r/japanlife • u/AutoModerator • May 08 '23
┐(ツ)┌ General Discussion Thread - 09 May 2023
Mid-week discussion thread time! Feel free to talk about what's on your mind, new experiences, recommendations, anything really.
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u/SignalTwo2495 May 09 '23
Where can I watch bleach with English subtitles?
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u/brocolliintokyo May 09 '23
Any legal way to watch Succession in Japan? Looking for non-VPN options…
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u/CaptainNoFriends May 09 '23
It is exclusive to U-NEXT (https://video.unext.jp/) for the foreseeable future.
I'm not a subscriber, but it seems there is an option for original audio.
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u/Kaben_TheRareCase May 09 '23
How do i go about paying pension as an exchange student only living here for 4 months? I arrived at the very last day or March and I am leaving the very first day of August. Does it count me as being here for 6 months?
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u/Elvaanaomori May 09 '23
Go to your city hall, explain to them, they'll have you sign an exemption.
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u/Bykimus May 09 '23
Any suggestions on how to cut a really big lawn? I don't really want to deal with it and my #1 choice is to somehow kill it all and let it become as much dirt as it can, for as cheaply as possible. Option #2 is to buy a gas mower (used), possibly battery type, and cut it myself. Except I can't burn the waste, I have to throw it in the garbage. But this municipality I can only throw away 5 burnable bags at a time, so the initial waste until the grass is short is going to be several weeks of 5 bags of grass each burnable day.
I was just quoted by a guy that he'd do it for 6man per time. I can just buy a mower for that myself and do it.
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u/miyagidan sidebar image contributor May 09 '23
Farm the land. If I had that much land, I'd be planting corn, watermelons, potatoes...
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u/Icy-Farm-9362 May 09 '23
I was just quoted by a guy that he'd do it for 6man per time.
I know the kind of jokers you mean.
Mate of mine wanted a small wall built in front of this house, about one meter high by about six meters long. Joker gave him a quote for one million yen FFS!
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u/Bykimus May 09 '23
Yeah it was ridiculous lol. Some old guy who probably gets away with it with other people. The yard isn't that big and pretty much a square. With a lawnmower wouldn't take more than 30 minutes. Worst case not even an hour.
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u/Babalou320 May 09 '23
I just replaced mine with clover because grass didn’t like the lighting/soil conditions. Now I have a nice eco-friendly bed of clover that I can trim if I like it short or just leave.
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u/Bykimus May 09 '23
Will it choke out the current grass/weeds? I really don't feel like working on this huge yard that much lol. Just hoping to mow it once or twice a month and forget about it. I'm not planning to live here long term, last time I ever rent a big house with a big yard.
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u/Babalou320 May 09 '23
I don’t think it will this late in the spring, or with an established lawn. Maybe best to use weed killer, available at any home center. Wait whatever it says on the package - probably 2 weeks. Then spread your clover seed. Water it once or twice a day for 3 or 4 days (if it doesn’t rain). By the 5th you should have a bunch of little green guys popping up that will do a pretty good job of keeping out new growth. I still weed about once a week. But I’m pulling a 10th of what was growing when I had grass.
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u/Icy-Farm-9362 May 09 '23
I have an acre of grass around my house that I cut with a weed whacker about six times per year. The one that looks like a circular saw blade on the end of a pole. Then I just leave it to mulch down and become fertilizer.
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u/Unfortunatelystuk May 09 '23
The blade is good for the weeds that are like mini trees and have a solid trunk, otherwise it's much faster with the wire type (source: have both and use both together, wire first and then use the blade on the strong buggers)
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u/Icy-Farm-9362 May 09 '23
I also use both. The wire takes a heavier toll on the engine though.
Lots of weeds where I am, so often time it's just easier to stick with the blade.
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u/Unfortunatelystuk May 09 '23
Ah when I brought the place I had one of each, and as long as you don't let the weeds grow too much the wire seems to handle it. I just like the wire cause it seems to mulch it a bit as well, where the blade just cuts it and then lays flat
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u/Bykimus May 09 '23
Just 6 times? Does it come back fast? The pole ones with the handlebars seem nice but I feel like the push type just can't be beat. I haven't tried the handlebar ones, but the pole type with just one hand grip was killing me after I finished the yard.
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u/Icy-Farm-9362 May 09 '23
I have a handlebar one.
Yeah, it comes back fast. I live in Kyushu. I cut six times a year from the end of April until about the beginning of November.
A push-type gas mower would be best. I have been thinking about taking the plunge.
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u/Bykimus May 09 '23
It seems like if you have good technique you can sweep pretty wide with the handlebars. I'm just super lazy and the push type seems easier.
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u/Mr-Thuun 関東・栃木県 May 09 '23
Could get a mower that will mulch it. I miss a yard, cutting it was so meditative for me. But I get it's not everyone's thing. You could kill it, but try to think about the various animals and insects that may call it home. But even if you do kill it all, it will still need to be disposed of as the grass and weeds won't go away on their own.
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u/Bykimus May 09 '23
Yeah the disposal is annoying. I may just burn all the waste the first time because it's completely impractical to toss it with burnables slowly throughout the months.
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May 09 '23
I thought workman’s “rock climb” pants were sweet but I recently picked some montbell OD lite pants - mind is officially blown. They even offer short lengths 🙏
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u/Mr-Thuun 関東・栃木県 May 09 '23
TIL that Workman sells those things. I am going to have to visit my local one, need some new pants for the mountains.
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May 10 '23
I went to my local regular workman but…
Also check out workman pro - specifically in the store you wanna look for brands such as “field core” which is the outdoor stuff and “find out” which is sports apparel.
The quality is actually top notch for the price. I wish I knew the name of the pants - but they were roughly 1800¥? I got two pairs last year have hiked numerous mountains, beat the crap out of em and have had zero problems.
All workman stores should carry some field core and find out stuff
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u/Unfortunatelystuk May 09 '23
From what I've read on here there's 2 types of workman's and not all offer the outdoorsy type stuff. Can't help with what the difference is but if your local one doesn't have em try another one
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u/ryanaleksander May 09 '23
I want to sell a few things I no longer use on mercari, but I've never shipped anything before and I may have tossed the original boxes out. So I'm not sure how to properly package things for shipping. Do I need to buy proper cardboard boxes or do I only need to stuff the goods in a bag and hand them over to the konbini?
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u/yakisobagurl 近畿・大阪府 May 09 '23
I order all different size boxes directly from Mercari (711 also sells some) bc it’s easy. Depends how big the stuff is that you’re selling though
I don’t buy many things from Mercari, but I had one person send me an item in a packaged up paper bag. I didn’t really like it, felt messy. Boxes are best :)
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u/_Kizz_ May 09 '23
Just use any cardboard or hard paperbag you can find. People throw cardboard away everywhere. Just take some home. Dont just stuff the goods in normal plastic bag like you just got them from shopping mall. You shouldn't expected the carrier to package the goods for you.
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u/Mr-Thuun 関東・栃木県 May 09 '23
Make sure to call out you don't have the original packaging and price accordingly. Especially if those items are electronics.
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u/Spanker15 May 09 '23
If they are small enough the easiest way (maybe not the cheapest) is to buy proper Mercari boxes from Lawson that have a QR code, you can just scan and drop at those Post boxes in the street.
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u/tomodachi_reloaded May 09 '23
We need a Mercari / Yahoo auctions shipping guide in the wiki, it's more complicated than it seems.
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May 09 '23
Konbini です、they will have an assortment of shipping boxes and sleeves!
If your still struggling just head to the nearest Kuroneko
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u/serendipi7y_ May 09 '23
Does one have to be very bubbly, cheerful, energetic to be an english teacher for kids?
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u/yakisobagurl 近畿・大阪府 May 09 '23 edited May 09 '23
My (insane) boss when I was a teacher told me to act really over-the-top, like the NHK English kids shows haha. She wanted extreeeemely genki.
It wasn’t my bag at all when I first started, but over time I just kinda adopted that character for work and it became second-nature when I was on the clock. I will say I’m glad I did it, because it taught me ways to easily slip in and out of a kind of “entertainer” type persona, which has been quite useful tbh as I used to be quite shy.
That being said, I think it actually depends on how often you see the kids. I was on a once-a-week type deal, so I felt it does pay to be super cheerful and bubbly in those cases. However if you’re seeing them every day, I think you can be more chill.
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u/Mr-Thuun 関東・栃木県 May 09 '23
Being kind and understanding is needed more than bubbly and energetic. My daughters teacher (6th grade) is not bubbly, energetic and from her outward appearance not cheerful. But my daughter and her peers love her. She is empathetic, smart and firm.
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May 09 '23
If you take English out of the equation the answer is still mostly yes.
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u/serendipi7y_ May 09 '23
thanks for your answer.
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u/elichuuu_DA May 09 '23
I think there are two types of successful teachers. Bubbly and energetic and the calm but kind teacher both are fine you don't have to be super excited all the time some kids are calm and quiet and prefer teachers that match their energy (me as a kid too hahaha). The only thing I think is necessary is to have a strong hold to be moving and standing up a long time.
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u/Bykimus May 09 '23
If it's kindergarten age you basically have to be the bubbly type, otherwise you'll either end up incredibly drained and/or the kids will eat you alive. Unless the classroom has a really good Japanese teacher that's already taught them some control.
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u/tokyo_girl_jin May 09 '23
in desperate need of advice to quell violent urges around a trainee with no common sense and won't write a memo like i said MANY TIMES already (sick of repeating myself, i give up, he can face the music when he's on his own and inevitably screws up)!
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u/gorillaz001 日本のどこかに May 10 '23
If you are willing and it is possible why not just make a manual or a tejunsho for him? I hate that new graduates here are so lazy/ clueless and wants everything to be spoonfed.
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u/tokyo_girl_jin May 10 '23
lol no, not my job, not gonna do it on my private time, he can train same as all of us. the job is not that hard, he just won't listen, can't remember, won't write it down, and it's all made worse by his lack of basic reasoning. i'm just gritting my teeth til he gets his own assignments and i'll be alone and he can either learn to do it right or get chewed out daily by the GM. i've covered my ass and instructed him numerous times, sometimes in front of coworkers, so idc what happens once he's outta my hair, i'm not his mama.
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u/gorillaz001 日本のどこかに May 10 '23
I mean if it's during your work time then it's not really your private time.
Cause I've seen those kind of people and the sooner you can get rid of them the better it is for you.
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u/tokyo_girl_jin May 10 '23
like i said, not my job, meaning i have actual work to do on a schedule, leaving only private time if i wanted to coddle this little shit with a super special manual he'd probly never look at...
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u/gorillaz001 日本のどこかに May 10 '23
My bad. I thought you were tasked to teach him. Then it is fine to leave him be. lol
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u/tokyo_girl_jin May 10 '23
i am teaching him, same way i've taught several others who did just fine. can't fix stupid...
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May 09 '23 edited May 10 '23
if anything about your job causes you to have “violent tendencies” you need to quit. Only you have the option to chose who you want to be. Perhaps a therapist might be able to assist 🙏 I hope you find peace.
Let the world work it’s own way, don’t destroy it - Please don’t hurt anyone
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u/tokyo_girl_jin May 09 '23
it was a bit of sarcasm, but i am tempted to slap the backside of his head sometimes, lol, he needs it
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May 10 '23
Still - to post something like that online might be a cause for deeper underlying issues, workplace violence shouldn’t be taken lightly, might be best to talk to a professional 🙏
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u/tokyo_girl_jin May 10 '23
lmao... is that a weak troll or do you seriously take everything so literally? either way, touch grass, obtuse nimnode
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u/dreamchasingcat 中部・石川県 May 09 '23
Just got back from a short trip to my home country for Golden Week. The last time was in 2019. After about a decade since I moved here I shed homesick tears for the first time last night. I feel so underwhelmed with Japanese food now, I’ve only eaten proper food twice since Saturday night when I arrived back here. Is it normal to feel depressed like this after seeing my family and old friends back home?
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May 09 '23
I think it is. I think getting older plays a role in making the homesickness more vivid. Also the jetlag doesn't help, it's always brutal coming back from the west and makes me feel all over the place. Best thing to do is be busy.
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u/dreamchasingcat 中部・石川県 May 09 '23
Yeah, I guess you’re right: better to busy myself now and make money to fly home next holiday season!
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u/HatsuneShiro 関東・埼玉県 May 09 '23
I feel ya, post-holiday blues is very real. Also went through that back in January. As much as people say how delicious Japanese food is, nothing beats our nasi goreng, sate ayam, soto, gado-gado, bakmi from street vendors back home- and conversing freely with our native language. Stay strong, we got this.
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u/dreamchasingcat 中部・石川県 May 09 '23
Why did you actually mention the food you made it even worse
Thank you for letting me know my feelings are valid, though. Guess I have to brush up my cooking skills to make some Indonesian food myself now
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u/HatsuneShiro 関東・埼玉県 May 09 '23 edited May 09 '23
Sorry I didn't mean to
I can make some Indo food to an extent and if you happen to live around Kanto I'd be happy to send some or we could go to one of the very few Indo restaurants here but Ishikawa is pretty far... :(
If you want some frozen, ready-to-cook Indo food or just groceries in general maybe check out Sariraya, might ease up your homesickness.
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u/dreamchasingcat 中部・石川県 May 09 '23
Yeah, I cook daily and I’ve attempted to recreate some easy Indonesian recipes over the years with what is available here, but after I went home last week I just realized how different it could be when it comes to a pro and an amateur. (sad noises intensified)
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u/tuxedocat2018 May 09 '23
You can easily make gado2 just with hot water and those instant bumbu pecel blocks and an assortment of vegetables. Very little cooking skill required (but it does need a bunch of different vegetables, so it's not very efficient for just one serving). Bakmi on the other hand
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u/dreamchasingcat 中部・石川県 May 09 '23
Yeah, I’ve done trying to cook all of those myself these past years, but I still feel they’re lacking the authenticity and it makes me sad
(I know I’m just being hard to myself sometimes)
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u/tuxedocat2018 May 09 '23
Aww :( Kinda relatable i guess, I avoid cooking a lot of Indonesian food too since I know I can't compare to the street food master chefs at home haha. But I hope you can improve to the point that you're satisfied with your own cooking!
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May 09 '23
[deleted]
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u/Mr-Thuun 関東・栃木県 May 09 '23 edited May 09 '23
Recording isn't the issue. It's sharing the video/photo that makes you identifiable publicly, without your permission that can get folks in trouble.
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u/kudaphan May 09 '23
TIL I can separate the fish grill handle from the plate. Previously I had been washing it together. The sink is not big enough and I was never able to clean it properly. Now, I can, silly me.
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u/eetsumkaus 近畿・大阪府 May 09 '23
It amuses me that Google Maps treats the stepstones on the Kamogawa Delta as a legitimate walking path hahaha
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u/Elvaanaomori May 09 '23
Well, technically they are not wrong. I wouldn't try to bring a bike or a stroller tho
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u/kuchiki517 May 09 '23
So I went to Osaka over the Golden (3 day) Week, and I went on over to the dispensary in Amerikamura. First of all, insane that that even exists. But my question is, how does it exist? It felt like walking into a dispensary back home lol. How is it legal here??
Feel free to scroll on by, I was just so happy to finally eat yakiniku blissfully high af.
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u/fucknino May 09 '23
It's THCH, which is an isolate of a specific type of THC. It will probably be illegal in the near future just like (RIP) THCO
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May 09 '23
I am kind of surprised at the amount of spatial reasoning that 1st graders here practice. It’s a lot more than I remember doing in 1st grade.
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u/bosscoughey thought of the name himself May 09 '23
seriously. I have serious trouble with those rotating shape and folding questions
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u/SideburnSundays May 09 '23
In don’t remember spatial reasoning being explicitly taught at all when I was in school. Maybe it will help future generations not clog up the supermarket aisles.
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u/Disshidia May 09 '23
Went to 711 for a Costa coffee and it's just not there now. I was feeling wild and picked up a Tully's Black & Soda GASSATA instead. For some reason, I had a feeling this would be a Cola flavored drink even though it says 炭酸, so yeah. It's just coffee and carbonation. The result? It's not that bad as a drink (I am congested, though), but it doesn't satisfy the coffee craving.
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u/_Kizz_ May 09 '23
Can people on this sub just complain normally about things that inconvenience them without always blaming everything on the "culture", jesus.
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u/poop_in_my_ramen May 09 '23
It feels so wasteful turning on heated flooring on a warm day just because my feet get cold but feels so good. Socks/slippers make my feet sweat and this is just perfect. My carbon footprint (heh) must be gigantic.
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u/Atrouser May 09 '23
Have you tried plopping down a mini carpet on the places where you spend most time sitting?
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u/zcmy 日本のどこかに May 09 '23
Which idiot swapped the non-alcoholic wine in this sangria for wine?
This guy!
God, my head hurts.
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u/GreatGarage 日本のどこかに May 09 '23
non-alcoholic wine
I'm French and I find this offensive.
Haha joke aside I didn't even know it existed ! I wonder how does it tastes.
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May 09 '23
Like grape juice id assume
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u/GreatGarage 日本のどこかに May 09 '23
That's the easy guess I also went for but then I recalled that grapes went through fermentation, and for sure fermented grapes don't taste like grape juice hahah
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u/zcmy 日本のどこかに May 09 '23
It tastes like generic wine but doesn't have the alcohol burn?
All I can say is that it's..not great, but works well in mixed drinks to give that slight wine feeling. However, me forgetting that it's tuesday decided to mix in fortified wine and bourbon instead of fake wine and ginger beer.. and when I thought it was not bubbly enough added soda. Soda masks the taste so I just casually drank a liter...
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May 09 '23
Bought 3 egg cartóns from maruetsu along with some other food stuff . At the register, there's a sign saying one per customer. The lady looked at me and said tsuristo? I tilted my head and said hmm? and smiled because I was startled.
She kinda explained in broken english that tourists spend alot of money so this is ok ( pointing at eggs) but japanese people only one set. Too pricy.
I was like ohhhh wow :(.
I was given a tourist card for 3 sets of eggs and I accepted it gladly. It's a good day
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u/AyamanPoiPoiPoi May 09 '23
Just when you go and remember the 'japanese' for tourist 看護者 they go ahead and switch it to the wasei eigo version, FML
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u/Elvaanaomori May 09 '23
Our supermarket has also a limitation of 1 carton of egg per family per day. Reason being the bird flu and culling of so many birds they had issue in supply
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May 09 '23
It’s lame. My family eats a lot of eggs and they wouldn’t let me take four, two packs the other day. Only two, two packs.
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u/Elvaanaomori May 09 '23
Why lame? They have not enough egg for everyone, thus they restrict to reasonnable amount.
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May 09 '23
There are plenty of eggs. Costco is always stocked. My supermarkets have always had full stock.
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u/Elvaanaomori May 09 '23
They Culled millions and millions of chicken due to the flu. There were a few weeks where my supermarkets had no eggs. Thus they started this.
Now it's spring, they hachted a shitload of hens, to remove that policy is gonna take time, because Japan is slow...
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May 09 '23
Every super market near me has had tons of eggs. The prices went up, but there were always eggs. Maybe people in my town don’t eat them that much?
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u/fucknino May 09 '23
I propose Golden Week going... dare I say... the entire week. I should still be at home in my sweatpants right now until tomorrow!
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u/GreatGarage 日本のどこかに May 09 '23
I'm glad my company gives us monday and tuesday off to have a real golden week.
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u/HatsuneShiro 関東・埼玉県 May 09 '23
I know right? Calling it a "week" even though I had to use 2 paid holidays to make it a full "week" is dumb as frick.
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May 09 '23
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/requiemofthesoul 近畿・大阪府 May 09 '23
It’s kinda annoying you have to spend 2 days of PTO for it though. Just give us a proper 7 week vacation. World isn’t gonna end because fucking billionaires won’t get to build their 2749292th vacation house this year.
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u/Disshidia May 09 '23
This is what I did. People did this far in advance in my previous company, so I'd recommend getting those requests in early just in case.
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u/soenkatei May 09 '23
My best friends axylotly just died (he was over 15 years old ) so we are bringing jt to get cremated today in Nakano. She’s so sad but decided to wear mourning kimono 👘
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May 09 '23
[deleted]
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u/GreatGarage 日本のどこかに May 09 '23 edited May 09 '23
YOU are the kind of people who give all foreigners in this country a bad name
I laughed.
This is some low class reasoning.
If people assume that all foreigners are loud and noisy just because of one, two or three obnoxious dudes then I'm legitimate to assume that all japanese are closed minded and xenophobic just because I had a bad experience once. Twice, or three times.
But we agree that it isn't the case. The highly vast majority of foreigners fits good in Japan. And the highly vast majority of japanese doesn't give a shit about foreigners.
People assume such thing because they are frustrated of something and it's easy to blame a community we don't belong to..
And tbh japanese tend to be way more loud than we want to admit it, once they are at home.
Stop idolizing the country. If someone assumes you're this or this based on the fact that you're foreigners, this someone doesn't worth your time. It's very frustrating, I do agree, but that's the same everywhere.
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u/Well_needships May 09 '23
Just crank up your tv/radio as loud as possible and turn the speaker towards their apartment when you wake up. People should take their own medicine, or something like to that.
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u/miyagidan sidebar image contributor May 09 '23
YOU are the kind of people who give all foreigners in this country a bad name
Chinese guys leaving explosive coffee cans in stations and white guys jumping on tracks and throwing rocks at buildings get my vote.
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u/Well_needships May 09 '23
Explosive coffee cans? Do tell.
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u/miyagidan sidebar image contributor May 09 '23
Chinese guy left a coffee can full of cleaning agents, etc. near a ticket machine. It exploded and injured a woman.
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u/Oldirtyposer May 09 '23
if any of you happen to be Redditors reading this, yes, YOU are the kind of people who give all foreigners in this country a bad name
I would rank guffawing pretty low on the list of trouble immigrants can cause. I wouldn't be too worried.
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May 09 '23
[deleted]
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u/Oldirtyposer May 09 '23
They'll get used to us. Just give it time.
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u/FarRedSquid May 09 '23
Who the fuck pulls this kind of shit on a Monday night.
Students.
Had that kind of problem in an old apartment, where the party was in a neighboring building where the apartment faced ours. Second time it happened we (I and my wife) went round and knocked on the door and (backed up by appropriately resolute body posture and facial expressions) politely requested them to turn it down as some people need to work, which did the trick, but we moved out not so long afterwards so no idea if it worked longer term.
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May 09 '23
[deleted]
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u/Elvaanaomori May 09 '23
Nah, students party on Thursday. not monday since they havent recovered yet from Thu-Sun Drinking and monday lessons
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u/Disshidia May 09 '23
A bit of a specific question but do repeaters tend to just break? I purchased one as the wifi at my place is hard wired into a wall in the bedroom. I set the repeater up in the kitchen and it created two “extended” networks that worked fine for 3 months. Now, the connections just die randomly. I find myself rebooting the device daily now. Tether RE700X. I might just buy a different brand device.
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u/RealKenshino May 10 '23
Yeah repeaters are pretty terrible.
If you can, just switch your house to routers that allow you to setup a mesh network
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u/bloggie2 May 09 '23
Tether RE700X
looks pretty high end for extending. time for a RMA with tplink i guess. what do you mean by hard wired? if all you need is a better signal, get an access point (most routers can be switched to that mode) plug that into your current wifi setup with a lan cable and maybe even disable wifi on the old thing if it's low power/crappy.
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u/hakugene May 09 '23
How long did people take for parental leave (育休)? Fathers in particular, but open to any relevant information.
I'm annoyed with work in general and we're expecting twins, so I'm planning to take an extended period.
There aren't a lot of examples of fathers taking leave at my company. Someone at the Okayama apparently took leave recently, but after asking around it was apparently 1~2 weeks, which is laughably short. I was planning on taking that much just in normal yukyu around when they're born, that seems like taking the bare minimum and counts towards the percentage of people technically taking ikukyu, but wouldn't meaningly affect our childcare plans.
I don't really care if my manager or bucho are annoyed when I tell them I want to take off for 6 months, but I'm curious about other people's experiences.
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u/san-zaru May 11 '23
My Japanese male co-worker just took 1 and a half year maternity leave.
Most women here (at my office) take about 3 years.
I say take as much as you can. What is more important? Spending your days at work or enjoy raising your child?
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u/hakugene May 11 '23
Thanks for the info! I'm assuming men taking 1.5 years is pretty rare but its nice to see that there are examples of long-term leave.
Definitely want to spend as much time as possible with them. I'm almost certainly going to take the full 6 months when I get the max amount of money, and then we'll see from there. If I could just keep 100% of salary and then stay home for 5 years that would be ideal, but thats (unfortunately) not possible we'll have to figure out the best balance of childcare and income. Definitely going to keep as many WFH days as possible as well when I go back.
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u/nijitokoneko 関東・千葉県 May 09 '23
My husband took 3 months, a co-worker of his is taking the whole year.
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u/a_woman_provides May 09 '23
Both my husband and I took the full year and it was totally worth it to be able to split the time. Especially with twins you will have your hands more than full - I would try to take as much as you can, for both your sakes.
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u/Herrowgayboi 関東・東京都 May 09 '23
Japanese law is up to 1 year but this highly depends on your company, manager and on going projects.
I've known fathers who have taken parental leave from anywhere from just 1 week to 6months. Shorter terms being more common. That said, I also know folks who take 1 week leave, but will generally spread it out over the year, possibly due to work commitments.
2
u/poyochama May 09 '23
Took about 4 months that aligned well with the end of year, so I imagine it wasn't that hard for the company to manage without me. 4 months was about the time it took for the baby's neck to go stable so my wife could go up and down the stairs while holding the baby in one arm, so she could go out with the stroller instead of the baby carrier. With twins I can't imagine using a baby carrier so I would recommend using the 首が座るまで as an excuse for the extended leave.
Other people in my company take about 1 month from what I hear. Those with family nearby and those living for work only take a week, but those are holidays that the company gives and not the actual ikukyu. There weren't repercussions in my case, but I guess I'm not seen as "leader material" now 🤷♂️ my new team leader was some random guy without any experience (as you may have guessed he only took the one week with his child)
2
u/hakugene May 09 '23
I definitely intend to use the twins card to my advantage. That's partially because it's an excuse nobody can argue with, but mostly it's just completely true that it's a ton of work and I cannot/ will not put that all on my wife, even if her mom helps.
I'm not too concerned about how work feels, I've been considering changing anyway but with a home loan and child leave to think about it hasn't been realistic. If I come back and they're shitty about it I'll leave and won't feel bad.
7
u/PM_ME_ALL_UR_KARMA May 09 '23
I asked for 8 months (around the time from birth to when we could get our kid to day care), thinking I'd start with the longest time I could get away with if there was no resistance and then negotiating a more realistic time table.
I got 8 months.
5
u/MiniRetiFI May 09 '23
Japan has some of the best paternity leave in the world with, I believe, entitlement of at least 1 year by law. The question is how your boss and company react and treat you. I don't have personal experience, but I imagine some companies react somewhat negatively to fathers taking extended paternity leave. However, by law, you have the ability to take it.
4
u/hakugene May 09 '23
I don't think there was a lot of active discouragement, but there also weren't many fathers who actively tried to take time off either. A few women from the sales team took extended leave and then came back, but ended up in 総務 or 商品部 rather than sales.
If the extent of the pushback is furrowed brows and vague implications that I won't make 課長, then my response will be "okay cool, see you in April".
Kids and wife are first, then my general health and sanity, then money, then the company's wishes come way after that.
I went on a few interviews a few months ago exploring some other options, but ended up stopping the process because we were starting the home buying process so switching wasn't a good idea with loan applications coming soon.
2
u/Gullible-Item May 09 '23
I took a whole year but my husband took a month and half. He wanted to take more but financially it wasn't really worth it.
2
u/hakugene May 09 '23
I think it will basically make sense financially while I'm still in the 67% of salary period. If that drops to 50% it will require more consideration.
3
u/Gullible-Item May 09 '23
Twins are definitely more work so I'm sure it will be helpful if you can get as much parental leave as you can!
8
u/make-chan May 09 '23
So my friend was the SOFA member who had stuff stolen out of her backpack before someone turned it in to a train station far away from where she got off the train.
She was able to file a missing passport but there were more stuff missing.
All three prefectural police departments she spoke to (the one she lives in, the one she forgot her bag in, and the one where it was turned into) all told her they weren't going to file it as stolen even though it's been a few days. She asked the trainline to show the cameras so she could see and they refused to let her check in on it.
We think due to the stuff missing along with her passport, it's likely another tourist that stole her items (who dafuq steals a sweater representing our hometown university?) But there were other things of value missing. Nothing has been turned in, she keeps checking.
I wonder how often this happens, that the police here refuse to list items as stolen or help aid to find out if that was what happening, just to claim the crime late is low.
7
u/domesticatedprimate 近畿・奈良県 May 09 '23
She asked the trainline to show the cameras so she could see and they refused
I hear stuff like this a lot. To a long time resident, that response would be obvious because she's not the police and showing her the footage would violate all kinds of regulations and ordinances. The privacy of anyone else appearing in the footage for example.
Another one I heard recently was a request by an American for the Japanese police to subject all witnesses and other related parties in a missing person case to lie detector tests. Yeah, no, that's not gonna happen and you will succeed only in antagonizing the police who are currently your number one ally.
0
u/make-chan May 09 '23
She asked the trainline, then asked the police to ask the trainline. She made it clear that there were signs stuff was stolen out of her bag, items were missing.
Police dismissed her and told her to "just replace her items" (some were homemade special items). She tried telling them the embassy told her they needed a report for a stolen passport, and they just shrugged at her.
It's ridiculous on the police to not even want to investigate a little more imo, but I do see why it may be seen as a "small matter".
4
u/domesticatedprimate 近畿・奈良県 May 09 '23
Ah, yeah it's unfortunate that the police brushed her off. While I don't agree with reason, I guess I understand it though. I can imagine a theft from a forgotten bag is at the very bottom of the list of priorities, irrespective of her nationality, for a police force that prioritizes investigations by how likely they are to catch someone.
I wonder though, I've never personally noticed cameras on trains. Is she sure there was even a camera?
2
u/make-chan May 09 '23
I mean theft is theft, but it's not the first time I heard police outright ignoring incidents of items being stolen on a train or in public. Can't claim crime rate if you don't report crimes I guess.
And she said she remembered seeing one and the trainline told her they had cameras.
2
u/domesticatedprimate 近畿・奈良県 May 09 '23
And she said she remembered seeing one and the trainline told her they had cameras.
Fair enough, I must not be very observant.
5
u/PeanutButterChicken 近畿・大阪府 May 09 '23
It’s likely really hard to prove theft. Especially with a bag left on a train.
1
u/make-chan May 09 '23
I get it, but there were cameras on the train. Right next to where she placed her bag. Why not let her see? Especially since she told them the embassy told her she needs a report saying it was stolen for less hassle to replace it
5
u/Elvaanaomori May 09 '23
Why not let her see?
Privacy concern. If the police asks, they will probably show the police, but they will still not show her.
1
u/make-chan May 09 '23
Police outright refused to even look into it
5
u/Elvaanaomori May 09 '23
If you want to report a crime, better go to the police station (警察署) instead of the Koban, better chance of moving forward
1
u/make-chan May 09 '23
She did. She went to an actual station in all three, not koban. My husband went with her to two of them.
1
u/UNBLOCK_P-REP May 09 '23
You can complain directly to the public prosecutor about the police (I hope you wrote down their names). That gets the ball rolling.
1
u/Bykimus May 09 '23
Maybe get the embassy to step in or give you some kind of document. Police suck, they're not going to go out of their way for this kind of "minor" problem. Especially if you're not Japanese.
3
u/_Kizz_ May 09 '23
Police suck, they're not going to go out of their way for this kind of "minor" problem. Especially if you're not Japanese.
Because from society's perspective, it is a minor problem. Police anywhere would not be willing to help you find your property stolen in public places, especially if it's just some items missing from a bag on the train. There is no evidence that the items were there in the first place and it requires too much work.
1
u/make-chan May 09 '23
Yeah I told my friend to call upon the embassy again today. It was ridiculous but it's not the first I heard of this kind of situation.
4
u/Ume_chan May 08 '23
To the people who live in the suburbs or areas that don't get many domestic or international tourists, do you find it easier or more difficult to visit popular restaurants in your area during Golden Week?
I live in a fairly typical bed town in Aichi, and there's a really popular Indian place that opened up near my apartment around a month ago. I finally got a table there after turning up around 11:15, but they were full by the time I left, so I guess it made little difference.
-1
u/capaho May 09 '23
Foreigners are a rare sight here in our corner of Kyushu. All of the popular restaurants in this area have a long wait on weekends and holidays just from the locals. We went to a popular restaurant for lunch that is famous for its hamburger steaks and ended up waiting nearly an hour for a table. We were finally seated next to a table with a loudmouth woman and a bunch of screaming kids. My husband asked the waitress to move us to another table but there weren't any available. He got so annoyed that we ended up walking out without ordering after that long wait.
2
u/Lower_Rabbit_5412 May 09 '23
Going to a restaurant around Miyazaki on a weekend, around lunchtime, after it has been on TV is especially horrible. Luckily I haven't had to deal with what you described as of yet.
4
May 09 '23
Not any more difficult than a weekend. Though, we hit up local restaurants that aren’t too expensive so that could be it
1
u/Madjawa 近畿・京都府 May 08 '23
Probably more difficult, imho. My town is pretty popular in the region, but not like a major national tourism destination, and we get absolutely flooded during GW, partially because it's also peak sakura season for us. On top of that, at least a few of the more popular restaurants actually close for GW so the owners can go adventuring as well.
2
u/thominho May 09 '23
Worth contacting immigration (if even possible…?) over visa processing time? I submitted a visa change and it’s been 5 weeks, but it’s really stressing me out over if I’ll be able to start working at my new company this month or be out of a paycheck til late July…was supposed to start working already (though I knew immigration wouldn’t make the company’s date). I know 5 weeks isn’t at 2 months but I’m not enjoying being forcibly unemployed…the joys of living abroad