You have a great trip, and enjoy yourself.

Nice! Hope you have a great time over there. Who knows you might get lucky bump into a young lady running with a piece of toast in her mouth.

>>228760
Just tell her you’re a konnyakuya. Works every time.

Good luck with the trip and the courses. If your trip ends with bringing back a girlfriend, make sure she reads Yotsuba too.

Instead of using Share, you can just take pics of the pages and translate here once it's released in the shops, no? Anyway, if you need some recommendations on soap houses, just let me know.

Hopefully, you'll met nice honey and settle down, or bump into Azuma.

Are you planning on doing any activities or sightseeing once you're in Japan? It seems I know at least a little about every city there but Yokohama...

>>228763
I've had a request from a few people where I work to keep a photo blog while I'm gone, so I may do something like that.

I don't have any specific sightseeing in mind, but I would definitely like to make the most of my trip.
All I know about Yokohama I learned from YKK, which is to say, I know it's a city in Japan.

I can't tell if you're serious about the soap houses or not. Is gaijin money even good at those places?

are you gonna have a laptop with you? Got a good camera ready?
Good idea to prepare for earthquakes while there. They have them quite often.
Take lotto pictures so you can share them wif us.
Maybe make a flickr or Tumble(shudder) account and upload the pics there directly perhaps.
The flight itself is almost 24 hours. Reading material is a must.
The Japanese appear as nice but remember, they don't really show their "true" face.
Gravure books are not really worth it.

>>228765
Laptop, yes, although it's a work laptop since I'm going to be doing work remotely while I'm gone. I've thought of getting a cheap one of my own just so I don't have to worry about browsing porn azu on it, but at the moment I only have a PC which I won't be taking with me.
Camera, also yes, although it's about 8 years old at this point. It still takes pictures well enough, but isn't as slim/convenient as a modern cellphone camera.

The flight is closer to 10 hours (at least the Pacific leg of it). I was worried it was going to be something ridiculous like 18-20 hours, but 10 seems much more manageable.

How does one prepare for an earthquake?
I've never been in one before so that might actually be something cool to experience, as long as it's not another Tohoku disaster.

>>228766
In California, they tell us to duck under tables or at least shield our heads. Actually, I just found out that we aren't supposed to stand in doorways since doors can slam into us. They taught us to stand there as kids, but then again, they also taught kids to duct under desks for incoming atom bombs...

When the 2011 earthquake happened in Japan I noticed that people in buildings evacuated immediately outside to open spaces, like lots and parks. Thought that was interesting.

>>228767

>I noticed that people in buildings evacuated immediately outside to open spaces, like lots and parks

As a child, I always thought this made the most sense.
The hazard is from falling objects, so the safest thing to do would be to get into a broad open space, away from any structures.
Every time I brought this up though, I was told that was wrong, and that you should stay inside to protect yourself. I didn't grow up in an area with a lot of earthquakes though, so...

As far as I knew, the doorframe was still supposed to be the safest place to go. I didn't know that had been revised. I guess if you're in a crowded school or office building though, not everyone can stand in a doorframe.

>>228751
I'm always willing to pinch-hit (though I don't typeset).

I know a guy who could translate, and I could photoshop things. If it got desperate. Stay in touch and let us know

Well, about earthquakes, I have been in several good ones and i can tell you from personal experience to just stay put and pray until it's all over and hope the building will hold. Don't just panic and start running around. Make sure you got some water and some protein bars, a working flashlight, sturdy shoes and your clothes close by. Remember how Fuuka had a whistle on her bag so she can make noise if she gets buried.
The experience itself is rather unpleasant, there is a lot of noise that seems to come from everywhere and the shaking isn't much fun.

Since you got a laptop, maybe you can install Share on it too.

Nice! I hope you'll have a good time.
Since you'll go to a language school, they'll teach you all about earthquake safety. Basically: Stay put and take cover during the first quakes, if it's a serious one, then evacuate to an open area before any secondary quakes. But I never experienced anything more than some light swaying/shaking 2-3 times during my year there. Still rather unpleasant.

I know some nice places in Tokyo, at least, so just ask if you want any tips.

Fate has a cruel sense of humor. I haven't received a jury summons in over 6 years, and then just yesterday I got one telling me to report the exact day I'm supposed to be landing in Japan. I filed for a postponement, so we'll see how that goes.

>>228780
If you could recommend some sightseeing destinations or things to check out, that would be great.
My primary goal is immersion, but I figure as long as I'm there, I should take advantage of the opportunity.
So far the only thing that's really on my list is to see/climb Mt. Fuji.

The place I'm staying is about 2 hours from Tokyo Station. There were other options closer to Tokyo, but they were no closer to the school, and they also cost several hundred USD more per month in rent.

Congratulations! Are you the second of /azu/'s translators to actually go to Japan, because I remember Sprocket going and posting pictures way back when.

>>228782
I vaguely remember Sprocket mentioning he went, but I don't remember any pictures or details. As I recall, his trip was like a regular 1-2 week vacation.

Has /azu/ even had any other translators? Any who didn't post anonymously at least? I guess there was Veers, but he's the only other one I can remember. That and the guy who translated chapter 31 and 32 after the original translator dropped the series. But I don't remember his name, or if he even had a name.

>>228781
Jury summons, huh... I've never understood what non law educated people are doing in American court rooms, but that's how it is, I guess. Is it a crime not to participate, or what?

I count on that you're visiting all the "big places" in Tokyo, like Akihabara, Shinjuku, Ikebukuro, Shibuya etc. In Akihabara, don't forget about the back streets. There are tons of small interesting shops apart from the main street. Also check for several floors, the shops are often small, but may have up to 8 floors with different stuff, and the stairs/elevator can sometimes be hard to detect.

In Shinjuku, I recommend The Lock-Up Bar if you go with some friends, it's a pretty tacky but amusing "monster prison" bar where you sit in small cells and drink colorful scary drinks out of test tubes and similar.
Right beside it is the basement bar Mysterious, that also has very nice drinks in a bit more relaxed atmosphere. Both places have non-alcoholic/weak drinks as well.

For karaoke, "Karaokekan" are the most common, but I find that "Pasela Resort" have a better selection, especially of anime songs and similar (a little more expensive though, but no big deal).

Winter Comiket is during the New Year's weekend usually, so I hope you'll stay for that.
There's also Reitaisai in November, if you care about Touhou. http://reitaisai.com/
Also Comitia in November, that is only about self-produced comics and wares (no fanworks): http://www.comitia.co.jp/

All of them in Tokyo Big Sight in Odaiba, that is worth a visit anyway. Now, maybe towering scyscrapers isn't as impressive to an American as to a Swede, but it's Tokyo's most modern area, and quite an impressive sight. There's also the Future Museum (Miraikan) and the life-size Gundam statue out there that are pretty interesting.

Hakone is the place to go for hot springs and spa resort needs, and should be pretty close to Yokohama. Everyone else in Japan will be there too during the autumn, of course. For an indoor spa, there's a pretty nice and not too expensive one in Korakuen in Tokyo, on the top floor of the mall there. There's also an amusement park outside and around the buildings, but I don't know if it's open in the winter. The rollercoaster is worth a ride, though. And of course Korakuen Hall, the big sports arena.

Among all the fashion and music stores in Shibuya is also a pretty cool Mandarake store, located here: https://www.google.se/maps/dir/35.6590161,139.7009872/35.6615399,139.6978052/@35.6604029,139.6993669,18z/data=!4m4!4m3!1m0!1m0!3e3?hl=sv

If you want to see sumo(and you should), there are regular tournaments in the big sumo hall in Ryogoku (close to Asakusa). It's pretty damn cool. Bring food, they only have one stall that gets very busy. http://www.buysumotickets.com/Sumo_Event_Calendar.html

Beside the sumo hall is the Edo-Tokyo Museum, that is also worth a visit if you want to learn about the history of Tokyo. An impressive building, like a giant space ship.

Maybe that's enough for now...

>I've never understood what non law educated people are doing in American court rooms

Jurors only take into account of the evidence provided and testimony, and then decide to indict or not. The judge and lawyers really take into account of the law. It's one of the most important civic duties here in the U.S. Admittedly, though, a large portion loathe the system. Different stokes, I guess!

Oh man, Comiket... You couldn't pay me enough to put myself through that. Maybe it's not so harsh in the winter?

>>228786

>Oh man, Comiket... You couldn't pay me enough to put myself through that. Maybe it's not so harsh in the winter?

It's not as hot, at least... But it's not so bad if you are well prepared and have a route to follow to what you want to get.

>>228785
The idea behind the "jury of one's peers" thing is that a group of average, reasonable, everyday Joe types has to be convinced that there's enough evidence to convict someone. It's done for the benefit of the accused, so that their fate doesn't rest solely in the hands of appointed judges and hired lawyers. Lawyers still do the arguing and judges do the sentencing, but the jury decides whether the evidence is sufficient and convincing enough for a conviction.
In all likelihood I'll be granted a postponement. Actually, in all likelihood, even if I did appear for the summons, I probably wouldn't be selected. They usually call a huge pool of people only to actually select a small handful. The last time I had a jury summons, the day before I was supposed to appear, they told me they didn't need me after all.
I'm not really sure what the penalty is if I don't show up.
Actually, I just checked my email, and my request was approved. I'll give them credit for being expedient.
But in typical bureaucratic fashion, despite requesting a postponement until January 1st (I'm allowed to postpone up to 6 months), they set my new appearance date for December 12th, when I'll still be in Japan.

You sure listed a bunch of stuff there. Some of that sounds cool, some not so much (not that I don't appreciate the suggestions). The monster bar for instance sounds cool. Or the museums.
I had considered the possibility of going to Comiket just for the experience, but honestly I'm not a fan of huge crowds, and I'm not really that into comics, so I'm not sure what the appeal would be. Maybe I could say hi to Morichan. I'm actually coming back December 22nd though, so I wouldn't be able to go even if I wanted to.

I was wondering about spas or hot springs. Not sure how I feel about public bathing. Also, I was under the impression they were still fairly discriminatory when it comes to outsiders at those sorts of things.

One of the conditions of my absence from work is that I have to continue working my job remotely part time. So while I'll ideally still have the weekends free, I'm probably not going to have a ton of time to just wander around. Given the size of the cities, that would seem pretty daunting anyway, unless I had a specific area in mind to check out.

On a more practical note, one thing I'm concerned about is getting a rail pass. Are those only good for a given line, or can you get one that's good for multiple railways? Obviously I'd get one for the line that goes to my school, but would I need to get a different one to go to Tokyo?

>Also, I was under the impression they were still fairly discriminatory when it comes to outsiders at those sorts of things.

I'm not sure if they have a list, but debito usually keeps records of foreigners in Japan who submit what locations have "no gaijin" policies of some sort. It's usually restaurants that I hear that have these signs up, but I heard about spas, too. I also heard about public pools and gyms are very strict about not have tattoos visible.

I hope Japan fixes that shit by the time the Olympics happens.

>>228788
Yeah, I don't really know what you're interested in, so I just listed a bunch of stuff I think is cool.
As for work and school, they will assume that you spend at least 3-4 hours doing homework every day. Expect a few hundred words + kanji every week if you study at a higher level than total noob.

I never experienced any discrimination or bad treatment during my year there, but of course some people may stare and/or mutter to themselves if they feel you're in the wrong place, but that's their problem. That's mostly old farts anyway. Even if they would have a problem, they won't say anything. IF you do see some place that doesn't allow foreigners, you probably wouldn't want to go there anyway. Mob owned places etc.

But tattoos of any kind are absolutely forbidden in most baths, yeah.

I guess there are rail passes, but I don't it's worth it if you won't do a lot of traveling around. The best thing is generally to just buy a pasmo/suica card and load it with money when needed. They work on all JR lines, and most others(subway) too. I heard you can set a card to work just between two stations and get a rebate, for work/school commuters.

>>228797

>As for work and school, they will assume that you spend at least 3-4 hours doing homework every day. Expect a few hundred words + kanji every week if you study at a higher level than total noob.

I intentionally chose a school that was supposedly less intense (Yokohama Design College), so I'm hoping it won't be too severe.
With 7 hours of school and 3-4 hours of homework, how does anyone hold a job while going to school there?

That's interesting about the tattoos in bath houses. I don't have any, so I guess there's nothing to worry about there. I knew Japanese people who tattooed themselves usually did it in ways that would be obscured by normal clothing (like the "short-sleeves" look) but I didn't know bathhouses had policies against that.

Speaking of clothing, was there any kind of unspoken dress code at the school you went to? It occurred to me the other day that something like a t-shirt and jeans might not considered acceptable attire, similar to an office environment.

As for the rail pass, I just figured it would be more economical to get an unlimited use pass of some kind than to have to pay the fare to and from school each day. I can see Sotetsu offers a "3 month" commuter pass, but I can't find how much it costs versus regular tickets.

>debito usually keeps records of foreigners in Japan who submit what locations have "no gaijin" policies of some sort.

I found that thread, and boy was it depressing.

i think if you have a drug record that you're barred from entering the country, so pop those mollies while you still can Ralen
weed is hard to come by in japan, and it's ganja shit too

>>228798
I think I may have misunderstood the class schedule. It looks like it's morning or afternoon, not morning and afternoon.

>>228800

>weed is hard to come by in japan, and it's ganja shit too

I live in a state where I can just waltz down to the store and buy weed any time I want, were I so inclined.

>>228801

>I think I may have misunderstood the class schedule. It looks like it's morning or afternoon, not morning and afternoon.

Yes, I thought so too, but it's actually just 3 hours (was at my school, at least). Hence the high homework expectations. But I think my school was a bit tougher than some others.
There was no dress code, but all the teachers though my t-shirt with the logo for Shin Ramen was the height of hilarity.

The no tattoo policy is because only thugs get tattoos.

There's probably rail passes like that, but I don't know if they are intended for backpackers who travel a lot on different lines and intercity trains, or regular commuters.

>>228801 That'd be Colorado or Washington?

>>228820
Those are the only two, yes.

>>228784

It looks like Gulf Standard has been in some of the threads. Would it be possible to recruit others at Yuri Project that don't have their hands full to temporarily help out with translations? Also Momotato Daioh brings back some memories. Way before I even discovered /azu/ I used to go there for yotsuba scans until probably 2005 or 2006.

>>228833
My Japanese is no good compared to Ralen's, but why not? I'll at least just watch.

didn't Momotato have a real crush on fuuka?
i'd be lying if i said i wasn't interested in starting the series if he didn't pimp her up a bit

Well, I made it here in one piece.
I still have mixed feelings about the whole thing.

On the one hand, it's really exciting. On the other hand, it's really hard. Ragathol, I have no idea how you did this not having studied any Japanese before you arrived. Just navigating the train station last night was nerve-wracking. The one out of Narita International was fine, but Yokohama station was a whole other story.
It probably didn't help that I got there right at rush hour.

Carrying my two big suitcases, and basically getting in the way of all these Japanese people rushing around, not to mention when I actually boarded the crowded train, I've never felt more out of place in all my life.

>>228933
We believe in you, Ralen. I'll pray for you and burn a tithe to the snake gods for your well-being.

>>228933
strange. It kinda sounds (forgive me if Im putting you down) as if you haven't been outside of USA much before.
maybe you need to start using https://maps.google.com before you go someplace to know what it looks like. and have a map ready with points showing your destination, etc.

This is the first time I've seen Ralen so flustered. かわいい~!

>>228935
That, and/or not exploring the culture thing a bit more. I've been watching YouTube videos on expats living in Japan and they share all sorts of stories of just how things are in their daily life there. It's interesting to see someone that actually knows the language kind of get frustrated by just arriving there.
I'm sure in time that the language thing will pay off in the long run. That is, if the short run doesn't bring Ralen into a nerves wreck.

がんばって！If you need any helpful resources I can try and help. You should use your Twitter account to see what's going on in your city. It works well for Akiba.

>>228935
You're right, I haven't ever been outside the US, except for Canada and Mexico.
And Alaska and Hawai'i. The freak states.

I did use Google maps in advance to know how to get where I was going, which is how I knew which train routes to take, where the stations were located, etc. But the problem was with the intricacies of using the ticket machines, the ticket gates, and figuring out which of the three train types on the route I was travelling would actually stop at the station I wanted. The "Local," the "Rapid," or the "Express".

I was expecting the ticket machines to work by me just selecting the name of the station I wanted to go to, and it would print the appropriate ticket.

But apparently it doesn't work like that. You have to put in the amount of yen you want for the ticket (100, 150, 200, etc.), and then it prints a paper ticket with that amount on it, which you scan at the gate to board, and again to disembark. I'm guessing I picked the right amount because when I scanned my ticket at my destination, the machine kept it. I can only assume that if I'd had insufficient funds, it would have rejected it, and if I'd had too much, I would have gotten it back on the other side. But since the amount I paid was printed on the ticket I don't know how it would have deducted it from the total.

Anyway, I got a Pasmo today with a commuter pass put on it (unlimited travel between two specific stations), so I shouldn't have any more problems buying tickets unless I need to recharge it.

As I was figuring out where everything was today, I passed an elementary school that was dismissing. Most of the kids ignored me, but there was one point where two girls stopped and let me pass them, then they both came running up from behind on either side of me, running past me until they got to the crosswalk, and I'm pretty sure one of them shouted "Hentai!" as they ran by. I'm not sure though, I guess it could have been something else.

At the request of many of my acquaintances back home, I've started a Tumblr page to document my trip and post photos.
http://yokohamakikou.tumblr.com/
The name is meant as an homage to YKK.

>I'm pretty sure one of them shouted "Hentai!" as they ran by.

They could sense the lolicon in you.
This is actually great seeing someone document their trip/experience in Japan. As much as I read about the place, it's always the little things that kind of sidetrack you, I guess.

>>228938
You didn't know what shochu is? It's a distilled spirit like vodka or whiskey. It's good for the digestion, IMO.

Also, I'm not surprised by the smaller package sizes - fresh is better than stale

>>228940
No, I'd never seen it before. I figured the big alcoholic drink (besides beer) would be sake. It looks like shochu is weaker than most distilled spirits though, at only 20% ABV.

I figured the smaller package sizes were just because Japanese people don't have as much of a consumer, or "bigger is better" mentality as Americans do. I never really thought of a box of corn flakes, or a 24 pack of Coke as something that would go bad.

>>228938
If it's not too creepy coming from a random stranger on the internet, thanks for sharing.
>>228940
>>228941
It's kinda like Soju right? I see that at all the korean restaurants. Never properly tried it though.

ralen make sure to carry coins/yen around. they don't use credit/debit cards as much

>>228941

Between 20-35%, IIRC. It's a very clean taste when drunk neat or cut with water. It's a traditional drink for that area, I believe.

>>228942

The brewing technique appears to be similar, but soju is traditionally made with rice, whereas shochu usually uses sweet potato or other starchy crops. You can do shochu with rice too, but that's not what they typically use in Kyushu.

>>228945

I need to correct myself: shochu is drunk more in northern Japan. Yokohama, I'm not sure if they're more into sake or shochu.

>>228944
I've already used my Visa debit card at a local 7 Eleven's ATM to get cash. My bank doesn't seem to be charging any international transfer fees either (at least none have shown up on my account yet) so that's pretty awesome.
I've read that most ATMs (other than the ones at 7 Elevens and post offices) won't take non-Japanese debit cards, but I haven't tried.

I've got a ton of coins piling up. They're pretty inconvenient though, since they're hard to keep in my wallet.

>>228946
Judging from the local Seiyu, shochu is really popular here. Like I said, they had at least a half-dozen different varieties in bottles that looked like they were about 2 gallons. I'll have to try some.

>>228947

The coins are vending machine fodder. Take advantage of them. And get a coin purse or similar.

Also, I'd try to find a smaller bottle of shochu than 2 gal, especially if you're drinking alone. I'd suggest one made with sweet potato to start, but the barley ones are good too.

Ralen: embarrassing the staff at Seiyu who think he's a long term foreign resident since September 2014.

Random noticings that won't make it to my Tumblr.

The past two afternoons when I've walked to the station, the same old man has been standing outside the fence of this house where there's a cat on the other side. He seems interested in the cat, but I've never seen him actually petting it or anything.

On my way home today someone in a Mu-chan mascot costume was headed into the station. By the time I thought to stop to take a picture, he was out of sight.
vc: lame

It was probably Azuma studying cat movements for the upcoming chapter.

>>228751 So for the out of place foreigner stuff, is that bothersome, or just somewhat funny, because you can actually understand what's being said.

The drink you had sounds a bit different from the shocku I drink - the scent isn't like rubbing alcohol. The taste sounds closer, but it should have some of the types of subtleties that you'd find in a whiskey.

And that looks like a one or two person serving. I usually get a larger bottle, since I'll be drinking it a while.

>>228965
My listening comprehension is still pretty poor, which is one of the reasons I wanted to come to school here. I can get by in casual interactions like at the grocery or convenience store, but I can only pick up a few words here and there from randomly overheard chatter.

It's not that it bothers me necessarily, it just takes some getting used to the fact that I'm going to really stand out, no matter what I do or where I go.
Although I'll admit, my feelings were a little hurt when those kids ran away screaming.

>>228966
What kind do you drink? There were some subtle notes, but nothing I would have thought to compare to whiskey.
Or did you just mean that it has subtleties in the same manner that whiskey does, but not necessarily that they're the same subtleties?

>>228967

They're there, but they're not quite the same as a whiskey. It's not that banana like event or odd fruitiness of a junmai ginjou-shu, but it's not woody or as rough as a young Scotch whiskey. It reminds me of a milder Irish whiskey.

I usually have the sweet potato shochu, but I'm hoping to hunt down a good barley or rice based shochu locally in the near future. I'm also curious to see how the taste differs with the black koji-fermented shochu versus the stuff I normally drink.

Funny enough, they sometimes use the same koji for shochu that they do sake (yellow), so if it's made with rice...

So the Suzuka Balloon Festival is this weekend, and I think it's one of the ones that heavily inspired Azuma for the balloon festival Yotsuba and friends went to.

I'm considering going, but it's about a 4 hour train ride each way, and in order to get there early enough to see them take off, I'd have to arrive the night before. I'm conflicted because it would probably be cool to see (especially if I could get to ride in one) but I don't know if it's worth a $200 round trip plus a night in a hotel. Plus, after I've seen them take off and float around for awhile, I'm not sure what else there would be to do.

Although, Nagoya does have one of those capsule hotels nearby, so it could be an excuse to stay at one of those...

>>228971
This weekend will be the typhoon festival again.

http://www.tenki.jp/forecaster/diary/anzaihiroko/2014/10/06/16711.html

I guess it will be before the typhoon No.19 hits.
Have fun! if you go.

I had my first class today. Blog post later when I have more time.

Two things to mention here.
One: There was a girl who came in before class started (she ended up leaving because it turned out she had the afternoon class instead of morning) but whereas my strategy has been to try to keep from standing out as much as possible, hers must have been the exact opposite. She was dressed like a slutty Ali G.

Her hair was dyed platinum blonde, and then dyed blue on top of that. She was wearing a long shirt made of some kind of shimmery rainbow-colored lamé-type material. It was one of those shirts where it was just long enough and her shorts were just short enough that you couldn't tell if she had pants on or not.
The shirt said in big bold letters "I LOVE GRAZY PEOPLE WHO DON'T GIVE A FUCK" (yes "Grazy" with a G).
She had on a backwards ball cap made of the same material that also said something in English, but I forgot what. And she had a big gold chain around her neck. Oh, and her eyebrows looked painted on. Turns out she was from Sweden.

Two: Apparently no one knows who Azuma is.
At one point we were doing self-introductions, and the teacher asked if anyone read manga. One person responded "One Piece" and everyone was like "Oh yeah, One Piece, sure."
Another person said "Death Note" and everyone was like "Oh, uh-huh, Death Note, that's a good one."
So I spoke up and said "Yotsubato." All I got were blank stares. The teacher said she had never heard of it.
I said "Azuma Kiyohiko?" Thinking surely they had all heard of Azumanga Daioh. Again, nothing. No recognition whatsoever. So that was kind of a letdown...

Next time rather say you read ''ダンボー''maybe you'll get a better response to that.

Also Grazy=Good+Crazy in one word.

I just found out that the festival with the naked gold lady performers in Osu Azuma was talking about back in >>227043 will be going on this weekend in Nagoya as well, so making a road trip out there for the balloons is looking more and more likely.

Even if I arrive Friday night though, the earliest train that would get me to the balloon site Saturday still wouldn't get me there until at least 30 minutes after the schedule indicates they're supposed to start. So I probably wouldn't get to see them going up.

>>228986
I've been to a balloon festival and they didn't all take off at the same time. To start inflating the balloons they have to lay them out flat on the ground. There's usually not enough space for all the balloons to be laid out together. At the place I went to it took about an hour to get 25 balloons in the air.

Neat! Yeah, the train stations are kind of terror inducing the first time, I even had a hell of a time the last time I went, since I had forgotten which lines went where. It's not really true I hadn't studied at all before, though, I took evening courses once a week over 4 terms, and I'd gone to Japan twice before on shorter trips. So I kind of knew what I was doing when I came there for the long stay.

About the tickets - there's usually a map above the vending machines which tells you what a trip costs to different places relative to your station. If you paid too little, upon exit you'll have to take your ticket to a separate machine and "update" it with the missing amount.
Also, if you're going to change lines to another of the same company, or in other cases when a ticket can keep being valid, there are special gates (usually marked with orange or pink) where you'll retain your tickets when you go out.
But using a Pasmo card makes all that a lot easier.

You can take out money at Citibank as well.

About Azumanga/Yotsuba, I wonder... They are popular, but I don't think it's the kind of comics "everyone" know about, like the Shonen Jump bigshots. My school actually had the Azu books in their little library, though.

>Turns out she was from Sweden.

Sorry about that...

I wrote a blog about my adventures as well, but it's all in Swedish, I'm afraid.

>>228983
I have no idea why, but there are a few gaijin types like that who just fucking love to stand out. I'm sure they do it from where ever they're from too, but because they're a different society like Japan, they amp that shit up. You'll probably meet a few if you hang around groups of gaijin long enough.
I've heard all sort of stories of bitter assholes who stay in Japan for some reason. Really, they want to attach themselves to all foreign people in Japan and maintain some sort of community, and granted some try to keep the peace, but I think some are so bitter because they are so fucking lonely and weak minded.
I hope you won't have to put up with that, but like I said, if you hang around enough gaijin that have stayed there for a long period of time...

>letdown...

Major letdown. Not even from classmates is the most shocking. Are these people still teenagers?
Maybe it's like when Japanese people visit American ask if we know Madonna or some shit.

>>228996
I was under the impression you had like 0 Japanese knowledge (aside from reading manga and whatnot) the first time you came.
Our teacher Tuesday (we have a different one each day of the week) said our school gets a lot of Swedish people for some reason.
To the girl's credit, she was kind of hot, and she didn't act rude or anything in the brief few minutes she was in class, but her appearance was kind of the visual equivalent of being extremely pushy.

I did find the map with the fares listed above the ticket machines eventually, which is how I was able to guess how much I needed to pay. I've also seen the fare adjustment machines for you to add money to your ticket if you haven't paid enough, but I'm not quite sure how that works. Does it print you a new one with the new amount? What happens if you don't adjust your fare? Will the gates reject your ticket and not let you exit?
Yes, a Pasmo makes life much easier.

>>228997
Most of the students are in their early to mid 20s. The youngest girl is 19, and I think the oldest is 31.

Speaking of Azumanga, today one of our conversation exercises involved shopping in a department store. The illustration that went with the conversation had a picture of someone gesturing towards the escalators, and the teacher kept calling them "elevators" over and over. Like 3 or 4 times. She never once used the correct word. I almost laughed when she did it.

aay Ralen, if you every visit Tokyo here's a useful map!
http://i.imgur.com/y0td5GO.jpg

Not sure if they use the same fare system, though~

>>228999
I can actually see the station nearest to apartment on that map. It's at the bottom of the map, almost as far left as you can go. Just northeast of Shonandai.

>>228998
Yeah, we had different teachers every day too. You went with GoGoNihon, didn't you? It seems to be quite popular in Sweden, so their partner schools get a lot of people from Sweden, and Italy.

The fare adjustment machine: If you pay too little, the gates will close and the ticket comes back out. You put it in the machine together with the extra fare, and I think it eats your old ticket and prints a new one.

>The youngest girl is 19, and I think the oldest is 31.

I read Azumanga in my 20's, and it IS over 10 years old, after all... There's no excuse for not reading Yotsuba, though.

Elevator, escalator, elevator, escalator, what IS the difference?? Both go up, both go down.

I saw your room in the blog, looks like a nice and spacious apartment! I lived in picture related for 13 months. Yes, that's all of it. Plus shared bathroom and kitchen with the rest of the floor.

>>229001
Yes, I also used GoGoNihon.
Although ever since getting to the school, I keep finding myself being singled out for things the other students have already done (like filling out paperwork or paying for my textbook).
I don't know if that's due to using GoGoNihon or because I'm one of the only people taking a short term class.

My room is pretty nice. I'm definitely not complaining. I sprung for a private apartment rather than one of those deals with one shared bathroom per floor (with like 8 rooms on each floor). Living in Yokohama it's not too expensive though. It's about 25,000 a month cheaper than a comparable place in Kawasaki.

>If you pay too little, the gates will close and the ticket comes back out.

I'm curious, do you know that from personal experience?

>>229002
Hm, the textbooks were included at my school, although we had to buy the supplementary books (dictionary and grammar explanations for each chapter)extra. That could be different from place to place, of course.

Yes, I bought tickets the first few weeks before I got the Pasmo card, and took the wrong line from my station a few times before I learned how it worked. It was a bit complicated, with one direct line to Ikebukuro, one that kept going to Shibuya and Roppongi, and one that went off in another direction, switched into another line, and then passed Ikebukuro and went onto the Yurakucho line.
They would all take me to Ikebukuro, but in different lengths of time and for different fares. The last one was really convenient when I was going to Big Sight for the comic fairs, though. The Yurakucho lines goes all across town down to Toyosu, where I could just switch to the Yurikamome and get there quick. Only one switch all the way from my home station on the other side of the city.

>>229001

>dat bed

As someone closer to Jumbo's size than your typical Japanese man, just looking at that makes me uncomfortable.

I'm about 6"3'. If beds don't come in a longer size I would just opt for a futon.

I have now officially been somewhere Yotsuba has been.

Unfortunately, most of the pictures I took don't quite match up with the panels in the balloon chapter, but going back through that chapter again tonight, I clearly recognize the location as the same one I was at today.

It looks like most of Azuma's pictures were taken facing north, while most of mine were taken facing south.
That makes sense, since the parking area was to the south, and the balloons flew off to the north. Whereas I came by foot, so I walked in from the north and took most of my pictures facing south.

If I had reviewed the chapter ahead of time, I could have taken more specific comparison shots.

I didn't take this photo, but it's from Google Street View along the road right next to the site. When I looked at this panel, I clearly recognized the fence and building in the background.

Speaking of things I saw from Yotsuba, after the balloons I went to a street performance festival in Osu, and I saw a girl about Ena's age doing exactly this at a shooting gallery.
She was leaned over the table, and had the rifle in one hand, stretched out as far as it would go. I almost took a picture, but I wasn't quite fast enough to do it when no one was looking.

Ralen: Neat! He (his assistants) really is thorough with the backgrounds.

>>229004
I'm 185 (6'2) myself, but the length was no problem... It WAS quite uncomfortable though, at least the first few days. There was only a 2 cm thick mattress with a futon on top, so you could almost feel the steel grid in the bottom. I put the quilt on top as well, as it was too hot to use anyway, and bought a warmer one for the winter. I still slept well in it, when the neighbors weren't slamming the doors at 3-5 am. Which they did every night.

That's so awesome, Ralen. It's like you're on a holy pilgrimage.

Now if only you can find that mysterious neighborhood (maybe even that mountain of steps Kowai ran up that first volume).

>>229015
there is no spoon

>>228969
I tried a different shochu yesterday (I bought it just because it was cheap).
This one said on the label it was made from potatoes, it was only 12% ABV instead of 20%. It definitely had a more nuanced smell and flavor compared to the last kind. I drank it chilled, but I think it would have been better warm.

That's pretty awesome you're visiting spots that were featured in the manga.
Now you just need to find a girl stuck on a window that needs helps and you'll be set.

>>229037

As far as I know, shochu is meant to be drunk warm or with a bit of hot (or warm) water. Male sure it's honkaku shochu (single distillation) as otherwise it's basically soju (which Japan does import quite a bit of). That's korui shochu, or koshu (according to Wikipedia).

As for not being stared at, I thought that's because it's impolite to do so. If you're obviously foreign, it'd affect how people act towards you versus someone who is Nisei, or obviously Korean or Chinese.

>>229039

>As for not being stared at, I thought that's because it's impolite to do so. If you're obviously foreign, it'd affect how people act towards you versus someone who is Nisei, or obviously Korean or Chinese.

I'm not sure what this is in reference to.

So today, the very same teacher who said she had never heard of Azuma Kiyohiko recommended to all of us that we go to a maid cafe some time. Even though she's never been to one herself, she said they look fun.

>>229042

I was talking about being at the festival and then the capsule hotel.

>>229044
I'm still not sure what your comment meant though. I said I don't really get looks from people most of the time, but I did seem to get a few long glances (mostly from older people) when I went out to the country. So are you saying people in the countryside don't have good manners?

>>229045

No, what I'm saying is that they wouldn't be staring at you or judging you by their own standards, period, because you're an obvious foreigner.

My reply was in response to your reply to chattykathy25 per this post: http://yokohamakikou.tumblr.com/post/99817652496/i-am-impressed-with-the-quality-of-pictures-looks

About the "money tray" in stores (mentioned in your blog), they do expect you to put the money there, and usually they return change in the tray as well. I don't really know why, though.

Usually mostly only department stores, grocery stores and larger brand stores take cards. Cash is king. And I think only USA bother with checks any more...

>>229047
I have figured out how to use the money tray. It's actually pretty convenient to have a place to put your money after they give you your total, while they're bagging your purchase or whatever.

But I have never not had a clerk put my change directly in my hand. If my hand isn't already open they usually just hold it there until I take it.
It always goes, receipt first, change on top.

Similar to the money trays, I was looking for a pair of earrings for my mom, and I noticed most of the jewelry stores have a little tray next to the wall of earrings with a note requesting you put the earrings in the tray to bring to the cashier.

I've seen a few people paying with credit at the grocery store, but I've never had a problem with cash. I wish I could pay my rent in cash. My credit card company charges like a 1% international transfer fee, but my ATM card charges absolutely nothing.

I have never thought about the tray thing, but I was made aware that placing money on your hand is some sort of unspoken rule, at least that's what this video implies:
http://youtu.be/ziX1oQRiA3w

>>229053
I keep thinking of that exact song every time I get handed my change.

>>229054
I noticed something else with the change thing.

Whenever my change involves both bills and coins, they always hand me the bills first, separately, then after I take them, they put the coins in my hand on top of the receipt. It's a very distinct two step process.

In response to your Jinro post...

http://www.jinro.co.jp/goods/jinro_gf/sub02

>>229098
Yeah, I found that. I can't find anything on that page that indicates whether it's technically soju or something else though.

>>229099

The July 17 press release post gets translated by Google as shochu... huh. I'm guessing it meant soju.

>>229100
The press release actually says shochu.

I think shochu/soju is one of those things where it's basically the same drink (with slight differences) but you'll piss off the aficionados if you try to say they're the same thing.

Also, according to the press release, it's a pre-mixed girly drink, targeted at women in their 30s.
So maybe that's why the cashier asked if I wanted a paper bag. She was trying to save me from embarrassment.

>>229102

I think it's more legal issues - like how only wines made in the Champagne area of France can be called champagne. Shochu can only be shochu if made in Japan using certain methods.

>>229107
That could be.

I also read that some places in the United States have a special exemption for soju where, even though it has a higher alcohol content than beer or wine, it's not subject to stricter liquor licensing normally associated with the sale of high proof alcohol.

But if that's the case, that would be more reason to call things "soju" that actually aren't, rather than the other way around.

>>229108

The Wikipedia article for soju says Jinro is the largest soju brand....

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soju

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ryS485lels

>>229113
Yes, Jinro, a Korean brand, primarily produces soju, but the press release on their website for the new grapefruit drink identified it as "shochu."

So my classmates and teachers may not know about Yotsuba, but Akihabara sure does.

I'm going to write more about my trip to Akihabara in my blog, but there was a lot that I'm sure is only of interest to /azu/, so that's going here.

In what has to be one of the most unlikely coincidences, I just happened to bump into one of my classmates in Akihabara, completely by chance. He was actually the one who spotted me (which I guess isn't surprising since, with him being Thai, I probably stand out a lot more than he does).

We talked briefly and he showed me a few of the figure stores since I told him I was looking for a Link Figma for a coworker's son (he's apparently been to Akihabara and Japan multiple times before).
During the course of that, we stopped at the Tokyo Hobby Lobby (no relation to the American Hobby Lobby chain) where there was an entire corner dedicated to Yotsuba goods, with a large cardboard cutout of Yotsuba herself hanging from the wall.

I gestured to the cutout of Yotsuba and said "That green-haired girl is from the comic I was talking about in class" and he said "Oh I've read that. I'm up to like volume 4, but haven't caught up yet." I said that when I mentioned the series in class, no one had any idea what I was talking about, but he said he didn't remember that.

This store had several of the more common Yotsuba goods, like the old Fuuka figures (swimsuit and school uniform versions), the latest Revoltech Danbo, the latest Revoltech Yotsuba, the new Yu Pack Danbo Mini, the regular Danbo Mini, and the large vinyl Yotsuba and large cardboard Danbo kit.

That was nothing compared to what I found at Kotobukiya though. They also had a corner of their first floor dedicated to Yotsuba, but it was full of Koiwai Trading Co. stuff that I had never seen before. I really wanted to take some pictures, but my camera isn't subtle like a cell phone, and I kind of imagine taking pictures of the goods inside a store is frowned upon.

Among the things I saw there were:

Actually I won't bother to list them all.
Pretty much everything you see on this website was there. I just had no idea there was so much merchandising at this point. It kind of feels like Azuma's sold out.
http://428danboard-store.com/

In particular, the items on these two subpages surprised me since I'd never seen them before. Danbo sticky notes, Danbo packing tape, sticky notes with Fuuka's signature (like the one she put on her pastry in the fridge that Yotsuba ate), Yotsuba chopsticks, Yotsuba lunch boxes (Japanese style), Yotsuba fork and spoon sets... The list goes on.
http://428danboard-store.com/shopbrand/ct17
http://428danboard-store.com/shopbrand/ct18

I was also pleased for some reason to see that they also rendered Yotsuba's teddy bear's name as "Duralumin" (rather than "Juralumin" or "Jularlumin") on the products bearing her likeness.

This picture was taken at the Tokyo Hobby Lobby.

During the course of the day I managed to find almost every Yotsuba figure that there's ever been, although not all in one spot.

One store had the latest school uniform Fuuka figure, but it was over 10,000 yen (and that was for an "open box" item).

One or two had the Yotsuba typhoon figure, where she's being blown with the umbrella. That was also pretty expensive, but I don't remember how much.

I only saw one store with the Ena figure. It was more reasonable in the high 2,000s.

The store with the Ena figure seemed to have a ton of great bargains on figures. All of them were in the 1,000 to 2,000 yen range. I kept thinking all the prices were missing 0s at the end based on what I had seen some of those same figures selling for in other stores nearby. It was almost enough to make me wonder if they weren't selling cheap generic knockoffs or something, but they all looked pretty good in the ones that had windows on the boxes.

There were several I kind of wanted (in particular some of the Hatsune Miku or Ika Musume ones in that store that had everything super cheap) but I think I just like to look at the figures. I feel like actually buying one would just be a waste.

I did ultimately get a Danbo Mini though.

Here's a closeup of the display case from the picture in >>229128.

One other cool thing I saw during my time there was a 1/1 replica of the 3D Maneuver Gear from Attack on Titan on display in one of the Sofmap stores. As I was looking at it, two girls came in through the entrance nearby, and one of them absolutely flipped out upon seeing it.

That one I probably could have taken a picture of, but I don't think a picture would have conveyed quite the same feeling.

>>229127
Thanks for the pictures! Everything looks so cool I almost wish I could buy everything in sight! I think the most intriguing thing from that website that I would purchase are the illustration books with durulamin on the covers. Everything else looks so cute but overpriced.

>>229130
Actually you just reminded me of something.
I was thinking about maybe buying one or more of the あ, え, ん, or ? books listed here
http://428danboard-store.com/shopbrand/ct22

But oddly, the prices on the books were listed in USD and GBP, but not in yen. Which is weird, considering these products don't ship overseas as far as I know.

>>229128
Nice going. The cheap store was probably a used goods store. If there's a small dent in the package, or if it's been opened before, you could easily save thousands of yen. About half the stores in Akihabara are used goods stores, but it's hard to see, since most things are in more or less mint condition.

>>229132
I suppose that's possible, since they did have a handful of figures that came without packaging that looked like they were at a slight discount.
But the ones in boxes all looked brand new as far as I could tell. Better than most of the secondhand goods I had seen at other stores.

I suppose it's possible the figures were only similar, and not identical. Or that I was misremembering the prices at the other locations.

>>229125

Then I'm tempted to call it soju,given that's what they usually produce, and chalk up the press release to translator or a clueless PR writer. Sort of like someone posting about 'bourbon Scotch' instead of 'bourbon whiskey'.

>>229127

Well, he's got to pay his bills SOMEHOW when not publishing Yotsuba chapters. Given the breaks he's taken, the merchandising is pretty damned important.

>>229127>>229128>>229129
I guess you gotta make up for not having the ¥¥¥ from the anime license somehow.

>electronics stores

There was a big market under the train station that closed last year:
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/11/25/national/legendary-akihabara-radio-store-closing-its-doors-after-six-decades/
Did anything go up in its place?

>>229131
Those were the ones I was talking about! For me they come up as 400-600 and I was assuming that was in yen but could it possibly be points? (I just started working on moonrunes so I haven't gotten to the point where I can recognize most kanji yet). If that was the case, I was also going to complain about the price of those scrunchies. They were about 700, which seems unnecessarily expensive to me. Also I'm a bit bummed that they don't have any more kodomo usagi shirts.

>>229136
Yeah, they show up as 400-600 yen on the website, which is reasonable to me, but the prices printed on the back in the store were like $6-$8 for some reason.

Also, the Yotsuba chopsticks were over 800 yen, which also seemed unreasonable.

They had at least one Kodomo Usagi shirt at Kotobukiya yesterday.

>>229135
I think that article is misleading. From what I could tell yesterday, the market is still there, but from the article it sounds like one of the older shops in the market (Radio Store) has closed.
The article kind of makes it sound like the whole market shut down though.

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention something regarding the shameless Danbo merchandising.

They didn't have these at the Kotobukiya, and I haven't seen them on the Koiwai Trading website either, but in one of the arcades I went in, some of the claw machines had Danbo goods inside.

One was a Danbo carpet roller. It was just a normal carpet roller, but the case that you put the sticky part in when not in use was Danbo's head.

Another was a Danbo soap dispenser, again, where it was just a box in the shape of Danbo's head. I thought of taking pictures of those, but there were signs everywhere in the arcade that said no photography.

I went back to Akihabara today (I'm going to update my blog about it later).

I went back to Kotobukiya and finally found a price sticker on those illustration books.
Two of them were only 429 yen, and the other two were 572 yen. A much more reasonable price than the $6.50 and $8.50 prices printed on the back (I'm still confused about those since I thought you couldn't buy Koiwai Trading stuff overseas).

I also got The Adventure of Yotsuba, another book of illustrations from the daily calendars.

Also, after agonizing for the better part of the day over it, I finally bought myself a figure. I didn't really have a specific one I wanted, but I couldn't stop myself from going in all the shops and admiring them, so I figured I had to get one for myself. I couldn't ever find one that was the right combination of not too large, but not too small, but also not too expensive.

I finally settled on a secondhand Kagami Hiiragi Hatsune Miku cosplay Figma, from the Lucky Star OVA.
Wow, spellcheck just flagged every single word in that last sentence.

I also managed to get a picture of that 1/1 3D Maneuver Gear on display in Animate (I'll put the picture up on my blog). According to the poster behind it, it's an actual product that's going to be available in January of next year, for a retail price of just under 100,000 yen.

Oh, and I said yesterday that I found all the Yotsuba figures at one place or another, but apparently I was wrong, because today I also found the 7-Eleven and Ascii Mediaworks T-shirt Fuuka figures.
That store also had a pair of Nichijou figures which was kind of awesome. One of Nano, and one of The Professor + Sakamoto.

Oh yeah, I forgot my picture.

This was in the stairwell of the building that houses D-Stage, a doujin shop I was checking out.
There was another similar parody poster, but it wasn't as easy to get a picture of.

I'm not sure what this is actually a parody/crossover of though.

>>229140

The Black White animals book is nice. I got that a few years back.

Did you get any of the Danbo photo books as well?

>>229148
They didn't have any of those, just some individual prints from the calendars.

>>229149

Pity. That's one of the things that seems hardest to find outside Japan. It's hard enough to find even figma or Danbo batteries, much less the prints or photo books.

>>229140

>Kagami Hiiragi Hatsune Miku cosplay Figma

Good choice. Hope you didn't overpay, and be careful when changing hands, the older Figma joints can be fragile.

>>229137
Huh, the other articles I read also seemed to imply the whole thing under the station was closing down. Glad to hear it's not gone entirely.

>>229151
I paid 3,000 yen for a used one at Mandarake, but it was listed as "Unopened."
They also had one for 2,500 yen, but there was a defect noted on the label. I couldn't tell what it said though. It had two kanji I didn't recognize, followed by ネジサビ which I think means "Rusted screw."

I figured it 500 yen wasn't that much more to pay for one that was guaranteed to be in good condition.

The same figure was selling new in other stores for about 4,800 yen.
I also thought of getting a Konata Izumi Haruhi Suzumiya cosplay figure just to keep going with the same theme, and also because those were only 1800 yen, even new. I didn't, though.

Really, I just wanted some kind of Miku figure.

>>229129
I've always imagined you would have nice hands, so I'm glad to now know that you actually do!

Anyway, after following your blog I've wondered what camera you used? It captures natural lighting almost like what how you'd actually see it in person. I could use a camera like that at conventions and such.

>>229159
I'm not sure how you can tell how nice my hands are just from that one shot, but okay...

The camera is a Nikon Coolpix S9700.

It seems to have trouble when I take pictures in my room. Either the flash doesn't want to go off and everything looks grey and dark, or the flash reflects blindingly off whatever I'm taking a picture of.

I was really impressed with the night shots at Nagoya though. And it's got a 30X zoom which came in handy at the street performance festival.

>>229160
A trick I've used is to hold a piece of paper over the flash to diffuse it a bit. There should be an option to force the flash on.

>orangina

I thought it was pretty common in the US. Most grocery stores I've seen sell it, at least here in California.

>>229162
I'd heard of it before I came here, but I don't think I had ever actually seen it anywhere. I could be mistaken though.

>>228983
Just as a point of interest, the girl with the blue hair I mentioned in this post can be seen in the second bread eating competition video I posted on my blog. She's the one who's last to finally get the bread off the string.
She was dressed much more conservatively for the sports day festival, although interestingly her backpack was the same exact shimmery lamé-like material as her shirt/dress and hat that first day.

>>229160

As a camera nerd I checked the specs for this camera and I must say it's an underwhelming camera for night and indoor unless you use flash or there's a lot of light source.

It got 1/2.3 sensor.

Sensor is what replaced the film. It gather the lights and turn them into an image. The problem is 1/2.3 sensor is consumer line sensor but still too small to gather light fast (the bigger the sensor the better it is for indoor and nighttime). I prefer 4/3 (Four thirds system) or APS-C sized sensors. They gather light better and better for night and indoor pics.

It got f3.7 maximum aperture.

Another thing we need to check is how big the aperture a camera can go. f3.7 won't cut it. Go for At least f2.8 or better 1.9 (I don't know if compact cameras can reach f1.4 unless you want to pay with an arm and a leg). If the sensor is small but the aperture is large enough it can compensate the small sensor size.

>It seems to have trouble when I take pictures in my room. Either the flash doesn't want to go off and everything looks grey and dark, or the flash reflects blindingly off whatever I'm taking a picture of.

Yeah, with sensor that small you need to rely on flash. Like Cats said, you need a piece of white paper as a diffuser to reduce the amount of flash. reflect the light with the paper to create better lighting.

I think it's unfair of me to criticize your camera without recommending you several better alternatives with the same price range, so here you go:

Nikon 1 J1

Pros: Very compact, the 1 inch sensor is good enough for most occasion, the basic set is only $250, interchangeable lens.

Cons: The cheapest version only have 10-30mm lens. If you want zoom then you must spend more to buy a zoom lens.

Canon EOS M

Pros: For $350 you already get an APS-C sensor camera, good enough lens, interchangeable lens.

Cons: Not that compact, the lens can be pretty silly to look at (big and bulky sitting on a compact camera).

Panasonic GF5KK

Pros: Cheaper than EOS M ($275 to $300)

Cons: The same as EOS M

Sony Nex3NL

Pros: APS-C sensor, interchangeable lens, compact enough for $350, quite fast (When I try it).

Cons: If you want to buy more lens they are quite expensive.

I actually want to recommend Sony RX100 and Olympus PEN-EP3 but they are too close to $500 price range.I use Ricoh GR, but it's $600 so I can't really recommend it to you. Also the fixed 28mm lens can be a turn off for people who want zoom lens.

>>229192
She looks the part, too...
Bag it and sac.

Sports day event was the perfect excuse for you to dress up like Osaka and do the similar antics she did, like smash her face on the flour, Ralen!

>>229195
I don't know what any of that means, but it sounds sexual.

We didn't have the flour event at ours. I'm not even really sure what that event is.

>>229192 D'ohohoho the title you gave those clips!

The Mario theme casually playing in the background got me too!
I better watch the rest of these.

>>229200
They played a ton of random music during the event. Kirby's theme from Smash Brothers, the Mario theme, "I Need a Hero," the Japanese language version of "Let it Go" (which I've heard about 20 times since I got here), and what sounded like an acoustic guitar rendition of the Pokemon theme from Smash Brothers.

There was one point at the end of hula hoop relay where the last team was taking forever to cross the finish line, and they started playing the sped-up Mario countdown music, and that got several laughs from the crowd.

BWAHAHAHA They really played the sped-up version there? That's so fuckin cool. Same goes for the smash bros tunes as well, the Gourmet Race theme from the 64 version would be the most fitting thing for the bread eating contest!

Also, I never imagined a foreign school campus would know any Bonnie Tyler songs, double points for that!

>>229193
We aren't ready for what is coming

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-qfkun2vMg

Real 3D in a year.

2014 is the lats year you are in control of reality.

>>229202

>BWAHAHAHA They really played the sped-up version there?

Yeah, when they did it the Japanese student next to me said "Hahaha, Mario Countdown!"

>the Gourmet Race theme from the 64 version

I just looked that up on Youtube, and that appears to be the same tune used as Kirby's Smash Bros. theme.
They actually did play that at one point during the bread eating contest, although there were like 10 rounds for that thing, so I didn't record them all.

Oh, and of course they also played the sped-up version of Caramelldansen at one point. Although I was disappointed not to see anyone doing the dance.

On a somewhat related note, I remember Kyary Pamyu Pamyu came up in the last Yotsuba chapter.

I don't have a TV in my room, but some of the trains have screens that show commercials, and I saw her in a new DS commercial yesterday.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9MpQSvaduzk

>>229211 Oh hey, it's this commercial again! Not gonna lie, I wouldn't mind if those Harajuku styled costumes actually became alts used in the actual games. They look fun!

I'm pretty sure with the news that BOJ will be buying ALL of Japan's bonds, the yen will crash and become really cheap. That's gonna be great news for Ralen.

$1 is about 113 yen right now. WS predicted it would have only reach about 110 yen by the end of the year.

>>229214
I bet it will be 130 by year's end! I will be able to afford to buy me one of them full sized jap dollies then. Trottla is the best.

I remember the days where it was one dollar to 120 yen...

>>229221
Just a couple of years ago it was like 75 yen to the dollar.

Rw: downtown Yokohama lhotis:

Isn't that ferris wheel the one that was used in Honey and Clover? I think if was in Yokohama.

>>229277
"lhotis"?

I watched Honey and Clover, but it was a long time ago, and I don't remember much about it. I remember the ferris wheel from the ending theme, but I don't know if it was supposed to be a specific one. It seems like there are lots of ferris wheels around Japan.

>>229281

I hate Apple autocorrect. That was supposed to be 'photos'. I w thinking of the ferris wheel Nomiya showed Ayu when he drove her in Ep 19 after she used him to try to get Mayama jealous.

http://honeyandclover.wikia.com/wiki/Episode_19

>>229285
Why would it have auto-corrected to "lhotis"? Is that even a word?

>the ferris wheel Nomiya showed Ayu when he drove her in Ep 19 after she used him to try to get Mayama jealous.

Yeah, that's why I hated this show.

The image from the link you posted isn't enough for me to tell on its own. I'd have to review the episode (if I still have it saved somewhere). It may not even be a specific ferris wheel though. Like I said, there are lots around here it seems like.

>>229288

It didn't autocorrect the word and let it through.

And if you check Ep 20s summary, it does say they drove back from Yokohama as I remembered. And Yamada constantly being needy was tiresome.

>>229289
Wouldn't it have been better to say you hate your typing instead of saying you hate the autocorrect?

I just snipped this from episode 20, and that definitely looks like the Cosmo Clock. That's the only ferris wheel I know of that has a clock on it.

>>229290

Then I'll say that I hate how autocorrect on an iPad is supposed to fix it, but didn't.

That's the one. The nighttime photo of the wheel is what made me remember Honey and Clover. That, and Nomiya telling Ayu to stop using him to provoke Mayama because things weren't going according to plan.

Also, that extra hard hair pomade... I have no words.

>>229291
So reset your autocorrect dictionary. Settings/General/Reset/Autocorrect

>>229292

Resetting won't help when it's not detecting that large an error. Maybe I need to stick to Android or use another tablet.

>>229293
Or, you know... type more carefully.

>>229295

Even when typing carefully, I find the iOS keyboard has a way of inserting new words when unintended, or deciding that it knows English better than you do... leading to a lot of 'its' when you're typing 'it's' or entering 'of' instead of 'if' . And to think of all those people telling me iOS had a better keyboard than the competition....

I'm typing this on an Android phone with much better accuracy despite the screen being much smaller.

Incidentally, where did you find that hair pomade, and did you buy it?

I can attest for azuny's iOS auto-spelling. The amount of unintelligible words added to the dictionary...

>>229296
I don't usually type from my phone, but that's the reason I disabled autocorrect entirely and just watch what I type instead.

I found that hair pomade in the men's cosmetics section of the local Don Quijote (where I do most of my shopping). I don't use pomade, and I didn't really want to buy it just so I could get a picture (like I did with the micro beer earlier) so I just did my best to discretely take a picture of it in the store.

>>229195
I'm curious, did you actually download the video?
I ask because my mediafire page still shows 0 downloads.

>>229299

Does it count downloads when you use the "watch" link? That's how you linked it from your Tumblr... and I did force a download by changing the "watch" in the URL to "file", so I think the counter is broken.

>>229300
I didn't realize I had posted it as a "watch" link.
I just clicked the "Share" button from the mediafire interface and that's the link it generated.

One of the hula hoop relay videos shows a single download, but the rest all show 0.

>>229293
Of course it will help. Are you crazy? Resetting it will MAKE it detect that error again.

>>229307

Nope. It's not detecting 'lhotis' as an invalid word on iOS and it didn't show up as a suggested word. My Android does see that as an error and offers suggestions (like photos).

Resetting the autocorrect dictionary is useless when it doesn't see the error in the first place. V if it was inserting it, then that'd help.

You got to see the life sized Gundam? Sweet.

What sort of shops are in the Aqua shopping centre, anyways?

Also, how's the Coke body wash working out?

>>229317
I didn't actually go inside the Aqua building. I was pressed for time that day since I slept until 10 and didn't get to Odaiba until noon.
It looked like just your usual shopping center though. Clothes, food court, etc.
All the shopping centers around here have unusual English names that are kind of misleading like "Megaweb" or "Aqua City" or "World Porters" or "Venus Fort" or "Diver City Tokyo." They make you think it's something really cool inside when really it's just your standard mall.
Actually, Venus Fort might be an exception, because it does have unusual architecture inside. And Megaweb did have an old car museum.

I'm tempted to say the life-sized Gundam was cooler than the Skytree.

The cola body wash started off pretty awesome. When I squirted some out it smelled just like cola (not Coke, more like off-brand cola). But the more I washed with it, the more the cola smell faded and I was left with nothing but the overpowering smell of menthol. Also, menthol on my balls. It was like smearing Bengay everywhere.

Reading Ralen's blog, I noticed it was the same story mentioned in Cowboy Bebop (spoilers if you haven't seen the show-- which I wonder why you haven't):
http://www.reddit.com/r/anime/comments/25bnip/spoilers_the_full_cat_story_from_the_last_episode/

Although, I think an important part that might be overlooked is, as mentioned by one poster, that the appreciation and love given to the cat from the owners wasn't returned in kind.
Damn, Cowboy Bebop was taken to a whole new level for me. I mean, that's pretty much the story of the show, just with an actual antagonist. What a game changer.

>>229321

Damn. I thought since of those malls would have something a tad now unique.

Re: Gundam being cooler than the Sky Tree - can't blame you. The only way the Sky Tree would be better would be if the view was perfect. Otherwise, a life size Gundam that lights up and occasionally moves beats it hands down.

And... how the heck did they hide the scent of menthol under cola? I would think you'd notice the menthol and the cola scents at the same time.

Also, I got Ralen to go TMI on Azu. Yay?

>>229330
There may have been some kind of draw once you get inside, like the car museum at Megaweb for instance, but like I said, I didn't have time to go inside, so I didn't get to check to be certain. World Porters was a similar looking shopping center in Yokohama which I visited the day before, and there wasn't really anything special in there except a movie theater on the top floor (which had an awesome poster for a new horror movie called Daruma-san ga Koroshita showing a bloody daruma doll on a classroom podium with dozens of slaughtered kids on the floor in front of him).

As far as the cola body wash, the smell starts off more spiced-scented with the menthol being a smaller component, but it seems like the more you use it, the more that other stuff washes away and all you're left with is menthol. It really isn't that overpowering, I was exaggerating for comedic effect, but it really does end up being nothing but menthol scent by the end.

Have I not talked about my balls on here before?

^I would have 'capped it, print then put it in a frame to place on my bathroom wall if you did.

>>229334

Still, shame that the malls didn't have any other obvious draws like certain stores... although the Daruma movie sounds interesting

>>229340

You just did so, didn't you?

>>229311

>Resetting the autocorrect dictionary is useless when it doesn’t see the error in the first place.

Of course it would. If the error is “not being detected”, then it’s one of two things. 1: it’s a real word 2: you have, in the past, told the system to ignore the misspelling and it has learned from you that it is wrong. A reset would therefore fix that.

A-are we allowed to ask questions? Have you seen any IM stuff?

>>229343

With iOS, if you're typing in a text box, it doesn't seem to autocorrect until you highlight the word.

Android... that's another story.

>>229344
Just what I mentioned in >>229180.
There was a spiral staircase in the back of an arcade in Akihabara, and there was an Ana gununu printout at the bottom with text overlaid saying the staircase was descending only.

Aside from that I don't recall seeing anything IM related.

>>229343
Or, it's so far off from any word in its internal dictionary, that it has no idea what to correct it to.

>>229341
Here's the poster for the daruma movie.
The title (in case you didn't already realize) is a parody of the children's game "Daruma-san ga koronda" (the daruma fell over) which is played the same as "Red Light/Green Light."

>>229349
Actually, I just realized, "Daruma-san ga Koroshita" is just the tagline.
The title is "Kami-sama no Iu Toori" ("As God Commands.")

>>229349

That's one demonic looking Daruma doll. Also sounds like a s5amfard psycho person plot.

Standard even. Bah.

>>229352
Saw a preview for this movie on the train today. It actually looks like a comedy-horror (either that or I have a weird sense of humor).
There's no audio for the video screens on the train, but the Daruma doll was CG and looked like it was talking, and there appeared to be all sorts of other classic Japanese wooden toys terrorizing the school.

>>229378

Toy Story: Revengeance. I like the concept. The producers over here would fuck it all up, of course.

Goddamn bears like wasabi too? Looks like the pepper bear spray guys are in trouble.

Also, that does sound like a lot of rural areas, with regards to everything closing up early. And even if it's a bit run down, that sounds like a deal at around $30 a night.

>>229426
Just a note, because I take everything literally, the "hot" stuff in wasabi isn't the same as the stuff in peppers.

Also, not only did everything seem to be closed early, the next morning even by 11:00 there were hardly any people on the streets, and most of the shops looked deserted. Even some of the ones that were supposedly open were dimly lit with no one visible inside. It wasn't until around 2:30-3:00 that I finally started seeing decent numbers of people out on the streets. But by that time, sunset was only an hour or two away.

>>229427

That reminds me of some of the less travelled towns I've been to in China - things are rather quiet and sedate, with stores being open as needed and not necessarily at set hours.

What resort spots do they have, and did you go?

>>229428
I'll write in more detail about it in my blog, but basically it was a town up in the mountains built around a natural hot spring, so the main attraction was inns with hot spring baths. These were largely full-service inns with meals included, so some of the nicer ones were priced at hundreds of dollars per night.

>>229429
Oh, and I also remember seeing ski lodgings nearby when I was searching online for a place to stay, but it didn't look like they were anywhere close to having snow any time soon.

Although on the train ride back I did see a few hills that had been coated with snow from snow-blowers.

All right, which one of you posted the speedo comment?

>>229434

I don't see that comment up.

Also, damn shame about the baths situation.

>>229435
That's because I didn't approve/post it.

Yeah it was weird having all those places tell me they didn't allow day use after seeing their names specifically identified on a travel website as locations that did allow day use. But maybe the travel website was wrong.

At least I got to go in one. There are also others closer to where I'm living that I could try some time if I really wanted to.

>>229427

Interesting, I watched Channel News Asia last night about depopulation in several prefectures in Japan where some villages only populated by 50 people or less. It's sad to see those villages got abandoned because youngsters want to move to big cities where job opportunities exist.

An old lady in Nagoro village made life sized dolls to replace people who moved out or died. She placed them in empty houses, bus stop, food vendors, schools etc etc.

Source: http://www.tokyotimes.com/nearly-empty-japanese-village-populated-by-life-sized-dolls/

I used that link because other links start calling the village creepy and stuff. But I think in reality it's more sad than creepy. The village is a beautiful place but no one want to move there anymore.

I remember reading an article about a young American guy who became mayor of a Japanese village that was pretty much all old people. Probably no more than a hundred in population.
I wonder how that turned out? It'd be cool to say that you run a Japanese village, but economically it can't be good...

Ralen should snatch one of these villages up. /azu/ can act as consultant and move Yotuba Studios there, that way we'd be updated on the progress of the latest chapters.

>>229438
It is sad, but it's also a little unsettling.
Maybe not creepy, but kind of disturbing in the same way an abandoned elementary school overgrown with weeds is unsettling.

The whole thing is very Children of Men, or I Am Legend (where Will Smith sets up mannequins all over the city).

I got this pudding cup at the store the other day, but it wasn't until just now that I recognized where I had seen it before.

I also just realized that I ate it wrong. Apparently you're supposed to flip it upside down onto a plate so the caramel/flan/whatever sauce is on top. But the instructions were printed on the bottom of the cup, so I didn't see them until I was already done.

>>229442
I'm interested in hearing whether any of your classmates made the same mistake.

>>229478

I just made the same mistake YESTERDAY.

It's not pudding, just a Pannacotta but the cup is the same. I just realized it now after I saw the cup here.

>>229478
Whether any of my classmates have eaten Pucchin Pudding the wrong way?
I would have no idea...

>caution crow

Not sure if this makes a better indie band name or some kind of kids safety mascot

>>229481
If it was a band, we already know what the posters would look like.

So you know how in anime or manga you'll hear characters talk about getting lightheaded while taking a bath?

I always used to think that was one of those things the Japanese like to exaggerate about, like getting a nosebleed when you're aroused, or how, for some reason, they think your appetite increases in the fall (I've never noticed it, but everyone here seems to think it's a scientific fact).

Well after going to a bath house today, I discovered that's actually true. After begin in the bath for... I don't know, not very long. Maybe 10-15 minutes with a short break in the middle, I noticed I was getting lightheaded.
Not long after I got extremely dizzy. Like, being super drunk or just having spun yourself around in circles dizzy. Everything was spinning. I had to sit down and cool off for several minutes before I started to feel normal again.
I was surprised that sort of thing could actually happen.

Posting here instead of my blog, because no one who reads my blog will have any idea what I'm talking about.

>>229495 Are bath houses almost sauna-like in their warmness/humidity, because that wouldn't really be much of a surprise.

>>229496
No, they're not that hot. The one I went to yesterday and the one at the capsule hotel had a separate sauna which was almost unbearably hot.
The bath itself is just comfortably heated in my opinion. The thermometers were showing the water at just above 40 degrees Celsius.

>>229495

Know where feeling. Then again, I've been in overheating situations way too often for my comfort. It helps to get away from the baths and to splash cooler water over your head.

>>229500
Yeah, when I started feeling too lightheaded, I rinsed myself with some of the water from the cold bath (5 degrees Celsius) and then I sat outside for awhile to cool off, which is actually when I started feeling really dizzy. It went away after a few minutes though.
I can see why they tell people not to drink alcohol before bathing.
There were lots of warnings on this bath house's website about making sure you know your limits, stay properly hydrated, etc. because they said they'd had an increasing number of people passing out, but I figured it was all just hypersensitivity (kind of like all the warning signs they post for bears everywhere in the countryside, even though I have a hard time believing bear sightings are any more common there than the trails I've hiked in the US).

I can't believe that it's just the heat alone though. I mean I grew up in a place with summers where it regularly stayed triple digits for weeks on end, and this bath house was nowhere near that hot. I figure there must be some other factor
at play, although I don't know what it is.

>>229501

It's not about just the external heat with overheating - it's more that your system can't cope as its normal mechanisms (like sweating) are insufficient to the task due to the humidity and being surrounded by the hour water, so you start to shut down.

Hot water, even.

>>229495

I see you posted it on the blog anyways.

I'm going to guess you didn't see a lot of heavier people on the onsen?

>>229504
Yeah, I figured it was noteworthy enough to mention, and I introduced it as "I read on the website" as opposed to "You know how you see in anime and manga?" (since most of my readers aside from you guys are family and coworkers who probably don't even know what a manga is).

I don't see a lot of heavier people in Japan in general. There were one or two slightly pudgy middle-aged guys, but most people looked like they had an average body weight.

There was one man who came in with a little kid who looked like he was about 2 years old, but they were only there for a few minutes. It probably took them more time to change and get washed at the showers than they spent in the tub.

Ragathol, question for you.

Today our school held a Christmas event which was basically like a talent show. Each class did some kind of performance.

During the afternoon session one of the classes went up on stage, and the person next to me said "Oh, there are a lot of Swedish people in that class."

How did he know that? It sounded like he didn't know them personally, so how does one Swedish person recognize another?

>>229536
Maybe it's a skill they're just Bjorn with.

>>229536

Sat, which one of those figures on the card you got depicts you, if you don't mind me asking?

>>229543
I'm tempted to just tell you, but I'm also curious to know which one you guys think is me.

>>229539
Ikean't believe you said that. I really want to kalle you out on it, but it's too much bjork to think something clever.

>>229544
I'd like to think it's the guy on the bottom right with the cool hair. Well, that or the guy on top left.

>>229546
My bet is on the guy with glasses on the upper left side of the card. There's no way that you'd be the cute fuel at the bottom.

Cute girl, even.

>>229549
I would suggest you do something about your auto correct, but these are too priceless. Please keep misspelling words.
I think "Cute fuel" needs to be added to the internet slang lexicon.

I am, actually, represented by the handsome bastard on the bottom right with the cool hair.
Although naturally, everyone looks better in manga form.

The guy on the top left with the glasses is one of the two people who drew the card. If you look, you can tell that the first 5 people were drawn by one person, and the next 5 were drawn by someone else.
I suspect the guy on the top left is the one who drew the last 5. The guy in the bottom middle with the blonde streak in his hair was the other artist, and I suspect he drew the first 5.

As for the girl at the bottom, there was only one white girl under 300 pounds in our class, so it's obvious who it's supposed to be, but really it doesn't look anything like her.

>>229550

Your daily dose of hilarity, courtesy of Google Keyboard. You get exactly what you pay for.

I discounted the guy in the bottom right because he looked too... Nordic?

>>229551
Are you saying I look like Thor? Because I'm down with that.

And hey, I could have Nordic ancestry for all I know. I have no idea where my distant ancestors immigrated to the US from (although my surname is Irish...)

>>229554

By Mjolnir and Yotsuba!

Enjoy Christmas with the folks! I wish I could've hung around Japan this autumn.

I'm back home now. It feels weird.

My 20-whatever inch PC monitor feels like an enormous IMAX screen after being confined to that small laptop for three months.

Also I've been up for 30 hours at this point so that could have something to do with it.

Well, that was fun. Nice to see at least one /azu/hole document their pilgrimage. I probably would just get into huge debt at maid cafes.

Sounds like you could have experienced a lot more if given the opportunities, but for three months it wasn't a bad deal (I was hoping your trip would have ended like Lost In Translation, but that's just me). I'm planning to go to Japan for a concert event next year. I'd be lucky to visit the country side for a weekend trip.

You're killing off your tumblr, though? You can still use it for stuff. You know, like, freaky-deeky things. Or whatever.

"I had like 59 episodes of The Colbert Report, but I managed to keep up with those online while I was gone, so I tried to delete them all.
I accidentally deleted everything on my DVR.”

That's definitely an Azuma punchline, right there. I was expecting a picture of Koiwai holding his head, such as when Yotsuba blew the breaker during the air conditioning chapter.

Hope you have a good time although that means I have to wait for more time for new chapters of Yotsubato! Every time I come back to read the previous chapters, I yearn so much for new chapters. That's nobody's fault than mine though just sharing. Enjoy your trip to Japan!! :)

>>229579
You mean Bill Murray whispers in Ralen's ear, causing him to burst into tears?

>>229582

Um, he just came back, per post >>229566

That was a little late...

>>229583

So Ralen is Scarlett Johansson? He sure didn't look like her in that farewell card he got.

>>229584
Scarlett Johansson and Ralen are both beautiful ...in their own way.
Hell, I'd say he has more lavish hair, even if that drawing is taking liberties.

>>229580
I recently experienced an inversion of this blunder. A few days ago, I caught wind of a Niconico live broadcast related to a series I follow, but it was hours before it began and would start and end in my sleep. I took the time to write a fan letter with the help of a translator and sent it before going to bed.

When I woke up the next morning, I realized I had completely neglected to take any measures to record it.

Being unfamiliar with Niconico, I assumed that live streams are automatically archived for later viewing, but it was disallowed in this case. I learned later that my letter was read, but there is no record of the reply.

^If it was a big event I think your chances are good of someone recording segments of the broadcast and then upload it to YouTube or some share filing service (some fan communities horde and hide those so they don't get taken down).
That's usually the case for live events I can't watch on Nico.

>>229580
I didn't think about it at the time, but you're absolutely right, that is just like an Azuma punchline.

Not like a punchline he would've written into his manga, but like some blunder he would have tweeted about. Like just recently when he ripped open the bag of ramen broth when he was trying to boil it, or awhile back when his bidet got stuck in the on mode and he was trapped on the toilet for 20 minutes.

>>229595

In expecting the latter to end up in a Yotsuba chapter eventually.

>>229595
Or like when Azuma paid last year's gas bill thinking it was this year's.
>>229599

>>229600

I swear, if he put all these stories/tweets into a book, he could live off the royalties.

>>229593
It was uploaded in full yesterday, so the dilemma is averted. The reply I got was, in a word, breathtaking.

Just out of curiosity, is one of you the follower on my blog known as "The Excel"?

I'm not, but if you have a follower called Nasty Nate, that's me.