Favorite area of Nihon?

Me neither. I live a 5 minute walk from the super market.

Not according to this book. I recognize the fact that the guy takes the far, far extreme side for the books sake, but he has a point (and has done *way* more research than anyone here).

 

Yamaguchi where I live has more unspoilt country side and mountain areas than you could ever want. F*ing great fun to speed drive around as well :nod:

Yakumo

 

The book looks very interesting, maybe I'll buy it, and use it to open some japan freaks eyes.

 

It's not bad, although most of it should be taken w/ a grain of salt. He even slams Japanese youth for sticking to Hello Kitty rather than playing games that older, more mature westerns play "like Myst". (yes, quotes).

According to him, a lot of the "unspoiled" country side has actually had all of its trees ripped out and replaced by special (easily loggable) cedar. I can't speak for Yamaguchi, but he gives percentages of the land...even the mountains where nobody goes.

Apparently the cosmetic changes Kyoto has gone through in the last 20 years is absolutely unforgivable as well.

 

, the gaming stuff it's very stupid, but I'm more interested in what you've said after. I knew that almost all the shrines/temples/pagodas are rebuilt every 15/20 (if i remember it well) years, but didn't know the trees thing, it's a pity. One thing is clear, Japan isn't wonderland, as many people thinks.

 

True but I don't have to pay for it.

 

Not w/ money -- I'm sure you have to listen to some bullshit from time to time though.

 

I'm sure the Chinese would be more than happy to speak about a certain island nation, importing many aspects from their culture as well.

Not to mention all those Korean folks that were forced into labour during WWII.

And lets not forget the indigenous Ainu, who would probably have something to say about that land the Japanese stole. :110:

 

Pfft, I'm not married so I don't have to deal with any of that. If she did then she knows I wouldn't put up with it anyway.

 

They have their own issues... and a mountain of them, as it were.

In this day and age, I've found that marriage has very little to do with it.

 

I loved Tokyo, to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there. I'm happy living in Utsunomiya...it has aspects of the city while being close to nature (Tochigi is beautiful) I guess I'd love to visit Hokkaido though during the summer (and winter maybe) I am originally from a country area, so while I love the urban sprawl because of things to do, I'd love to be close enough to where I can make a day trip to the wilderness...and Utsunomiya fits in that description

 

The problem is that none of the other cities (even Osaka to an extent) have the gaijin creature comforts of Tokyo when you get down to it. There are tons of western owned businesses that you're not going to find elsewhere. Sometimes (lots of times, actually) Japanese made western food just won't cut it. And as far as I know, my favorite bakery isn't around outside of Tokyo either! There are of course other pluses to living in other cities (cost, most notably) but Tokyo is Tokyo.

 

How come only the Americans seemed to be fussed about this? Apart from not being able to order any magazines (because of that magazine importer going bust), I can't say I miss anything gaijin related at all. In fact I get the opposite and miss daifuku a lot when I am abroad.

 

B/c you don't have any non-American western friends? Admittedly I've known far more non-Americans than Americans in my tenure, but I've never found either to be more or less inclined to want foreign products... and I've been surrounded by expats for years, and they are typically the biggest babies.

Just to name a few things that really suck big balls here:
-Cereal
-High protein bars (I give the shakes a 6)
-Hummus
-Tortillas for the fucking love of God... why are these such an ass whore to find?

It's not limited to just food though. The party scene, the high rollers gambling scene, etc. etc. The other cities simply will not have that.

And when I go abroad, there's plenty of Japanese stuff that's missed. I ate a pile of Chuutoro today for 780 yen. You ain't gettin' that in the west. I don't see what's so weird about enjoying the best of both worlds.

 

Wow.I didn't know that book and it seems really interesting,thanks a lot!

One thing that I missed the most was food.Of course you can find what you want but price is high and quality not that good.Something as simple as good bread and cheese is so difficult to find.And a big roast beef too.And how can I forgot pastry.But fortunately I really love japanese food!

One good thing yet,when you live abroad,is that when you go back to your homeland you can appreciate it more than before(for a small amount of time only of course).

But,working with japanese expats,I have to say that it's exactly the same thing for them.Japanese mens(more than japanese women which are really more broad-minded)are really linked with their country and they really like to have the same life abroad than in Japan.

 

From the Chinese and Japanese I've lived with, I'd say this is true. I never once saw any of them eat anything other than their respective national food.

I mean, I can't fault them for not liking British cuisine, but it seemed kind of odd that they'd not eat anything other than what they knew. They basically just bought vegetables and rice from the shops and had everything else shipped over from home, and they never ate out. When I go to a foreign country, the first thing I do is check out the food.

 

Dunno. To quote a French friend, "Japanese French pastries are better than those in France". There's some amazing pastry shops here, you just can't get it at Little Mermaid... and you have to pay, like everything else.

In the Dogs & Demons, the author lambastes Japanese for going on tours in other countries, only w/ Japanese people, eating Japanese food. It's amazing how many Ramen/Yakiniku/Sushi/Shabu Shabu shops in Honolulu are populated with Japanese tourists. Then again, the food scene in Honolulu is awful for a major tourist city.

 

In fact I didn't think only of food but more of the daily life habits.And I have to say that most of the japanese are fond of french food so they also like french restaurants.Sometimes some of them really know way more about wine or cheese than the average french man(like me ).But it's right that they will always search for a japanese restaurant no matter where they are.

Sure,it's well known there are some really gifted japanese pastry chiefs in Japan.Sometimes,in some really expensive restaurants,I found pastry at least as good as in France.But well,unfortunately you can't go to that sort of place every week ^^

 

I go to Viron in Shibuya about 3 times a week. They apparently import their flower from France. I'm limited to 2 sandwiches basically as I don't eat meat, but they are awesome. Their other breads are great as well. They have these caramels they make, but I have to walk away from those. They taste too good!

 

So you eat your sandwiches in a flower shop? Interesting...