What do you want to know about Japan?

[KittyKatStar]

I've been interested in how Japan has been tackling the space issue - like how they store cars/bikes, Capsule Hotels (?), something called 'small houses' (forgot the Japanese term ^^; ). How there's like so much in a small space i.e. 10-people bars, people's front doors being right at the sidewalk, these ramen shops that have little panels/spaces for one person and how you punch in your order and get a ticket.

It's sort of all over the place, sorry. ^^; But my boyfriend loves watching this house hunting show, and there was one that took place in Toyko. The apartment/house layouts were really neat, especially with the limited space. So feel free just to tackle one thing (i.e. capsule hotels, or apartment layouts/designs) if you'd like.

How popular are these Capsule Hotels?

[TrickWithAKnife]

Ahh in that case, my questions -- well, you mentioned that you've been teaching English in Japan (Tokyo? Or some other city?), and I'm curious as to if there are some interesting stories that you can share with us. :p Do your students learn English simply because they have to? Does any of them ever find it useful? I heard from an acquaintance in Japan that students find English difficult because the teaching method is mundane, uninteresting and unhelpful. Do you agree?

Yeah, I'm living and working in Tokyo. I've worked for 2 English schools. The first was cheap and to be honest the lessons were not good. The boss only spoke maybe 10 words of English, and had no idea how lessons should be. I think there was a fairly even split between students who wanted to improve their English for work, and just to study as a hobby. For the kids, I wasn't really able to check, due to my bosses lack of English, and my dodgy Japanese.

The English school I work for now is much more expensive (Up to 7,500 yen for a 40 minute lesson), and far more professional. I tend to get a lot of adult students who are working for international companies, are planning to move to an English speaking country in the near future, or are in professions where they may meet English speakers. There are a lot of business professionals, or sometimes wealthy people married to someone with a great job, and love to travel.
Teenagers tend to study so they can prepare for university entrance exams. For children, generally parents want to boost their English abilities for future exams, or work. Jobs that require English tend to pay more money.
Sometimes students are matched to teachers with relative experience in their field. For example, I used to work in hospitals in London and New Zealand, so I often get students who are doctors, nurses, medical equipment specialists, or involved with pharmaceuticals.

The method of teaching English in Japanese schools is terribly ineffective and boring. Basically the teacher stands in front of the class, writes on the board, and students copy. Or they read from textbooks. And generally they study a lot of grammar rules. Most Japanese people study English for 6 years, for about 1 hour per week. By the time they finish, most people can say a few basic sentences with terrible pronunciation.

Thankfully, this has made it easier for people like me to find work. We try to make learning English as easy as possible, and have a strong focus on speaking. These people are paying a lot of money, so throwing a textbook in front of them and telling them to copy lines is far from acceptable.

Phew, that was a long answer to a short question. I'll have to reply to some of the other comments later.

[qwhiboxs]

I am just interested in Sushi and Sashimi. If you don't know how to choose the class in the game ArcheBlade, you can find some useful help info in the Dotmmo site which provides the latest and most complete reports and reviews of online games.

[Taleweaver]

I am just interested in Sushi and Sashimi

Mostly raw fish. Sushi with rice, sashimi without rice. The rolled things are called maki, the things with stuff on top of the rice are called nigiri. Most popular fish for both sushi and sashimi in Japan: tuna (maguro). Typically served with green horseradish called wasabi and soy sauce. Pickled ginger is also served with it but typically eaten between different kinds of sushi so that you eliminate the taste of the last piece and ready your tongue for the new taste. Traditionally, you start with a miso soup, then eat the sashimi, then the nigiri and finally the maki.

What else do you need to know?

[TrickWithAKnife]

I'll just touch on some things, but can't answer everything at this point. Also, these are just how I see things. I may be wrong about some things, so feel free to correct or disagree with me.

@ kkffoo:
People often live with their parents until they get married. Not everyone though, and people do often leave home when they go to university.
Even when people do leave home, I know many who like to live not too far from their parents, unless they have to for work.

There are a wide variety of hobbies, but I would say that a surprising percentage of adults enjoy playing sports, especially things like tennis, jogging and swimming.

For family events, something it can be difficult for fathers in particular to spend a lot of time with children due to terrible work hours, but many like to go to the playground or park, or perhaps amusement parks.

Religion is hard to define in Japan. I think it's probably safer to say that most people are spiritual, without clearly defined religious beliefs.

@ Valour-n-Arms:
I'm afraid I don't know too much about the economy. I do know that finding work is really tough, and getting tougher each year.
Competition for jobs is pretty extreme, and people rarely leave their jobs, although that is slowly changing.

@ dramspringfeald:
I guess that depends on where you are, and who you ask. Personally I love Yoshinoya, which is pretty much everywhere.
Cheap food, tastes great, fast service, and perfect meal sizes.
You definitely don't have to go somewhere expensive to get a great meal in Tokyo, as the standard of everything is very high.

@ AshenhartKrie:
As I said earlier in this post, I don't know a lot about religion in Japan. I do know that there are many gods in Japan, although it's hard to say how strongly Japanese people believe in them.

There is a strong sense that everyone has there place in society, and are obligated to do what is expected of them. People work very hard and with very few complaints. People who stay in Japan are expected to do things the Japanese way, which can be hard for us to accept at first. But the more you try to go with the flow, the easier life becomes. People do recognise and appreciate it when you try to do things the Japanese way.

@ Wolf:
I should be careful how I word this, but yes, *some* of the stereotypes are true. But I guess that could be said about any country.
I definitely feel that the samurai spirit is still alive in Japan, although it shows in different ways. People do what is expected of them without complaining, and men rarely express their feelings. It can be frustrating sometimes, but that's just how it is.

In Tokyo in particular, I would say people are very respectful and polite, but not very friendly. I had a very different experience in Osaka though.

@ KittyKatStar:
The Japanese are masters of using space wisely. A lot of furniture is designed to make good use of the limited space.

A lot of apartments have areas for bicycles. I think saying they are crammed is a bit of an understatement though. It can be a bit like bicycle tetris sometimes. Bicycle parks are popular too, and usually not too expensive.
Car parks in Tokyo are incredibly expensive. My first (microscopic) apartment was only a little more expensive than a car park space in central Tokyo. Some car parks have interesting machines that move cars, so 2 or 3 cars can fit in the same space that 1 would.

I've seen capsule hotels from the outside, but I really couldn't say how popular they are. I've never been inside, and I only know one person who has, and he was Canadian. It's not really a hot topic, so perhaps it's more popular than I know.

[HamstarXCrown]

Food...
And Japan Novel...
I am pretty curious about what do Japanese eat as their snack like taiyaki or something familiar. I never saw a novel by a Japanese in my country so I'm very very repeat very curious about how Japanese ưerite.

[inhalance]

I'm mostly curious about the stereotypes of Japanese being very cleanly and obsessed with tentacles..
I'm also interested in how their schools work, such as do they also learn Spanish, French, Chinese, like schools in the US do, and if all schools in Japan are required to wear the same uniforms.

[EroBotan]

I'm mostly curious about the stereotypes of Japanese being very cleanly and obsessed with tentacles..

I don't think it's true, I mean I'm not a Japanese and I'm clearly obsessed with tentacles too!! I strongly believe it's in my DNA and not because of excessive exposure to Japanese culture.

[TrickWithAKnife]

Food...
And Japan Novel...
I am pretty curious about what do Japanese eat as their snack like taiyaki or something familiar. I never saw a novel by a Japanese in my country so I'm very very repeat very curious about how Japanese ưerite.

Not really sure about novels. I don't read Japanese novels, and my wife has hundreds of language textbooks (I'm not exaggerating), but I haven't noticed any novels in Japanese.

I guess for snacks it depends on the situation and age. Regular things like chocolates, candy, icecream etc are popular.
For gifts, I often see people give senbei - japanese crackers. There are some other unique snacks that I don't know the name of too. Potato chips seem to be fairly popular, although not a wide range of flavours.
Perhaps different parts of Japan have different snacks that are popular.

I'm mostly curious about the stereotypes of Japanese being very cleanly and obsessed with tentacles..
I'm also interested in how their schools work, such as do they also learn Spanish, French, Chinese, like schools in the US do, and if all schools in Japan are required to wear the same uniforms.

Um... it sounds like your knowledge of Japan comes mostly from hentai.
So no, Japan is not like a real life hentai book/game/movie.

I've never been to school in Japan, but the impression that I get from talking with people is that English, Spanish, Korean and Chinese are fairly popular. Chinese and Korean because those two countries are very close geographically, so popular trading partners. English has become a bit of an international business language. As for Spanish, it's hard to say if it's because it's a popular in many countries, or just because it's cool. I get mixed messages from people.

Japanese people are very clean, but not obsessively so.

As for uniforms, apparently different schools have different uniforms. One of my students told me she chose her high-school because it was the one with the cutest uniform, but I doubt that is common.

[nyaatrap]

I'm mostly curious about the stereotypes of Japanese being very cleanly and obsessed with tentacles..

They are delicious. Why would you hate nice-tasting feast?

[TrickWithAKnife]

Tentacles are terrifying. Anytime I go to the supermarket and see them, I have to look away. Even hearing someone say "takoyaki" makes me feel sick. They look like monster parts!

If you see this Nyaatrap, how badly wrong is my view of Japan so far?

[nyaatrap]

Food taste is one most thing which makes cultural difference. I was born in a rural Japan and used to eat many traditional foods. I even like to eat some incects don't you believe? but it's true. They are healthy and good with rice.
I rather know about rural Japanese more than urban Japanese, and there are many difference between them.

[inhalance]

Oh gosh, I didn't mean to imply that I have knowledge of hentai, because I don't, and I don't want to have any either. It was just a stereotype I heard from one of my friends and I just wanted to see if it was true. ;_;

[dramspringfeald]

Oh gosh, I didn't mean to imply that I have knowledge of hentai, because I don't, and I don't want to have any either. It was just a stereotype I heard from one of my friends and I just wanted to see if it was true. ;_;

That's a lie and you know it.
Also Dried Shredded Squid is awesome and you should try it.

Food taste is one most thing which makes cultural difference. I was born in a rural Japan and used to eat many traditional foods. I even like to eat some incects don't you believe? but it's true. They are healthy and good with rice.
I rather know about rural Japanese more than urban Japanese, and there are many difference between them.

Actually out here in the states it's becoming kind of popular too. Ground Cricket adds a kind of "green" flavor to all kinds of foods. That and Camel Spiders have a kind of Chicken/Crab flavor when roasted so yeah I get you.
===
Now Trick, Is Japan as Xenophobic as they let on? I've heard all kinds of horror stories from tourists.

[EroBotan]

Oh gosh, I didn't mean to imply that I have knowledge of hentai, because I don't, and I don't want to have any either

From now on, your name is INHENTAAAIIII!!!!