HOME | DD

Description
大阪 !

See, I know I have this somewhere in my galleries, but I can't find it anywhere XD
So I decided to re-submit it, a little touched up.

I love Osaka. This is in one of it's biggest shopping centres/malls. I seriously loved it. Me and Keri jerry-rose went down here a lot , because of the Purikura machines, we have loads of photos now. The first time we used one, we had trouble! Since we can't read kanji very well at all! So, we only got one copy of the first set of photos, Keri accidently pressed one set instead of two!
How funny xP

Anyways enjoy, I wish you all to be able to go to Japan, its one of the most fantastic countries you will ever go to, its simply beautiful. I'll add a few tips:

1) Don't worry if you're slow at Japanese, in city areas,(i.e. tourist places etc) a fair amount of people can understand roughly what you're asking/talking about, schools too, obviously. They also usually know at least some English in these areas. Peoples also talk slow to you, (usually) because, well, you're western and you're not likely to know Japanese!

2) Always say Thankyou. Its common courtesy. Duh. xP

3) When paying for things, there is usually a small square tray on the counter, put the money there.

4) NEVER EAT WHILST WALKING IN THE STREET! People consider it disgusting, I learnt the hard way. xD Believe me.

5) Make, at least a small effort to learn greetings and the basics, like, if you were to visit a home, formally, or informally, peeps will often say, as ~dtownley1 has pointed out that "douzo, suwatte kudasai" is asking for you to sit down. {I at first believed 'shitsureishimasu' was 'take a seat', but its not. XD EDIT: 2008/ Man. That's embarrassing, I can't believe I thought that. xD }

6) You'll know they are asking a question, when "ka" is at the end of a sentence.

7) Be yourself (within reason guys, I know my crazy watchers are out there! >3)

8) Go to some fancy restaurants (before going to japan) and try some sushi etc. I recommend okonomiyaki , its delicious. Although its not the same, it'll help you to climatize. Culture shock too, so read up on some customs. I didn't really have the problem, because, say, alot of anime (i.e. based off real life, tradition etc), reflects their way of life. For example, the Japanese are naturally reserved, and don't like to be embarrassed, things like showing love in public, isn't very....good. xD So when a guy shows affection, in the middle of a public area -- you know he means it!!

9)Try all the food.
Seriously. Sea snails, I recommend them! You don't wanna' live off of KFC and McDonalds, it'll make you ill. I'm not saying its wrong, because its that what I did. I felt ill. But after I had more traditional stuff, I became regular again, if you know what I mean. XD (Heh ramen, its just so..... mmmm........) like those moving sushi bars! I went there with my (Japanese host) family! They laughed at me alot, but it was friendly, I tried this strange soup, with mushrooms in, it was salty, and the array of faces I made was hilarious. Utterly. Natto.
Natto natto natto. The most strange stuff (if your western especially) you'll ever taste! Even some Japanese peeps don't like it! Whereas my host sister, Rika loved it. She 'wolfed' the stuff.
Well....rather, she just liked it.
It was wrapped in a green leafy thingy (maybe a nori wrap), and was a little like paste.
I turned my nose up on it, because I'd tried it before.
Natto. gahh....x3

10) Learn katakana well (it was designed to use english words i.e. aisukurimu -> Ice cream) it can save your life when looking for food.

11) Wear comfortable clothes, especially if your used to cold weather, like me, you'll cook. I was okay, because I am enduring, I rarely overheated, because I wear black all the time, and decided to also invest in buying a black umbrella. Which I still have. If you wear leggings a lot, invest in trousers. Because if worn to much, you can get heat rash.... *gets shot* Seriously.

12) Be careful of deer! In Miyajima, a deer attempted to eat my skirt. She almost succeeded! And if you're gonna' feed 'em, be prepared for a day's worth of stalking. My group (who I travelled with) ended up calling a deer Margaret because this deer followed a guy around, it was a love affair which didn't last xD He ran out of food, and the deer got hungry. Skirts away!!! You can see a deer photo here ([link] ) and here ([link] )

13) Also, be calm around deer, if you're gonna be cuddly, be sure that there will always be their fella's around. Bucks. They run at you. The boys in my group got charged at often. I sat on a tree stump, just petting the young deer.
I became the deer lady. Deer. lady. XD They didn't fear me.

I love you guys, for putting up with me. Remember the tips!

"Natto.....I am coming back for seconds!! Gambatte!"

Description
大阪 !

See, I know I have this somewhere in my galleries, but I can't find it anywhere XD
So I decided to re-submit it, a little touched up.

I love Osaka. This is in one of it's biggest shopping centres/malls. I seriously loved it. Me and Keri jerry-rose went down here a lot , because of the Purikura machines, we have loads of photos now. The first time we used one, we had trouble! Since we can't read kanji very well at all! So, we only got one copy of the first set of photos, Keri accidently pressed one set instead of two!
How funny xP

Anyways enjoy, I wish you all to be able to go to Japan, its one of the most fantastic countries you will ever go to, its simply beautiful. I'll add a few tips:

1) Don't worry if you're slow at Japanese, in city areas,(i.e. tourist places etc) a fair amount of people can understand roughly what you're asking/talking about, schools too, obviously. They also usually know at least some English in these areas. Peoples also talk slow to you, (usually) because, well, you're western and you're not likely to know Japanese!

2) Always say Thankyou. Its common courtesy. Duh. xP

3) When paying for things, there is usually a small square tray on the counter, put the money there.

4) NEVER EAT WHILST WALKING IN THE STREET! People consider it disgusting, I learnt the hard way. xD Believe me.

5) Make, at least a small effort to learn greetings and the basics, like, if you were to visit a home, formally, or informally, peeps will often say, as ~dtownley1 has pointed out that "douzo, suwatte kudasai" is asking for you to sit down. {I at first believed 'shitsureishimasu' was 'take a seat', but its not. XD EDIT: 2008/ Man. That's embarrassing, I can't believe I thought that. xD }

6) You'll know they are asking a question, when "ka" is at the end of a sentence.

7) Be yourself (within reason guys, I know my crazy watchers are out there! >3)

8) Go to some fancy restaurants (before going to japan) and try some sushi etc. I recommend okonomiyaki , its delicious. Although its not the same, it'll help you to climatize. Culture shock too, so read up on some customs. I didn't really have the problem, because, say, alot of anime (i.e. based off real life, tradition etc), reflects their way of life. For example, the Japanese are naturally reserved, and don't like to be embarrassed, things like showing love in public, isn't very....good. xD So when a guy shows affection, in the middle of a public area -- you know he means it!!

9)Try all the food.
Seriously. Sea snails, I recommend them! You don't wanna' live off of KFC and McDonalds, it'll make you ill. I'm not saying its wrong, because its that what I did. I felt ill. But after I had more traditional stuff, I became regular again, if you know what I mean. XD (Heh ramen, its just so..... mmmm........) like those moving sushi bars! I went there with my (Japanese host) family! They laughed at me alot, but it was friendly, I tried this strange soup, with mushrooms in, it was salty, and the array of faces I made was hilarious. Utterly. Natto.
Natto natto natto. The most strange stuff (if your western especially) you'll ever taste! Even some Japanese peeps don't like it! Whereas my host sister, Rika loved it. She 'wolfed' the stuff.
Well....rather, she just liked it.
It was wrapped in a green leafy thingy (maybe a nori wrap), and was a little like paste.
I turned my nose up on it, because I'd tried it before.
Natto. gahh....x3

10) Learn katakana well (it was designed to use english words i.e. aisukurimu -> Ice cream) it can save your life when looking for food.

11) Wear comfortable clothes, especially if your used to cold weather, like me, you'll cook. I was okay, because I am enduring, I rarely overheated, because I wear black all the time, and decided to also invest in buying a black umbrella. Which I still have. If you wear leggings a lot, invest in trousers. Because if worn to much, you can get heat rash.... *gets shot* Seriously.

12) Be careful of deer! In Miyajima, a deer attempted to eat my skirt. She almost succeeded! And if you're gonna' feed 'em, be prepared for a day's worth of stalking. My group (who I travelled with) ended up calling a deer Margaret because this deer followed a guy around, it was a love affair which didn't last xD He ran out of food, and the deer got hungry. Skirts away!!! You can see a deer photo here ([link] ) and here ([link] )

13) Also, be calm around deer, if you're gonna be cuddly, be sure that there will always be their fella's around. Bucks. They run at you. The boys in my group got charged at often. I sat on a tree stump, just petting the young deer.
I became the deer lady. Deer. lady. XD They didn't fear me.

I love you guys, for putting up with me. Remember the tips!

"Natto.....I am coming back for seconds!! Gambatte!"