Post AtIdTa2m6daOkcEm8W by kai@ajin.la
(DIR) More posts by kai@ajin.la
(DIR) Post #AtIOcXWlKfmWEy4tDU by brandon@fosstodon.org
2025-04-20T22:09:00Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
So I just finished a two week trip in Japan and... WOW. It was a lot to do in two weeks but I had a blast every single day.Between the food, the views, the hospitality, and the various experiences (and of course all the souvenirs), I 100% would go back at any opportunity I could get.I have some pictures I want to post but I still need to sift through them...because there's a metric digital ton of them.Tokyo => Fukushima City => Osaka => Kyoto => Tokyo
(DIR) Post #AtIOnpD7vW0EGmH5nM by brandon@fosstodon.org
2025-04-20T22:11:02Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
If ya'll have questions about my experience, please send them! I'll be writing a few posts in the coming weeks about my trip and I'd like to know what ya'll are interested in reading about. It'll give me an idea of how to structure my journal entries
(DIR) Post #AtIPekfFYp0lW7fNeC by kai@ajin.la
2025-04-20T22:20:34Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@brandon Will you be moving to Japan instead? 😋
(DIR) Post #AtIZAOsP0BeinUz5fc by brandon@fosstodon.org
2025-04-21T00:07:10Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@kai Not instead, but also :P I have a long-term plan to move there indeed, especially after falling in love with Tokyo 😍
(DIR) Post #AtIZIlJFTquuglWqQq by kai@ajin.la
2025-04-21T00:08:39Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@brandon wow, I didn't really expect you to say yes! 😅
(DIR) Post #AtIZncZ031BgXabw4e by brandon@fosstodon.org
2025-04-21T00:14:15Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@kai It might be the vacation eyes but there's a lot about the culture and norms that I like in Japan. This is just the surface of my feelings but these are what attract me:* I liked how easy it was to get around without a car, even in the more rural areas.* The level of service and hospitality is impeccable* The base quality of food in general is much higher on average* Bidets everywhere* The collectivist mindset in general* The focus on tradition
(DIR) Post #AtIZs1YP4lvFCnQoXw by kai@ajin.la
2025-04-21T00:14:59Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@brandon But you can never become Japanese. Are you content to live as a foreigner?
(DIR) Post #AtIZsDilq3LSwQNGN6 by brandon@fosstodon.org
2025-04-21T00:15:06Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@kai and finally I find that the Japanese are just generally proud of their country for the right reasons
(DIR) Post #AtIZzmfSJ4MhLxQjom by brandon@fosstodon.org
2025-04-21T00:16:27Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@kai That's a question I'm not sure I'll be able to answer until I experience it.But I'll think about that when writing about my trip
(DIR) Post #AtIaWaUSbQ8Z8rvg4O by brandon@fosstodon.org
2025-04-21T00:22:23Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@kai I had a few tastes of that foreigner feeling during my vacation, random kids and adults staring at me, people refusing to sit beside me on the metro, but nothing super egregious.I know some people who've been living there a while and their biggest gripe is not being given the opportunity to speak Japanese after having spent years trying to perfect their skills in the language
(DIR) Post #AtIatiZKjU5orFEokq by kai@ajin.la
2025-04-21T00:26:32Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@brandon You have a role to play. Look at the guy with the big nose! He wore his bathroom slippers in the living room! He'll probably try to order a hamburger. Haha!
(DIR) Post #AtIdTa2m6daOkcEm8W by kai@ajin.la
2025-04-21T00:55:26Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@brandon I know I've posted about John Nathan though I don't know if I've mentioned him in particular to you. He moved to Japan in the 60s and wrote a beautifully introspective autobiography.
(DIR) Post #AtIk2EoLdkAYl8Olai by brandon@fosstodon.org
2025-04-21T02:08:57Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@kai I try to combat this kind of thing by educating myself about the norms. Nobody's talking on the train? I keep my mouth shut or whisper if I need to. If you're not sure what to order on the menu, don't waste the server's time with a million questions and just ask them for a recommendation. They'll usually give you something delicious but not so riskyEven knowing just a bit of the language goes a loooong way. I must have said "excuse me" (sumimasen) a thousand times while I was there.z
(DIR) Post #AtIk5Vu2Y8LEdZcg9A by brandon@fosstodon.org
2025-04-21T02:09:32Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@kai So while yes, I would always be a foreigner, there are many ways to garner respect with locals, especially the ones that you will see regularly
(DIR) Post #AtIk9RggAGdOinFSCG by brandon@fosstodon.org
2025-04-21T02:10:15Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@kai No, I haven't heard about him actually. I will put that on my list to read soon. I have a goal to read a for more non-fiction books this year
(DIR) Post #AtIkGKrPwdwLZkYYiW by brandon@fosstodon.org
2025-04-21T02:11:30Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@kai Is this it? https://www.amazon.co.jp/-/en/John-Nathan/dp/1416553452
(DIR) Post #AtIrENUDuUkmosim24 by kai@ajin.la
2025-04-21T03:29:33Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@brandon yes, though you surely don't need to get it all the way from amazon.co.jp 😋
(DIR) Post #AtIzjnJYjPzVXBDzJA by AAMfP@fosstodon.org
2025-04-21T05:04:53Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@brandonGlad you liked.A point on moving: my wife is Japanese, we live in Italy.She doesn't want to live back in Japan because kife there it's too strict and stressful. 🤷🏻♂️@kai
(DIR) Post #AtJ8WM69VbeOwncWOG by luc@chaos.social
2025-04-21T06:43:16Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@brandon really cool to hear you can get around well even without a car! That was one of the things I was worrying about because I really don't think I'll be safe driving on the "wrong" side of the road >.<I might be asking more questions in the future but my trip is still a ways off for now. Thanks for sharing this so far and I'm glad you enjoyed it so much!As for moving there, I did hear their work-life balance is, ehm, special. But it's not like I know / like it's not worth trying out :)
(DIR) Post #AtJh1n7aU58WB1S8rw by brandon@fosstodon.org
2025-04-21T13:09:55Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@kai Haha no definitely not. I was using a VPN for and just happened to search while I was connected :P z
(DIR) Post #AtJh2f75k8pFd7dVaq by brandon@fosstodon.org
2025-04-21T13:10:05Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@kai Haha no definitely not. I was using a VPN for and just happened to search while I was connected :P
(DIR) Post #AtJhJ1kVLsqySzsInw by brandon@fosstodon.org
2025-04-21T13:13:05Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@AAMfP @kai Thank you for the heads up! I've heard a lot about the work culture being stressful and laws being very strict. But I've spoken with a few people who were born there (friends through connections) and some are seeing the younger workers changing the work culture for the better, not tolerating the unspoken long required hours and requirements to move around for the job after being stationed at a different office for example.I'm not naive, of course, and I know this takes 1/2
(DIR) Post #AtJhNbAraH5jUhNqgC by brandon@fosstodon.org
2025-04-21T13:13:52Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@AAMfP @kai kind of change takes decades, but knowing that the culture isn't simply stagnant gives me hope that it can improve
(DIR) Post #AtJhdc4pzlIKvZCYeO by brandon@fosstodon.org
2025-04-21T13:16:47Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@luc Oh it is absolutely doable without a car in most cases. Obviously it depends on where you plan to go, and yeah it could take a bit longer to get where you're going, but it's doable in most people's planned vacationsI do know about the work-life balance being shit, but I'm willing to try it. When worse comes to worse, I still have the option to play gaijin, but that's more for emergencies if you know what I mean
(DIR) Post #AtJmD1rGX7Pgq1zq6K by AAMfP@fosstodon.org
2025-04-21T14:07:59Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@brandon👍🏻🤞🏻@kai