Here I am, actually in Japan...

Just got the internet tonight! ::suffering from internet deprevation::

So, I've been in Japan for about three weeks now. I was in Tokyo for three days, and that was just a blur. Sorry we weren't able to meet ayumu-chan. I was way too busy and way too jet lagged. ^^;; On my last day, I bought the 5th Cardcaptor Sakura DVD because it came with this awesome CLAMP-drawn box (Nadesiko and Sakura). I saw the new CCS DVD box in a store, and I think it frankly looks awful. The art looks off.

Anyway, Sapporo is a truly awesome city. It's so spacious and pretty. There aren't many "Japanese" things here like shrines and temples (Sapporo is a very new city), but it has anything else you could possibly want. So far I've been to Animate to pick up the new Sakamoto Maaya single (yay, got a poster!). Oh, and I bought the lastest Ribon and BexBoy Gold magazines. The concept of being able to just go and buy these is beyond words.

That's it as far as anime/manga stuff goes, but I've been spending a TON of money on home decorating and other stuff for the apartment. My predecessor left a lot of crap in the place, so just cleaning it out has taken a long time.

I've obviously been practicing my Japanese everyday, but it's been difficult. There are 35 other JETs in Sapporo, 25 of which live in my apartment complex. Since school hasn't started yet, we've all been going to the board of education everyday. So I've pretty much existed in an English bubble except for when I'm in a store or something. And I do do a lot of translating for my friends who can't speak Japanese at all. I think once school starts, I'll get in more practice, but I'll have to make the effort.

So anyway, just wanted to let people know that I was still alive. Sorry again for the blogginess. Feel free to email me if you want me to buy something for you.

[Buster Darkwings]

Sapporo's a cool city, I considered living there but gave up once my good friend moved to Tokyo. You're kind of out of luck when it comes to anime/seiyuu events and the like, but I'm sure you'll have plenty to keep you busy. Dedicated anime/otaku stores are also scarce, but Amazon will deliver to anywhere in Japan for free over a certain amount (I think 2000 yen or so), and there's a wealth of good deals to be found on Yahoo Japan auctions. Shipping to Hokkaido is expensive compared to everywhere in Japan except Okinawa, though.

I also remember reading about Sapporo having a number of stores and restaraunts that have "Japanese Only" signs and other discrimination stories, but I doubt if you'll encounter too much of this.

[Skywise]

Welcome to Japan /images/graemlins/wink.gif. If you want japanese things like shrines etc, you should go to Sapporo jinja. There's also smaller shrines here and there. There's onsen areas not that far from Sapporo itself (lots of buses go, so not really a problem). I only managed to go once, and regretted not having time to go again.

Glad you managed to find the animate, since it's not exactly obvious where it is at first. I think it took me a good hour wandering around the area before I found it.

Are you all settled in with regards to phone, alien registration card etc?

[Skywise]

Considering all the major anime/manga stores except Mandarake have a presence in Sapporo it's not really that hard to get your otaku fix.

[ QUOTE ]
Skywise said:
Welcome to Japan /images/graemlins/wink.gif. If you want japanese things like shrines etc, you should go to Sapporo jinja. There's also smaller shrines here and there. There's onsen areas not that far from Sapporo itself (lots of buses go, so not really a problem). I only managed to go once, and regretted not having time to go again.

[/ QUOTE ]

I think I'm going to Sapporo jinja as part of my orientation next week. Onsens honestly don't appeal to me that much. Those and squat toilets are about the only parts of Japanese culture I'm actively trying to avoid. ^^;; squat toilets = kowai

[ QUOTE ]
Skywise said:
Glad you managed to find the animate, since it's not exactly obvious where it is at first. I think it took me a good hour wandering around the area before I found it.

[/ QUOTE ]

I was lucky enough to have a tour guide. ^_^ And then she was nice enough to mark it on a map for me. I haven't been back on my own yet, but I can find Don Quixote's easily enough, and I know it's just a short distance through tanuki koji from there.

[ QUOTE ]
Skywise said:
Are you all settled in with regards to phone, alien registration card etc?

[/ QUOTE ]

The phone was already set up for me before I got here, and I just got my gaikokujin torokushou and internet today. I got a keitai my second day in Sapporo, and I love it!! I've never had a cell phone before, so I didn't understand until I got it how cool they could be. The only thing left to do is finish setting up my bank account (I needed my gaijin card to complete the process). I want to get a postal savings account, too, so I've been practicing "kousa wo hirakitain desu kedo..." /images/graemlins/tongue.gif

My apartment is starting to feel like my own. I just have to finish cleaning out all the crap the previous owner left. >:| And I need to get a bed frame (already have matress), but furniture is expensive!!

[ QUOTE ]
Buster Darkwings said:
Dedicated anime/otaku stores are also scarce, but Amazon will deliver to anywhere in Japan for free over a certain amount (I think 2000 yen or so), and there's a wealth of good deals to be found on Yahoo Japan auctions.

[/ QUOTE ]

Between Animate, all the bookstores, DVD/CD stores, toy stores, and smaller anime stores, I think I'm pretty much set. I might still order DVDs through a.jp, though, because of the 20% off thing.

[ QUOTE ]
Buster Darkwings said:
I also remember reading about Sapporo having a number of stores and restaraunts that have "Japanese Only" signs and other discrimination stories, but I doubt if you'll encounter too much of this.

[/ QUOTE ]

Haven't seen any of that. Everywhere we go, people are very friendly and helpful. Maybe they exist in the tucked-away parts of the city, but I doubt I'll go there anyway.

[jmarken]

Let's go ahead and make this a new thread, I think it deserves it. ^_-

Glad to hear you're getting all settled in. I don't have a lot of experience with Sapporo, but I've always had a great time when I've visited. Will you be hitting the beer factory? I did the tour once, it was a lot of fun.

Oh, and welcome back to the forums. ^_^

[ QUOTE ]
jmarken said:
Let's go ahead and make this a new thread, I think it deserves it. ^_-

[/ QUOTE ]

Woo! ::feels special:: /images/graemlins/wink.gif

[ QUOTE ]
jmarken said:
Glad to hear you're getting all settled in. I don't have a lot of experience with Sapporo, but I've always had a great time when I've visited. Will you be hitting the beer factory? I did the tour once, it was a lot of fun.

[/ QUOTE ]

The Beer factory and the Chocolate factory for sure! I've walked by the Chocolate factory a couple of times, and it looks really neat! Hope they give free samples. ^_^ Sapporo has a festival in the summer called the Beer Garden in Oodori Koen in the centre of the city. I went to that quite a bit (but only had a few beers). Unfortunately, it ended last Wednesday. /images/graemlins/sad.gif Kirin was selling these huge towers of beer (4 or 6 litres), which were just cool to look at.

[ QUOTE ]
jmarken said:
Oh, and welcome back to the forums. ^_^

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm so happy to have internet again. /images/graemlins/catgirl0.gif

[Skywise]

[ QUOTE ]
Orihara Kaoru said:
Onsens honestly don't appeal to me that much. Those and squat toilets are about the only parts of Japanese culture I'm actively trying to avoid. ^^;; squat toilets = kowai


[/ QUOTE ]

I don't blame you for avoiding squat toilets - I actually managed to not use one in my entire 6 month stay, so it is possible. As for onsens, I'd say "don't knock it until you try it". It's just so nice to relax in one, like you wouldn't believe. If you're worried about the hygienic side of it people wash before entering the bath, and the water is more or less continually changed. It's certainly better than going to say a normal swimming pool.

[ QUOTE ]
The only thing left to do is finish setting up my bank account (I needed my gaijin card to complete the process). I want to get a postal savings account, too, so I've been practicing "kousa wo hirakitain desu kedo..." /images/graemlins/tongue.gif


[/ QUOTE ]

Heh, I remember my own little adventure with that. I'd direct you to my earlier posts on needing a hanko (signature stamp), but it seems they've expired. I'm not sure whether Japan Post requires one or not to open a bank account, but if they do one of the cheap 100 yen ones is good enough in most cases. The only real requirement is that it be made of hard material, so the soft rubber ones are unusable. There is a more involved process one can do if one wants to have an official registered hanko for certain documents, but it's not really needed for opening a bank account.

[ QUOTE ]

My apartment is starting to feel like my own. I just have to finish cleaning out all the crap the previous owner left. >:| And I need to get a bed frame (already have matress), but furniture is expensive!!

[/ QUOTE ]

I seem to remember one of my classmates mentioning that he was going to a flea market. Now I don't know where or how often those happen (or even what they sell), but hopefully you might have some opportunities at picking up some quality used furniture.

Iirc from some other sources Japanese people can be really bad about trash sometimes, from an environmental perspective that is. They'll throw out perfectly good and usable furniture (if not new) on those days that kind of trash is picked up. So if you're a smart scavenger you might be able to get something like that as well.

[Fieri]

[ QUOTE ]
Orihara Kaoru said:
Onsens honestly don't appeal to me that much. Those and squat toilets are about the only parts of Japanese culture I'm actively trying to avoid. ^^;; squat toilets = kowai



[/ QUOTE ]

Yep, those squat toilets are something I definitely try to avoid. Sometimes it can't be helped though....

Just be glad you weren't in the situation where I was in where I really had to go but couldn't because the only thing in the house were squat toilets.... /images/graemlins/depresse.gif /images/graemlins/sweat000.gif
That made for a real embarrasing situation. /images/graemlins/depresse.gif /images/graemlins/shy10000.gif

[quenelf]

OK so I don't really have anything to say about it but, cool! sounds like you're having fun.

As for keitai, Japanese phones can be significantly cooler than a typical US or European phone, from what I've seen. /images/graemlins/happy.gif

--quen

[DrMM]

[ QUOTE ]
Orihara Kaoru said:


I think I'm going to Sapporo jinja as part of my orientation next week. Onsens honestly don't appeal to me that much. Those and squat toilets are about the only parts of Japanese culture I'm actively trying to avoid. ^^;; squat toilets = kowai


[/ QUOTE ]

If you go to an onsen, it might surprise you. I'd been in Japan over a year before I gathered the courage to try one. However, on a trip with some friends in Kyushu, we ended up at an onsen and they managed to convince me to go in. I loved it. When I went to Hokkaido later with my parents (right before I returned to the States), I made sure that a couple of the places we stayed at had onsens. I've never been so relaxed.

BTW, if you have a chance, I suggest you go up by the Shiretoko penninsula. It was really beautiful and the boat ride that takes you up to the top of the penninsula is a fun experience (although it's a seasonal boat). There's also a river that comes from a hot spring you can hike up. The water starts out cool but as you go higher the water gets hotter and there are small pools along the way that you can jump into (the top one is the hottest, of course). It's quite a hike but it was a lot of fun and really beautiful.

I think it took about an hour and a half to go there and come back -- but it was pretty steep in spots.

[ayumu]

[ QUOTE ]
Orihara Kaoru said:
The Beer factory and the Chocolate factory for sure! I've walked by the Chocolate factory a couple of times, and it looks really neat! Hope they give free samples. ^_^

[/ QUOTE ]
They do. /images/graemlins/wink.gif They really push their "shiroi koibito" which is a bit of white chocolate in between two little cookie pieces. I thought I wouldn't be impressed, because I don't really like white chocolate, but damn it's good. /images/graemlins/sdsmiley.gif

Sorry we didn't have a chance to get together during orientation, but I remember what mine was like, so I'm not too surprised. Maybe you can find some time during the mid-year conference?

[wrex]

Welcome to Japan! /images/graemlins/happy.gif

I know your stay in Tokyo was short, but outside of the anime stores, what was your impression? And it seems like you're loving Sapporo... since there was talk of bugs in the previous thread, is it true that there are no bugs up there?

[Kintaro]

I was in Sapporo for 5 days during the snow festival, and loved every minute of it. My recommendations:

- The Sapporo Jingu was beautiful, buried under masses of snow, with no visitors at all. I would suggest to visit it in winter!

- The chocolat factory: Awesome. The smell!

- Jingis Khan: Much cheaper than Yakiniku, and tasty to boot

- Jaga butter: Somehow butter + potatoe tastes best in Sapporo

- "Kappa town" as I call it, but the official name is Jozankei Onsen, a little bit to the west of Sapporo. There are around 28 kappa spread in the area, and we didn't even found every one because some of them were buried under 2 metres of snow. Still, I loved kappas, combined with onsen it was an unforgettable experience.

[Iridium]

All I can really say is "Cool!" and that I kinda wish I had applied to JET now. /images/graemlins/sweat000.gif

I'm glad that you're loving it so far!

[lawson]

You're quite lucky to be in Sapporo. I'm sure the weather is nice there at the moment... compared to here in Tokyo, at least.

I'm trying to convince my boss to send me to Hokkaido some time in the next couple of weeks on assignment (I'm a photojournalist). More than anything, I just want to get the heck out of this hot city for a few days.

[ QUOTE ]
wrex said:
Welcome to Japan! /images/graemlins/happy.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

/images/graemlins/catgirl0.gif

[ QUOTE ]
wrex said:
I know your stay in Tokyo was short, but outside of the anime stores, what was your impression? And it seems like you're loving Sapporo... since there was talk of bugs in the previous thread, is it true that there are no bugs up there?

[/ QUOTE ]

Hmm...I didn't really see much of Tokyo except for the ride from the hotel to Haneda airport. We drove by the Tokyo Tower!! In anime, they usually draw it with lots of space around it, but it's really crowed in with a bunch of buildings. And I had no idea it was so close to the water.

And, yes, there are virtually no bugs in Sapporo. I leave my windows open all day, and I might get a small fly or something at night. I'm assuming I won't see any during our long winter, and that is just fine by me. /images/graemlins/tongue.gif

[quenelf]

[ QUOTE ]
Lawson said:
I'm trying to convince my boss to send me to Hokkaido some time in the next couple of weeks on assignment (I'm a photojournalist). More than anything, I just want to get the heck out of this hot city for a few days.

[/ QUOTE ]

LOL. Shame you aren't a TV reporter - they seem to be great at doing 'pointless weather features'. (We're in Tokyo, and isn't it really hot?! *gets quotes from passers-by* 'Yes, it's really hot.' 'Wow, it's hot.' 'It's so hot!' And now back to the studio.)

I'm sure you could get one in about those lucky people in Hokkaido who aren't so hot. /images/graemlins/happy.gif

--quen

[lawson]

[ QUOTE ]
quen said:

LOL. Shame you aren't a TV reporter - they seem to be great at doing 'pointless weather features'. (We're in Tokyo, and isn't it really hot?! *gets quotes from passers-by* 'Yes, it's really hot.' 'Wow, it's hot.' 'It's so hot!' And now back to the studio.)

I'm sure you could get one in about those lucky people in Hokkaido who aren't so hot. /images/graemlins/happy.gif



[/ QUOTE ]

Actually, I am here to do weather coverage. More specifically, I'm here to cover the typhoon season. But, with no typhoons, I'm stuck producing "gee, it's hot today...again," content.

Of course, just as I settle into a routine, Typhoon #11 develops and takes aim on Japan. Sigh...I guess I should take advantage of my free weekend, as next week's going to be busy.

[AmericanBeauty]

This may be a dumb question but what's wrong with squat toilets? They look cool to me.

[quenelf]

[ QUOTE ]
Lawson said:
Actually, I am here to do weather coverage. More specifically, I'm here to cover the typhoon season. But, with no typhoons, I'm stuck producing "gee, it's hot today...again," content.


[/ QUOTE ]

*laughs* So you're part of the problem!

actually, I like when they cover typhoons on tv news, it's a lot more visually interesting than, uh, 'being hot'. Also live reports while holding an umbrella in some ridiculous gale are always entertaining (will it break? will she drop it? will she get ripped away by the force of the wind and thrown into the ocean...? etc /images/graemlins/happy.gif)

anyway good luck in typhoon 11. /images/graemlins/happy.gif

--quen

[Kyosuke]

Oh sweet I'm glad you are enjoying yourself. I feel that the one thing I should have done in my life but didn't was to travel abroad to study in Japan or do a JET program there. I made academics a major priority and then got stuck on one of those professional tracks I couldn't break out of /images/graemlins/sweat200.gif

I've never visited Sapporo! Since I enjoy traveling to Japan, if I ever go in the winter I'd love to see the ice festival. I hear the Sapporo beer gardens are awesome too. I'm sure you'll have the time of your life, I've heard great stories about JET. Make sure to enjoy yourself, who knows you might never want to come back /images/graemlins/happy.gif

[Iridium]

[ QUOTE ]
Air Of Benevolence said:
This may be a dumb question but what's wrong with squat toilets? They look cool to me.

[/ QUOTE ]
If you are taking a dump and you lose your balance, you're gonna fall on your feces.

[Banchan]

[ QUOTE ]
Iridium said:
[ QUOTE ]
Air Of Benevolence said:
This may be a dumb question but what's wrong with squat toilets? They look cool to me.

[/ QUOTE ]
If you are taking a dump and you lose your balance, you're gonna fall on your feces.

[/ QUOTE ]
I think it's really a problem with the perverted janitors and their video cameras.

[Fieri]

[ QUOTE ]
Air Of Benevolence said:
This may be a dumb question but what's wrong with squat toilets? They look cool to me.

[/ QUOTE ]

They might look cool, but wait until you have to squat to use the bathroom. Especially when you have to squat for a long time. /images/graemlins/wink.gif

[Elana]

[ QUOTE ]
Fieri said:
[ QUOTE ]
Air Of Benevolence said:
This may be a dumb question but what's wrong with squat toilets? They look cool to me.

[/ QUOTE ]

They might look cool, but wait until you have to squat to use the bathroom. Especially when you have to squat for a long time. /images/graemlins/wink.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

Welcome to the life of a woman in a public restroom. Even with Western toilets, there's squatting.

[ QUOTE ]
Elana said:
Welcome to the life of a woman in a public restroom. Even with Western toilets, there's squatting.

[/ QUOTE ]

I just put toilet paper down and try not to think about it. /images/graemlins/tongue.gif Many Japanese washrooms have tissues and toilet cleaner mounted on the wall. /images/graemlins/sdsmiley.gif

[Fieri]

[ QUOTE ]
Orihara Kaoru said:
[ QUOTE ]
Elana said:
Welcome to the life of a woman in a public restroom. Even with Western toilets, there's squatting.

[/ QUOTE ]

I just put toilet paper down and try not to think about it. /images/graemlins/tongue.gif Many Japanese washrooms have tissues and toilet cleaner mounted on the wall. /images/graemlins/sdsmiley.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

I was actually surprised by the new Ito Yokado they built in Yotsukaido (in Chiba-ken). Not only were the bathrooms really nice... they actually had toilet seat covers! Yep, not only did they have a bidet but they actually supplied toilet seat covers. /images/graemlins/wink.gif

[DrMM]

[ QUOTE ]
Iridium said:
[ QUOTE ]
Air Of Benevolence said:
This may be a dumb question but what's wrong with squat toilets? They look cool to me.

[/ QUOTE ]
If you are taking a dump and you lose your balance, you're gonna fall on your feces.

[/ QUOTE ]

Not to mention, people miss, which causes a nasty odor. I swear, the public toilets (at least the women's toilets) that are mostly the squat toilets smell 20 times worse in Japan than in the U.S.

[The Pirate Queen]

[ QUOTE ]
Orihara Kaoru said:
On my last day, I bought the 5th Cardcaptor Sakura DVD because it came with this awesome CLAMP-drawn box (Nadesiko and Sakura).

[/ QUOTE ]

Pictures, please!

Sounds like you're having fun - I'm a bit jealous.

[ayumu]

[ QUOTE ]
DrMM said:
Not to mention, people miss, which causes a nasty odor. I swear, the public toilets (at least the women's toilets) that are mostly the squat toilets smell 20 times worse in Japan than in the U.S.

[/ QUOTE ]
I totally agree. A friend of mine said, "No wonder people in Japan take their shoes off when they go inside. I wouldn't want shoes that have touched a floor like that inside either."