My Son is going to Japan, what advice can I give him?

Don't eat blood soup. You will be taller and get asked a bunch of cowboy questions. Locals will take lots of photos of you.

Originally posted by staple
Don't eat blood soup. You will be taller and get asked a bunch of cowboy questions. Locals will take lots of photos of you.

Uuummm, what???? Please elaborate

tell him to stay away from "spitting high tension wires" and "subway trains"especially around Fukushima and Tokyo.

"history shows again and again, how nature points out the folly of men Gozilla! "
BOC

reply to post by DocHolidaze

Living in Japan (Osaka, so at least safer than Tokyo) for more than 20 years now.

Regarding "As with any situation traveling or staying home i always suggest a good solid fixed blade knife", carrying a knife around with you is very likely to get you arrested in Japan. As happened with the father of someone from the UK living here. He (the father) asked some Japanese policemen for directions, which they gave him very kindly in broken English and even offered to walk with him most of the way. Apparently on a whim, one of the policemen asked if the father was carrying a knife. Being a good British gentleman, he always carried a small folding knife since he found it convenient for things like opening bags of snacks or cutting loose threads on clothing, and he told them so. He was promptly arrested, and unable to explain himself sufficiently, he spent the night in jail.

Laws were changed a couple of years ago in response to several knife attacks. The maximum blade length that can be carried is something like 2.5 inches (I'm too lazy to look it up right now).

Japanese swords can be very difficult to bring back to the US, since you need documentation from the Japanese government (to make sure the sword you're taking out isn't a cultural artifact), and I'm sure there's some procedures that need to be handled when you arrive back in the US. My friend did go through all that with a sword that cost him about $6,000 if I remember correctly, and that was about average. He took classes in Japanese swordsmanship.

Sakai (a little south of Osaka) is famous for manufacturing bladed tools including knives, swords, scissors, etc. and even has a sword-forging exhibition a couple of times a year.

I don't think I saw where in Japan your son is going, but I'm sure he will enjoy it.

Ah, to be young and single again.

Dont take a cab from the airport to Toyko--it will be like $400, take the train.

When your in a shop and you see these orange balls on the counter--dont touch them, there for the shopkeeper to throw at armed robbers.

avoid being drunk in public

Originally posted by letseeit7
reply to post by RP2SticksOfDynamite

 

lol you are funny , you don't know what you are talking about but funny .

And you do? Go there for a few months then. Id..t!

Originally posted by tinker9917
reply to post by letseeit7

 

And you are an expert in radiation contamination? I'll believe Arnie Gunderson any day (and he IS an expert).

edit on 27-8-2013 by tinker9917 because: (no reason given)

2nd and sensible!

Originally posted by RP2SticksOfDynamite

Originally posted by tinker9917
reply to post by letseeit7

 

And you are an expert in radiation contamination? I'll believe Arnie Gunderson any day (and he IS an expert).

edit on 27-8-2013 by tinker9917 because: (no reason given)

2nd and sensible!

Other, real experts on things nuclear have a different view.

Was Arnie Gundersen a Licensed Reactor Operator and Senior VP Nuclear Licensee?

atomicinsights.com...

Nani!?

Japan is an awesome place to go.. high tech and bizarre. Should experience it at least once in a lifetime. -desu....

Don't go!!! Period!!

The flight New York-Tokyo-New York is giving you the same amount of Radiation
like ca. 55-60 full Days here in Tokyo.

0.10 Microsievert/ hour times 24 is 2.4 Microsievert, the Flight is ca. 100 Microsievert!
Source:

There is no danger because of Radioactivity in Tokyo at the moment,
and even in Fukushima we see a return to lower Levels like 0.25 Microsievert/ Hour and less
(but also more)

Best advice would be to not drink the water...dont go swimming in the water...dont bath in the water....dont cook with the water....but other than that? Tell him to experience as much Japanese culture as he can. ( and tell him the difference between Sushemi and Sushi) Oh...and watch the Wasabi.....

don't understand the point of this thread. What is wrong with Japan, you don't mention any of your fears? It is a really friendly nation and beautiful country. Like all foreigners that visit another country, you need to respect the rules, that's all!

Have fun with the interesting electronic, multi squirt toilets in the hotels!

Try the natto, which has got to be the tastiest food in Japan and something you will never forget, even after the taste has gone - it's horrid.

Regards

reply to post by paraphi

Ah. Natto!

Smells like last month's unwashed gym socks. Taste? In all my years here, I've managed to avoid it so far. It's supposed to be very healthy and one of the reasons for Japanese people living longer, but I think I'll just accept the slightly shorter lifespan.

The electronic multi-squirt toilets are wonderful though. My friend refers to them as "supertoilets". And not just in hotels. You can find them all over these days - in restaurants, shops, homes. When we were purchasing a home here, they even had them in the portable toilet on the construction site!

So many things for the OP's son to enjoy.Be sure he tries the octopus balls! An Osaka specialty.

reply to post by mantic


Knowing the language, imho, is a huge thing. Very in his favor.

Knowing the culture might well be 2nd.

Knowing a network of reliable Japanese friends would be crucial . . . particularly if WW3 gets lit off while he's there.

If it's a short trip and he's back before 1 Oct . . . probably he'll escape WW3 while in Japan; but no guarantees.

If he gets caught in Japan and unable to leave due to WW3, he'd best learn great humility and diligence making himself useful to local Japanese who have taken a liking to him for some reason.

Like all of us in the looming traumas . . .

imho, there is NO SUBSTITUTE FOR WALKING CLOSE TO GOD . . . my signature etc. say enough about that.

If he has a university degree and plans on staying there and teaching English . . . could be a good gig as long as peace reigns. That--however--peace-- looks to be in short supply in the not distant future.

Tell him to enjoy himself, not to worry and and have fun.

Really, what exactly is there to worry? It's not like he's going to go live in Fukushima, he's probably going to visit Tokyo and anything south from that. The food and water supply isn't contaminated, only the ocean in certain regions, but fish do swim far. However, so far there aren't many cases of radiation poisoning from the fish that is sold in restaurants or at the store so I wouldn't really worry about it.

The air outside isn't contaminated unless he decided to go to Fukushima. Being drunk in public isn't a big deal, lots of people are drunk in the streets at night haha. I know this is ATS but it's not as bad as what people make it seem.

I lived there for three years ... 1983-1986.
Things may have changed a bunch ... but from what I remember ...

1 - The air pollution around Tokyo is AWFUL. Take an inhaler with you. Really.

2 - Stay out of the ocean. It's highly polluted.

3 - Tokyo Disneyland.

4 - Peace Park in Hiroshima.

5 - Mount Fuji.

6 - Japanese mini-yakuza moped gangs. Funny. They'll tool around and buzz like a bunch of flies thinking they are cool or whatever. They'd be beaten senseless if they acted like that in NYC or LA.

7 - Tokyo subway/metro People are very helpful and schoolchildren speak a lot of english and love to practice it.

8 - Earthquake preparedness. Go over what to do when they hit. They hit alot. Stand in doorways, get under tables or desks ... don't light matches if the power goes out ... that kind of thing.

9 - Tsunami awareness. Really.

10 - FUGU! Gotta' try it. It's blowfish specially done by a chef specially trained.

11- Nagoya. Fun city. Good shopping in Harajiku (part of Tokyo)

12 - Try the smoked squid. Don't eat the horse meat in the bars.

13 - Be polite.

reply to post by mantic

My Son is going to Japan, what advice can I give him?

Allow me to say this with all the hysteria I can muster. Tell him:

I lived there from '89 - '92, although about 75% of that was onboard ship out in the middle of some remote ocean. The time I spent in Japan proper was very interesting. It's my favorite food country. Very safe place with a very regimented and conscientious society/culture.

Although I'm quite knowledgeable in the field of radiation/radioactivity and health physics related to such, I wouldn't dare venture even a guess as to what's going on locally. The news and projections of Fukushima seem to show the lion's share of contamination and threat to be flowing in the ocean and spreading across the Pacific. I have no idea how it is affecting food supply or air along the east coast of Japan. Might be worth researching. Maybe the state department or the Japanese Consulate here in the US has info and advice?

If he's set on going, I second the iodine pill recommendation.