Japan (best city, rent, hotels)

[NihonKitty]

I made this thread for everyone who is interested and has question about Japanese language,culture,history, travelling etc. I would post pictures but I dont know how that works? Do i need to prove they are mine or something?

In the meantime I'll just post some driving videos of Tokyo


(Click HD)

Just some stats on tokyo, it is the biggest city in the world with 12.8 Million people, metro tokyo has 34 million!

Here is a video of driving in Roppongi Tokyo (it's residential)



Driving in countryside in late evening


Sorry about just posting videos of driving, i don't want to get banned for copyright if i post pictures.

Anyways when i learn about the posting pictures stuff I'll put some.

[Colddiamond102]

Im hoping to be traveling there in September to see my boyfriend. He's stationed in Yakosuka (sp?). This is probably a stupid question, but are there alot of hotels in Tokyo? Are they expensive? Im still not sure where I'll sleep when I get there. lol

What phrases in Japanese should I familiarize myself with so that I may mind my manners?

What is the train etiquette there? My Sailor says there's a certain way you must stand, otherwise its considered rude. Is this true?

Anything you could tell me would be appreciated.

[NihonKitty]

Originally Posted by Colddiamond102

Im hoping to be traveling there in September to see my boyfriend. He's stationed in Yakosuka (sp?). This is probably a stupid question, but are there alot of hotels in Tokyo? Are they expensive? Im still not sure where I'll sleep when I get there. lol

What phrases in Japanese should I familiarize myself with so that I may mind my manners?

What is the train etiquette there? My Sailor says there's a certain way you must stand, otherwise its considered rude. Is this true?

Anything you could tell me would be appreciated.

Hi cold, i remember talking to you. Yes Tokyo has alot of hotels, but they may be expensive. There are however "room" you can rent (no maid) and assuming you will be with your boyfriend this is a good option. I will go to tokyo in August, i rented a room for 2 and for those 2 weeks we will pay 600 dollars, which is like 42 dollars a day. You can get an even smaller room if you wanted to for like 20 dollars a day if you wanted too.. but It will be small, maybe it doesnt matter since you will be sightseeing.

Just learn "sumi masen" which is like excuse me in case you notice someone gets annoyed. What phrases do you know already?

Train ettiquette? Well in Tokyo people avoid eye contact in general and just stand/sit there.. Not sure what he means by a way of standing..

[NihonKitty]

By the way if you like fine dinning tokyo is the best city in the world for it so bring some extra money if you like it

Cuisine in Tokyo is internationally acclaimed. In November 2007, Michelin released their guide for fine dining in Tokyo, garnering 191 stars in total, or about twice as many as its nearest competitor, Paris. Eight establishments were awarded the maximum of three stars (Paris has 10), 25 received two stars, and 117 earned one star. Of the eight top-rated restaurants, three offer traditional Japanese fine dining, two are sushi houses and three serve French cuisine

[Colddiamond102]

Originally Posted by NihonKitty

Hi cold, i remember talking to you. Yes Tokyo has alot of hotels, but they may be expensive. There are however "room" you can rent (no maid) and assuming you will be with your boyfriend this is a good option. I will go to tokyo in August, i rented a room for 2 and for those 2 weeks we will pay 600 dollars, which is like 42 dollars a day. You can get an even smaller room if you wanted to for like 20 dollars a day if you wanted too.. but It will be small, maybe it doesnt matter since you will be sightseeing.

Just learn "sumi masen" which is like excuse me in case you notice someone gets annoyed. What phrases do you know already?

Train ettiquette? Well in Tokyo people avoid eye contact in general and just stand/sit there.. Not sure what he means by a way of standing..

Thanks! What sites would you recommend seeing?

The only ones I know so far are Kanichiwa (sp?) and Hai (Which I think means "yes"?)

[NihonKitty]

Originally Posted by Colddiamond102

Thanks! What sites would you recommend seeing?

Websites or places lol..sorry. If places you mean tokyo? Im not a tokyo expert since I am from Wakayama but I guess i know more than everyone else here. I'll write down what i will do during 2 weeks if you want.

The only ones I know so far are Kanichiwa (sp?) and Hai (Which I think means "yes"?)

Konnichiwa. No is "iie" pronounced in english like ee ee eh, thank you = arigatou, nice to meet you = hajimimashi.te. Hmm ask me other ones you want to know

[5chevin5]

Hello...

I have lived in Tokyo for nearly for 4 years...
I think what your boyfriend is talking about is the "where" to stand on a train. Basic rules are just common sense and courtesy (as with most Japanese "rules")
* Dont block the door.
* Dont stand with your back to the door.
* If you must block the door (which is sure to happen on crowded trains like the Yamanote), then exit the train briefly, even if it is not your stop, to allow the people behind you to exit while you stand to the side, then re-enter when clear.
* Stand to the side before entering train to allow the people exiting enough space

Pretty obvious once you get here.
The funny one to me is the escalators! In Tokyo they stand to the left...always! If you go up the right side, it is kindly expected that you are walking up to the top. People will line up (sometimes very looong lines) to makes sure they stay to the left.

Osaka they stay to the right...opposite rules....Go Figure.

The lack of eye contact on the train is merely an extension of not making "excessive" eye contact anywhere, just being polite. I of course being gaikokojin get plenty of stares, but its merely curiosity, not an evil stare down like you may get on the subways in the states. Pretty tame in general

Im just learning Japanese, and Im sure NihonKitty is much better then me (*_*)
But my understanding is that "Hai" which is used for almost every situation is more of a " yes, I understand you and what you are saying" kinda word... and "So" or politely " So des" is more of an answer "yes".... Lots of words have many meanings in Japan based on the infliction and the context in which it is spoken. But truly the most valuable words are "sumi masen" and "arigato godzai mas"
Im sure those arent spelled correctly in romanji.... I find that even though I speak very little Japanese, basic a common courtesy goes a long way here.


Being a professional chef....I also have to agree with NihonKitty, the food and food "scene" here is amazing.

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[dougie86]

Itadakimasu




This video is better than the one above

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2__c...eature=related

[NihonKitty]

lol "int okyo" i did my space bar wrong. Actually there is only one way to spell it.

ありがとうございます。
A ri ga to u go zai ma su.

If japanese told you another way they must have failed hiragana :P

[5chevin5]

I'm sure that is the right way to spell it...In Japanese....but as Im sure you know as well as I do, all bets are off and the randomness occurs when someone translates it to Romanji.

I've seen countless translation spelling errors here, even by government agencies...or JR when they try and take a Japanese word and make it legible for English signs.

Actually I'm the one failing Hiragana, though I'm finding it easier then Katakana...must be because kids learn it when they are 5 years old! Perhaps one day I will be smart enough.....Then Kanji....Joy!

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