Food.....

[DaiOni]

BTW, if you look around, I'm sure you CAN find 'cheap' beef restaurants.

A local restaurant in my area serves a big (by japanese standards) size steak (aussie beef - in aussie dimensions, not paper thin, not overly fatty) + salad + soup + bread for around 1800. That's comparative to aussie prices (IIRC), and almost as good - it's been a lifesaver for me.

[Leewah]

In my short stint in Japan, I must say the best food which wasn't Japanese when I was there was MOS Burger hands down!!

The place rocked so hard!! I went twice in a day even though I loved the Jap food sooo much.

My fav Jap food was Jap BBQ even though it was a little pricey, followed by the little ramen shops and then my least fav was the bloody god aweful omellete restaurants than put your entire meal into a few eggs. Putrid IMO.

[Rezz]

the bloody god aweful omellete restaurants than put your entire meal into a few eggs. Putrid IMO.

Lol "Om-rice"...

I like it on the odd occaision.

[Ronin 09]

excellent... my g/f is living above a MOS burger, so I know what I'll be eating everyday

But I love Japanese food... I hear that the sushi/sashimi is very very expensivo though...

[RussGTR]

I have cravings for CoCo Ichiban Curry quite often.

IMO was the best food i had in Japan. Man i wish they had that in Aus.

[Polski]

Rezz, have you tried Kobe Beef ? i'm told its one of the best beef in the world ??

[SKY031]

Can i hijack my own thread?

I have another stupid question and i don't really want to start another thread.

I'm curious about house pets.

Are house pets popular in Japan, or do people just entertain themselves with gadgets?

What sort of pets do people keep?

(I just wanted a chance to show off my new buddies!)

Check them out!

I don't have time for a dog or a cat, so these guys are perfect!

Try to refrain from the "can i eat them" comments

[Rezz]

Rezz, have you tried Kobe Beef ? i'm told its one of the best beef in the world ??

Yeah, I had a plate of thinly sliced Kobe beef which set us back about 10,000 yen just for the plate! But damn... smother those slices in salt and butter... best sliced beef I've ever had, but that was it, sliced beef and beer... *edit* - the beef was grilled over an open flame

Like this:

[Rezz]

(I just wanted a chance to show off my new buddies!)

Check them out!

HOLY SH!T... where'd you get that purple one???? Looks like one of those really deep sea ones that glow... you can see right through them.

But anyways, here in Ashiya, it's without a doubt DOGS. DOGS are EVERYWHERE. They poop EVERYWHERE. Pedigree C0ckaspaniards, Golden retreevers, Poobles (shaved really wierd), Rottenwielers... you name it.

But of course Ashiya is a well to do area, so the people here can afford larger places with small backyards for the dogs... Dogs are much more common in the country.

[SKY031]

So..... do people keep exactly the same sorts of pets that we do here?

dogs, cats, birds, lizards, rats, mice, fish, caveys, snakes, turtles, frogs.... is there anything out of the ordinary?

my brain is working overtime and i cant sleep.... so im just going to sit here and ask stupid questions ......cos its my thread an i can

i know that some countries have rules about women (yes you know what im going to ask, and i have to ask it) .... about women not being able to enter certain areas when they're menstruating. Like temples etc.

Is this applicable in Japan?

If not, are there any other customs that would be a slap in the face to a stranger in a strange land?

[Rezz]

So..... do people keep exactly the same sorts of pets that we do here?

dogs, cats, birds, lizards, rats, mice, fish, caveys, snakes, turtles, frogs.... is there anything out of the ordinary?

Put it this way... theres a pet shop in Kobe that sells MONKEYS. Not the Japanese type either, I'm talking about Spider Monkeys... the odd chimp... even the little black and white ones that steal sh*t... thats not to mention the MINIATURE PENGUINS, the ARMADILLO and... wait for it... a WALLABY. I kid you not.

I think its illegal, but you can't deny Japanese girls of cute animals.

[SKY031]

monkeys would be excellent! (but smelly)

I can't imagine keeping a penguin as a pet.

Do you keep them in the freezer?

and... any response to the bottom half of my last post?

I can't help my curiosity.... if I'm learning stuff, then it can't be a bad thing

[Rezz]

I don't know about any menstruation laws??? The only one that come to mind is "If it smells like Trout get tha f$#% out"... j/k

[SKY031]

Ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!

[edit]

shhhhhh!

it's 2am here, and when i read that i cacked myself laughing.

I hope i didnt wake anyone up.

That was very yucky, and yet very entertaining at the same time.

OK, let me steer away from the "trout" issue, and try to get back on the same track without being so vulgar (and yet so funny at the same time )

Some countries have customs that we wouldn't consider to be "normal"

IE: you cant show certain parts of your body (i think there is somewhere you can't show your elbows?) im trying to think of examples and im coming up blank.

Spitting - some cultures are big on spitting, where as i find it totally repulsive.

Littering - people throw crap where ever they want to here, but i'm sure there are places in the world where people have learned how to use bins.

[DaiOni]

some of the aquarium shops here would blow your mind - much better than anything I've seen in australia - stingrays, in particular, are really popular right now.

as for other (non-marine) pets, cats are probably the most popular.

The strangest thing I've seen in a pet shop was a huge owl. In fact, lots of strange birds. Ohh, and lots of colourful lizards/reptiles too.

[Rezz]

Seriosly though, I can't say there are any customs that are a "slap in the face" to me, but it depends on who you ask I guess.

Some newcomer foreigners to Japan have asked me "why do Japanese wave their open hand up and down (like a karate chop) when they want to get past you?"... I guess they asked because they were a bit taken aback by it, maybe they felt intimidated, but it's actually a very polite way to show your intention of entering someones personal space... like giving them advance warning before you barge through (eg: on the train).

Other than that... not eating until everybody has been served their dinner? Some gaijin just jump right in regardless to the disgust of certain mothers-in-law (hehe )...

Oh I just remembered one: sniffing all the snot up into your upper nasal cavity as loud as you can because blowing your nose in public is considered offensive... I cannot dig that.

[Evo_Lee]

penguins WTF? show me Justin, but they definitely have alot of variety and some which I feel should never be allowed as pets because they are either too rare, weird or dangerous...read my next sentence.

Someone lost their 2m long pet alligator in Tokyo about 4 years ago...was reported on the news.

[yukz2daizzo]

is it too late to post something for mcdonalds? hehehe, teriyaki burger is the bomb!!!! i eat like 3 of em without even chewing them just straight up slurping the whole thing haha. coco's is definitely worth it, they use to have this promo where you eat like 2kg rice and curry and if u can finish it in 20 mins its free. hehehe. anyways... hehe.

[Rezz]

penguins WTF? show me Justin

Don't you know about the bar called "Liitle Feet"? They bought about 15 of them through that pet shop about 4 years ago.