Wednesday, November 16, 2011

I need a Japanese girlfriend...I live in Missouri. I never see any around what are some good social sites?

Question:

That have Japanese girls!? A site where I can search in my area Japanese girls 18 and up that's free!?!

Answer:

Try the sites below. They're free. But bear in mind you'll need to have enough money to go there to see her if the time comes. And most Japanese women don't want to move here, unless you lived in Hawaii.

Is this Japanese sentence correct?

Question:

たとえば、過去にたくさんおきゃくさんがいつも私の親切をほめてくれました

It's suppose to say: For example, in the past, many customers have always complimented me on my kindness

Answer:

Almost correct, but a little bit awkward. In this sentence, I imagine the speaker is, for instance, a seller and the counterpart is お客さん or a client. It is unnatural that a seller's action is called 親切, i.e. a seller are required to be 親切 toward his or her customer. So, I would rather make it as follows.

たとえば、過去にたくさんのお客さんが　（いつも）私の接客態度を誉めてくれまし…

Anyone out there want to be my Japanese writing buddy?

Question:

I'm trying to learn Japanese and it hasn't been going too well. Probably because I've got tons of school work that I'm running behind on. Anyway, I already have two Japanese friends, but I need more. They're really nice, but I don't want to write to only them constantly because I think they'll get sick of me. LOL! XD

I'm trying to broaden my options. ^_^

Answer:

Try
http://www.japan-guide.com/local/?aCAT=2
You can find all you want; it's totally free and updated daily.

Are Indian MED degrees Approved in Japan?

Question:

i'll be completing MS in next 10 yrs
and plan to shift to Japan
so is it possible? if yes then hw?

Answer:

No. You must have Japanese license to work as a medical stuff in Japan.

Japanese help please?

Question:

There's one part that goes:
"doushite inu wa kusai desuka."
"yogorete ite nurete imasu kara"
I think I understand the first part (Why does the dog stink?), but what does the second part mean? Especially "ite". I can't figure out what that is or means. I learned the words for dirty and wet, but don't know why "ite" is there or what for.

Also one thing said:
"Boku wa haburashi de wa o migaite imasu."
in romanji. In hiragana it had "ha" は, but when it did it in romanji why would it change "teeth/tooth" (ha) to "ga"? I couldn't understand?

Thank you

Answer:

"yogorete ite nurete imasu kara" - because they are dirty and wet

In order to string two or more indepenent verbs together, all of the associated verbs in the string, except for the last one, must be transformed into the gerund -te form. For example, these forms of to be dirty and to be wet (yogorete iru + nurete iru = yogorete ite nurete iru)

What do Chinese people eat for breakfast?

Question:

I never see breakfast menu in Chinese Restaurants. Can I assume its rice and noodles in the morning, rice and noodles in the daytime and rice and noodles and meat in the evening?

Answer:

China
Chinese cuisine

A typical rice porridge complete with dried minced pork; popular breakfast fare in China.
Breakfasts vary greatly between different regions.

Northern China breakfast fare typically includes steamed buns in different shapes (the stuffed ones are 'Bao Zi (buns)', the plain ones are called 'Man Tou' and those 'rolls' are sometimes called by those people living in a certain region as 'Hua (flower) Juan (roll)', grilled flat, round buns (Shao (grilled) Bing (biscuit)', with dòunǎi or dòujiāng (soya milk) or Chinese tea (served hot and plain, without lemon or milk).

Central and eastern China, typified by Shanghai and the neighbouring Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Anhui provinces, breakfasts are characterised by the combination of both northern and southern dishes. These may be stuffed rice rolls (粢飯) (a bit similar to Japanese sushi but much bigger in size), yóudoùfu fěnsī (油豆腐粉絲) (fried bean curd and cellophane noodles soup); plain rice porridge (粥) served with numerous side dishes, such as salted duck eggs, pickled vegetables, and thousand-year eggs; or sweetened or savoury soya milk served with grilled flat, round buns or yóutiáo (油條).

Southeastern China, such as Fujian, breakfasts consist of rice porridge served with side dishes such as pickled vegetables and thousand-year eggs.
Southern China, represented by Guangdong, breakfasts include rice porridge/congee prepared to a thicker consistency than those sold in Shanghai. Side dishes may or may not be served. Congee can be eaten with fried dough (油條/油炸鬼) or other kinds of deep-fried bakery products (in Chinese style) if it is plain, or not, as far as you like. In many cases, however, congee is prepared with any kind of ingredients as you can or cannot imagine, such as beef slices, shredded salted pork, minced meat, thousand-year eggs, fish, or sliced pig's liver and kidney, meatballs, frog, chicken, or even abalone. You can find not less than one hundred combinations on the menus of such congee restaurants (usually these are food stalls selling mainly congee, noodles and those Chinese deep-fried bakery products alone). Other breakfast items include rice noodle rolls ('Cheong Fun' 腸粉), fried noodles (sauteed noodles with bean sprouts, spring onions, soya sauce and sometimes some shredded pork, or even ham, etc.), jiānbǐng (thin crisp omelettes with fillings folded in), lúobogāo (turnip puddings) and 'rice dumpling' (wrapped in bamboo leaves, usually as a festive food during Dragon Boat Festival at around June every year). For Cantonese, the typical breakfasts (apart from the home-made congees) are dim sum breakfasts. Dim sum is often eaten at Cantonese restaurants, while nowadays, with its growing popularity and the advancement of technology, many different kinds of deep-frozen dim sums are available in supermarket, with most can be ready to serve just by re-heating it in a microwave oven for a few minutes.

Help translating English text to Japanese?

Question:

I want to write to my new Japanese friend, but I'm a little busy so I just want to write a short message to let her know that I haven't forgotten about her.

How is the following message translated into Japanese:

"Hi, how have you been since I last saw you? I haven't spoken with you in a long time. Isn't funny how time flies. I'm looking forward to getting a break from school. By the way, how do you plan on celebrating Thanksgiving break?"

Thanks in advance!

Answer:

"Hi, how have you been since I last saw you?
最後にお会いしてから後、元気ですか？

I haven't spoken with you in a long time. Isn't funny how time flies.
ずっとお話していません。時の経つのは速いものですね。

I'm looking forward to getting a break from school.
私は学校の休みが待ち遠しいです。

By the way, how do you plan on celebrating Thanksgiving break?"
ところで、感謝祭はどのように祝う予定でしょうか？

A question about Japan...?

Question:

I am an caucasian American student, and I am graduating High school in a few years. I am trying very hard to learn Japanese, and I really hope to attend a University there and pursue a career, in Japan, in the entertainment industry. My question; would the Japanese people ever accept a white person in the Japanese entertainment industry - or not?

Answer:

And why is your avatar in Korean ? A university there will cost you $80,000 & up.
Chances of accepting an unknown newbie ? About zero.

What would happen to me if I had amnesia in Japan?

Question:

Say that I, a short 14 year old (look like 11 or younger) were to somehow be in Japan. I wake up in a hospital and can't remember anything about myself, and didn't have anything to identify me. What would happen to me? Would I be taught Japanese and be in a foster home? How would they decide my name and age? By asking me what I think I am?(if they can ask me -.-)

Thank you for responding, it's just a curious question.

Oh, btw, this is going as if my parents had already left Japan(Maybe I went to the restroom or a store to buy something without them knowing and the plane left?) and I hit my head after running trying to catch it? That's just an example of what could happen if you need to know the situation.

Answer:

You must have your passport with you. So you will be sent back to your country after waking up in a hospital.

Addition:
>And if I don't have my passport =|? I said I have nothing to identify me.

You can't enter Japan without passport. If you lost it in Japan, someone will bring it to authority. Japanese people basically don't try to take your passport to their home.

If it's really lost, Japanese authority would try to find your data at immigration office. There is your data because you entered Japan. They take your fingerprint at airport. So they can identify you from your finger.

So foster home thing is not possible.

I need to know about japan?

Question:

I'm writing a story in which 95% takes place in Japan. I need to know the basic life of a Japanese 13-14 year old female with rich parents. ( Don't need the entire life just basically how it is.)
Info needed:
- School and how it works (vacation times, length, sports, arts, seating, etc.)
- Lifestyle
- Food names and what it is
- How female soccer leagues work in Japan (ages, tournaments,etc.)
- How rich families, with companies work.
- Honorifics, (-san, -sama, -kun, -chan, and how they are used)
- Anything else that may be help full
The character, is adopted into a rich Japanese family, joins a soccer league, goes to school, starts a sort of romance- love triangle- kind of thing.

Answer:

Girls from rich families (ojosama) usually goes to private girls-only schools (Christian/secular). Christian school is highly estimated by many rich families. In fiction stories about ojosama, schools' names like these are typical: Saint Margaret Jogakuin (女学院、Institute for girls) or Jogakuen/Joshigakuin (女学園/女子学院), Meikai-Gijuku Girls’ High etc.
This kind of School like Jogakuin or Jogakuen often contains elementary, junior high, high, or sometimes college or nursery school.
Students wear school uniform.
http://www7.ocn.ne.jp/~mtera/seifuku/

I can't go to Japan because I'm too opinionated?

Question:

My high school has a Japan exchange program where one year the students from Japan come to the US and the next year we go to Osaka, Japan for 2 weeks and vice versa. My sensei, Japanese teacher, said that she's worried about me going because I question things a lot of times; but that's only because I've been in her class for 3 years and I'm familiar with her but with other teachers I'm fairly quiet. I already know Japan is homogeneous and I know that I should just comply and follow the rules, so why is my Japanese teacher worried?

Answer:

I can understand her concern - she doesn't know how you act in other classes with other teachers and you're talking about going to a foreign country with a vastly different culture to your own. Even if you already know most of the "rules" so to speak before you get there, it's still difficult to adapt your behaviour, plus there will be certain unwritten rules in the culture as well that you wouldn't have heard about (every country has them). Those problems are faced by absolutely everybody who goes to live or study abroad, particularly if you naturally have a personality that in some way goes against what's deemed socially appropriate in that culture. That said, a friend of mine went to study in Japan for 5 weeks and she didn't step on that many toes, despite the fact that she was suddenly put in a strict Catholic school. Explain to your teacher what you've written here: that you ask a lot of questions in her class because you're familiar with her and with being in her class, in most classes you're a lot quieter and that you're well able to comply with rules and not question things when it's appropriate.

After Working Holiday Visa is expired, is there any ways to continute staying in Japan?

Question:

As title, assuming I've got myself a Japanese working holiday visa, and I found myself a job in Japan, is is possible to stay there after the working visa is expired? Like obtain a Work Visa or Work Permit?

Answer:

Yes, it is possible, but you need to leave Japan before your current Visa expires, then re-enter Japan under the new Visa or Work Permit.

Are Cherry Blossoms Native to Japan?

Question:

Looking at it here it seems it is not, (http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt) however, while doing other researches about the tree, I also come across it being native to Japan..(http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/articles/japan/japanese-cherry-blossom-trees/1582 THIRD PARAGRAPH), can someone help me identify its true origin?

Answer:

I would say it's native to Japan.

There are many discussions regarding the origin of Cherry Blossoms "SAKURA".
It is believed that it originated from somewhere in Himalayas, middle of Eurasia continent, and spread out to East Asia and elsewhere. However, Cherry Blossoms immigrated to Japan several million years ago and spread out all over Japan before prehistoric age. I think we could say Japanese Cherry Blossoms are native to Japan.

There used be a discussion that Japanese most famous Cherry breed SOMEIYOSHINO is originated from KOREA. However that theory had been rejected by DNA finger print researches including reserch done by US. Depart ment of Agricalture in 2007. Some people still believe that old theory.

Here's the Quote from Wiki:
In 1933, the Japanese botanist Koizumi Genichi reported that the Japanese Sakura (Somei Yoshino) originated on Jeju-do island (Quelpaert).[29] In 1916, Ernest Henry Wilson had thought that "Japanese Sakura (Somei Yoshino)" was a crossbreed of the wild species of Japanese Sakura ("Edo higan" and "Oshima zakura").[30] In 1991, Professor of Tsukuba University Iwasaki Fumio reported that "Japanese Sakura (Somei Yoshino) originated around 1720-1735 by the artificial crossing in Edo (Tokyo)."[31] Recent studies conducted on the comparison of Korean and Japanese cherry blossoms concluded that the two trees can be categorized as distinct species,[32] but the Korean species apparently has not yet been given a scientific name.

Refere:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cherry_blos…
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/76056…

Teaching English in Japan?

Question:

I was born in Japan but have lived most of my life (about 22 years) living and going to school in New Zealand. I currently hold a Bachelor of Communications majoring in Public Relations and am halfway through my honors year. I have more confidence speaking English than Japanese and am thinking of spending some time in Japan to work (preferrably teaching English or in a PR-related field). My father lives in Japan so I wouldn`t need accommodation etc. What are the prospects of finding a job in the Tokyo area?
Would appreciate any input/advice!

Answer:

Most recruiters for English jobs in Japan will require the following:

1. Native English Speaker
2. Full Bachelor Degree (in any field) * Required for Visa but may not be necessary in your case
3. Basic Japanese Ability

The market is really competitive now so they also prefer teaching experience and qualifications such as ESL, TEFL or CELTA.

Salary is usually around 240,000 - 255,000 yen per month depending on experience and qualifications.

Working in Japan
http://japan-australia.blogspot.com/2010…

Is this correct? (Expense question for Japan trip)?

Question:

Avg. flight price per person: $1200 -1500 USD (US to Japan)
-Hotel: anywhere from US$50 to over $650 per night. (We're staying 4 days.)
1500X [12(members) + 4 (Chaperones)] = $24,000
$24,000+ (650 times 4)
$24,000+ 2,600= $26,600
Money for attractions and food (estimating here): $5,000
$26,600+5,000= $31,600 (around this)
$31,600=2,466,443.2 JPY
Is this correct?

Answer:

Correct or incorrect. It depends on your real plan. We don't know what kind of plan you really have. So we can't judge.

Is this correct? (Expense question for Japan trip)?

Question:

Answer:

Correct or incorrect. It depends on your real plan. We don't know what kind of plan you really have. So we can't judge.

How would I say these 10 things in present/past/presn neg/past neg. in japanese?

Question:

I had a question earlier, and I got a little confused. I'm not sure how to say the present, past, presen neg, and past negative of these things.

I am hungry/ was / not / wasn't - onaka ga suita/ onaka ga suita datta/ onaka ga suita ja nai/ onaka ga ja nakatta?

I am thirsty/ was/ not/ wasn't- nodo ga kawaita/ nodo ga kawaita/ nodo ga kawakanai/ nodo ga kawakanakatta?

I am wrong/ was/ not/ wasn't- machigatte iru/ machigatte ita/ machigatte inai/ machigatte inakatta?

I am right/ was/ not/ wasn't- tadashii/ tadashikatta/ tadashikunai/ tadashikunakatta?

I am irritable/ was/ not/ wasn't- okorippoi/ okorippokatta/ okorippokunai/ okorippokunakatta?

I am full/ was/ not/ wasn't- onaka ga ippai/ onaka ga ippai datta/ onaka ga ippai ja nai/ onaka ga ippai ja nakatta?

I am satisfied/ was/ not/ wasn't- manzoku shita/ manzoku shita/ manzoku shinai/ manzoku shinnakatta?

I am excited/ was/ not/ wasn't- koufun shita/ koufun shita/ koufun shinai/ koufun shinakatta?

I am wounded/ was/ not/ wasn't- kega shite iru/ kega shite ita/ kega shite inai/ kega shite inakatta?

Finally, I am exhausted/ was/ not/ wasn't- tsukare/ tsukarete ita/ tsukarete inai/ tsukarete inakatta?

As you can see, my translations may be wrong. If there some kind of strange literal translation I should know about, please tell me. Thank you for your consideration if choosing to answer. All help is appreciated, thank you.

Answer:

Same as I told you last time.

1. onaka ga suita: "suita" is the past tense of "suku" Suku is a verb meaning "to empty" "Onaka"
means "stomach"

Therefore: present tense: onaka ga suita negative: onaka ga sukanai past: onaka ga suita past neg.:
onaka ga sukanakatta

2. Is OK.
(Please note that present and past are same for 1 and 2) there is no adjective for hungry and thirsty, so these verbs are used in past tense even when the meaning is present tense. They are idioms Onaka ga suita: I'm hungry. (lit. My stomach is emptied) Nodo ga kawaita I'm thirsty (lit. My throat has been dried.)

3. is OK
4. is OK
5. is OK
6.is OK
7. last one past perfect has one "n" "manzoku shinakatta"
8. present tense: koufun suru or koufun shite iru. lit. ("I am being excited") this is called the present continuous it is used with -te iru to indicate something in process
9.Like number 7, you used present continuous OK
10. This one too is present continuous:
Present: tsukarete iru
Neg: tsukarete inai
Past: tsukareta or tsukarete itta
Neg Past: tsukarenakatta or tsukarete inakatta

With body and feeling conditions, there are some idioms: (Nodo ga kawaita/onaka ga suita) but remember they are verbs in Japanese, unlike english "hungry" and "thirsty," which are adjectives.

Feeling verbs can be used in the past tense to describe a present situation: "koufun shita" can mean that you are excited now, or it can mean your were excited.
Koufun suru can be "exciting" or "I will be excited," since plain form is also future tense.
Or feeling verbs take the -ing form, called present continuous, expressed in Japanese with -te iru.

So injured can be : Present: kega shita or kega shite iru.
Same with satisfied, exhausted, full.

"irratible" you used the verb ending -ppoi which turns a verb into an adjective and takes the same endings as an "i" adjective. katta/ kunai/kunakatta, etc.

"Right" is the "i" adjective "tadashii" which you conjugated correctly.

In summary your only major mistake was number one. You don't put desu/ja nai/datta after a verb. (in this case, the verb "suku")

How would I say these 10 things in present/past/presn neg/past neg. in japanese?

Question:

Answer:

Can anyone recommend me cheap and nice place in tokyo or shibuya?

Question:

I will be going tokyo soon.i'll be staying there for 3 weeks but i don't know where to stay cozz japan is quite expensive..i'm looking for cheaper places...

Answer:

If you want a really cheap (but still clean) place to stay in Tokyo, you won't be disappointed. There are several to choose from, Try looking at
www.newkoyo.com
www.libertyhouse.gr.jp
www.juyoh.co.jp
www.khaosan-tokyo.com/en/original/
www.palace-japan.com/english/
www.shrek-watta-house.com
www.jyh.or.jp/english/kanto/
www.toyoko-inn.com/eng/
www.superhoteljapan.com/en/
http://www.kid97.co.jp/~jeh-group/jeh-gr…
Some have free drinks and w-fi, in addition to your own room.
If you have never stayed in one, then I recommend a Japanese inn (ryokan) for at least a night for the experience. You might want to look at:
http://www2.dango.ne.jp/kimi/ryokan.html
http://www.tamaryokan.com
http://www.libertyhouse.gr.jp
You can also get a day pass for the city subways for about 1000 yen or USD$13 or so, and for food you can easily eat at some less expensive places for about 3000 yen a day or less. If you want to go all over the Tokyo area then a JR East Rail Pass might be a good idea. See www.japanrailpass.net for more info.

Would the Japanese stare at me?

Question:

Well, I kinda wanna move to Japan in a few years, but I'm afraid of being stared at. I am from half-Nicaraguan and half-American, but my skin color is like Tyra Bank's. Would the Japanese stare at me? I fell in love with their culture and traditions, but I don't wanna be stared at. I want to be treated just as any normal person in Japan, not like a weirdo.

Answer:

It depends on where you are. In Tokyo or Osaka, you won't get stared at. Pretty much anywhere else, you will be. That's just how they are. You're different, you're interesting, they'll stare. Most of the time they don't even realize they're doing it. You'll get used to it, though. Kids especially will ask innocent questions (like "are you a foreigner?" etc)

How would I keep sushi fresh for this situation?

Question:

I would have to buy the sushi at 2:00 PM and have to preserve it at home until 6:15 AM the next day. At 6:15 AM I leave home, and would take the sushi with me. I walk and take the bus to school- 7:30 I get to my locker, and the sushi would have to stay in there until around 10:10, which is lunch.

Is it possible to keep sushi fresh for this long, and if so, how would I preserve it- at home and then outside?

Answer:

Sushi is not really a take-away food. Sushi should be made fresh and then eaten straight away. I would try making and bringing an Onigiri (Japanese Rice Ball) to school instead as this is a better option. Onigiri is a popular snack food or takeaway option for a quick meal in Japan. It is kind of like a sandwich in the West.

Japanese Onigiri Recipe
http://japan-australia.blogspot.com/2010…

In japan, what kind of jobs did they have during the late 1800s?

Question:

Answer:

Japan was changed dramatically around 1868 Meiji Restoration. So you need to be clear whether you are asking before or after 1868.

I don't know who first created this question, you or your teacher. But better to have basic knowledge on Japanese history first.

Addition:
I think you need to think what kind of jobs we have in a society.

For example, we must have merchants who buy and sell crops farmers have grown.

Carpenters who build houses.

Coal miners who get coals.

Doctors who treat people.

Hair stylist who cut hair.

And this was used like a taxi at that time. So they needed its drivers. Its photo was taken in 1897.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulled_rick…

Soldiers who fought this war in 1894.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Sino-…

Can a Mexican Citizen visit Japan without a visa?

Question:

I have dual citizenship Mexican/American I'm just wondering

Answer:

You can stay up to 90 days. Have fun.

What are the benefits of matcha?

Question:

Matcha - powdered green tea. Why is it better than regular green tea? Is there any proof?

Answer:

Matcha is very beneficial and it is stronger than regular green tea. The difference is that green tea is steeped in a bag. Where as matcha is the whole leave ground into a fine powder. The powder is then mixed into a tea with a whisk. Because you are consuming the whole leaf you are gaining more nutrients.

Matcha has a very high ORAC value. It is said to be higher than blueberries and acai berries. (ORAC measures antioxidant values)

Matcha is best known for the Japanese Tea Ceremony and it was also used by the zen monks in preparation for long fasts and mediations. It is said to relax the body while created alertness in the mind.

According to some studies matcha has cancer fighting ingredients such as tannin and catechins. These have been known to fight various cancers.

Matcha is also a vitamin and mineral rich tea.

There are several studies that support various findings. Matcha is potent and beneficial. It would be a great addition to our daily diet.

The facts above were paraphrased (not copied) from the following article, which contains many more findings, plus research links....

How do you write "Hey, it's me again." in Japanese.?

Question:

Don't use google translate.

Answer:

you could use a pen or a pencil.

or a stick if you're at a beach.

Where Can I Buy This? Toy Story Hong Kong Japan Buzz Woody BEST ANSWER?

Question:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2062319/Is-Infinity-Beyond-step-far-Toy-Story-makers-create-fashion-collection-ADULTS.html
Anyone have the link to where these are for sale?
Thanks xxxxx

Answer:

They are sold at Hong-Kong and Amoy, not in Japan.
Here is their facebook page is written in Chinese.
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=…

And their shop location:
http://www.bossini.com/corp/en/shop

No 1 of their page means this shop:
http://www.bossini.com/corp/en/shop/loca…

In japan do they exept halfs? i am half japanese and irish , will i have a hard time living there?

Question:

I have been to tokyo for a couple weeks, only was stared at badly. i am going to live in fukuok for 2 years as a student in fukuoka city.Can anyone tell me if i will have a hard time there because of what i am.

Answer:

Plain & simple, you'll be looked at as a gaijin. Nothing more, nothing less. No, you shouldn't have a hard time there.

How do you say "Anyways..." In Japanese?

Question:

Please don't use google translate.

Answer:

なんにしても
nan,nishitemo

Can you understand Japanese?

Question:

私は日本人ではない。私は日本人ではない。
What does it say?
Is it right in grammar?

Answer:

I'm not (a) Japanese. I'm not (a) Japanese.

Yes, it's correct grammatically.

Where can you buy a traditional real kimono in Japan?

Question:

Im curious as to know where one might be able to get a real kimono from a real kimono makers(not machine), not the second hand kind more like the ones that range from 10,000 to 100,000, would you find any in kyoto?

Answer:

There are places all over Kyoto selling kimono. Most department stores have a floor or portion of a floor devoted to wafuku. The Daimaru on Shijo-dori has a nice kimono floor, and a portion of a floor at the Isetan attached tot he train station is also devoted to kimono. If you just walk down Shijo-dori between Karasuma-dori and the river you will see a couple of kimono shops. There are a couple of small shops on Teramachi-dori that sell new kimono and yukata. There was another one I liked too, but beyond telling you it's on the Gion side of the river I can't tell you where it is. You might also want to Google Mimuro and get directions. They have a huge selection.

This site has lists of kimono shops listed by prefecture. It's all in Japanese, but you could just run the page through Google Translate to get English addresses: http://www.kimono-ya.jp/areas/shoplist/k…

Cheap eats around Ginza?

Question:

I'll be staying around there...it's most likely gonna be a budget trip, with me and my mum.

Answer:

It is entirely possible to have a budget trip in Tokyo.

There are many affordable food places in Ginza (yes Ginza is an expensive area) however just turn the corners and you will find a wide vareity of restaurants to include chain Japanese restaurants (and I don't mean KFC or McDonalds) and mom and pop restaurant shops. Many affordable stores like that abound in the area.

------

These "most expensive city" polls are highly subjective. They are polls taken by western business people who live in Japan (and other cities) but instead of adapting to Japanese living, they continue living their western lifestyle (eg, own a car, big apartment/house, 100 dollar steak dinners), these polls are ridiculous and not representative on prices a tourist would find or anyone living like the Japanese.

Even the Wall Street Journal article explains why the polls are so slewed and biased:
http://blogs.wsj.com/japanrealtime/2011/…

Shichimi togarashi...is this what is used in chinese salt & pepper spare ribs from the take away?

Question:

Our local chinese take away does fantastic salt & pepper spare ribs, and salt & pepper chips that are to die for!! I have searched lots of recipes and this shichimi togarashi keeps popping up.

Answer:

Don't think so - shichimi is Japanese 7-spice, incl. orange peel, sesame, chilli and various other things that I can't remember.

I think the Chinese place will probably use Chinese 5 spice or some msg-riddled sauce.

Help me correct/translate my short greeting card to host family?

Question:

よろしくおねがいします！

here it is:

みんなさん(is there another way I could greet the family as a whole?) こにちわ！

お元気ですか？私は元気です。

「メリークリスマス」を送りたくてこの手紙を書いています。

日本に住んでいた時にあなたはやさしくてあたたかくて本当に有難う御座いました。

秋田ではもう寒いですか？　[my country] で未だ寒くない。でも毎日雨が降っています。だから最近秋田に行きたいですけど私の授…

じつは世界のなかで[my country]が一番クリシマスをいわうと思います。たとえば、最近みんなさんは彼… lantern is star-shaped, like the　picture in front of this card. Indeed, the sight of houses with lit lanterns is wonderful and beautiful!]--> please translate this part.

そう言えば、みんなさんは秋田でどうやってクリスマスを祝っていますか？きっとた…

今年のクリスマスを楽しんでください！

それでは、お体にはお気を付け下さい。

*If you have suggestions on how I can start and end my letter, please tell me!

thank you very much!

Answer:

Well, some statements are converted into "..."　by Yahoo. Maybe too long.
You have to enter newlines properly.

みなさん、こんにちわ！
お元気ですか？私は元気です。
「メリークリスマス」を伝えたくて、この手紙を書いています。

日本に住んでいた時は、やさしくあたたかくしていただいて
本当に有難う御座いました。

秋田ではもう寒いですか？　私の国ではまだ寒くありません。
でも毎日雨が降っています。
だから最近秋田に行きたいですけど私の授…

じつは世界のなかで私の国が一番クリシマスをいわうと思います。
たとえば、最近みんなさんは彼…
このカードの表の絵のように、ランタンは星型です。ランタンが
点灯された家の光景は本当に素晴らしく美しいです！

そう言えば、みんなさんは秋田でどうやってクリスマスを祝っていますか？
きっとた…

今年のクリスマスを楽しんでください！

それでは、お体にはお気を付け下さい。