Topic: Japan Discussion

Oh, BTW, I missed last Sunday's episode of J-Melo, & Monday's episode of Itadakimasu! Dining With the Chef was a repeat.

A good friend of mine has been to Tokyo. I wish to visit sometime myself (think of all the StreetPasses!). Well okay that wouldn't be the ONLY reason I'd go.

I know what you mean, I saw on YouTube a guy who got about 6 in a half an hour, and this was posted on April 21 2011 which was before the 3DS started selling

Exactly. Thanks for that.

@Harmoknight I'm not trying to be mean at all, its just the way the world is, and like I said, getting a job in North America with a college degree is hard enough, and Japan is even more strict and competitive. I still don't understand this view you have on college. The thing is, if you get a real job, and not some fast food job in whatever town you live in now, you'll never have to tell people you went to college, because people will just assume it anyway. You really have to get over this thing you have, rainbow dreams and unicorn wishes will only take you so far, but they'll get you nowhere if you want to move out of your country.

Honestly, I'm not a super-feminist either, but with the high percentage of Japanese people that graduate from college, if you came here with no Japanese language skills, no goals, no college education, I doubt you'd have an easy time meeting anyone, let along Japanese girls. There's plenty of guys here with a lot going for them, so that's fairly competitive as well.

One thing I don't understand about foreign men coming to Japan is how they think once they get here, random Japanese girls will fall at their feet. I'm not saying its racist, but its kind of backwards thinking. Most Japanese girls I mean, they actually, you know, like Japanese men.

If you say you don't like college being forced on you, then...really that's your own problem. Things like degrees and specialized skills are even more necessary in a country like Japan, so if you don't like it, I doubt you'd like it any more here.

I'm a bit shocked actually. What did you think you were going to do? Just come to Japan (randomly), with no Japanese language skills, no college degrees, no life goals, and just find some random job? Japanese people have a hard enough time finding a job WITH a degree, then there's foreigners like me who have a degree and speak Japanese, but are in competition for jobs with Japanese people, and that's hard.

What did you think you were going to do?

And like I said, with no college degree, comes no job. And you can't get a working visa with one of those part-time jobs you listed. On a tourist visa you can't job search even if you just wanted to try anyway.

Most of the time, when one has a degree and finds a job, the company pays for their visa paperwork, and sometimes goes as far (as in the case of several of my friends who have good major's and really great Japanese skills, and sometimes a third language) the company will pay for things such as the plane ticket and lodging.

Nobody just up and moves to another country, that's how people get deported

You can rebel against college all you want, but your way of thinking just means that the whole Japanese thing will never happen. I'm just going to be honest.

I don't understand it anyway, you've never even been to Japan. How do you even know its a place you'd want to live in? Yeah, I know you're interested in anime and manga and video games, but that's really such a small little piece of what this country has. I mean, by all means, take a trip or something, but to use your love for "otaku" things and think that means you belong in the country that makes it, that just strikes me as a bit of a stretch.

I could tell you things about Japan that might surprise you, that might totally dissuade you from wanting to even come here (but then, the same applies to any country). I'm here, this is my home, but you, you've never experienced real Japan, just what you see on the internet, and that's not enough.

If you want to be around Asian culture and have anime shops around, Los Angeles or New York, or even San Fransisco might be better for you. There's Asian girls (and they speak English), you can have your Starbucks job, and you can buy all the import video games and anime that you want.

Like I said, I'm not trying to be mean, I'm just trying to give you some much needed reality. Its not often you'll meet a foreign-born Japanese resident, so if you want real advice, this is the place to get it.

^oh snap!

@Tsuchinoko
Great way to crush a man's dream.

Well he was just trying to give @HarmoKnight the reality, and it's coming from someone who was actually in a very similar situation to what @HarmoKnight wants to be in. @Tsuchinoko was born in the US and moved to Japan himself!

Would you rather I not tell him any of this? Would you rather he be totally oblivious about anything with visas, immigration standards, would you rather he think that he can just come to Japan randomly and try for a job at a Starbucks, when that's completely impossible on a tourist visa, would you rather he think that he can come to Japan without any college education and think he can just get a job here, when the job market is in decline, but even in a good year its really cutthroat.

I'm sorry, but Japan isn't just a place where people wear cat ears and read anime all day. Its a place with laws, and things where immigration, deportation, poverty, unemployment actually exist. Its a real country.

The kid knows nothing about this at all, and letting him live in obliviousness is way more mean than just telling him the truth.

Believe me, I would love to have more foreign-born Japanese speakers in Japan, its really rare to find them. Most of the otaku anime nerds that come here thinking they can just start a life without any sort of fully-formed life plan don't last long at all even with things like study-abroad or the English-teaching jobs.

What would you rather I treat the situation with? Dreams are nice and all, but there comes a time when you have to realize just how much you have to sacrifice and work, and make your future happen.

But arnt there tests that you can take to move to another country? I think your getting the wrong impression from me, I just don't think that college is the thing that should stand in my way, because I know if I do go to college I won't make it.... As for the big cities here, they are great, but something's missing. Anyway I just got to wait and see, as long as I'm still alive no one stop me from moving there, and no Starbucks isn't my dream job at all, I was just saying that as a temp job for a month or so until I find a bigger job, the same as one I would find here

What makes you think you won't make it, HarmoKnight? You seem to be pretty determined in other areas.

Really, I just asking. I know I College wasn't for me, but I had my own reasons. I just want to hear yours.

For the record, I'm happy living in good ol' Ohio, however plain and boring it may be.

As for you @HarmoKnight, all I have to say concerning your dream in life is, I wish the best.

I worked hard in high school and barly got by, while I did graduate, I don't really feel like I did, because of how I managed to do so.....

Guys, I made the mistake of biting at his bait last night, and I apologize for getting it going up in here, but fair warning: I can tell you for an absolute fact that nothing you say will ever persuade Otaku to do or say anything other than what he's saying now. In the entire time he's been here at Nintendo Life I've seen absolutely no change whatsoever. You may as well save yourselves the wasted effort and return to discussing things you would like to discuss, because he's done exactly this thing before, and I'm sure he'll wind up doing it again to other kindhearted souls like yourselves who just want to do their best to help someone.

I know it's harsh, but it's true. I'm just tired of watching him drag other people down into frustration over it.

What? Sorry IDK what you mean, if I offended anyone I'm sorry

Yeah, that's kinda how I was in High School, except I was dumb enough to go to college despite that and flunked...

School's not for everybody. I just wish the world could understand that...

Exactly and that's why I'm trying to find an alternative to moving to Japan without college

Maybe we should change this thread's title to "HarmoKnight's Japan obsession discussion"

No it's ok, I want this thread to go back to its original intention, it's just Tsunchinoko was trying to give me an option, but I don't think that options right for me, unless I cheat

Keeping things on topic: The Tengu
What to do, if you see one in the wild?

also, they have very cool mask.

You're right. I just wanted to save him the grief. I'm flat out saying, the way he's talking, its NOT going to happen, plain and simple. I've put in so much blood sweat and tears, and I've just barely started my life here. I even took the time today and showed this conversation to some of my other foreigner friends living here, and...they had even less kind words about it all than I did.

Flat out, no, you don't just "take a test" and move to another country. If he's talking about immigration tests, that comes after 5-10 years of stable employment, near native level Japanese language skills, a hard grasp of Japanese life, the political system, history and all that. Its incredibly rare that a foreigner takes that test. And he's talking about cheating? Be prepared to be deported quick.

There is no cheating this system, you don't cheat.

Also, getting deported stays on your record, and ruins your chances of entering the country, let alone trying to make a stab at making a living here. You have to do it for real, or not at all. I really don't even understand your interest in living here. You don't seem to understand anything about it at all.

I'm done with this conversation. I tried to offer real advice and help. I don't even think he's listening.