Rezz's Japan Forum Q + A Thread

[Rezz]

Dear Rezz,

How did you learn Japanese and how long did it take before people stopped looking at you like there was something on your nose whenever you tried to say something?

In my experience it all depends on how long you've been here. In my circle of friends, workmates (Japanese) and aquaintences, they *expect* me to speak Japanese, or at least understand everything thats going on, because they know how long I've been here. But as far as people that I don't know... geez I think there will never be a time when foreigners are expected to speak Japanese and are treated as we would treat them when they 'try' to speak English.

I've been here for 4.5 years and I'm only just now getting into semi-fluent general conversations. The moment anyone starts talking about mobile phone company rules and regulations, politics or complicated senarios... I can't keep up.

[InspectorGadget]

what does the constant beeping, almost doorbell like mean at the train stations ? its very annoying....

In this neck of the woods (Kanto) that constant diiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing doooooooooooong (slow) runs day and night, regardless of whether the trains are operating or not. It's bloody annoying, especially if you are trying to sleep off a hangover waiting for the first train. :

It is intended to guide the visually impaired to the nearest exit. This makes sense, as times that I can remember hearing them in a station, there has only ever been one speaker broadcasting it, and it has always been at the top of the stairs nearest the exit.

Another aid is `door closing warning` jingle that plays when the train is about to leave. They're different at every station, and give the visually impaired an audio cue as to which station they are at / when to get off.

On a side note, a lot of footpaths in urban areas have a 'yellow brick road` (a coloured textured surface) embedded in them. Visually impared people can follow these and be sure of staying out of harms way. When they come to a road, the texture changes to warn them that a hazard is ahead.

IG

[funkymonkey]

Dear aunty Rezzeh,

What's the latest on the Rezz mobile? What plans?

Yours sincerely,

Troubled soul.

[Rezz]

Dear aunty Rezzeh,

What's the latest on the Rezz mobile? What plans?

Yours sincerely,

Troubled soul.

Troubled soul eh?

It's going into SuperAB 171 (Ikeda's place) to getb a new LSD soon, plus a new Cusco clutch and some bearings replaced... Ikeri couldn't explain to me in detail.

After that, boost up, HKS F-Con SZ (maybe) and if money allows a turbine of some description. Nothing body wise except for a new '93 bumper and 'Flugel Plate'... <-- 10 points if you know what one of those are.

[funkymonkey]

ahh furageru purate... hehe that would be what we call "front splitter" or "under spoiler".

From memory flugel plate was the splitter in the front and the flugel flap was the thingy you put on top of the wing.

??

[Rezz]

ahh furageru purate... hehe that would be what we call "front splitter" or "under spoiler".

From memory flugel plate was the splitter in the front and the flugel flap was the thingy you put on top of the wing.

http://www2.ask.ne.jp/~firstmol/fp&ffp/r32fp.JPG

??

Thats the one... 10 points to you sir!

[funkymonkey]

nice work, but I thought you already had one on your car already. The black thingamajiggy under your bumper.

And now for question number 2. I might be movin to osaka for work (IT stuff not teaching english unfortunately as I'd like to be). While there I'll probably get a car. How do the road taxes, rego and parking systems work? esp if all you have is a work visa. Am I allowed to own a car, and what costs will be incurred?

[Rezz]

nice work, but I thought you already had one on your car already. The black thingamajiggy under your bumper.

And now for question number 2. I might be movin to osaka for work (IT stuff not teaching english unfortunately as I'd like to be). While there I'll probably get a car. How do the road taxes, rego and parking systems work? esp if all you have is a work visa. Am I allowed to own a car, and what costs will be incurred?

Right, first of all you need an apartment ... no joke, because you need to be able to get parking either at the building, or within a 2km radius of it. Of course you can lie about where you live but... Parking costs anywhere from 8,000 yen (cheapest I've seen) to 30,000+ a month.

Secondly you need to have the outer dimensions of the car (so you should already have made your choice of car) so that you can submit the dimensions to the local police station. The police are the ones that issue you with the rego sticker. Rego fees depend on the dimensions... I think we discussed this already.

To do the second part also depends on whether the car still has 'shaken' (road worthyness - max 2 year peiod for cars over 3 years old). If it does, well then thats sweet. If not it's possible that the seller could organise shaken for you (non-US military personell get lumped in with real Japanese people forcing them to pay around 100,000 yen for shaken).

So once you have a parking space organised, the dimensions of the space and car given to the police and rego sticker in hand and with shaken sorted... you can drive. It doesn't matter if you have an international drivers licence or Japanese licence.

[InspectorGadget]

It doesn't matter if you have an international drivers licence or Japanese licence.

And also remember that the laws in Japan have changed, so that you can only use an international license for 1 year from your arrival in the country (as stamped in your passport). After that, you'll need to convert your license to a Japanese one (no test for Aussies, Kiwi's Brits and a few others. Nasty tests for the Canadians and Americans). The old trick of simply getting another international license no longer works. Get caught, and you can be done for being an unlicensed driver, and that often has implications for your job as well.

IG

[Rezz]

And also remember that the laws in Japan have changed, so that you can only use an international license for 1 year from your arrival in the country

Don't they (RAC) tell you that when they hand it to you?

[Rezz]

nice work, but I thought you already had one on your car already. The black thingamajiggy under your bumper.

I did... but I bashed it a couple of times... total waste of 15,000 yen. Welll it's not that bad, I can still repaint it and put it back on, but I don't like having to worry about it all the time.

[InspectorGadget]

Don't they (RAC) tell you that when they hand it to you?

In an ideal world, anywhere that issues International Licences should be able to give you information related to their use in the country that you are travelling to. However in most cases, people either don't receive this information, or it is out of date.

In addition some countries allow you to apply for/renew International Licenses through the post. eg Many states in the US and NZ as well.

IG

[funkymonkey]

Ahh gotcha. As for apartment, I'll be getting a house or something out of the metro area, paid for by the company. That's sorta what I understood from the deal they offered me. So that shouldn't be a problem. I might have to drag one of you guys with me to the local constabulary to help me register a car. Lookin at gettin something worth bringing back here.

[InspectorGadget]

I did... but I bashed it a couple of times... total waste of 15,000 yen. Welll it's not that bad, I can still repaint it and put it back on, but I don't like having to worry about it all the time.

That's a bastard. It looked good with it on the front.

[mcmn]

what is it with the japanese teenage "gangsters" and the elvis hair do's ? or the people who carry around brand label paper shopping bags that have obviously been used everyday for the last year.

[Rezz]

what is it with the japanese teenage "gangsters" and the elvis hair do's ? or the people who carry around brand label paper shopping bags that have obviously been used everyday for the last year.

The 'gangsters' are bousozoku, and well... the hairstyles go back to at least the '60s. They're wierd and I won't try and pretend to understand them. Think 'Japanese style punks' and you're getting close.

As for the brand name paper bags, 'recycle!' Thats my wifes excuse...

[akeenan]

recycle.. hmm its because most japanese girls/ women are materialistic my girlfriend included so its the thing to do.

When ever I leave her house with lunch or something I am always sent on my way with a designer bag of some sort.

[InspectorGadget]

what is it with the japanese teenage "gangsters" and the elvis hair do's ? or the people who carry around brand label paper shopping bags that have obviously been used everyday for the last year.

The Elvis hair comes around from the Rockabilly scene, which is alive and well in Japan. Post-WW2 and during the Korean War, when American GI were in Japan in large numbers, American rock and roll music became popular here. Rockabilly style (eg leather Jackets with metal studs, BIG bleached, coloured hair , and fast angry music) was an attampt to 'rebel' against the clean cut rock and roll of the time. Through the years, it continued developing, and has become a style unto itself.

The style tends to be attractive to the wanna-be gansters, and gangsters themselves.

Bosozoku, are 'speed tribes' (zoku = tribe or gang). These are the little shits, often Senior High School students, who ride around town on crappy 150CC motorcycles with no exhausts gunning their motors, just to be a pain in the ass. Some cities have big problems with them running up and down the main streets weilding planks and pipes etc. Late last year, laws came into effect putting in place hefty fines for noisy exhausts and group riding, aimed specifically at this problem, and it seems to have had a noticeable effect on the numbers of them around.

Mostly they're a bunch of pussies. When the cold weather comes, they disappear. They're most common during the school holidays. They hardly ever ride alone. If they ever tried this shit in Aust or NZ, the general public would 'take matters into their own hands'. I've certainly been tempted to on a few occasions.

The Bosozoku members are often young idiots who want to become Yakuza later on. As a consequence the Yakuza tend to use them to to odd jobs (eg petty theft and roughing up people' when need require. I know of this second hand, through a friend who used to hang out wth junior Yakuza.

It's kinda funny when you think about it. When Japanese want to rebel against society, they do it as a group!

The paper bag this is just fashion. Petty young materialistic girls walking around with paper bags from `brand name` stores (eg Louis Vuitton, Chanel etc), just so they can look chic and fashionable. Some even buy small inexpensive items from the stores specifically so they can get the paper bags.

IG

[Rezz]

But honestly I think they keep *re-using* the paper bags because they really are recycling... they're good bags right? Why throw away a perfectly good paper bag?

Btw, IG your Rockabilly knowledge is scary.

[InspectorGadget]

But honestly I think they keep *re-using* the paper bags because they really are recycling... they're good bags right? Why throw away a perfectly good paper bag?

They're definately re-using them (grin). It just seems that they tend to be a bit selective about which bags they choose to re-use. You don't see to many Uniqlo bags being re-used do ya?

Rezz, judging by your avatar, I reckon you'd look good with a rockabilly haircut.

:wassup:

IG