Using the Japan Rail Pass

In November, I got to use the Japan Rail Pass for the first time. I can confidently say I will never travel without it again. It made traveling throughout Japan easy, convenient, and stress-free. It was literally "pick a place, and go!"

Keeping a Manga Collection

I have many hobbies, some more expensive than others. One of these hobbies are collecting manga.

Short story: I started collecting manga in middle school when I friend introduced to me.

Pokemon Center in Japan

There are many fun and exciting things to do in Japan. One of the stops I need to make when I'm in Japan is to a Pokemon Center. There are many across Japan, each store having its own special items from the region along with standard item in every store. The Pokemon Center is my chance to stock up on Pokemon merchandise that you can't get in any of the stores in America, or anywhere else for that matter. Last year, the Pokemon Center has made it available for people to purchase their merchandise online which you can check out here (please note that the website is still very limited in what you can buy). These items are of a greater quality than any other place that has Pokemon merchandise available. For me, that would be Toys R' Us and their selection is nothing compared to the Pokemon Center. Not only to purchase items, but to just step into a Pokemon Center is an experience if you are Pokemon fan like me. The store just takes your breathe away with all it has to offer. Let's just say most of my spending money for Japan goes to the Pokemon Center, and I'll show you why.

How to Enjoy Japan at the Airport before Leaving

Leaving Japan can be one of the saddest parts of your Japan trip. You just spent time exploring parts of the country and now you travel to the airport in order to wait for your flight back home. Your time at the airport doesn't have to be sad. The airport has a lot to offer before leaving Japan. I've departed from two airports in Japan so far: Kansai International Airport (KIX) in Osaka and Narita International Airport (NRT) in Chiba Prefecture. For the sake of this blog post I'll be discussing the Narita Airport which is the most popular airport to be used for travel to and from Japan.

Anime Cafes in Japan

While in Japan, I had the opportunity to experience an anime cafe. My love for Japan started off with anime and manga, so it only seemed natural that I'd want to visit an anime cafe. I always saw them in other articles and pictures and just knew I had to go for myself. Anime cafes are typical cafes but they feature some sort of anime, mostly popular anime. The food, drinks and venue will correspond with the anime theme. These cafes usually have cafe type foods, so don't expect any Japanese food at these places. The big hype about anime cafes is the fact that it celebrates anime.

Weird English in Japan

There are times when Japan intentionally tries to have English available and when they're just trying to sound cool. When it comes to English for menus and such, they typically get it right. But when English is used in fashion or advertisement it can go all wrong. Many of you may be familiar with shirts in Japan that have an English phrase on it. For the most part, you understand what they mean but it still sounds weird. I don't have photos of that because I resisted going shopping (except the Pokemon Center. Blew all my money there). I did go out to eat a lot, and that's where the funny advertisements come in. I found two signs in Japan, both outside of restaurants, that just didn't make sense to me. Maybe you'll understand what's trying to be said more than I do.

What's to Come in 2017

Let me start off by saying I am continuing my blog. I have a lot of fun writing about Japan because it involves the two things I love, writing and Japan. In my very first blog I mention all the reasons why I started, and some of those reasons no longer apply. I feel much better about my life situation. I'm not as anxious as before about going to Japan because I'm involved in a local Japan Society that gives me my fair share of Japan (there are many Japan Societies in America. Look to see if your city has one and get involved). But it's still nice to go back on my occasional trips to see the country I admire. And I won't really need the writing practice anymore because of my news I want to share with y'all in this blog. I'm still going to work on this blog because I still love sharing my love and experiences of Japan with others so they can learn more about Japan. When I got out of college I had a moment where I wanted to teach English Literature, but that wasn't what I really wanted for myself. I want to teach about Japan and write my own stories.

Christmas in Japan

Christmas in Japan is very unique, yet familiar at the same time. There are many things that are involved when it comes to Christmas in Japan. Let's just get into it because there's a lot to cover.

Length of Celebration

Here in the states, people usually start going into high gear with Christmas cheer after Thanksgiving. In Japan the Christmas spirit arrives right after Halloween. There's no major holiday in between the two so Christmas is celebrated through November to December in many ways. I recently went to Japan for two weeks in November. This was the perfect time because I got to experience autumn and Christmas in Japan at once.

Public Restrooms in Japan

This may seem like an odd topic but if you ever go to Japan you'll understand the greatness of public restrooms. For those of you who have been to Japan you probably know what I'm going to talk about. Japan is a country of rules, manners, and privacy (keeping to yourself). In this post we're going to talk about the privacy aspect of Japan through restrooms!

Most Common Words You Hear in Japan

Whether you know Japanese or not you can tell when you start to hear the same words while walking the streets. I know a bit of Japanese so I recognized all the common words you hear in others' conversations, but my husband who knows no Japanese was able to pick up a few words just from observation.

Here are the most common words you'll hear in Japan.

So so so so so (そうそうそうそうそう)

The original phrase this came from is sodesu (そうです) which is used to agree or confirm with someone. In actual words it means "that's right." As you can imagine, repeating it several times in a casual way of saying "right, right, right, right." In English it may sound like you're trying to shut someone up fast but in Japanese it is more of a strong agreement. This phrase is used mostly by young adults, but it can also be used by older adults in a more casual setting with a friend. This phrase is never to be used in a formal situation.

Majide (まじで)

This is a simple one. "Seriously?" Used with young adults, you'll hear this word a lot in a conversation. Someone will say something and the other person will reply with majide, seriously? This is how you casually express surprise or shock at something someone has said. I've only heard this getting popular in the last two years, so I'm not sure how long this has actually been used.

Sumimasen (すみません)

The word sumimasen has many meanings and usages. You will hear it everywhere such as the station, a restaurant, and even at a store. Sumimasen initially means "excuse me" but can be used as a quick "I'm sorry." For the restaurant you'll hear it used to get a waiter's attention as in Japan they don't come check on you unless called upon. You'll hear it used at the store for the same reason. For the station there could be two scenarios. The first being if you need to pass through a crowd you can use it as an excuse me. The second being if you accidentally bump into a person while trying to catch a train, in that case it would be used as a sorry. It's a common word used in everyday life situations. It's an extremely useful word to know if you plan to travel to Japan.

If you're ready to learn Japanese, here's where to start on how.

Not looking to learn the language but would like to know important words for travel, here's material for that.

This was just a small post to get myself back into writing after being gone for three weeks after going to Japan. It's like playing an instrument. It takes a lot of practice and once you know how to do it you need to keep at it or the ability to do so will slowly disappear.

These are three words my husband noticed while in Japan. I used him as my source since he doesn't know Japanese. He knows no Japanese but picked out these three words from overhearing strangers' on the street. Once he kept on hearing these over and over again he began to actually learn these terms and how to use them.

Hope you enjoyed reading. There's bigger and better to come. To keep up with it all the greatness soon to come follow my blog for updates and also follow me on my social media where I'm most active!

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What I Always Look Forward to in Japan

I don't go to Japan as often as I'd like. If it was up to me I would go every year, but sometimes the wallet and life just doesn't allow something like that. I get to go every other year, and at different seasons too. All of my family, friends, and coworkers all know I'm very happy when I get to go to Japan. But there are still people in my life who just don't understand my love for Japan, and that's okay because they've probably never felt the need to visit other countries.

But I'd like to take this time to list what I always look forward to the most when going to Japan.

The Food

I don't feel guilty when I'm eating over in Japan, even if it's fast food. In America all of our fast food chains are very unhealthy, even the ones that are advertised as healthy. And for me especially, where I live everything is fried. It tastes delicious but it's greasy and makes you feel disgusting after. In Japan I don't really have to worry about that. I don't think I've ever eaten anything greasy in Japan. And I have the biggest sweet tooth in the world, so I love how Japan loves their sweets too. The food not only tastes great, but it always looks so beautiful. I love food guys, even if I'm a picky eater.

Chef at a Japanese restaurant.

Nature

Now, in no way am I a nature person. My favorite thing to do at home is to stay in the house, but in Japan it's a totally different story. Where I live we have to seasons, hot and cold (summer and winter). There's really no fall and spring. In Japan I look forward to nature because I get to see so much beauty surrounding me, and that beauty is heightened by the history of the country.

The People

Whether they know us or not, I've always had great experiences with the people. They are helpful and kind. Even other foreigners in Japan are nice. And I've mentioned this in another blog but their work ethic is a lot different than where I'm from. Japan takes pride in everything they do, so you'll have a good experience just about anywhere.

Using my Japanese

It's hard to practice a language when there's not a lot of opportunities to use it. I could practice with a friend or two but I get really shy about my Japanese because I end up comparing my Japanese to theirs which makes me think I just suck at speaking Japanese. In Japan, that's not the case at all! These people know Japanese as their first language, but they still get impressed when they see foreigners speaking their language. That kind of reaction is really encouraging for someone with a low self esteem. It makes me want to continue practicing.

Visiting my Japanese Hometown

Last, but not least, is my Japanese hometown. For those of you who don't follow my blog or follow me on social media, I've studied abroad in Kyoto, Japan. I lived in Kyoto for 5 weeks on a short-term study abroad with my college during the summer of 2010. It was a great experience and definitely grew my love for Japan even more. I consider Kyoto my second home. Every time I visit Japan I have to go visit Kyoto no matter what; it's a priority! I love the nostalgia, natsukashii in Japanese, of walking the streets of Kyoto, visiting the spots I frequented and passing the university I studied at. There is no city like Kyoto to me, so I look forward to always going back home for a while.

On the streets of Kyoto.

Thank you so much for reading my blog. I loved writing this one, as I'm preparing myself for my trip to Japan in the next few days. To follow my adventures in Japan follow me on social media where I'll be posting many pictures and videos and even keep you updated on where I am in Japan and what I'm doing.

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Stories From Japan- Losing Things

Before taking my husband to Japan for our honeymoon I told him stories about my adventures in Japan and taught him everything I knew about Japanese culture. I wanted him to be prepared for Japan and understand the life people live over there as compared to here in America. One of the things I've always mentioned to him is how safe and honest the people are, for the most part (there are bad eggs everywhere). He was amazed when I told him you can feel safe at night compared to where we live, in New Orleans, where being out at night alone is not such a smart idea. Another thing he seemed to enjoy hearing was how nice and honest the people were. I gave him a scenario that if you were to lose something in Japan you'd most likely get it back in a short amount of time because people are just caring over there.

You know, I've repeated these things to him about Japan but I never knew if he actually believed me. I'm so glad he got to experience it for himself while on our honeymoon.

Story time!!!!

For our honeymoon, we spent two weeks in Japan. The first week was a guided tour which I've talked about in a previous blog post, and the second week was on our own. While on the tour we stayed at different places, moving to a new hotel almost everyday. Most of the hotels we stayed at had a breakfast, some American style and some Japanese style.

While staying in Kyoto for a few days on the guided tour we were getting tired of eating the same breakfast foods such as eggs, bread, miso soup, etc. We noticed a family restaurant across the street from the hotel that advertised breakfast. Pancakes sounded great, so we decided to grab breakfast there. I brought my purse with me while my husband brought his Nintendo 3DS. We both brought our Nintendo 3DS everywhere in order to fill the StreetPass program on the system (I've also talked about this in another blog post).

We enjoyed breakfast. My husband loved the service and the no tipping rule in Japan. We knew we only had an hour to eat because we had to meet back up with the tour to start our day. So we payed for our meal at the register towards the front of the restaurant and left. We were walking away from the restaurant, to the crosswalk, when we heard a woman yelling behind us. She was saying sir in English with a Japanese accent. We stopped and turned around to face her, worried what she could want from us. We were surprised to find her running towards us with a Nintendo 3DS in the hands. When she reached us, she handed my husband his Nintendo 3DS with both hands and went back to the restaurant. When she was out of sight my husband started panicking. He was so embarrassed for leaving his Nintendo 3DS in the restaurant, in the booth we were sitting in. He was even more shocked about getting it back after leaving it at the restaurant. Once again, where we are from we would never have seen that Nintendo 3DS ever again because someone would see it and keep it. My husband kept on repeating how amazing it was to get his Nintendo 3DS back from the lady who worked at the restaurant all day. It's probably one of his favorite stories to tell about his experience in Japan.

I hope you enjoyed this little story. It kind of proves how honest of a country Japan is and how the people have good morals. Sorry there were no pictures. Thanks for reading!

For more Japan related content please follow me on my social media!

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Top 5 Thriller/Horror Anime

Halloween is always a good time to watch some scary movies, but what's better than that is scary anime! Now, the term scary can't be defined for every person alive. Everybody is going to have their own opinion of what is scary or not. In my opinion, there aren't too many anime out there that are truly scary but there are a ton of anime that freak me out and possibly keep the lights on. I will be giving my top 5 thriller/scary anime that I recommend people to watch if they're looking for something a bit darker and creepy than the usual stuff.

NO SPOILERS!!! Promise!

Japan's Health System

I'm not too concerned about health, as I have a problem with sweets as a weak spot. I know a ton of people love to learn about health and exercise though. I've brought in a good friend of mine who is starting a self-help blog about health, exercise and managing life. He has lived in Japan and has a great knowledge of the Japanese health system. He know all the ins and outs of what makes the Japanese healthy compared to other countries.

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By: Nam Tong

Having lived in Japan for three years, I experienced Japan’s healthcare system and way of life. Being American, it made me question what I thought was “normal” or “healthy”. There’s a lot that Americans can learn from a Japanese perspective.

Obesity is an epidemic in America that is a prerequisite for a number of heart diseases and other problems. According to the World Health Organization, 32.6% of all US adults are obese, while Japan has one of the lowest obesity rates in the world (3.4%). You can really tell the difference when you’re walking around the country, and I would like to dispel the idea that this somehow comes down to genetics.

It’s not genetics. It’s the lifestyle, the food, and the way of thinking.

How Much Luggage Should You Bring

There are a lot of stresses that come with traveling. One of the many things you need to consider while traveling is how much luggage is necessary to bring. There are many aspects to your travels that can determine it. How long will you be traveling? How much stuff do you need to bring back? How much moving will you be doing?

I have considered all these questions for myself, in my own travels. Some questions will weigh out more than others. I have discovered this for myself and have come to a conclusion for my next travel plans to Japan in the coming month. Many of you will think I'm crazy but I'm hoping to accomplish what I have in mind.

Why I Love Japan

One of the most frequently asked questions I get is why I love Japan. I get this question from relatives, friends, and strangers. I've thought about this recently and it has occurred to me that I've been giving typical answers like "I love the culture" or "I like anime." Now, all of that is true. I freaking love the culture to death, and anime is what got me started on Japan. But the problem with these answers is that it's not my real, true answer. I've been giving easy answers out. I thought I did this because I get this question a lot and was just sick of answering it all the time but its actually more personal.

The Good and Bad of Traveling with Friends

You gotta love your friends, right? How much do you love them? Love them enough to travel with them?

Here's the thing about traveling. Yes, it's super fun but it can also be very stressful (speaking from experience). The more people you add to a trip the more stressful it can be because you have many different personalities conflicting with each other. Of course if you're okay with the occasional attitudes flaring up then who cares how many people are on the trip. I find the perfect amount of friends is 4, including yourself. My pros and cons will help explain why 4 is the magic number.

Stories From Japan- Those are not Onion Rings?!?!

For those of you who don't follow my blog, I participated in a short-term study abroad program. It was a lot of fun exploring Japan but I couldn't forget about my studies. I was taking two classes at a college in Japan. In order to "graduate" from the program you couldn't have anything lower than a C and you couldn't miss more than two days of class. I thankfully had no problems with these conditions. I missed only one day of class due to being terribly sick and I got a B in both of my classes. I remember on a few papers I wrote for class the teacher wrote, "You could do better." She was probably right, but I was in Japan. I was fine with earning a B.

What You Want Out of Japan

One of the most common questions I get from people going to Japan for the first time is where should I go. This is a reasonable question that deserves a thought out answer. Sadly, some people may not be thinking of the other person when answering. Most people may immediately blurt out that they should visit Tokyo because it's such a cool place. Once again, nothing is wrong with that answer because from that person's experience Tokyo was the coolest place in Japan. But just because Tokyo was the coolest place to them doesn't mean it's going to be the coolest place to you. Many people don't understand that. Hell, I've been to Japan multiple times and still get suggests on where to go and they're not places I'm interested in going. That's why I don't like this question being asked, may people will get the wrong information and it can possibly ruin their Japan experience.

Jobs in Japan for non-Japanese Speakers

I'm getting straight to the point in this blog post. I get this question a lot and I know a bit about the topic just from researching for myself (I'm being hopeful). For those of you who are reading this and know Japanese extremely well, start considering taking the JLPT N2 or N1. The Japanese Language Proficiency Test goes from level 5 to 1, 5 being the lowest level. If you can pass the N2 or N1 test you can have the chance to work for a Japanese company. Not only that, but a lot of companies will be expecting you to have a four year college degree, or bachelors degree. You could work at a restaurant, an office, or some other regular job you could get in your own country. As much as English is becoming a universal language Japan is still majority Japanese which it should be.

Now, for those who don't have any proficiency in Japanese or even just a tad you are in the category of jobs for English speakers.There aren't many to choose from, and some jobs are harder to get than others. Let's go over some jobs.