[Sven G]

Hey, Deku: there was no offense intended with the Japanese tourist thing! Of course, I meant "stupid" in the meaning of "a little funny".

It's just that they have a particular way of behaving, as someone said above: in addition to the aforementioned stereotypes, I'd add that some of them (women, especially) also use the umbrella in summer to "protect" themselves against the sun - which indeed seems a little hilarious for an European! Anyway, some Japanese women are also quite cute.

As for Italian/Milanese tourists abroad, we all know that they too are funny - and ubiquitous, like the Japanese (and English isn't certainly their "speciality")! If you know Italian (or want to learn it, so you can communicate better with the tourists, for example ), I suggest you read this book by Beppe Severgnini (he's a Milanese journalist who has lived many years abroad, mainly in Britain and the US, and also a Mac user):



Another kind of tourist groups that have a little funny behavior are the Swiss (especially for their "Schwiizert�tsch" accent) and the German (beer, etc.). In general, there's at least some funny characteristic in every nationality, above all when people are in non-spontaneous groups like those of organized tourism - also the Americans/New Yorkers, of course!

[milf]

The weather hasn't been too untolerable lately, but I need to find a spot with warmer weather year-round. Anyone have any input on the south of France or some other coastal living environment? What about SoCal? A friend mentioned great weather and that I'd fit in perfectly with the generally laidback attitude. Don't know if I could do LA, but I eager to at least check it out.

[dlefebvre]

Montreal, Canada

Pros:
Diversity, Great party city, Friendly people from all around, Many amazing restaurants and bars, Beautifull women, Nice summer, Decent music scene, Beautifull Old Montreal

Cons:
Cold winter, Parking during winter, Parking during the 3 other seasons, Subway closed at 1h30,

[ambush]

I can't stand Montr�al's winter. Argh. SO COLD.

But I really love Montr�al's summer. SO FREAKIN' HOT.

[milf]

I can't stand Montr�al's winter. Argh. SO COLD.

But I really love Montr�al's summer. SO FREAKIN' HOT.

Everyone claims I'll miss having seasons if I move to a location that's warm year-round. Might be true eventually, but I could certainly do without a harsh winter. I need to find a place with moderate winters (60s) and warm summers (80s). I don't need the humidity of DC summers and the freezing temperatures of DC winters.

[MadBrowser]

Santa Barbara, CA

Pros:

Probably the prettiest all around place I have ever been - and I've been all around the world.
Awesome architecture.
Pretty good nightlife.
Great food.
Feels homey and small even though it is 100,000+ people now.

Cons:

The median home price is $950,000. VERY EXPENSIVE.
Too close to LA - all those fools infect us each weekend.

[DekuDekuplex]

Originally posted by milf:
Everyone claims I'll miss having seasons if I move to a location that's warm year-round. Might be true eventually, but I could certainly do without a harsh winter. I need to find a place with moderate winters (60s) and warm summers (80s). I don't need the humidity of DC summers and the freezing temperatures of DC winters.

How about San Francisco, California? I was actually born there, and used to live there until about six months old.

The temperature there reportedly holds fairly steady within a relatively short range of about 72� F (22� C) per year.

--DekuDekuplex

[stevesnj]

Low crime, small town, near Philadelphia, not too close but far enough to keep the rif raf out...and tdrinkable tap water. We seem to have some of the best tap water in the state. We don't even need to use bottled water here! Now if that doesn't do it for yah than oh well...lol

[Paco500]

Another DC Metro representative here. I have to agree with almost everything said about the area. I was born here and have lived here off and on my whole life.

My outlook on the area just became about 100x more positive in the last month as I just scored a good job less than 5 min from home.

I was working in DC, so I'm saving over 2 hours a day in commuting time.

Fairfax County (of which my area, Reston, is a part of), has some of the best public schools in the nation, which is a good thing if you have wee ones as I do.

Someday I would like to try somewhere else- the Pacific Northwest is a the top of my list. But for now, as long as I can live and work in the same town, I'm pretty happy.

[Athens]

Originally posted by milf:
Everyone claims I'll miss having seasons if I move to a location that's warm year-round. Might be true eventually, but I could certainly do without a harsh winter. I need to find a place with moderate winters (60s) and warm summers (80s). I don't need the humidity of DC summers and the freezing temperatures of DC winters.

Thats pretty much the NorthWest, Seattle and Vancouver, we have the mildest weather in North America. Our summers are in the mid 20s for average and winters average 0-6, its raw to be below 0... Dont know what that is in F...

A link to some ones personal page about Vancouver, dont forget to click on there parks link

[Monique]

I live in Calgary because I got into the habit of having a roof over my head and food on the table also I will be able to visit London (the real one) in January.

I do not find any pros to this city here are a few of the cons:

- It is dirty;
- It is mediocre;
- You have to pay extra for basic medical care;
- People are racist, vulgar, rude, dirty...;
- It is ugly as hell;
- Because I am not rich and do not have a car I do not have the opportunity to go to the mountains;
- There are plenty of lousy jobs;
- You do not get respect from anyone;
- There is no actual culture (and what I mean by culture is classical music like the great orchestras in the world, museums like the Smithsonian, the Gungenham (sorry about the spelling), the British Museum of fine arts, the Louvre etc., beautiful architecture, etc.
- Most people are ignorant and it is not a pleasure trying to have a discussion with them.
- It is very expensive especially since most people do not have any money you are very restricted to what you can do;
- There is rarely something new to learn from the people or the organisations here;
- We are in the middle of a mad cow crisis and people still refuse to take responsabilities for it;
- We have one of the worst Premier (king Ralph) who think they should charge homeless people fines for walking the streets, begging for money and charge a fee for using a shelter.
- It is very violent (I was attacked not seriously but someone jump in front of me and grab my breast while everyone else laughed, and someone I know got attacked seriously and the police is taking its time to track down the attacker which they will never do because he is gay).

I wish I could live in Europe but it is very hard to get the papers to live there; during my trip I will try to meed someone I can marry and I can be happy in London (the real one); even if I am still poor when I take a walk I won't be throwing up because of the ugliness around me.

[tomdavidson69]

UK:

Pros:
- no deadly animals/killer weather/plants that slowly digest you.
- It's umm "quaint" and green...
- I like most of the people here...
- I like british humour
- Manual cars and bendy roads

Cons:
- It's damp pretty much all the time or grey, but only grey if you're lucky...and you NEVER get a white christmas anymore
- Fer-kin expensive for anything...
- Whilst I like the people, I don't like some of the more general cultures developing...
- I'm no politician but our government is **** (I'm a student so allow me my RANT RAHH! ahem..)

Oxford

Pros:
- Lots of old historical buildings/areas where you can go "ooooh" how nice...
- Ermm....culture i guess...
- Ah, not far from London really...
- Student orientated city both pro and con...

Cons:
- 25% of Oxford is really nice the rest is dire, and I mean dire...I suppose because you can see the contrast of beautiful and horrific!
- Expensive, London prices but no London weighting on pay...
- Too many students...
- Tourists ARGH!! Those who think it's OK to stop in the middle of a busy pavement and take a photo ARGH!! Next time it happens I'm going to LOSE IT and...and........tap them on the shoulder and say "excuse me"...


That'll do..

[Athens]

Originally posted by Monique:
I live in Calgary because I got into the habit of having a roof over my head and food on the table also I will be able to visit London (the real one) in January.

I do not find any pros to this city here are a few of the cons:

- It is dirty;
- It is mediocre;
- You have to pay extra for basic medical care;
- People are racist, vulgar, rude, dirty...;
- It is ugly as hell;
- Because I am not rich and do not have a car I do not have the opportunity to go to the mountains;
- There are plenty of lousy jobs;
- You do not get respect from anyone;
- There is no actual culture (and what I mean by culture is classical music like the great orchestras in the world, museums like the Smithsonian, the Gungenham (sorry about the spelling), the British Museum of fine arts, the Louvre etc., beautiful architecture, etc.
- Most people are ignorant and it is not a pleasure trying to have a discussion with them.
- It is very expensive especially since most people do not have any money you are very restricted to what you can do;
- There is rarely something new to learn from the people or the organisations here;
- We are in the middle of a mad cow crisis and people still refuse to take responsabilities for it;
- We have one of the worst Premier (king Ralph) who think they should charge homeless people fines for walking the streets, begging for money and charge a fee for using a shelter.
- It is very violent (I was attacked not seriously but someone jump in front of me and grab my breast while everyone else laughed, and someone I know got attacked seriously and the police is taking its time to track down the attacker which they will never do because he is gay).

I wish I could live in Europe but it is very hard to get the papers to live there; during my trip I will try to meed someone I can marry and I can be happy in London (the real one); even if I am still poor when I take a walk I won't be throwing up because of the ugliness around me.

Which part of Calgary do you live in? I visited it there last year and I found it to be clean and all the ppl super nice, to nice actually, when we cut this guy off in Downtown we expected a F U and a finger, what you would get in Vancouver but instead it was a "could you watch what your doing please, thank you" LOL we where so shocked we thought we where on another planet.

[Cipher13]

Originally posted by Athens:
Which part of Calgary do you live in? I visited it there last year and I found it to be clean and all the ppl super nice, to nice actually, when we cut this guy off in Downtown we expected a F U and a finger, what you would get in Vancouver but instead it was a "could you watch what your doing please, thank you" LOL we where so shocked we thought we where on another planet.

For those of you who do not know Monique...

She has an incredibly boring and tiring hatred for her country of residence, Canada, and considers anywhere in the US to be practically Heaven. No objectivity nor reason whatsoever is involved.

[Cipher13]

Originally posted by milf:
I've been to most of the places mentioned so far, except Australia. The Croc' Hunter has me spooked though. Too much sh*t down there the size of a quarter that could take my life in a matter of seconds. :-P

Only if you don't sleep with one eye open...

[Zoc]

No one has mentioned the two cities I've lived in lately, so I'll put them on the list

Tokyo, Japan
Pros
Wonderful food.
Everything you eat tastes better here than anywhere else I've been, even ordinary things like apples or milk.
No crime.
You're as safe in the worst part of town, at midnight, as you are at home with the door locked in the middle of the afternoon.
An amazingly multifaceted city.
Most cities have a mood, an atmosphere. Tokyo has about two dozen. If you're bored of the place you're in, walk in any direction for ten minutes. You'll feel like you stepped off a train.
Shopping
You can find anything you want if you look for it and have the money, anything. Most places are like this now to some extent- you can find Prada bags or a Thai restaurant anywhere- but come to Tokyo if you really want to know what choice is.

Cons
Expensive as hell. The most expensive city in the world.
Hands down the ugliest city I've ever seen.
Don't believe what you hear: people are rude.
Subways close at 12:30. Make it out of the bar by then or you're staying till sunrise (forget a taxi unless you want a second mortgage).
No ethnic diversity. If you aren't Asian, prepare to experience not seeing another person of your skin colour for a week. Walk by a mirror and think "who's the freak?"
If you aren't Japanese and can't speak the language perfectly, you will only ever find friends in the weirdo expatriate community.

Now about the place I lived for a year before I came here, and my favourite city in the world- Moscow, Russia. I wish I was there now.

Pros
Culture in Moscow is a living, breathing thing. Everyone knows all the great Russian writers, composers, and painters, and cares passionately about them. In rich countries people are too busy to do anything except fall in front of reality tv at night.
A beautiful, beautiful city, but nothing like what you've seen before. Sure, Paris or Rome are great- but you've already seen them before you get off the plane. In Moscow, you can turn a corner and see a church hundreds of years old that blows your mind- completely unlike anything you've imagined
No bullshit from anyone. People might not all like you or anything, but they will never give you sh*t just for the sake of it. People have more important things to worry about.
Cheap, cheap, cheap. Stay away from imports or foreigner apartments, and you'll save about 95% of your salary, if you work for a Western company.

Cons
Dangerous. You *will* hear terrorist or mafia bombs going off, and you *will* see dead bodies.
Awful traffic, accidents constantly. Again, you'll see a lot of dead bodies by the side of the road, and I'm not kidding.
Poverty, crumbling buildings. Kind of awful.
If you make any local friends, you'll be depressed by their shitty lives.

[Athens]

Originally posted by Cipher13:
For those of you who do not know Monique...

She has an incredibly boring and tiring hatred for her country of residence, Canada, and considers anywhere in the US to be practically Heaven. No objectivity nor reason whatsoever is involved.

Ya there is reason for it, she has never been anywhere else in her life.. which I assume, cuz I dont know her

[milf]

How about San Francisco, California? I was actually born there, and used to live there until about six months old.

The temperature there reportedly holds fairly steady within a relatively short range of about 72� F (22� C) per year.

--DekuDekuplex

I've thought about San Francisco. I spent an extended summer in San Mateo and loved the area, my internship, and the people that I met. Great place to be and definitely a consideration. I'll have to visit my uncle out there again and see what there is like now that I'm old enough to enjoy the city's nightlife.

Cons
Dangerous. You *will* hear terrorist or mafia bombs going off, and you *will* see dead bodies.
Awful traffic, accidents constantly. Again, you'll see a lot of dead bodies by the side of the road, and I'm not kidding.
Poverty, crumbling buildings. Kind of awful.
If you make any local friends, you'll be depressed by their shitty lives.

No thanks! :-)

Santa Barbara, CA

Pros:

Probably the prettiest all around place I have ever been - and I've been all around the world.
Awesome architecture.
Pretty good nightlife.
Great food.
Feels homey and small even though it is 100,000+ people now.

Cons:

The median home price is $950,000. VERY EXPENSIVE.
Too close to LA - all those fools infect us each weekend.

I'm still truly interested in SoCal, it's just that I really know nothing about it. I'll be able to visit a friend in LA soon, but that's hardly a good representation of what actually living out there 24/7 would be like.

[DekuDekuplex]

Originally posted by Zoc:
[comments deleted]

Tokyo, Japan
Pros
Wonderful food.
Everything you eat tastes better here than anywhere else I've been, even ordinary things like apples or milk.
No crime.
You're as safe in the worst part of town, at midnight, as you are at home with the door locked in the middle of the afternoon.
An amazingly multifaceted city.
Most cities have a mood, an atmosphere. Tokyo has about two dozen. If you're bored of the place you're in, walk in any direction for ten minutes. You'll feel like you stepped off a train.
Shopping
You can find anything you want if you look for it and have the money, anything. Most places are like this now to some extent- you can find Prada bags or a Thai restaurant anywhere- but come to Tokyo if you really want to know what choice is.

Cons
Expensive as hell. The most expensive city in the world.
Hands down the ugliest city I've ever seen.
Don't believe what you hear: people are rude.
Subways close at 12:30. Make it out of the bar by then or you're staying till sunrise (forget a taxi unless you want a second mortgage).
No ethnic diversity. If you aren't Asian, prepare to experience not seeing another person of your skin colour for a week. Walk by a mirror and think "who's the freak?"
If you aren't Japanese and can't speak the language perfectly, you will only ever find friends in the weirdo expatriate community.

[comments deleted]

I used to live in Tokyo for about ten years, between August 1979 and August 1989, and highly enjoyed the place. I've wanted to return every since. I actually consider Tokyo my hometown, but haven't been able to move back there yet because of expensive moving costs. However, I plan to go by August of this year at the latest in order to work as an English Teacher.

I thought about posting about Tokyo earlier, but refrained because I hadn't actually lived there since 1989. However, based on my own experience there and what I have heard, I would have to agree with most of Zoc's points.

I especially agree with the one about Tokyo being an "amazingly multifaceted city." That is so true! Different types of people live in different parts of the city, and different locations have incongruent atmospheres.

For example, I can walk in Shinjuku, where most of the skyscrapers and City Hall (Tochou) are located, and find the place very similar to Manhattan: overwhelming, super-crowded, modern, dirty, socially desolate, rude, and home of the local Chinese mafia. However, they do have a nice skyscraper there called the "NS (Nihon Seimei Life Insurance-Sumitomo Bank) Building," which used to have its entire fifth floor devoted to "OA" (Office Automation) showrooms, and still has a very nice three-story-tall water clock on the first floor, in addition to a hollow interior with a see-through roof that lets air in from the outside, but not rain.

Walk for a while, and you reach Shibuya, a fashion district full of young people, and home of the NHK (Nippon Hoso Kyoukai, or Japan Broadcasting Association) Broadcasting Center, a glass skyscraper. I used to visit the place many times, and even met newscaster Taro Kimura of the "News Center 9" television news program there once to interview him about his book (when I was still a teenager)!

Walk further, and you reach Akihabara, the world-famous discount electronics district. Here you will probably find more discount electronics (and especially Japanese video games) than probably almost anywhere else in the world. This is one of my favorite local spots. This is the home of the Onkyo Audio Center, where (at least when I used to live there) visitors could rent music CD's to listen to in the store free of charge, as well as attend periodic bingo games to win gifts.

Walk still further, and you reach Ginza, home of the luxury Mitsukoshi Department Store, the Sony Building, and the new Apple Story Ginza. This is currently my favorite part of the city (I say "currently" because the city keeps changing). When I move there, I plan to visit the latter two places every week!

I do need to disagree with Zoc's point about people in Tokyo being rude, though: to my experience, most store clerks in Tokyo, especially, are extremely polite (although not friendly) compared to their equivalents here in Manhattan. However, people on the streets do tend to be preoccupied with their own business and not interested in speaking with strangers.

I think that Zoc must have meant "not necessarily friendly," rather than "rude." Tokyo people are not rude; they're just not friendly. For example, they do tend to be extremely dry--so much so, in fact, that other Japanese people tend to refer to Tokyo as a "social desert," which it is. Tokyo is not the place to go to make lots of friends, because people there seem to care mostly about status and money, and are not interested in making lots of non-professional friends. Company reputations, degrees from prestigious universities, style of dress, and income level are all important in Tokyo. The first two questions that strangers are apt to ask when meeting new people are, "Which company do you work for?" and "How much do you pay for your rent?" as they look at how you dress and try to figure out if you look reputable or not. Having a prestigious university degree is also looked highly upon.

Also, Tokyo is often referred to as a "dress 'till you drop" city, as opposed to Osaka, a "eat 'till you drop" alternative Japanese city. Education and appearance matter more in Tokyo than in Manhattan. People dress and behave very formally almost everywhere in Tokyo. Nobody frowns, because negative expressions of emotion are considered gauche; most people try to maintain a calm expression at all times.

The entire Japanese society is group-centered, not individual-centered. When people want to distinguish themselves from others, they typically join groups of similarly-minded people, rather than try to stand out alone. There are so many groups in Tokyo that it is usually easy to find some group with similar interests/views.

When I move to Tokyo, I'll go there for the technology and popular culture, not for the people. They people are extremely dry, formal, and polite, but not friendly. They are also exceedingly materialistic. For example, most Japanese people, especially in Tokyo, aren't interested in religion, although they are interested in practical philosophy, such as how to apply Sun Tzu's or Miyamoto Musashi's philosophies to business.

However, Tokyo is without question the most wonderful cyber-city in the world when it comes to consumer technology. All public transportation is clean, modern, and punctual, so much so that one can even look at a meter at a bus stop in central Tokyo and find out both the present location of the bus and the E.T.A. without asking anybody. Taxi doors open automatically by the driver. Most store doors open automatically. Virtual idols are actually popular in the city. There is no tipping anywhere. There is almost no violent crime. Most people do not steal items, even in the inner city. Most skyscrapers are accessible to the general public. Everything just works.

--DekuDekuplex

[leffo]

Originally posted by DekuDekuplex
-- snip --

Reading your description - I would never, ever, move to Tokyo.

[talisker]

Originally posted by Mr. Blur:
for the most part, see the above post about vancouver....some differences though:
rain - victoria gets about 2/3 of the precipitation vancouver does
nightlife - not too much here, a bit more of a laid back town for those looking for something a bit quieter (like me)
traffic - certainly not as bad as most cities, but we've a few trouble spots
isolation - it can be a pain sometimes to get off the island...at the mercy of ferry schedules and capacities
jobs - this is a gov't and tourism town
housing - most people find it very expensive, rental availability is below 1% at the moment

I've just got back from a trip to Vancouver, Victoria, and Whistler, and agree they're pretty nice places. I've been there several times before when I was living in the UK, and always thought I wouldn't mind living there, but now I live in NZ and I realised on this trip that there's no way I'd want to live somewhere with cold winters again. Here in Auckland it never gets particularly cold, and none of the houses have central heating. I've got used to this over the last couple of years and couldn't believe how awful it felt being in sealed, dry, heated buildings again. Felt like a breath of fresh air (literally) coming back here.

And I can still go skiing here (albeit not up to Whistler's very high standards!)

[Monique]

You are right you guys do not know me and you cannot and are unable to put yourself in someone else shoes for once.

Accept the fact that from my point of view Calgary is a terrible place to be and not for you because you are happy with nothing. And I have traveled a lot this is why I know what the word culture means and contrary to you bad manners are not a plus and God knows people in Calgary have no manners and can very awful.

[DesignerTerp]

Originally posted by milf:


DesignerTerp/Macroy/and other locals:
It's good hearing what others think of our area, especially since we seemingly agree on many points. How long have you guys been here? Plans of trying some place new?

I was born and raised in Montgomery County, went to UMCP for school.
I left for about a year after college and moved to Portland, Oregon. Absolutely loved it there, although my family was "back east". Been back for about 3 years now and have no plans to relocate. I do like the area.

[DekuDekuplex]

Originally posted by leffo:
Reading your description - I would never, ever, move to Tokyo.

Why not? I would. In an instant. I like cyberculture. Especially the ultra-modern variety with anime, computer- and console-based RPG's, virtual idols, a Sony Building equipped with free ready-to-play PS2's and computer seminars, and, above all, the Apple Store Ginza.

At least the people are polite, unlike, say, most New Yorkers whom I see here every day--they just don't want to be friends with people unless they need to! But they're very diplomatic. If they happen to like you, they'll extol all your virtues! If they hate you, they will tell you to go to hell in such a manner that you may actually look forward to the trip!

--DekuDekuplex

[entrox]

Stuttgart, Germany:

Pros:

• Headquarters of Mercedes, Porsche, Bosch and IBM Germany are located here, which leads to:
• A lot of high-tech jobs, especially if you're a mechanical engineer
• There are quite a few historical buildings, which give the city an aesthetic touch
• It is quite green, unless you live in the industrial region
• Every third car is a Mercedes, which is nice for an enthusiast like me
• VfB Stuttgart

Cons:

• Nightlife tends to get quite boring with time

Oh well, I can't think of much more.

[effgee]

Originally posted by entrox:
Stuttgart, Germany:

Heh - you forgot to mention the local accent - impossible to understand the "indigenous tribes" for any non-native speaker

"H�n Sie mit ihr'm Filderkraut au' e ordentliche Portion Schupfnuudle 'kriegt?"
"Noi, abber zum Naachtisch h�n'i oi St�ck Heeefezobf 'kriegt - mit vieel guuuder Budder"

[milf]

I'm sure there are far better places to move to, but at the moment, my main concerns are having the following: mild weather (50-60 lows, 75-85 highs), good tech jobs, and a city w/ plenty for someone my age (23) to do.

I've been talking to people mostly about 3 cities, only one of which I've been to.

1) San Francisco
Pros:
-Good weather, even though supposedly it rains quite a bit
-I have two uncles living in the area
-The people seemed real easy going (judging from the 3 months I spent there)
-I'm sure San Francisco has plenty to do for someone my age
-Near by to Apple Hqs.
-I could probably find a job

Cons:
-Expensive!
-On the other side of the country from my family

2) San Diego (I know nothing about this city)
Pros:
-Awesome weather, year round
-Don't know any others

Cons:
-On the other side of the country from my family
-Don't know any others

3) Miami Beach
Pros:
-Great weather, except for ueber-humid summers
-I've heard from others that Miami is the place to be for fun
-Beautiful women, with nice tans

Cons:
-Not too sure about jobs down there
-Hurricanes
-Too hot during the summer, but I guess I'd adjust



So yeah, there are plenty more things to consider about each of these areas, but these few things pop into mind.

[AB^2=BCxAC]

NYC: Pros - Name anything except wilderness related stuff and it's here.
Cons - Some are at Rikers. Some are at Sing Sing. Some break into my car and steal the minute amount of loose change once a year. The rest are looking to defraud major corporations and the insurance industry. I love New York.

[milf]

I was born and raised in Montgomery County, went to UMCP for school.
I left for about a year after college and moved to Portland, Oregon. Absolutely loved it there, although my family was "back east". Been back for about 3 years now and have no plans to relocate. I do like the area.

I know exactly what you mean. My immediate family is all here in the VA area. It's hard to leave, being that I've spent my entire life with them, moving around to various parts of the US and Europe. At the same time though, I have to do what's in my best interest and what will make me happiest.

It's not that I don't like the DC area. A DC day during the Spring or Fall is incredible, but I could certainly do without the arctic winter temperatures and ueber-humid summers.

I think I just need a vacation, honestly. Work is stressful at times and w/ the cold weather, I hardly get out.


NYC. I could never.

[entrox]

Originally posted by effgee:
Heh - you forgot to mention the local accent - impossible to understand the "indigenous tribes" for any non-native speaker

"H�n Sie mit ihr'm Filderkraut au' e ordentliche Portion Schupfnuudle 'kriegt?"
"Noi, abber zum Naachtisch h�n'i oi St�ck Heeefezobf 'kriegt - mit vieel guuuder Budder"

Haha, that's so true. But you can say the same about Bavaria..

"Entschuldigung, aber Ich verstehe kein Wort..."
"Jo sixt, Du bist eba ka Bayer du Saupreu�, du damischer."

[DekuDekuplex]

Originally posted by DekuDekuplex:
Why not? I would. In an instant. I like cyberculture. Especially the ultra-modern variety with anime, computer- and console-based RPG's, virtual idols, a Sony Building equipped with free ready-to-play PS2's and computer seminars, and, above all, the Apple Store Ginza.

At least the people are polite, unlike, say, most New Yorkers whom I see here every day--they just don't want to be friends with people unless they need to! But they're very diplomatic. If they happen to like you, they'll extol all your virtues! If they hate you, they will tell you to go to hell in such a manner that you may actually look forward to the trip!

--DekuDekuplex

I just saw the motion picture "Lost in Translation." It has a lot of scenes of Tokyo, for those interested.

However, it gives a somewhat narrow perspective on Tokyo, particularly with respect to entertainment. Most people whom I knew there didn't just go to the bar to relax after work. I myself usually went to showrooms, exhibitions, or mini-museums.

Also, in one scene, the movie shows the blinds in Bob Harris's (Bill Murray's) hotel room automatically being raised shortly after sunrise, but most people live in their own apartments and don't have this problem.

Most importantly, the movie totally misses out on the anime- and cyber-sub-cultures that are, in my opinion, the best parts of Tokyo.

In addition, it completely ignores the significance of the taste of the food, which, in my opinion, was the best that I had ever tasted anywhere bar none.

Also, most of the movie seemed to take place within a single hotel, while central Tokyo is actually much larger than Manhattan, and has many different spots with different moods that are much more different than, say, Manhattan vs. Brooklyn. For example, as it felt to me, the difference between Ginza and Shinjuku was actually more similar to that between Paris and Chicago.

Most importantly, it doesn't capture the mood of Tokyo. Tokyo is actually a very efficiently run, convenient, huge, ultra-modern cyber-city with many nooks and crannies to check out, but the movie casts both Bob Harris and Charlotte (Scarlett Johanssen) as feeling claustrophobic. Even when I first visited Tokyo and didn't speak Japanese, I still never felt claustrophobic.

For people who don't have to work or study there, and who have some free time, the place can be immensely fun. When I visited Tokyo, I usually used to be busy all day long visiting one site after another, each in an area with a different mood, and would never feel bored. On a typical day, first, I might visit the water clock in the Shinjuku NS Building in Shinjuku to relax for a snack, then the Onkyo Audio Showroom in Akihabara to listen to music for free, then the Sony Building in Ginza to try out the multimedia hardware for free, and finally a small art museum to appreciate art for free in a department store, also in Ginza, to forget about technology for a short while.

The movie's representation of Tokyo's atmosphere is just completely inaccurate.

Has anybody else here seen the movie? Comments?

--DekuDekuplex

[osiris]

Originally posted by DekuDekuplex:
I just saw the motion picture "Lost in Translation." It has a lot of scenes of Tokyo, for those interested.

However, it gives a somewhat narrow perspective on Tokyo, particularly with respect to entertainment. Most pe had ever tasted anywhere bar none.

The movie's representation of Tokyo's atmosphere is just completely inaccurate.

Has anybody else here seen the movie? Comments?

--DekuDekuplex

OT rant alert:
I too was disappointed, and my Japanese friends were simply confused. I'm a big Bill Murray fan and enjoyed some of his scenes. The woman ( I forgot her name) is depressed because her husband is in Japan to work, feels her life is empty, and spews 'Spend more time with me' spiel that wears awfully thin. She should've cut her wrists by the first act to allow Bill unfettered access to better comedy. I disliked her character in so many ways.

IMO "Lost in Translation" is a thoroughly emasculating film that also trivializes Japanese culture. It went right for the Nudie Bar and cliched mis-translation bit (the Photographer was in fact saying much more). I would have enjoyed seeing a real tea ceremony, Kabuki theatre, and a walk through Asakusa during Sanja Matsuri, or at least a stroll through Shibuya 109 The film does capture that feeling of isolation when visiting Japan for the first time, and that weird jet lag problem, but that's it. So much was missed.

[DekuDekuplex]

Originally posted by osiris:
OT rant alert:
I too was disappointed, and my Japanese friends were simply confused. I'm a big Bill Murray fan and enjoyed some of his scenes. The woman ( I forgot her name) is depressed because her husband is in Japan to work, feels her life is empty, and spews 'Spend more time with me' spiel that wears awfully thin. She should've cut her wrists by the first act to allow Bill unfettered access to better comedy. I disliked her character in so many ways.

IMO "Lost in Translation" is a thoroughly emasculating film that also trivializes Japanese culture. It went right for the Nudie Bar and cliched mis-translation bit (the Photographer was in fact saying much more). I would have enjoyed seeing a real tea ceremony, Kabuki theatre, and a walk through Asakusa during Sanja Matsuri, or at least a stroll through Shibuya 109 The film does capture that feeling of isolation when visiting Japan for the first time, and that weird jet lag problem, but that's it. So much was missed.

Actually, personally, I'm undergoing a crisis in trying to move to Tokyo. Many seismologists say that there is a very high probability of a magnitude 7.9 or higher earthquake striking Tokyo within the next few years. Some parts of Tokyo were built on sandy terrain, which would liquify during such an earthquake; other parts of Tokyo would be devasted by fire caused by broken gas lines.

Nevertheless, I'm tired of New York rudeness, insensitivity, dirtiness, and chaos, and long to return to the politeness, sensitivity, cleanness, and relative order that is Tokyo. Even though most people in Tokyo are not friendly (even though they are polite), I still enjoyed such aspects as anime, manga, high-tech consumer technology, the Japanese language, a general interest in international affairs, and religious syncretism. Part of the reason that I particularly like Tokyo is that I used to live there for ten years in my teenage years, and have many memories of that city that I would like to remember.

However, I don't exactly look forward to getting sucked into quicksand, falling into a crevice, or suffocating during a firestorm during a major earthquake.

This may sound like a silly question, but is there any way to safeguard oneself adequately during a major earthquake? Tokyo does not seem very similar to any other city with regard to the aspects that I find interesting, and I don't think that there is any other city that would bring back the same memories as Tokyo, because most of those memories are specific to particular locations in that city that I visited.

--DekuDekuplex

[Beewee]

Live in MN, nothing to do...nothing to do...nothing to do.
I had no idea how hard it is to find a girl who is not a slut in my area.

[Walker]

I gotta vote for beautiful South Dakota!

Pros- I think we have around 800,000 population...STATEWIDE! The few people we have here are friendly. Sioux Falls is our metropolis, with around 130,000. GREAT hunting, fishing. Fantastic school systems, best place to raise family. 1 of 5 states that operate their budget in the black.

cons- Can tend to get a bit chilly and snowy in the winter.

lw

[mitchell_pgh]

Arlington, VA, USA

Pros:
- everything is here with regards to stores

- girls... lots and lots of good looking average girls.

- free museums (they spoil you)

- always something interesting to do (I'm constantly trying something new [Brew Pub, movie theater, restaurant, museum, etc.])

- general layout of the city (although the one ways are annoying at first, DC is large, but not overpowering)

- lots O' history (I'm a history freak at times)

- job security (working for a University) - well, maybe.

- girls... lots and lots of good gold digging girls.

- public transportation (always clean)

Cons:
- traffic (it's ridiculous at times... poor decision making, aggressive and rude mixed with a "Look at me... I'm very important" attitude)

- cost of living (you pay for everything and the taxes are high no matter where you live)

- housing (similar to cost of living, but you pay through the note and you only get 1/2 the apartment you would get elsewhere (other then SF, SD, and NYC)

- weather (Spring = overcast and rainy; Summer = hot and humid; fall = rainy and windy; Winter = cold)

- weather Part II - people bitch about the weather non-stop. 1" of snow and the schools close and people start driving like idiots.

- terrorism... I'm just waiting for something to fall out the the sky or explode. There are so many targets.

- people [having to answer the standard "What do you do" a billion times a day"

[osiris]

Originally posted by DekuDekuplex:
Many seismologists say that there is a very high probability of a magnitude 7.9 or higher earthquake striking Tokyo within the next few years. Some parts of Tokyo were built on sandy terrain, which would liquify during such an earthquake; other parts of Tokyo would be devasted by fire caused by broken gas lines.

Nevertheless, I'm tired of New York rudeness, insensitivity, dirtiness, and chaos, and long to return to the politeness, sensitivity, cleanness, and relative order that is Tokyo. Even though most people in Tokyo are not friendly (even though they are polite)--DekuDekuplex

You forgot about the risk of a tsunami! An off-shore quake hundreds of miles away can bring one heck of a wall of water. Aside from that danger, your comparison to NY is right on the head.

IMO the lack of friendliness is from the fear of westerners, and the current political climate is a bit anti-American. Some Japanese I encountered were genuinely nasty, others were quite friendly. It's a mixed bag like every other big city.

Also adding the fire: Koizumi may resign because of Japan's unconstitutional involvement in Iraq: http://news.ft.com/servlet/ContentSe...=1012571727169

[Dubya's Dealer]

Paris, France:

Pros: Excellent location: 3 hours train ride to London, 4 to Amsterdam, 7 to Milan, 2 to Brussels... You've got Germany, Switzerland, Spain, jeez, the whole of Western Europe at your fingertips. New York (home) is a mere 7 hour flight away. And I'm closer to Asia than most Americans. Hell, even the weather's not too extreme.

Cons: Well for starters, there's no Apple Store. And I really miss good Mexican food.

[DekuDekuplex]

Originally posted by osiris:
[comments deleted]

Also adding the fire: Koizumi may resign because of Japan's unconstitutional involvement in Iraq: http://news.ft.com/servlet/ContentSe...=1012571727169

Good grief! If even a single soldier among those Japanese troops in Iraq gets killed, he'll definitely be forced to resign!

Japanese Self-Defense Force (SDF) troops have never been allowed to fight outside of Japan ever since the end of The Pacific War. Sending troops abroad and changing the constitution will provoke massive opposition, both domestically from the Japanese people, and abroad from both the Republic of Korea (South Korea) and the People's Republic of China. Both Japanese citizens and the people of these countries know full well the taste of old Japanese militarism, and will do everything they can to prevent it from recurring.

If I were him, I would reconsider. Seriously. Japan tends to be a country of rapid changes and extremes--witness the Meiji Renewal. If Japan were to start changing, it would most likely metamorphose with startling rapidity. This is a country that went from using swords and arrows defensively to using gunpowder and cannon offensively almost overnight. They have some of the most advanced technology in the world, and know how to adapt it better than almost anybody else, too.

--DekuDekuplex

[DekuDekuplex]

Originally posted by osiris:
You forgot about the risk of a tsunami! An off-shore quake hundreds of miles away can bring one heck of a wall of water. Aside from that danger, your comparison to NY is right on the head.

IMO the lack of friendliness is from the fear of westerners, and the current political climate is a bit anti-American. Some Japanese I encountered were genuinely nasty, others were quite friendly. It's a mixed bag like every other big city.

[comments deleted]

Not to mention, there is the risk of Mt. Fuji, a dormant volcano, erupting. Many volcanologists predict that it will resume activity as soon as a separate major earthquake strikes the Shizuoka area a few years before the next great Tokyo earthquake.

I've thought about moving to the Japanese cultural capital, Kyoto, instead, in order to avoid these two reportedly imminent quakes. Both Tokyo and Kyoto seems more interesting than, say, Osaka for me, because my main interests are in technology and pre-modern culture. Nevertheless, my main interest is in consumer technology. If I could just find a way to secure safety during an earthquake, I could move to Tokyo, work as an English teacher, and resume paying off my college debts, which I won't be able to keep postponing past August or so of this year (2004) here in NYC....

I'm stuck between the oncoming avalanche of debt interest payments and the deep, deep fissures of the impending earthquakes....

--DekuDekuplex

[sniffer]

Where: A place where people don't speak your language. [no]

Pros: Friendly people, and arctic nature.

Cons: The sun disappear completely for a depressive two months every winter.

[macroy]

Originally posted by DesignerTerp:
I was born and raised in Montgomery County, went to UMCP for school.
I left for about a year after college and moved to Portland, Oregon. Absolutely loved it there, although my family was "back east". Been back for about 3 years now and have no plans to relocate. I do like the area.

MCPS eh? Which High School? Just curious...

Whitman for me... also a Terp. Hate'n Duke right now....

[Tantrum]

Los Angeles/Santa Monica , CA

Good: Nice area, great parties, Always something to do, near everything

Bad: I wanna kill someone everytime i'm on the 405, UCLA pedistrians, cost of living, taxes, traffic, traffic, traffic