What things are popular in Japan right now?

Living in Japan? Whats it like?

• I want to know what its like living in Japan. I plan to go to college here in the States then move to Japan as an English Teacher and live my life from there. So, I want to know what it is going to be like. Can I have information on:: Daily Life: What is the normal things that everyone does? What are house like, I plan on having a mansion (apartment) so whats it like living in one? Shopping: I like shopping, and I'm curious about it in Japan. I heard its hard to find stuff if your a gaijin (foreigner) because of sizes. Right now I am 5' 5", shoe size in around 8-9 depending on brand, size 2-3 in pants and shirts small in women's large in juniors, would it be hard to find clothes? Also I have 2-4 more years to grow -_- Expenses: How much should I expect to spend in Japan? I know some things there are expensive, but I know some things can be quite cheap as well? Manners: Since its a different country what are the manner and expected thing to know about how I behave? Stuff like that. So basically just tell me everything you can about your time living in Japan, weather you live there now or used to, tell me you favorite things about life there, interesting things, and all kinds of other stuff!! Oh, and if you have any interesting websites or blogs about Japan please list them as well!

• Answer:

  I've been living in Japan for almost two years now, in both the Osaka prefecture farming/mountain areas and now in the city, so hopefully I'm qualified to answer. :) Daily life: It's pretty much as per normal. You get up, you have breakfast, you go to work. It's not so much what you're doing that's different, but how you're doing it. I have a train commute, my breakfast menu has changed somewhat since I left Australia (no fish and miso soup for breakfast though), etc. You probably won't be in a house, unless you're in the deep, deep countryside. Most likely you'd be in an apartment. They can range from absolute rubbish to absolutely awesome - it just depends on where you're living. :) Shopping: You'll be fine when it comes to clothes. It's only the extremes of really short or really tall that can be a problem. You pretty much fit the description of 90% of women in Japan. I'm 6'3", 40" waist, 100kg so I find it a bit hard to find dress shirts and pants that fit, but tshirts I can get away with. Expenses: A lot of stuff is surprisingly cheap, but again, this depends on where you'd be living. Fruit, veg and *some* meat is painful to pay for (I saw $5usd for two peaches last night), but a lot of stuff is very cheap. Utilities changes depending on where you're living, but power, water, gas should cost about $100-150USD a month, rent can range between $300-600USD a month, if you're living like a regular teacher (ie, fairly cheaply) Manners: For foreigners this is a tricky one. We are not Japanese, so fully embracing the local manners and customs is not only unneccessary in most situations, but sometimes can be detrimental to whatever you're trying to achieve. Obviously, bowing is something to get used to (I still don't, I just kinda give a deep nod and then a handshake, because I'm a foreigner and that's what I do). Admittedly when I first came here, I was very meek and very flexible and didn't want to offend anyone, which is a 180 from my usual personality, and that was fine, but since I've had problems lately that needs strong, positive action, being all nice and understanding and flexible has not helped at all. You need a fine balance of both Japanese manners and western mentality and know when to push which. Favourite things? The food, the city, the countryside, the overall culture, the soft serve ice cream, the night life. Least favourite? The lack of good pizza, the mentality that many Japanese people have (they can be extremely frustrating), the smog, the dirt. My one bit of advice is that don't try to learn too much before you go over - part of the experience is discovering things yourself... but one thing I will tell you is that Japanese people think in very different ways to Westerns. That's not just a "oh, those crazy Japanese" comment - they really see the world very differently to how Westerners do, and it's something to keep in mind. Sites: My old blog (haven't updated for a while, but the archives are still there: http://www.scibyinjapan.com My japan forum (mostly just friends sitting around talking nonsense when we're bored at work, but feel free to join in and ask questions) http://www.japanistan.com Edit: To the above poster, that's not true, in the slighest. You'll always be treated as an outsider - to put it another way, you'll be treated well, but you'll rarely be greeted warmly. however, each experience is different in Japan, so... Also, why did I get a down-ranking? Because my information is accurate and factual?