General: Japan

== <10> Communication == Welcome to the third and final part of my top ten tips for visitors to Japan. Having looked last time at the potential pitfalls for gaijin (foreigners) in blowing their noses and taking a bath amongst other hazards, this time I'm dealing with the biggest minefield of the lot - the all-important business of communication. So here is tip number 10. '''The Devil's Language…''' The brick wall up against which most foreign ...
...course the Japanese language itself. It's said that in the sixteenth century the missionary St Francis Xavier, on discovering the difficulty westerners had in deciphering a single word spoken or written by the Japanese people, concluded that Japanese had been devised by the devil to prevent Christian missionaries from doing their good works there. Consequently Japanese, which seemed impenetrable to foreigners at the time, became commonly known as ...

Mitsudan 25.02.2008 · Read full review
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Review of General: Japan

Japan has been on my must visit list for about eight years, however for one reason or another, I never quite got around to it until now. It was finally decided whilst on last years holiday that 2008 would be the year for Japan and I visited for two weeks in March. ===_Getting there and around_=== I travelled to Japan from my home in Bermuda via New York, the flight from New York is about 14 hours and I paid for it with air miles. For the benefit ...
...courtesy of expedia and a direct flight from the UK takes about 12 hours and at the moment seems to cost around £650 - £800. This seems a little expensive compared to some other Far East destinations, however I am sure there are sales from time to time and there are several carriers to choose from offering direct flights namely; BA, Virgin, JAL and ANA. I chose to fly to and from Tokyo (Narita airport), however it is also possible to fly to Osaka ...

Cat199 14.10.2008 (15.10.2008) · Read full review
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Review of General: Japan

I visited Japan last summer with a friend and we spent about a month there. We visited the following cities: Tokyo, Osaka, Hiroshima and Kyoto. ~Tokyo~ Tokyo is a lot like London. It's made up of a number of very distinct villages - each with their own character and often populated with a variety of characters - some of whom may only come out at night - and are not necessarily vampires! Most of the main areas in Tokyo are stops on the Yamanote Line ...
...Getting a day ticket to go round this line doesn't turn you into a train spotter. It is an ideal way to get your bearings and it provides a reasonable overview of the City. The streets of Tokyo are laid out in a grid pattern similar to those of New York and other larger cities. At first sight, each street not only looked the same but had remarkably similar names: Ginza 1-Chome; Ginza 2-Chome and so on. In any Japanese version of the board game "Monopoly", ...

rambo 01.05.2005 · Read full review
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Review of General: Japan

Japanese food is gaining greater and greater acceptance all over the world. Naturally there is demand for Japanese food items by expatriates from that country but more and more non-Japanese are also acquiring a taste for this fascinating cuisine Perhaps the growing enthusiasm for this food reflects the belief than the clean methods of preparation, the neatness, the delicacy, visual beauty and presentation generates a high degree of confidence ...
...freshness and purity of the basic ingredients. This cuisine delights the senses! Japanese food, however, is not only visually very appealing, it is also healthy with its strong reliance on fresh fish, seafood, noodles, and the freshest seasonal ingredients. Authentic Japanese food is now widely available in the US, Canada, throughout much of Western Europe, East and South East Asia, Australia and New Zealand, and sushi bars have sprung-up in ...

ashford 05.01.2001 · Read full review
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Review of General: Japan

Bye Bye Arigato Sayonara was the name of a popular song in Japan when I was living there about four years ago. Translated, it means 'Bye Bye Thank you Goodbye' which kind of sums up how I feel about my experience there. I was living in Osaka, in the south of Japan, for about two years and have very bitter-sweet memories of my experience. The Japanese people in general are not that welcoming of foreigners in the big cities, though I believe that ...
...together more effortlessly. For a holiday destination, you will probably not encounter the same racist attitude as those foreign residents for whom it becomes a part of every day life to be pointed at and stared even cussed in the street. The sweet part of my stay though is the facinating cultural aspects of this proud nation. The scenery is also stunning, Kyoto and Nara being amongst my favourite places. Kyoto is full of zen gardens, temples, ...

kxa97 10.04.2001 · Read full review
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Review of General: Japan

Okay I have a theory. ALL JAPANESE PEOPLE ARE INSANE. I`m yet to be proven wrong. One advantage of this is though that they do create some of the most bizarre and wonderful things. So lets forget about the temples and castle these are the things you`ll really remember about Japan. 1.VENDING MACHINES Not bizarre in themselves but they are actually every where, millions of them. Most sell just drinks and cigarettes, some sell alcohol(now be honest ...
...drunken 12 year olds there would be lying about on the streets). They get slowly more unusual and bizarre, newspapers, pot plants, fast food. The most bizarre are the legendary vending machines that sell used school girls knickers, having not seen one I can`t guarentee that they still exist. Strangely though I haven`t found a single one though that sells chocolate or crisps! 2.ELECTRIC TOILET SEATS These are clearly one of the greatest inventions ...

randymutley 29.06.2004 · Read full review
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Review of General: Japan

I love this country, I love the buildings and I love the culture, it is so original and historic but at the same time so modern. From day one to my last day I was always intrigued, I was shocked from the women and how modern and trendy they are. You can never get bored in this country, there is always something to do or try a new dish. For people who love technology they will find this place heaven and be able to play with all new stuff. For me ...

Al 05.07.2000 · Read full review
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Review of General: Japan

Japan is one of the most beautiful countrys on this planet... the cities, buildings, traditional buildings and culture. Japan is a wonderful country for sight seeing and the people there are so kind, helpful and polite. The traditional buildings a breathtaking to look at and the modern buildings are just a wonderful peice of engineering. Getting around is very easy, bus, tram, taxi and the Bullet train. Japan is just a great place to visit, many ...

Garza007 09.08.2000 · Read full review
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Review of General: Japan

I love traveling by train in Japan, not only because of the convenience and comfort, but also the lunch boxes –“Ben-Do” at the train stations (there are more than 10 choices in each shops at the station!) or in the train. “Ben-Do”s are very local. Usually Japanese use typical local material to make it, they take it so seriously that they even have an award for the best “Ben-Do”. I can’t stop watering just looking at the display and they do taste ...

me_envies 20.07.2000 · Read full review
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Review of General: Japan

I have to say that in general I was very disappointed with Japan. I met my wife while she was living there for two years in the second biggest city, Osaka. Though nearby Kyoto and Nara are kind of nice for a day trip to see some nice country side; once you've seen one temple/zen garden/carnival.....you have really seen enough. In the city itself, it is definitely not clean and beautiful. Taxi drivers wee in the street, the drains stink to high heaven ...
...Going out is expensive, though there are a few young-type bars that you can go to and get a beer for about two and a half quid and that's about the cheapest. Food is also really expensive though there is a chain called Caprichosa (can't remember the spelling) that sell great bowels of pasta for a reasonable price. If you have to live there of go to a visit a friend then it's ok, not the best place for a vacation as it's pricey and not that interesting ...

Ghonnie 08.04.2001 · Read full review
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Review of General: Japan

Last year I went to Japan for three weeks. I got a rail pass which gave me free travel on all the national railways (which cover most of the country), which cost about £300 for 3 weeks, but the 1 and 2 week ones are obviously much cheaper, and they are very good value as the trains can often cost as much as planes in Japan. I found it very easy to get around and went everywhere i wanted to with no trouble at all, even in 3 weeks. The only places ...
...back to see as it is supposed to be totally different to the rest of japan - and okinawa. Although Japan has a reputation for being expensive i managed to find youth hostels in most places, charging about £14 - £16 a night. I would recommend a visit to anyone, but perhaps don't go for too long especially if you are on your own, cos there are very few people to talk to! ...

JetSetter 11.08.2000 · Read full review
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Review of General: Japan