowed to stay in Japan and I can't without a Visa,(Which for some reason the base college won't give me)And so we want to be together. And a way with this all working out is if we got married and i'd have the same benefits as he does. Could we do this at the age of 19? (By time i'm 20 I probably won't be in Japan anymore.)And I know you can get legally married in Japan when you're 20 WITHOUT a parents approval,but since we're both basically American can we weaver through that law?
Please don't make comments on how stupid this is,because I know what i'm doing and I know what I want.
Thanks in advance!

Answer:

Well, you can live in Japan under spouse visa if you are married to a Japanese.

Not the "same benefit". You can't get right to vote, etc.

You can get married without parents approval at 20, but not at 19.

>but since we're both basically American can we weaver through that law?

Not sure. But he's trying to live in Japan as a Japanese. So he's not "basically American"　Does he have Japanese citizenship? You only said that he's half Japanese.

Advice on landing an English teaching job in Japan?

Question:

I'm from New York and am interested in travelling to Japan to teach English fulltime. I've been fascinated by Japanese culture ever since I was a kid and have dreamt of visiting Japan for years. I've been contemplating this decision for months and have heard almost nothing but positive things about the experience thus far. Now, I feel I'm ready to go for it.

While I'm doing research, I'd appreciate any general advice, tips and/or feedback on getting an English-teaching job in Japan. How do I get the ball rolling? What do I need? What should I expect? How do I get the best deal? (I've heard everything from places granting you free boarding and healthcare to even paying for your airfare). What is this TESL/TEFL certificate that I've heard might be required, and how do I get one?

I'd really like to get started ASAP. Thanks.

A little background info on me: I'm 28 w/a bachelor's degree (which I'm told helps) and previous job experience. I know a handful of basic Japanese words (don't worry, I'm buying a Japanese-English translator). I have two acquaintances who live in Japan, so it's not like I'll be totally alone.

Answer:

You have a university degree, and this is all you need to "get the ball rolling". Without one, you can't get a work permit to teach English in Japan. A TESL certificate is not necessary, though it may open a few doors, and a good course will prep you for the real world of teaching EFL. Most of the courses offered are wastes of time and money. The best education at your stage is a foot-in-the-door kind of job, and there are many in Japan.

A popular website for finding EFL jobs is eslcafe.com If you do Google searches (e.g. english teacher japan employment) you can find more websites and jobs. Or, you can just go to Japan and find a job while you're there. You can check out the school, the people there, and they can check you out, before everybody decides that they're happy with each other. This is a good option - less of a roll of the dice - but it's a greater expense for you as you have to find a place to stay, and pay for food and transportation while no salary is coming in.

The third option - and a popular one - is to contact one of the handful of Corporate schools in japan which have many branches and are always hiring. These schools usually offer free training, and most of them have their own books. First-time teachers in Japan often go this route. The big schools in this category are Aeon, Nova, Geos, and ECC. Check out their websites to see if they're for you.

What should you expect? Japan is a society which works because most people are genuinely honorable. You won't get screwed around, in other words. You will be expected to work hard, and fulfill your contract obligations, but nobody will mess with your free time; you can do whatever you like during your off hours. If you want to have a girlfriend, that is not a problem. The food is great, and there's a lot of fun to be had, and you'll meet a lot of good people. Your students should be, for the most part, earnest about their studies. Try to avoid teaching kids unless you're high-energy and love kids, and young teens are tough to teach in Japan too because they're under tremendous pressure at that stage of life. You could end up teaching all age groups, which is a GREAT learning experience for you; just try to avoid teaching kids and young teens (under 18) exclusively. That's just my opinion; others may disagree.

As for good deals, a free one-way ticket means that even if you hate the job, you're stuck in it. Don't accept a free ticket unless you have really really good feelings about what you're getting into. Often an employer will throw in a free ticket to your home country if you fulfill contract obligations. You usually have to pay for housing, but if you don't, great. Healthcare is usually provided for.

Also, check out the JET program, by the way. It's fantastic.

Favorite Japanese curry brand?

Question:

I went to the Japanese market, and there were many different brands, What's the best Japanese curry brand?

Answer:

There are lots of good ones but my two favourite are the House brand and Golden Curry brand. You can pretty much find these at any Japanese market or Asian Supermarket.

Can anyone help me find where to buy this online?

Question:

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4067/4337182471_18c5f6ce1d.jpg
It's a yankumi/hello kitty phone strap and I want it more than anything! I actually don't care if you find mer the yankumi/hello kitty phone strap, pen, or plushie- I just want something yankumi/hello kitty.

Thank you SO much! For helping! ><

Answer:

go to this site

http://www.bizrate.com/cellphone-accesso…

Is there still radiation in the food in Japan?

Question:

after the devastation in Japan I heard there was radiation in the food. Is it still there? How long will it take until the food doesn't have radiation in it? I'm planning to go and live there for a year in the far future I think so I was curious about this... thansk!!

Answer:

What you mean "still?"
Radiation-polluted food has NEVER been circulated on Japanese market throughout the nation.
Japan has far more strict food-safety regulations than any other country in the world. Not only radio activities, but chemical ingredients, and gene recombinations of all kinds of crops and vegetables are strictly checked before they are placed on the market.

This is one of the reasons why US agriproducts cannot get into Japanese market. Many of them are rejected by Japanese inspection rules. For instance, many Americans do not care about gene recombination of crops and vegetables, but the Japanese do care. Japanese law requires that all the food made from gene-altered agriproducts should specify it on their packages.

Most Japanese refuse to eat any dangerous and suspicious food. This is why most of the Japanese stay in shape and healthy as opposed to those ugly-looking, obese Americans.

You'd better be extra cautious about what you are eating in your own country before asking about food safety in Japan.

A question about staying in Japan?

Question:

Hi guys, basically me and my friend do language exchange over Skype with other native Japanese people. It's a funny idea but, I was asking the Japanese guy if it's possible to have a place to stay there for free, and he said a temple would be free if you were to clean and do stuff etc. Would it be possible for me and my friend to stay there for free by hanging out at temples? LMAO Also are all foreigners fingerprinted and have their photograph taken even if they're a visitor? Thanks.. (If so that f****** sucks) (Our Japanese is kind of beginner/intermediate, I can read 500 Kanji)

Answer:

Yes, ALL foreigners are fingerprinted and have their picture taken by the Immigration officer.
If you refuse, you will be denied entry.
Also, after having cleared Customs, you may be stopped by police.
I have been to Japan 7 times, just came back from there in Oct., and it was the first time
that I was approached by a police officer, who wanted to check my credentials.
My advice to you: be courteous, don't swear and cooperate; otherwise you will have lots of
problems.

I also stayed at a temple on Mt. Koya. The rate there was 10,500 yen per night, which included
breakfast and dinner.
When staying at a temple, you are regarded as a 'customer'; therefore, it would be inconceivable
for the monks to allow you to do any chores. Furthermore, when staying at a temple, you must
get up as early as the monks do, and join in the prayer.

Finally, you don't need to know Kanji, Hiragana or Katakana to enjoy a travel in Japan.
Furigana is small-typed Hiragana or Katakana which is placed either above or to the side of a Kanji character.

What's your fav hikaru utada song?

Question:

Mine's
Easy breezy and sanctuary:)

Thanks:)

bq:age and gender please?
I'm 17 and a girl:)

Answer:

first love, it is what made her, not automatic .male 35 in japan

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PE0Yz9xME…

How much does a round trip ticket from New Jersey to Japan cost?

Question:

me and my sister are thinking about going for my 16th b-day

Answer:

Figure on $1,200 to $1,500 for tourist class. Hope your sister is over 18. If not, it's not going to happen.
BTW, you can NOT buy a one way ticket !

I need ideas for and American Presentation for Japan?

Question:

Well, every year my school in Michigan sends 8 students to Japan in spring, and Japan students come here in fall. So what we do, is we do a presentation about something we like that originated in America. It's been my dream to go to Japan, and it's a great experience. So I was wondering if you could provide me with interesting subjects from America please!:D

Answer:

Rodeo and cowboy are good subjects.

Any japanese girls near harare in zimbabwe?

Question:

im single and searching, im into japanese girls, and kinda scared that my country doesn't have any, plus do japanese girls like black guys?

Answer:

If you are in Zimbabwe, start "Let's visit Zimbabwe" campaign in Japan and some Japanese girls may visit there.

Translate to japanese please?

Question:

what's "Iced tea" in japanese? thx

Answer:

Just as the people before me said - It is "アイスティー" .. Pronounsed as "A-i-su-ti-i; Aisutii " .

What's the difference between thai customs/foods and japanese customs/foods?

Question:

this is for my project, it's supposed to be a venn diagram and i can't think of anything i mean they're both asian right? a venn diagram containing 5 foods and 5 customs
thank you =]

Answer:

Did you know that Asia is the largest and most populated continent in the world with 52 separate countries, all with different foods and cultures! Despite both being Asian, nobody would ever say that Chinese food and Turkish food are the same because they are both asian!

Anyway, Japanese food and Thai food are very different.

• Japanese food is not spicy. Chilli is an important part of Thai food.
• Japanese rice is short grain and sticky. Thai jasmine rice is long grain and fragrant.
• Japanese use chopsticks to eat everything. Thai chopsticks are generally only used for noodles.
• Japanese food uses sauces for flavouring. In Thai food, fresh herbs give flavour.
• Japanese food has an emphasis on fish. Thai food contains much more meat than fish.

As for different customs, there are also many variations of what you can find in Japan compared to Thailand.

Hope this helps put you in the right direction!

If I leave Japan for good and I don't make friends with local Japanese people, will it be my fault?

Question:

I lived and worked in Korea for 3 years. In Korea there are people who have engaged into conversatios with me. Strangers who I associated with. I spent two years in Taiwan and I made friends with local Taiwanese there too. I am now in Japan and I have not made friends with any local Japanese.

It seems to me that in northeast Asia, you have people that surround you to want to be their friends, and after a while they just drop you. That is my social experience here in Northeast Asia. Out of all the people I met in Korea, I keep contact with only 1 Korean. Out of all the Local Taiwanese people I made friends with in Taiwan, still I keep contact with only 1 Taiwanese. The rest of others in Taiwan I keep contact with are either foreigners and 2 aboriginal Taiwanese. (Most Taiwanese are Han Chinese so it is easy for them to drop me). Southeast Asians are different, not to mention the people I still keep contact with in Thailand.

Now that I am in Japan, it is harder because Japanese people do not talk to strangers, and most Japanese people have the worst English language skills in Northeast Asia. I have been in Japan for only 2 and a half months and I will tell you for sure that most of the friends I am making are foreign friends from around the world, mostly Filippinos. Well there is one fellow from a local Japanese church I am aquainted with but apart from that, I do not have any real local Japanese friends. No matter how bad their English is, and no matter how bad my Japanese is. And I have no chance of getting a Japanese gilfriend either. And yes I can easily slam Japanese for being xenophobic.

So if I ever leave Japan for good, will it be my fault if I don't make friends in Japan?

Answer:

It is not your fault. You can't always please everyone all the time. Japan is a closed society which might be one reason foreigners struggle to make friends.

If I leave Japan for good and I don't make friends with local Japanese people, will it be my fault?

Question:

Answer:

It is not your fault. You can't always please everyone all the time. Japan is a closed society which might be one reason foreigners struggle to make friends.

Is there any way to memorize Katakana and Hiragana faster?

Question:

sometimes i confuse one to another... any tips?

Answer:

A book that really helped me was "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.

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

What's the best thing about Japan?

Question:

Answer:

There are lots of great things such as

Natural Beauty
Amazing Food
Traditional Culture and History
Cool Technology
Street Fashion
Adventure

Ex.H&MC's Halca in a new band?! SYN?

Question:

SO I heard that after HIGH and MIGHTY COLOR fisbanded, the vocal Halca created new band named SYN.. But I don't seem to find anything about it in the internet?? Can you give me any links to some info about the band and maybe some songs? thanks :D <3

Answer:

Hey, I haven't found much, other than their official site:

http://synofficial.com

their Japanese MySpace:

http://jp.myspace.com/syn000

and a forum with a couple of pics:

http://jpopcentral.yuku.com/topic/1030/master/1/?page=1

Japanese native speakers! 塾ブームはとうぶん続くと思われています失敗した学校生は予備校と呼ばれる大規模塾に通ります?

Question:

what do these sentences mean
塾ブームはとうぶん続くと思われています
失敗した学校生は予備校と呼ばれる大規模塾に通ります
and can someone explain passive form?

NO GOOGLE TRANSLATE i've already seen what it looks like in online translators so i;ll just disregard your answer

Answer:

>塾ブームはとうぶん続くと思われています
They think that "cram school boom" will last for a long time.

>失敗した学校生は予備校と呼ばれる大規模塾に通ります
If a student failed, he would go to a large cram school called yobiko.

>and can someone explain passive form?

This means "thought by many people". We can translate it as "they think"

Translate this from Japanese to English pls?

Question:

(( NO ONLINE TRANSLATION ))

Enterキーを入力し、日本語入力を終了すれば表示可能(公式より）

Answer:

Press Enter. And when you're done inputting Japanese, it can be displayed (from official)

It does not mention exactly what can be displayed.
Regarding the part "From official," something seems to be missing in the original Japanese. Hence no idea what's official. Maybe "from the official website" or something.

Are there any op shops in Tokyo?

Question:

Answer:

Op Shop = A charity shop, thrift shop, thrift store, hospice shop (U.S., Canada), resale shop (when not meaning consignment shop [U.S.]) or op shop (Australia/N.Z.) (from "opportunity shop") is a retail establishment run by a charitable organization to raise money

I recall a while back seeing one in Shirogane (walk from Hiroo Station towards Shibuya, before you hit the tunnel turn left [no clue what the name of the street is] and there are a couple of shops a few hundred meters up on the right)

I am almost positive there are more - just not the type of place i shop sorry

if you are looking for funky clothing (cheap) look no further than Harajuku

Shop justice to Sasebo japan?

Question:

i ordering this stuff from girl clothing store how long will it take to get to japan

Answer:

Maybe a month, it takes me 2 months because I live in Australia by ordinary shipping
Anyway, My mum is from Sasebo!

I am in Tokyo on holiday, I want to move here, what work is there for a english speaker?

Question:

I am 20 and on holiday here I love it and would love to move here for at least a year, after my studies which end in about 1 year. I am studying Mental Health at Tafe I probably couldn't work here with that qualification. So what type of work could I do here, with a one year visa? I only speak very basic Japanese and I assume it would be hard to get hired because I am australian. A friend suggestion being a stripper because I am aussie and rare here so I would get alot of clients.

Answer:

Basically, you can't get working visa of Japan if you don't have a college degree.

But if you are from Australia, you can apply for working holiday visa.
http://www.mofa.go.jp/j_info/visit/w_hol…

What are 'girls clubs' as in Tokyo.??

Question:

I am in Tokyo atm and everywhere are 'girls clubs' and lots of brothels and stuff, I really thought Japanese girls had respect for themselves.

Answer:

It's just a small fraction of Japanese girls who work there. It's not really everywhere.

Is there any casino's in tokyo I heard they are banned?

Question:

I just want to use a few pokie maschines.

Answer:

Casino is not legal in Japan. So there is none.

I am in Tokyo what should I do?

Question:

I am here now with my partner for another 5 days, so far we have been to the Uneno zoo, museums, shopping in shibuya, eating, Amekyo market and Tsukii fish market, any other suggestions? we went to Harajuku but didn't see much of the people who dress up :(

Isn't there a suberb full of crazy technology and robots, and sailor moon stuff??

Any suggestions will be fab. We might go to the Imperial palace tomorrow.

we are 21 year olds btw.

Answer:

Tokyo Disneyland
Ghibli Museum in Mitaka
Kamakura
Hakone
Asakusa
Odaiba