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A trip to Fox Village

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A movie that made me cry the hardest.

I'm going to put my male ego aside and accept that I do in fact tear up for some movies. But this movie literally made me cry. How could it not? It's about the most faithful dog in history. A professor develops a strong and unique bond with an abandoned dog and takes him into his home. The story is about his loyalty towards the professor. Even after his death Hachi waits for a decade at the station that the professor normally got down at everyday. A decade! Hachi waited everyday in hopes that he would come back to take him. It's an absolutely beautiful story and will make anyone cry. This was based on a true story.He has his own statue next to Shibuya Train Station in Tokyo. Hundreds of people take their photo with him everyday. People there call him “”Chuken-Hachiko”, which means “Hachiko – the faithful dog”. I loved this movie. If you haven't watched it yet, you should definitely check it out.

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Some things that a visitor to Japan absolutely should not do (Do's and Don'ts in Japan )

In addition to social taboos, I'd also like to include some travel tips for those not used to traveling across Japan. The Don'ts: • Don't only speak only in your language. Of course I'm not saying you should speak Japanese perfectly before ever visiting Japan. But, a few phrases in Japanese will go a long way. Even just memorizing "Hello (Konnichiwa)" and "Thank you (Arigatou)" and using them may make the Japanese feel closer to you. Overall the times I've seen my foreign friends use the little Japanese they know, they usually got back a heartfelt response, a little chuckle, or a nice smile. • Don't leave your passport. During travel it might seem like a better idea to keep your passport locked up in a safe vault back in the hotel. However, since the risk of getting your passport stolen in Japan is relatively close to zero, the benefits of carrying it around far outweigh the small risk of losing it. There are many discount stores such as Don Quijote and Yodobashi Camera that don't charge tax if you meet requirements and show your passport. (See: Japan Tax-Free Shopping Guide) Also, technically a police officer is entitled to ask to see your passport at any given moment, so better safe than sorry. • Don't listen to music on high volume. I was once on a train in Tokyo listening to my iPhone. Well, apparently it was leaking from my earphones, and the salary-man I accidentally woke up started to yell at me at the top of his lungs and even proceeded to push me with his fist so hard I toppled backwards. While he was an extreme case (and an utter jerk), the truth remains that in recent years leaking music has come to be considered as a public nuisance. Removing your head/earphones and checking the volume once will help you avoid annoying those around you. • Don't go empty handed. If you're traveling on a budget, you might end up booking through Airbnb, Agoda, or even couchsurfing. While it's not guaranteed that you will meet the host or other guests, it's a great idea to have small trinkets (whether it be candy or key chains) representative of your country to be able to share with unexpected friends you make along the way. They will be greatly appreciated. •Enter someone's home without taking shoes off Japanese culture separates the home from the "outer world." As such, taking the shoes off when entering someone's home physically signifies this notion. While most Japanese understand that many westerners have no such custom, everyone is expected to take their shoes off when entering a home. Also, there are some public places such as temples, shrines, and restaurants where one must take the shoes off and some of those places have no signs to tell people to take their shoes off, so non-Japanese visitors need to pay careful attention. The Do's: • Do carry around pocket tissue. It's probably no secret that Japan has some of the most technologically advanced, cleanest bathrooms ever. But don't be fooled, there are public bathrooms that are quite dirty, and even worse, have no toilet paper. I've ran into bathrooms desperately many times before only to find I have nothing to wipe with. Sometimes restaurants don't have napkins as well so tissue really comes in handy. Also, if you go to the train station you can normally find people handing out free pocket tissue. • Do use free WiFi. Data roaming can quickly empty out your bank account, and that's where free WiFi comes in handy. You may already know about hot spots in the airport, but did you also know convenience stores such as 7-Eleven and Family Mart have started offering free WiFi, as well as Tokyo Metro stations and Toei buses? In addition, many McDonald's have hot spots as well as major tourist destinations such as Tokyo Skytree and Kyoto. •Do buy a Suica. Suica is a rechargeable transportation card that you can purchase at major JR train stations. In different regions of Japan they have different names, such as Pasmo and Icoca. While you do have to pay 500 yen (4.50 U.S. dollars) just for the card, having a prepaid card instead of buying train tickets every single trip will save you a lot of time. They are also super useful since you can use them for vending machines as well as in many convenience stores, kiosks, and restaurants. • Do use all-night buses. Last month I took a bullet train from Tokyo to Kyoto and paid a whopping 13,830 yen (124 dollars). On the way back, I reserved an all-night bus and only paid 3,000 yen (27 dollars). While these buses aren't comfortable and sometimes don't have bathrooms, saving thousands of yen and a night of lodging means more money for fun stuff, like food and souvenirs! Reservations and bus terminals are slightly complicated so you may have to ask for help from a local, but nonetheless I definitely think these buses are worth at least one try. (See: Willer Express - Bus, Night Bus, Booking in Japan) • Do bring comfortable shoes. Those go-to comfy shoes you have? Think again. Just because they feel great for walking short distances doesn't mean they will for long distances. In India I only walk about 3,000 steps a day whereas in Japan I walked at least 8,000 and on weekends, up to 20,000. I took my comfiest boots to Japan last month and was limping and crying at the end of the day. Do make sure that your shoes are really going to hold up to the high amount of walking that Japan will have you doing. * In regards to avoiding offensive behavior, it can be mind-boggling as the culture in Japan is quite complex. I honestly do not think I can list every single taboo to have ever existed, so I'd like to sum it all up into one basic rule I invented: When in doubt, act as you would in a public library. That means no loud talking, cellphones, rapid movements, running, and overall disruptive actions. Put yourself in others shoes and think, "If I saw someone else doing this, would I feel bothered, even if only in the slightest?" If the answer is a yes, don't do it. I think you pretty much can't go wrong.

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Saturated Sendai 😻

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Walking Trail

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What is it like living in Japan as a foreigner?

Generally, very good.

Japan is a great place to live, and certainly one you should experience at least once in your life.

Now, with that said, there’s some general things to note about being a foreigner living in Japan:

• You’ll be filling out a ridiculous amount of paperwork at times.

• You’ll inevitably be asked many of the same questions over and over again about where you’re from, why you came to Japan and so forth.

• If you don’t learn the language, you’re asking for a miserable experience. A friend once put it best: “you either have escape velocity, or you don’t.” There are foreigners who’ve lived here for over ten years and still can’t speak a bit of Japanese, and many of them just seem to be fooling themselves into thinking they’re happy when in reality they’re trapped in their own world.

• If you live in one of the larger cities (Tokyo, Osaka, etc), you’ll never really have too many problems getting around or anything if you don’t know the language. More rural areas will give you a headache if you’re not prepared.

• Depending on the area you happen to live in, you’ll probably be stared at from time to time. Your options are to just smile, nod and move on with your life, or feel awkward and… well, leave Japan. This probably isn’t changing.

• Even if you can speak some Japanese, speaking to native Japanese people in it will often result in a “oh no, this person can’t speak Japanese, I’ll try to use English instead” response from them. This can get annoying, but it’s bound to happen - just reiterate in Japanese calmly, or switch to English and play the “figure out what they actually mean” game. Not a huge deal, to be honest.

• Depending on your nationality of origin, dating can vary greatly. This is covered in detail elsewhere, though, so I’ll just note it and move on.

• According to some friends, if you look like you’re somewhere you don’t belong you can be stopped and asked to show your registration card or passport. I’ve yet to have this happen, but I imagine it’s not out of the question.

• Converse to the above points, many Japanese people love experiencing other cultures (which is, granted, like much of humanity in general). If you’re friendly and outgoing it’s actually very easy to get to know people! There’s a reason it’s known as one of the most polite cultures around.

Last but not least… Being a foreigner in Japan is also just entirely what you make of it. If you’re naturally outgoing and friendly, and you learn the language, you can have an incredible time in an utterly amazing country. While many of my above points focus more on the difficulties, it’s still an experience well worth having; don’t be deterred by the ridiculous amount of foreigners who fled Japan after the recent earthquakes either. ;)

Disclaimer: Yes, those who know me know my command of the language is nowhere near great, but I’m still learning just like others. At the very least take my word on it and make the effort! It can make all the difference in your experiences here.