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Economist predicting for the 30th year in a row that the country will collapse
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Feb 15, 2024 22:00
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| # ? May 23, 2024 18:24 |
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Bofast posted:The Nikkei index does not have to be more valuable just because it went up. If the currency it's valued in goes down in value, the number naturally goes up, just like food or other goods become more expensive in a devaluing currency. The Nikkei was 30% lower 18 months ago when the USD/JPY was the same as now. I guess Japan is doomed.
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Feb 15, 2024 22:45
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Charles 2 of Spain posted:Economist predicting for the 30th year in a row that the country will collapse It's not about collapse, more like another 30 years of economic stagnation or decline including in real wages and demographics. So more or less what we expected
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Feb 15, 2024 23:13
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*looking wistfully at the Donki store* I remember when their tissues were good
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Feb 15, 2024 23:24
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Charles 2 of Spain posted:*looking wistfully at the Donki store* I remember when their tissues were good said no one ever
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Feb 15, 2024 23:42
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Correct, absolutely nobody would care about tissue quality in Donki
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Feb 16, 2024 00:00
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Charles 2 of Spain posted:Correct, absolutely nobody would care about tissue quality in Donki No it was never good
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Feb 16, 2024 01:05
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Japanese facial tissues are pretty trash and just completely disintegrate in your hand.
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Feb 16, 2024 15:14
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Shammypants posted:I also bring a ton of poo poo over to Asia for relatives so I bring full bags and empty them out only to fill them with tourist junk to return. In other words theres reasons for big bags. What do you bring them? I’m going over in march to visit family and I I’m trying to figure out what to bring em that wouldn’t be available locally.
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Feb 16, 2024 15:39
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El Mero Mero posted:What do you bring them? I’m going over in march to visit family and I I’m trying to figure out what to bring em that wouldn’t be available locally. Aside from certain luxury or near luxury brands like Coach/LV/Prada that are overpriced there it appears a lot of shoe brands/models are overpriced or difficult to find, particularly athletic and running shoes. The weirdest brands we get asked for are American Eagle and Under Armor which are not expensive but not as easy to get new styles cheaply. Suitcases end up being 5-7 purses, 5-6 shoes, and a bunch of cosmetics. Recently we brought a lot of Drunk Elephant and Ariana Grande stuff that wasn't on King Power or at the malls. Last trip we also brought a steamdeck OLED for someone on top of a camera lens. Electronics prices can be pretty sucky. People really have to tell you what they want, because it's pretty dang hard to figure out if something is available at stores there or not on occasion. Even if a brand is available a certain style or model might not be available so now we just straight up get texts and LINEs telling us what to bring each visit. Shammypants fucked around with this message at 16:13 on Feb 16, 2024 |
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Feb 16, 2024 16:10
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Toxic Mental posted:The Nikkei was 30% lower 18 months ago when the USD/JPY was the same as now. I guess Japan is doomed. I don't know why you would jump to "Japan is doomed", considering no one said that. I would argue that Japan's economy is a lot less likely to crash than something like the US economy (as an example), and relatively free and stable countries are rarely doomed even in a crash. Japan like any country would do well to deal with their huge government debt problem, but at least it seems to be mostly domestic debt since they are still the world's primary creditor nation. I'm just saying if X (valuation of goods, services and assets) divided by Y (valuation of currency) equals 1.0 at this point in time, then the ratio can go up because X goes up or because Y goes down. Given that the USD does not have a fixed value, either, the JPY/USD exchange rate is not a fixed point of comparison. It's complicated. 
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Feb 16, 2024 18:02
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Bofast posted:I don't know why you would jump to "Japan is doomed", considering no one said that. I would argue that Japan's economy is a lot less likely to crash than something like the US economy (as an example), and relatively free and stable countries are rarely doomed even in a crash. Japan like any country would do well to deal with their huge government debt problem, but at least it seems to be mostly domestic debt since they are still the world's primary creditor nation. Japan needs Western forums to defend it's honor from Gaijin criticism. It's not in a 30 year period of economic stagnation, you can get a studio apartment with a genkan, A GENKAN! I've met so many good friends in Japan working and traveling there and my interest in their economy isn't to delight in its failure but out of genuine interest and hope for my friends futures. It's a shame people have to justify themselves in such a way but it's clear that's what it is.
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Feb 16, 2024 19:00
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I'll be going back to Japan after 6 years next month for a week (finally visiting Kyoto wooo!). I was just wondering if I can tap my card/phone to get on trains yet, or do I need to buy tickets or get one of those travel cards? Also I would love a hanten jacket and a kimono like Samurai Matcha from the YouTube has. Can you recommend anywhere that does them for a reasonable price in Osaka/Kyoto? And is there a district in Osaka that might still sell old walkmans/minidiscs? That's it for my dumb questions!
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Feb 16, 2024 21:54
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If you have an iPhone you can install the Suica app and get and charge a virtual card on that, then rap to pay for trains etc. If you have an Android phone that was not made for the Japanese market, then you'll have to get a physical IC card. Kyoto is absolutely stuffed full of kimono/traditional clothing stores and rental, I'd think most of them are decent but have not entered any.
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Feb 16, 2024 22:30
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Bofast posted:I don't know why you would jump to "Japan is doomed", considering no one said that. I would argue that Japan's economy is a lot less likely to crash than something like the US economy (as an example), and relatively free and stable countries are rarely doomed even in a crash. Japan like any country would do well to deal with their huge government debt problem, but at least it seems to be mostly domestic debt since they are still the world's primary creditor nation.
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Feb 17, 2024 02:11
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nielsm posted:If you have an iPhone you can install the Suica app and get and charge a virtual card on that, then rap to pay for trains etc. You don’t even need a specific app, it’s handled within the Wallet app on an iPhone. I think from the iPhone 7 or 8 they’ve all had the IC chip to work in Japan. My phone is Japan market but I can also add cards for the U.S., China, and Hong Kong through that app.  This is the easiest option. Some train lines are now also trialing new gates which can take either QR code payments or tap from normal Visa/MasterCard debit or credit cards, but I wouldn’t recommend that yet - it’s not as widespread as Suica/Pasmo, and only one specific gate.
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Feb 17, 2024 02:21
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Why don't they have it for Android? Is it because of the Japanese obsession with Apple products?
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Feb 17, 2024 03:06
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Android manufactures don't want to pay for FeliCA tech or don't want to pay the licensing fees for their phones sold in non-Japanese markets. If you buy a Japanese Android it'll work just fine.
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Feb 17, 2024 03:08
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Zettace posted:Android manufactures don't want to pay for FeliCA tech or don't want to pay the licensing fees for their phones sold in non-Japanese markets. If you buy a Japanese Android it'll work just fine. It’s the licensing. I think last time this came up it turns out the chips are there in most decent Android phones (because why make two different SKUs) but they only pay the licensing fee for Japan market.
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Feb 17, 2024 03:12
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What is a Honki person?
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Feb 17, 2024 03:28
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Ah I have Android and it looks like Japan doesn't yet support tap with a normal card or phone like London. Can I buy a... Suica or Pasmo or whatever they're called at Osaka Airport or are they still hard to get? Thanks for the help!
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Feb 17, 2024 03:44
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At Osaka, the IC card to get would be ICOCA. There was never a shortage of those.
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Feb 17, 2024 05:18
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The lines at the KIX train station might be massive if your timing is unlucky. But you need to line up whether you're getting a paper ticket or an IC card (ICOCA or PiTaPa), so you might as well get the card!
peanut fucked around with this message at 07:37 on Feb 17, 2024 |
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Feb 17, 2024 07:33
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Alan_Shore posted:Ah I have Android and it looks like Japan doesn't yet support tap with a normal card or phone like London. harperdc posted:Some train lines are now also trialing new gates which can take either QR code payments or tap from normal Visa/MasterCard debit or credit cards, but I wouldn’t recommend that yet - it’s not as widespread as Suica/Pasmo, and only one specific gate. For reference, because I saw one in the wild this afternoon:  Pasmo/Suica up top, credit/debit tap in the middle, QR/barcode reader on bottom. I haven’t read up on how widespread they are, but I’ve seen a few stations near where I live start putting like one of these each at different station exits. It’s too early to say “just use a card/phone like London” but maybe soon.
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Feb 17, 2024 08:14
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Thanks all! The ICOCA card is exactly what I need! Is that pronounced like a word or by letter, btw? Oh, can I get a sim card from Hong Kong or should I order one online and pick up in the airport? I arrive at 6 30am so hopefully the lines won't be too hectic. Just get me in that onsen immediately (yes I have a list). harperdc posted:For reference, because I saw one in the wild this afternoon: Ah, the future is coming!
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Feb 17, 2024 13:14
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Alan_Shore posted:Thanks all! The ICOCA card is exactly what I need! Is that pronounced like a word or by letter, btw? I guess the English phonetic would be ee-koh-ka, which in Japanese is a phrase (行こうか／ ikouka) that roughly translates to "shall we go?" or "let's go".
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Feb 17, 2024 13:26
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Japanese pronunciation is like Hawaiian pronunciation, if that helps. A ah E eh I eeeEEEEEEeeEEE O oh U you
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Feb 17, 2024 13:39
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harperdc posted:I guess the English phonetic would be ee-koh-ka, which in Japanese is a phrase (行こうか／ ikouka) that roughly translates to "shall we go?" or "let's go". That's what I was after! I know a smidgen of Japanese, just wasn't sure how that card should be pronounced!
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Feb 17, 2024 14:07
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i knew that all of the IC cards were puns and stuff, but i only figured out what manaca was supposed to be… 真ん中…
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Feb 17, 2024 15:02
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peanut posted:Japanese pronunciation is like Hawaiian pronunciation, if that helps. eeeEEEEEEeeEEE've been mispronouncing I all this time.
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Feb 17, 2024 17:18
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harperdc posted:Pasmo/Suica up top, credit/debit tap in the middle, QR/barcode reader on bottom. I guess NFC should be fine if the credit card verification happens quick enough, but lol at people trying to open some app and line up their phone screens correctly right at the ticket gate for QR. QR works fine in retail, but at least Felica was designed with Tokyo's train stations in mind.
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Feb 17, 2024 22:12
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DannyHibiki posted:Went to Universal Studios Japan on November 23, 2023, and it was pretty slammed. It is a day off, so it's more like a weekend day than anything chill. Really glad we had bought express passes or we wouldn't have been able to ride much at all. I was planning to do Disney in the middle of the week - November 23 would be for something like exploring Akihabara or the animal cafes.
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Feb 18, 2024 01:55
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Wrapping up my trip in Thailand, thinking about where to go next, mostly considering Tokyo or Taipei. As for Tokyo, I'm thinking of mainly being based out of Akihabara, although according to Trip a lot more people like staying in places like Ginza instead apparently. I have other interests for being in Japan, but I'm mostly interested in making my nerd pilgrimage to Akihabara and immersing myself in video games/manga/electronics poo poo. So should I just focus my hotel search on Akihabara or look at hotels in other areas then commute over using rail? Also, how can I find the more unique/offbeat hotel/social hostel offerings? You know, like a video game based hotel in Akihabara? Thanks in advance for any advice.
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Feb 18, 2024 04:51
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Teriyaki Koinku posted:As for Tokyo, I'm thinking of mainly being based out of Akihabara, although according to Trip a lot more people like staying in places like Ginza instead apparently. Don’t stay in Akihabara. You can stay less than a 20 minute train ride away and have much greater selection of cheap hotels (Ueno) or more expensive ones. Akihabara is on the Yamanote Line, which has trains stopping every 2-3 minutes. A “commute” is an hour plus, that’s nothing. I’ve never heard of a video game-themed hotel in Japan. Bars, yes. Not hotels.
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Feb 18, 2024 05:05
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Assuming I had a few days to stay, is it worth staying in a capsule hotel just for the experience and to save money? How do you choose between a traditional hotel, capsule hotel or ryokan?
Teriyaki Koinku fucked around with this message at 05:12 on Feb 18, 2024 |
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Feb 18, 2024 05:08
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I would highly recommend the Anshin Oyado capsule Hotel in Shinjuku for convenience, experience and money
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Feb 18, 2024 05:29
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A ryokan is a destination in and of itself. You don't just casually stay there, it's a whole thing and even the cheap ones are expensive. A nice hotel is for people who enjoy nice hotels when traveling. A business hotel is for people who just want a private, comfortable place to sleep and are otherwise going to be out and about. You don't get much but it's cheap. Capsules are super cheap. If you don't care about private space and can sleep while ten dudes are snoring and/or hacking up a lung all night, I guess it might be okay. I stayed in one for a night once just because and one night was more than enough. I'm a business hotel guy personally, it's up to you though.
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Feb 18, 2024 05:38
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I've had nothing but good experiences in capsules and will be exclusively staying in them on my next trip. They have everything you'll need, including baths and ear plugs, and I think they're just really cool. The prices are usually incredible too
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Feb 18, 2024 05:43
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Bet you can sleep on a plane too, ya jerk. 
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Feb 18, 2024 05:48
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If I bury myself under blankets with headphones I can (sometimes!)
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Feb 18, 2024 05:50
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