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You can bring on all sorts of onboard entertainments devices for everyone but I recommend keeping it simple and focusing on your daughter. She's old enough to use headphones with the onboard system and do paper games like hangman. My daughter usually gets a special magazine or sticker book.
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# ? Feb 28, 2017 23:15 |
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# ? May 27, 2024 02:25 |
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Have you considered a backpacking backpack instead of one of those suitcases? Don't know your daughter but relying on a 7 year old to ALWAYS drag a suitcase around may be optimistic. Also, having two hands free is always nice. So long as it's frameless or a small internal frame, it will fit in the overhead.
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# ? Mar 1, 2017 16:37 |
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What's up, Japan thread. I have married my beautiful Japanese wife, gotten my visa and next week I am starting my new life in Japan. I'm quite worried about it, as I have learned quite a lot of Japanese, but I still can't properly read newspapers etc. So next week, I'm going to take a dip in the deep end of the pool and start swimming. What could I do so that my life in Japan would be as painless as possible? I have come in terms with the fact that it'll be hard as hell to find a new job there, move in with my wife etc. etc., but I try to stay optimistic, since my wife has been very supportive so far. I am already reading/writing kanji every day to get them into my mind, but man, it's hard to remember new vocabulary in a functional sense. What sort of techniques do you use to prepare for a N3+ level exams and so the new terms would become functional as well? Are there any common gaijin pitfalls you would definitely like to warn about 100%? Anyway, pray for this gaijin and I'll do my best!!
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# ? Mar 1, 2017 19:06 |
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If you have a spouse visa you can do whatever you want. First do an English monkey job to pay the bills while you get used to your new town. Later you can work in a brewery or hotel or computer stuff or be house husband. Reading newspapers is a few years down the road so just chill and enjoy. You might feel pressured to say Yes to every invitation from every buck-toothed friend-of-a-friend but I'd recommend not joining any hobby clubs etc. right away. Wait until you've found a genuine friend. peanut fucked around with this message at 23:12 on Mar 1, 2017 |
# ? Mar 1, 2017 23:09 |
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Grand Fromage posted:Also if I have some lovely clothes I don't want anymore I'll pack that and throw it away the last day to free up more space. this is a pro travel move
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# ? Mar 1, 2017 23:12 |
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Piano Maniac posted:What's up, Japan thread. dude i've spent like 6 months in the countryside in the middle of nowhere and my japanese is total garbage and life has been awesome and cool and good, if you can speak japanese you'll be fine. ask people itt for help if you need any. congrats on getting married. if this is your first time living abroad, life will probably be kinda weird, but get in a good routine, don't just spend like 12 hours a day on the internet, try to read an hour a day, study an hour a day, go for a run/hike one or two hours a day, etc. if you just end up spending all day loving off playing video games you're going to feel worthless. do what peanut says, find something to hold you over while you get your bearings and then look for something better.
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# ? Mar 1, 2017 23:15 |
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Piano Maniac posted:What's up, Japan thread. Congratulations, this is the Pro way to come to Japan (aka, the way I did it). Where will y'all be living?
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# ? Mar 1, 2017 23:55 |
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Piano Maniac posted:Are there any common gaijin pitfalls you would definitely like to warn about 100%? If you're driving there are specially designed Gaijin Pits on the shoulders of some roads to trap your tires. Watch out for those.
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# ? Mar 2, 2017 00:27 |
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Piano Maniac posted:Are there any common gaijin pitfalls you would definitely like to warn about 100%? Don't: -Follow Nigerians anywhere, even for "just a look" -Bother with Chinese massage in Roppongi (go to Kanda instead) -Try to bang your students and/or their mothers. classic gaijin blunder -Ride a bicycle while drunk, you can get a DUI -Hesitate to get a Hub members card -Hang out with Aredna if you want to avoid any of the above
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# ? Mar 2, 2017 04:54 |
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Thanks for the advice, everybody! We'll be living in Tokyo and it's just kinda scary, because here in Estonia it's 1,3 million in the whole country but already in Tokyo there's like 9 million people living in a city. Yeah, I should take an English monkey job (or any job that pays decent) before I'll start leveling up, since I think I need to get one of those JLPTs to show that I do, indeed, speak Japanese. In any case, I'm nervous but I'm also hella excited! It'll be just like Earthbound where you walk around in a city and just talk to people the first few weeks, since one thing is to read kanji on a paper... and the other thing to read them on a sign post. For example - 足立 = Can it be Sokuritsu? Ashida? Nope, it's Adachi.
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# ? Mar 2, 2017 08:15 |
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Oh geez Estonia please eat as much cheese and bread as possible now, you're going to miss it.
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# ? Mar 2, 2017 09:43 |
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Will places in Japan even hire you to teach English if you aren't from an English speaking country?
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# ? Mar 2, 2017 10:13 |
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zmcnulty posted:-Hesitate to get a Hub members card
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# ? Mar 2, 2017 11:43 |
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I was told the food is bad but there is beer and bros. LimburgLimbo has a stack of coupons from his point card that can probably keep him in free beer for months.
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# ? Mar 2, 2017 12:03 |
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Sounds like I should give it a miss. Speaking of drinks, I know that liking sweet things is considered a more feminine trait in Japan but just how weird is it for a man to drink something that isn't either beer or whisky over there? I always got handed my friend's beer when we all ordered together. Eventually just started owning it at bars and asking for the absolute sweetest cocktail they could make (ended up with a great chocolate banana milkshake kinda thing at a bar called Jayco in Shinjuku).
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# ? Mar 2, 2017 12:45 |
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Moon Slayer posted:Will places in Japan even hire you to teach English if you aren't from an English speaking country? Yes, the hurdle is the visa, but if you have a spouse visa then plenty of places will be happy to hire you.
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# ? Mar 2, 2017 12:47 |
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LyonsLions posted:Yes, the hurdle is the visa, but if you have a spouse visa then plenty of places will be happy to hire you. Huh, that's very different from Taiwan then. I've met Europeans here with perfect English who say no school will hire them because they only want English teachers from the U.S., Canada, the UK, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and absolutely nowhere else.
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# ? Mar 2, 2017 12:51 |
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^^^ There are expectations re: beer and whatevs but just be confident and order what you like, it's not like the US where someone might call you a human being and throw a cigarette in your face. Well 60+ dudes might be confused but for the younger generation it's like OH ok looks tasty ha ha
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# ? Mar 2, 2017 12:53 |
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Chuhai and ume Strong Zero are great screw anybody who judges you.
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# ? Mar 2, 2017 12:55 |
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Grand Fromage posted:Chuhai and ume Strong Zero are great screw anybody who judges you. FYI I will judge u if u drink strong zero
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# ? Mar 2, 2017 14:07 |
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I can't help you if you want to live a joyless life without ume strong zero.
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# ? Mar 2, 2017 14:19 |
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Grand Fromage posted:I was told the food is bad but there is beer and bros. LimburgLimbo has a stack of coupons from his point card that can probably keep him in free beer for months. Who told you that? The food at the Hub is quite passable and almost certainly better than what you could get in England, gastropub or otherwise.
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# ? Mar 2, 2017 14:40 |
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Oh and apparently they have the best pizza in Japan, so there's that.
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# ? Mar 2, 2017 15:17 |
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Stringent posted:Oh and apparently they have the best pizza in Japan, so there's that. Setting a pretty high bar, there.
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# ? Mar 2, 2017 16:19 |
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Piano Maniac posted:Thanks for the advice, everybody! We'll be living in Tokyo and it's just kinda scary, because here in Estonia it's 1,3 million in the whole country but already in Tokyo there's like 9 million people living in a city. People and place names are messed up all over the world though. Old pronunciations, spellings, etc. Do you have any marketable skills at all? Once you get some language skills things open up to what you can do. Edit: Also direct language questions here https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3438030 Grand Fromage posted:I was told the food is bad but there is beer and bros. LimburgLimbo has a stack of coupons from his point card that can probably keep him in free beer for months. They're already gone haha. Good for a couple trips where I bought for my friends though. LimburgLimbo fucked around with this message at 16:42 on Mar 2, 2017 |
# ? Mar 2, 2017 16:38 |
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Question Mark Mound posted:Sounds like I should give it a miss. Did you know that beer is good?
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# ? Mar 2, 2017 17:19 |
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ALFbrot posted:Did you know that beer is good? Apparently he/she's from England so they may not
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# ? Mar 2, 2017 17:26 |
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LimburgLimbo posted:Apparently he/she's from England so they may not So they'll be right at home in the Japanese beer scene.
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# ? Mar 2, 2017 17:29 |
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LimburgLimbo posted:Apparently he/she's from England so they may not
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# ? Mar 2, 2017 21:43 |
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Question Mark Mound posted:N.Ireland actually. Just never quite acquired a taste for non-sweet alcoholic stuff. Luckily every bar I went to had a great liqueur selection. Way better than at home: I see your enjoyment of sweet cocktails is norn-ironic.
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# ? Mar 2, 2017 23:02 |
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I'll buy u an amaretto sour
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# ? Mar 2, 2017 23:15 |
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I'm going on a business trip to Matsumoto soon, and have a 5 days off to do whatever I want. I think I'll spend some time in Tokyo, maybe travel to Kyoto or Hiroshima, if the travel time isn't to bad. Any tips for what to do, or other places to visit?
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# ? Mar 2, 2017 23:50 |
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Mark Twain posted:Give an Irishman lager for a month and he's a dead man. An Irishman's stomach is lined with copper, and the beer corrodes it. But whiskey polishes the copper and is the saving of him.
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# ? Mar 3, 2017 00:08 |
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I'm in country in 3 weeks! March 24 - March 27: Kobe/Osaka March 28 - March 30: Nagoya March 31- April 4: Kobe/Osaka
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# ? Mar 3, 2017 00:58 |
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LimburgLimbo posted:They're already gone haha. Good for a couple trips where I bought for my friends though. That's a lot of Hub. If you were not generous think of how many free beers you could have been drinking alone in a corner. Matsumoto was a real nice small town, the only small town I've been to that I thought living in might be okay. Getting to Tokyo is easy, Kyoto and such would be more of a pain since there's no east-west train line in that area. You could also go up to Nagano and there's a shinkansen from there to Kanazawa if you wanted to go to less traveled parts. There's some old Tokaido post road towns that are day trips from Matsumoto. Also Shiojiri which is a town named Salt Butt.
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# ? Mar 3, 2017 03:59 |
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Grand Fromage posted:That's a lot of Hub. If you were not generous think of how many free beers you could have been drinking alone in a corner. Thanks! I only have to go to Matsumoto at the end of my stay. My only plan as of now, is that I start at Narita airport and somehow end up in Matsumoto by day 6.
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# ? Mar 3, 2017 08:01 |
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There's a bus from Shinjuku station to Matsumoto, the internet told me it's faster/cheaper than the train. Three-ish hours. I'd say Matusmoto is worth a day on its own if you won't have any wandering time during work. Eat the pickled wasabi greens thing they do, and wasabi in general is fresh there and good.
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# ? Mar 3, 2017 08:11 |
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Withdrawing money from a US debit card at an ATM: Will any ATM do this, or will I need to find a specific one? Is there generally a maximum you can withdraw set by the ATM, or can I pull as much as my bank will allow? Is there one at Narita?
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# ? Mar 4, 2017 20:41 |
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1) call your bank ahead of time and ask them to let you use it internationally and tell them the dates you'll be in other countries 2) if you have the visa or mastercard logo on your card you can use it at any 7/11 or Japan Post (USPS equiv) ATM or Citibank ATM 3) if you have the chip and pin thing (US is finally getting it) then 7/11 will let you take 100,000 at a time. If not you can do 30,000 per transaction and 2 transactions at a specific ATM each day 4) call your loving bank before you leave - everyone thinks they are special and don't and then their cards don't work
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# ? Mar 4, 2017 21:12 |
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# ? May 27, 2024 02:25 |
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Citibank worked really well for me. Withdraw from any 7-11 ATM and there is one in Haneda. No fees.
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# ? Mar 4, 2017 23:15 |