Hello all,
I'm an American, aged mid 20s, headed to Japan for vacation with friends in December-January for ~3 weeks, and planning on visiting a soapland once. Taking it as an opportunity to lose the v-card and move on. I'll be traveling a lot inside the country, so my free time where I can split from the group will be in Tokyo a few days before and after the new year; hopefully that doesn't make scheduling a nightmare. I've read plenty of reviews and have a list of providers to choose from (Yes Kaoru is on it). Unfortunately my Japanese is effectively non-existent, so that also limits things. I will also be in Osaka, but I'm not really interested in Tobita, and I don't know if I'll have time to split off there either.
Being new to P4P, this forum has been an invaluable resource. I'm the type that like to plan and avoid unpleasant surprises, so the thoroughness is very nice.
But I've also picked up a lot about "how Japan works", and "being a foreigner in Japan". Reading what the experienced contributors are saying about little day-to-day things is very interesting, and helps contextualize things about attitudes and culture that I've encountered working for a Japanese company, and exposed me to a lot of things I had no idea about. Having lived overseas (central Europe) for an extended period before, I appreciate the perspectives of these contributors as I can compare them to my own experiences of seeing tourists do stupid shit. Though there are obviously a lot of differences, since I don't know the language or look native like I did before, as well as the general attitude towards foreigners.
And from doing those comparisons, it finally got through my skull that I need to learn some Japanese! I don't expect much, but I'll have ~two months of diligent study before I go. Even my very, very small ability is already useful at work, so I'll probably continue it after the trip. I'm kicking myself for not starting sooner (I've thought about it plenty, but never started. All my other serious language learning was in immersion, and I don't have that for Japanese). Better now than never.
Sorry for rambling, but thanks to all the contributors. This community has been very helpful. If I can put together a review of value at the end of this, I'll be sure to share it.
Don't really have any questions, or need recommendations at this point, but I would appreciate any advice thrown my way.
I'm an American, aged mid 20s, headed to Japan for vacation with friends in December-January for ~3 weeks, and planning on visiting a soapland once. Taking it as an opportunity to lose the v-card and move on. I'll be traveling a lot inside the country, so my free time where I can split from the group will be in Tokyo a few days before and after the new year; hopefully that doesn't make scheduling a nightmare. I've read plenty of reviews and have a list of providers to choose from (Yes Kaoru is on it). Unfortunately my Japanese is effectively non-existent, so that also limits things. I will also be in Osaka, but I'm not really interested in Tobita, and I don't know if I'll have time to split off there either.
Being new to P4P, this forum has been an invaluable resource. I'm the type that like to plan and avoid unpleasant surprises, so the thoroughness is very nice.
But I've also picked up a lot about "how Japan works", and "being a foreigner in Japan". Reading what the experienced contributors are saying about little day-to-day things is very interesting, and helps contextualize things about attitudes and culture that I've encountered working for a Japanese company, and exposed me to a lot of things I had no idea about. Having lived overseas (central Europe) for an extended period before, I appreciate the perspectives of these contributors as I can compare them to my own experiences of seeing tourists do stupid shit. Though there are obviously a lot of differences, since I don't know the language or look native like I did before, as well as the general attitude towards foreigners.
And from doing those comparisons, it finally got through my skull that I need to learn some Japanese! I don't expect much, but I'll have ~two months of diligent study before I go. Even my very, very small ability is already useful at work, so I'll probably continue it after the trip. I'm kicking myself for not starting sooner (I've thought about it plenty, but never started. All my other serious language learning was in immersion, and I don't have that for Japanese). Better now than never.
Sorry for rambling, but thanks to all the contributors. This community has been very helpful. If I can put together a review of value at the end of this, I'll be sure to share it.
Don't really have any questions, or need recommendations at this point, but I would appreciate any advice thrown my way.
