What Keeps You Motivated To Stay Here In Japan?

[akeenan]

kicking the jp! 飽きれないでね　話し方面白れ--------> ナイース

Edited April 2, 2008 by akeenan

[niscort]

Interesting read... lol at smackdown from momo

so it would seem all the long termers have come to the conclusion that Japan is not a place they would like to live out their lives. After 5 and a half years there, I too know it is not the place for me, sure it has many perks, but in terms of a family, I would not like to bring up my child there. I find my patience with the things that I became negitive with gets less and each time I visit. Maybe its an age thing.

I wouldn't change my time there, as it certainly taught me many vaulable lessons about myself and what in life I value.

Ironically, I was less tolerant of gaijin than the Japanese were.

[m3gtr]

Yeaaaah, a smackdown from the homo. Ouch.

He should try pulling his balls out in public sometime. Do him a word of good i reckon. That way at least those of us at the table know without doubt that...

1) he's actually got a set

and

2) he's not on his rags.

[Sciclone]

Its not just young guys that are enamoured with Japan. (Although 25 can still be considered young)

My brother and I recently went over for a snow holiday and took our mum and younger sister along with us for the ride. We were only over there for 10 days, but by the end of it we didn't want to come back. My mum was nearly at crying point when we got on the plane, and I wasn't far behind. Since then, all my mum has wanted to do is go back, and we are already planning to go next year...

Even after only being there a short while, there are a few things I miss upon coming back...

The lack of Vending Machines....

Ability to get alcohol from 7-11, or another convenience store... and cheap...

The people... we got so used to people just being polite, that to come home and have a very rude yugoslav-australian (Not anything against anyone from the balkans, he just happened to be the first person I talked to off the plane, being a customs guy) treat you like an idiot, it wasn't a pleasant experience.

Cheap food.

There are probably more things as well, but I can't remember them at this time.

So I will plan on a way to go back.. I'll have to get better at my vocab and kanji reading, though.

[MostH8D]

how did you all learn japanese? im looking to expand my abilities beyond that of a 3 year old but i have not found a method for me to effectively learn conversational japanese.

[Laurence]

The people I have met who can speak good conversational Japanese all learnt it through studying boring formal Japanese. I have never heard anyone (including myself) who can speak remotely well from simplying "picking it up".

[dreamaaa]

i lived there on and off for 3 years from 17-20. i studied jap a little bit but i couldnt focus and got bored of my obahan sensei......

anyway i moved on to work in a hotel and picked up japanese from there then i moved into a friends club who owned an after club for hosts and hostdess bring their customers. i learnt alot of japanese from there while also learning the polite japanese from a few good books( i bought heaps but i only needed 2 main ones from the same company) the books were books for youngh children to learn the basic japanese but in english. from then on i didnt need it and i expanded my japanese by my self.

also not having any gaijin friends helped alot because i had to force myself to understand japanese because 99% of the people i were with were japs.....

im now back in aus and very bored.....working in sales 6 days a week......soon ill go to uni for international studies and go to japan once again and live happily...

PS i also had a awsome GF and thats where i learnt most of my jap.(dont hang with fluent english speaking people because i felt they were around me for my english mostly. haha sounds mean. and not entirely true. but it does help!

[akeenan]

dreamaaa i dont really understand a lot of your post.. is it possible to say that your english level dropped during your 17 - 20 3 year stay? 17-20 years old ?

I learnt the Japanese I know from studying in australia, studying in Japan, living with a Japanese family for 2 years, hearing it everyday in the workplace, using it in the workplace, hitting clubs, annoying people and through emails and from where ever else I have forgotten, .... movies, tv shows .. .. ..

[MostH8D]

i learned alot of japanese by watching subtitled cartoons. as geeky as that sounds, it got me immersed in the language (as improperly used as it is in most shows) but now i wasnt to learn it proper.

[dreamaaa]

ahah yea sorry i was typing with the lights off and i dont really edit forum posts etc.

but i was in japan for just over 3 years from 1 week before my 17th b day and until i was about 19 but i took a few holidays around the world while living there.

now that im back in aus i feel like an outsider and really miss japan.

[dodgybrooks]

how did you all learn japanese? im looking to expand my abilities beyond that of a 3 year old but i have not found a method for me to effectively learn conversational japanese.

The way anyone gets good at anything, hard work. There is no short cut.

[elrodeo666]

You could go spend $6500 and study full time at jap lang school but you'll learn book japanese which does has its merits.

OR you could put that money to better study and hit japanese bars and spade! You'll learn everyday japanese, get heaps of numbers even if your butt ugly, maybe get lucky (probably) but you will learn Japanese fast . Remeber JAPANESE bars, not ones where Gaijins hang out. You learn fast by not speaking english.

You wanna read and write Japanese hit the books or go to a school, I've done the school road and its hell especially if your doing it for a visa.

[ev0luti0nzer0]

that is true about the language barrier, want to learn a language fast? put yourself in a situation where you cant speak english.. done!

[dreamaaa]

/agree having a few private lessons to teach the basics or bits you dont know is handy.

even i still learn new things when i look through the book.

[akeenan]

learning at a school and living in an environment where you can use what you are learning and more at the same time is the way to go!

[ike]

Despite the annoying insistence of certain people posting in a thread that was clearly not created for them, id still like to get some opinions into what it is that keeps those of us staying in japan here.

Looking forward to hearing from the expats among us.

Hi

I have been coming to Japan now for around 27 years with my job (marine engineer) My company used to get all there ships built here and I had to do commissioning etc for a few months on each ship

This was a really good experience and started my fascination with Japan . Then we had them built elsewhere and the quality has gone to the dogs.

One aspect of Japan is the dedication people have which unfortunately is not very abundant in Australia or many parts of the world.

This along with there politeness and respect for eachother will keep me here from now on. I have been all over and can count on one hand my kinda places to live and Japan is no,1 in my book.

I spend 6 months of the year now in 5 week breaks (have to work) in Toyama with my lady. I also have classes 4 times a week over here learning the lingo ,theres only 2 of us in the class and no english allowed ..good way to learn.

We rent a nice house but are thinking of buying a farm house close by with a large shed for me to put our cars. A bloke has to have a shed fkn oath.

I have been thinking of selling my r33 gtr and buying a new r35gtr in Japan but its a hard decision. There are many r33 's for sale over here but hardly any like mine ...sure some have more power or just good handling. I know a guy in Australia with a r33 gtr that looks unreal on the outside has a standard engine ...and a holinger seq 6 speed transmission.....go figure?? But mine is a total package . ( I liken it to a r33 ztune ha ha). I have seen a few with similar specs going for 4.5m yen . So I will do the unthinkable and return the car to its birth place. ( There are many circuits to thrash your toys over here.) my woman loves it and wants it here also. hai domo arigato gozaimasu . I must obey!.

I was digressing there a bit but for me I will be happy to stay here till I kark it.

heading of to Tokyo today for 4 days ...Missus has a conference so i will go exploring ganbatte hai onegai shaimasu.

Anyone thinking of coming here for a holiday should do it . It can be daunting at first but once you get in the groove its well worth the experience.

Just remember to silence you mobiles .. Mobile etiquette is still new in Australia .

[akeenan]

hope you continue to enjoy yourself here

I dont understand why everyone says Japanese people are all polite and respectful towards one another .. .. sure if your staying in a hotel.

I see thousands of rude and arrogant arseholes every day!

(pick the guy who is ready to move back to oz) hehe

Edited May 28, 2008 by akeenan

[dr1ft.jp]

Yeah Japanese people treat each other like complete shyte. From what I observe it just works on "rank". If you are "below" someone you get treated like a bitch, if you are "above" them you get treated like a god. But people don't hesitate for a second to abuse their god status.

Basically there seems to me there is absolutely zero empathy in Japanese culture. I guess the "do undo others" idea is a judeo-christian deal.

[ZOKU]

hey m3gtr, you are a tool

walking amongst midgets don't make you a giant. behave yourself over there. and keep your shit in your pants dude... or you must be one funny guy.

[m3gtr]

hey m3gtr, you are a tool

walking amongst midgets don't make you a giant. behave yourself over there. and keep your shit in your pants dude... or you must be one funny guy.

Hay, it wasnt me that pulled his junk out. Im amazed he hasnt been arrested for indecent exposure to be honest.

Yer, it was pretty funny at the time.

You know, for a guy thats 16 posts in, youre sure good at rubbing people the wrong way.

Good luck with all a that.

Edited May 29, 2008 by m3gtr