As someone who grew up on Nintendo & anime (mostly through Toonami), I've always been interested in Japan, & the Japanese culture, especially when I had entered high school, and really stated to learn about the country's culture.

I'm sure I'm not the only one around here interested in Japan (this is a Nintendo site, after all), so I figured I'd make a thread where we could discuss Japanese games, language, music, cuisine, ect. (please, nothing offensive). Maybe some of us will learn a thing or two in the process.

I've been told Japan still sells Super Nintendo consoles brand new. One day, I must find out for myself...

_{My home town also has a Japanese steakhouse and it's fantastic. Cheers to you Japan and your rich culture!}

My hometown has a Japanese steakhouse as well, Sakura (although it was Fuji's, when it first opened). I've only ate there once, but it was wonderful.

We also had a Japanese restaurant (not a steakhouse) in our local mall called Tokyo-San. It didn't do great business (it was gone in less than a year, I believe), but I'd try to eat there once a week. I loved their sushi, and they also had some sort of spicy pork dish that I loved.

Just watched something about "Roadside Stations" (Japan's equivalent of rest/truck stops). Pretty interesting (it reminded me of Spirit Tracks, because if you have a stamp collection book, like the one in the game, each one has a large ink stamp they'll put in it).

I've heard the culture is pretty harsh. It's mega-important to fit in the narrow social definitions or you will be completely ostracized, you endure ridiculous competition in your selected fields, and your life can amount to Failure with a capital "F" if you don't suceed in your chosen field. Liking nerdy things like anime and video games is huge social stigma (though playing portable video games during a commute is accepted).

That statement seems very dated. Older publications I've read had a similar, or even exact same, description on the matter, but anything newer shines a much more positive light on liking anime/manga/games. In fact, reading manga (especially during commute) is just as commonplace (if not moreso) than playing portable games. Shonen manga (stuff like Dragonball, InuYasha, Naruto, Bleach, ect) is actually very popular amongst an older age group, due to their ease in reading difficulty. In fact, there are manga targeted towards all age groups, and not all of them are of a "nerdy" type. There are manga for aspects of everyday life (cookbooks, ect), due to the medium's popularity.

In fact, the english language version of NHK (a Japanese television station) has weekly programs on various parts of Japanese culture, such as traditional cuisine, historic locations, farming, tech, and even anime, manga, and games. All of them shown in a very positive light.

as you can probably tell from my name and signature I love Japanese culture as well and hope to move there soon, if and when I do I'll be sure to tell you more about it, I'll admit it's probably not some fancy wonderland, but I doubt it's as bad as people tell me, I think they just dont want me to go, heck some of my friends bash me for wanting to go, but in a good way, although it weird since its the ONE girl I'd stay here for who says it, but she doesn't want to go out with me.

I wish you the best of luck for when you move there. I don't know why anyone would tell you it's a bad place. Sure, it's not some magical wonderland, but It's not like it's a third world country either (they're just as developed as the U.S). Although seeing Shinjuku would be cool and all, I'd be just as happy seeing the normal everyday culture of the country.

I've tried finding ways just to visit, mainly trying to be a foreign exchange student back in high school, but everything just always seems to fall flat (Ironically, we had a foreign exchange student from Japan during my Freshman year, and during my Junior year, one of our Seniors was a foreign exchange student to Japan).

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Aww lucky, I met some neat foreign friends (one knew a girl from Japan and wanted to introduce me to her, but she never came up with a way to meet her without it being CREEPY, so I said no...) but never met a Japanese exchange student, I wanted to go there last year but the person in charge said my grades were to low so I couldn't go...

I, uh, had asian bbq grilled salmon today. Does that count?

@Turtle uhhhh........

People sensationalize Japan much too often. But I hear the women are fan-tastic ()

@Radixxs yes I hear that as well

Huh, thought Otaku would have made this thread.

Now, to contribute to the topic. I do love Japan, but I will admit my interest in the country grew out of the stereotypical anime and video gaming guy. I have grown out of the immature 'Japan is this magical land with games, toys, rainbows, and boobs everywhere' train of thought. The cultural is rich and interesting. I love the mythology of the place and silly legends behind everyday things.

Woild love to vist. A few nightclubs and botiques I would want to shop at.

Dated a japanese girl in high school. Was cool while it lasted.

Yeah, the foreign exchange student we had was in my French class, and actually sat next to me. I didn't talk to her much (at least not until the school year was nearing), but she actually gave me her email address during the last day of school, saying she would teach me Japanese, but I lost the d**m paper soon after

As for my failure at becoming an exchange student myself, It wasn't due to grades, but to the high cost associated with it, that I was never able to meet. I'm currently trying to see if there isn't a way for me to go over as a volunteer, to help clean up after last year's disaster (some estimates show that the debris won't be cleared until 2014).

Yeah, my interest originally grew out of that same stereotypical viewpoint (around 6th or 7th grade), but once I got into high school and really started to learn about the true Japan, I became fascinated with that aspect as well.

All you need to know about japan

if you're trying to go over as a volunteer, don't do it just to be over there in Japan — that's not right. do it in order to help people in need. same thing for being an exchange student (and this is at all of y'all bringing it up, not just you, man) — you're going over there to learn. focus on your studies, work hard, and don't waste the opportunity by piddling around with anime, stereotypes, and playing the fool around girls. whether volunteering, exchange-student-ing, teaching English, whatever you wind up doing if you get the chance... it's not a vacation.

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Ditto, usually people think of something as one thing and it turns out to be another in a very bad way, but in this case, the more I actually learn the more ai realize, what I originally thought of it was actually bad in comparison to what I think now, and there's no FOOLING around with the girls for me, Im a kind hearted gentelman