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Life In Japan - The Low Points

Of course. You live on Mars or what??

Ah, that explains the 4-24 minute delay between posting and shutting down a thread.

Chris on Mars

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You get a prepaid Sim card that gives you a valid Japan phone number to use?

Very possible.

Biglobe, Softbank, Bic, OCN and many others offer this service. Like boost mobile in the states. Basically peggy backing from main operators then resell those lines.
 
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Japanese funerals. Instead of comforting each other people just hand over some money, do the incense and then bow to the relatives. While I'm not a believer in catholic or christian values in general, I think that a funeral has a much deeper meaning and provides at least some comfort.

Well believe me that's not the worst part. You haven't picked up the ashes and bones remnants with long chopsticks, after cremation. When I saw this happening I thought I was suddenly transported in some kind of 5th dimension or nightmare. A "this is not happening, it can't be real" moment.
 
Well believe me that's not the worst part. You haven't picked up the ashes and bones remnants with long chopsticks, after cremation. When I saw this happening I thought I was suddenly transported in some kind of 5th dimension or nightmare. A "this is not happening, it can't be real" moment.

I've done this... been there, done that, got the T-shirt. You and a partner have one hashi (chopstick) each and you pick-up the remains after cremation and put it in the urn, which will be eventually transferred to the family grave site after sitting in a relative's home for ~7 days.
 
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I've done this... been there, done that, got the T-shirt. You and a partner have one hashi (chopstick) each and you pick-up the remains after cremation and put it in the urn, which will be eventually transferred to the family grave site after sitting in a relative's home for ~7 days.

I could never do that.
When my beloved GF died, I skipped the funerals.
I don't even want to know where is her cemetary.
I want to remember her alive.
Whatever happened to her after her heart stopped beating, it had nothing to do with her.
 
I could never do that.
When my beloved GF died, I skipped the funerals.
I don't even want to know where is her cemetary.
I want to remember her alive.
Whatever happened to her after her heart stopped beating, it had nothing to do with her.

"And then I fantasized about taking that urn, sticking my cock in it, and having one last fuck. Has anyone ever had that feeling? Anywhere else in Tokyo I can do this? I want to cover both ends, from birth to death. Hit up a pregnant woman for a one-nighter first, then finish with the finished. But only if the deceased was Asian. Even in death, no foreign fatties"

That's about what I expect from you.
 
During the time I changed my regular phone (which was lost) to the latest iphone, I had no problem dealing with them.

I went to AU shinjuku shop, I live like an hour by train away from there, thinking that they will have english speaking staff (Nope, they didn't). I had literally zero japanese then. No job, no ID no nothing. The bank connected to the phone where they take the monthly bill wasn't even mine (was my brother's) I only have my passport. After 5 mins they have my selected phone. Hassle free. No questions asked too even if I lost the previous flip phone. And they didn't even charge me the remaining balance for device for that.

So it was perfectly smooth transaction to me. I was thinking probably the guy didn't wanna ask too much questions knowing we wont understand each other anyway. Just wanted me out ASAP.
 
So it was perfectly smooth transaction to me. I was thinking probably the guy didn't wanna ask too much questions knowing we wont understand each other anyway. Just wanted me out ASAP.
This is the key. Once they know you understand Japanese or have a Japanese speaker with you, they will upsell junk.
I think I'm going to upgrade my phone in November, either I'll go to a English branch (where upsell is still less because they know you can't use all the Japanese crap) or go to a regular branch and just play dumb. :cool: As long as I get the usual discount, it's all good.
 
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As long as I get the usual discount, it's all good

What is that usual discount if I may ask?

I have no idea about my phone plan. I pay a little bit more around 一万 a month, and I get like 7gb of data, if I used them all it get slower. They also charge me per call. But I rarely make calls.
 
What is that usual discount if I may ask?

I have SoftBank, so I usually get the 10GB plan + the America Unlimited plan (new since iPhone 6) and I pay about ~8,000 yen/month.
I've had the contract with SoftBank since it was Vodafone back in 2005,2006.
They also give a discount if you sign a new deal, which equates to about 2,400 yen.
Also, pay for your phone in cash up front... works wonders.

Edit: Without discounts, the monthly bill for the same plan reaches about 11,000 yen for the 10GB plan or 10,000 yen for 10GB without america unlimited plan.
Edit2: That was the pricing when I got my iPhone 6 in December 2014. Need to check current plans.
 
I have SoftBank, so I usually get the 10GB plan + the America Unlimited plan (new since iPhone 6) and I pay about ~8,000 yen/month.
I've had the contract with SoftBank since it was Vodafone back in 2005,2006.
They also give a discount if you sign a new deal, which equates to about 2,400 yen.
Also, pay for your phone in cash up front... works wonders.

Edit: Without discounts, the monthly bill for the same plan reaches about 11,000 yen for the 10GB plan or 10,000 yen for 10GB without america unlimited plan.

Yeah I figured I don't have that discounts haha, the 'non-perks' of not being japanese speaker. Lol
 
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I've done this... been there, done that, got the T-shirt. You and a partner have one hashi (chopstick) each and you pick-up the remains after cremation and put it in the urn, which will be eventually transferred to the family grave site after sitting in a relative's home for ~7 days.

I was relatively prepared for the whole process going in and don't have many personal hangups with death/funerals/etc but two things really stuck out for me -

1) The funeral worker was giving a play-by-play anatomy lesson as the family members all placed the bones in the urn - like "oh that's the clavicle there... and here's the femur. You can see the ends are very hard but the middle part is hollow so it tends to break during cremation." It was interesting but seemed kind of strange as I thought this was supposed to be a real transitional time where you went from thinking of the individual as a person to thinking of them as someone who has already passed. Maybe that kind of commentary helps distance people from the reality of what they're actually doing? Dunno

2) The ceramic urn was getting pretty full of bone fragments and there was still a ways to go. The same funeral worker brings out what looks like a really thick wooden stake (like a sharpened pestle) and pounds down the bones in there to make room for more. Again I can see the necessity but sheeeeeeeeit...

This was a funeral for a very old person so maybe things roll differently with funerals for younger people. I haven't been to many of those (and none for which I went to the crematorium) so maybe there's a bit more delicacy displayed.
 
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That's pretty accurate from what I experienced.... The person that I attended for was quite old most of the bones burned up and there was very little to pick-up to put in the urn.

Not sure if #2 happens often, but as far as I know this process is the same for old and young.
 
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Not sure if #2 happens often, but as far as I know this process is the same for old and young.

Unfortunately I have had to attend a funeral of a young person and the process description was spot on. Happy to say I didn't see #2 happening.

In my opinion the whole ceremony starting from placing flowers and some things important to the deceased in the coffin as well as the bone picking was quite nice; giving everyone a chance to say goodbye doing stuff together. But I did find the explanation of the bones a bit odd too; a bit too festive in my mind.
 
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a burial is a burial... if youve never been to one, most likely you are doing something wrong, unless you stay in the background, which is where everybody should be anyway... i dont really get the fuzz about it... sure, drop the bones and people like you less than they already do, or stand in the wrong place, wait too long, or whatever... i actually worked as an undertaker some years ago and respect and disrespect is the same everywhere in the world... not to mention,that there are nations way more forgiving, than you might assume...

and in most nations you get the chance to say goodbye, last rites,greetings.... and so on...
the bones? some burn them, some try to make them look like the deceased, some pout booze over the grave...

all of that is no low point nowhere...
 
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What is that usual discount if I may ask?

I have no idea about my phone plan. I pay a little bit more around 一万 a month, and I get like 7gb of data, if I used them all it get slower. They also charge me per call. But I rarely make calls.

I have an unlimited data plan from GTN mobile and pay around 3800¥ a month without the phone as I have a sim free iPhone already.
There are some data issues recently but nothing too bad. Not sure if that's overpriced or not but it was still cheaper and less of a hassle than going to SoftBank, AU or Docomo directly.
 
"And then I fantasized about taking that urn, sticking my cock in it, and having one last fuck. Has anyone ever had that feeling? Anywhere else in Tokyo I can do this? I want to cover both ends, from birth to death. Hit up a pregnant woman for a one-nighter first, then finish with the finished. But only if the deceased was Asian. Even in death, no foreign fatties"

That's about what I expect from you.
:ROFLMAO:
 
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I have an unlimited data plan from GTN mobile and pay around 3800¥ a month without the phone as I have a sim free iPhone already.
There are some data issues recently but nothing too bad. Not sure if that's overpriced or not but it was still cheaper and less of a hassle than going to SoftBank, AU or Docomo directly.
thanks for sharing this information (y)
 
1) The funeral worker was giving a play-by-play anatomy lesson as the family members all placed the bones in the urn - like "oh that's the clavicle there... and here's the femur. You can see the ends are very hard but the middle part is hollow so it tends to break during cremation." It was interesting but seemed kind of strange as I thought this was supposed to be a real transitional time where you went from thinking of the individual as a person to thinking of them as someone who has already passed. Maybe that kind of commentary helps distance people from the reality of what they're actually doing? Dunno

In one of the funerals I've attended in Japan, the cremation produced bone fragments, ashes and a hip implant. That metal didn't get an explanation, but was the only thing came out intact, carrying such a strong reminder of the deceased's struggle to be alive. By that time we'd all got drunk at the mid-funeral reception, and immediately I fell ill.
 
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Well believe me that's not the worst part. You haven't picked up the ashes and bones remnants with long chopsticks, after cremation. When I saw this happening I thought I was suddenly transported in some kind of 5th dimension or nightmare. A "this is not happening, it can't be real" moment.

I've been to numerous funerals in Japan, and for me the hard part has always been the washing of the bodies before the ceremony, which is done by family and close friends. The post cremation ritual has never impacted me as much as handling a cold corpse.
 
I think a low point, though at times it probably does work to a person's benefit, is the strict adherence to rules. Japanese friend of mine that I met up with in Tokyo took me to a themed restaurant of some type he wanted to try. It wasn't exactly a maid cafe, though the women were dressed up. At any rate, the time frame for the table was 2 hours.

We were spending a small fortune eating and drinking. At the 2 hour point they came up and said we had to leave. The place was not close to closing. There was absolutely nobody waiting to come in. Their were quite a number of empty tables. We were spending money. But the rules said 2 hours and so we had to go. I suppose if we had walked out and come right back in we would have gotten a fresh 2 hours.

For the most part I cannot see that happening in the USA for instance. If there was a line of new customers, perhaps. If the place was closing, perhaps. If you were not spending money, perhaps. But, just because of an arbitrary rule, unlikely. Extend that out to food substitutions and other things like that and you realize that while Japanese customer service, if they choose to do business with you, is extremely polite, it is often quite inflexible relative to the more a la carte experience in other places.
 
Re: Strict adherence to rules and overly formal society..

It drives me absolutely bonkers as I'm one of those "Time is Money" types these days. I have so little free time and no work-oriented shame.. So, I've been horrifying wave after wave of Japanese business men by "one handing" business cards and skipping introductions. Saving 5-10 minutes every meeting for a week and you're golden!

Corporate investor relations probably really loved my pink H&M t-shirts and jeans combo too
 
Just in Rome do as the Romans do, so in Japan I speak japanese.
The problem here is if you're in Rome, after awhile you'll be accepted. Here you'll never be accepted so I play the foreigner card to it's highest.
 
Same!
I hate it when shopstaff keeps using English to me. :(
I LOVE it when they have to use English to me. How many years did they learn it in school? Put it to some good use!
 
Because i wanna fit in and don't wanna be reminded i'm a foreigner. (Unless i see myself in a mirror or i'm reminded by the people around me i usually don't feel different from the other people here.)
I just wanna be able to use my bit of Japanese that i have already worked so hard on to master without the conversation flow being awkward because i'm going at it in japanese and they keep speaking English even though this is Japan.
And it makes me insecure indeed. Is my Japanese so hard to understand?
Why do you wanna fit in? (You'll never fit in here.) Why do you care what others think?