#Also this is why Osaka is better but don't @ me LOL

[1-mini-1]

After the Rain- Tokyo Clone (東京クローン) English Lyrics

ハイセンスナンセンス

ぶっ壊してオッケー

High-sense nonsense

Beat the shit out of it, ok?

アンハッピーぶった世界を壊してください

道行く人の波は　お手元の画面に涙

感情が電波に乗ってバグっちゃうわ

Destroy this unhappy, sob-story of a world

Waves of people in the street cry at the screens in their hands

Everyone’s emotions swing with their signal and they’re bugging out

本当を聞かせて？

本当です

なら目を合わせて？

うるさいなあ

Tell me the truth?

It’s the truth

Then look me in the eyes?

stfu

泣いて泣くほど手を叩いてさ

言葉の裏の裏

買い直した素顔で実際の心境は？

I’ve done the crying. I’ve clapped my hands so hard that I've cried

On the other side of every word

And behind that bareface you paid to fix, what’s your actual mental state?

今日も一日0点で完　はい

ぱっぱらぱなしで問題はない　はい

うざいくらいの正論に凹んだ今日は燃えないゴミの中へ

Got a 0 today and that’s a wrap. ‘Kay!

Not gonna clean up everywhere, not gonna do my share. ‘Kay!

All these annoying ideologies are bringing me down, so they’re going out with the unburnable garbage today

どろん

東京クローン　近未来は表の裏で踊る

映えない日常を捨てたら　今日から本当のボクら

東京クローン　どうしてなんで　常識も何も壊せ

上下なんて関係ないぜ　好きに踊ればいい

明日が来るまで

k bai

Tokyo Clone, the near-future dances behind what’s on the surface

If we throw away these un-instagrammable lives, we could start being our real selves

Tokyo Clone, why are we like this? Common sense, anything, destroy it

Hierarchies don’t mean anything here! Just dance how you like

Until tomorrow comes

目に映る世界を暴いてください

間に合わせじゃ意味ないし

貼り付けた仮面はどれも

ハイセンスなふりして失敬だわ

Expose how the world is reflected in your eyes

Not like it matters if you make your deadlines

Each of these pasted masks

Act like they’re high-sense; what a disgrace

どうだっていいこと　有象無象を集めた

それが都会とかいうモンスターなんだ

Pointless things draw the masses

That’s the monster this city is

あー切って貼って　正しいってなるなら

願ったもの全て叶いそう

そりゃ結構　期待はしないぜ

Ah, cut and paste, as long as it becomes “right”

Anything you wish for can come true, apparently

Well, no thx. I’m not gonna get my hopes up

生まれ持ったカードで

勝敗決まる賭博みたいな

イカサマのしようもない

しょうもない人生というゲーム

The cards I was born with

Decide the outcome of this gamble

There’s no way to cheat

This cheating game of life

長考したって何も変わらない　どう転んでも

ならばいっそ終わってしまえばいい

Thinking long and hard won’t change anything, this life doesn’t give out good lemons

I just want to get it all done and over with

今日も一日0点で完

ぱっぱらぱなしで問題はない

どうだって何も変わりやしないさ

妄想をぶちまけて

Got a 0 today and that’s a wrap

Not gonna clean up everywhere, not gonna do my share

Not like I can change anything anyways

Let your delusions run wild

どろん

東京クローン　誰だって　モラル　トレンド被せ

消えない傷なんてむしろ特別さ　洒落て見えるぜ

東京クローン　似通った　服着てボクと歌おう

上下なんて関係ないぜ　好きに踊ればいい

明日が来るまで

k bai

Tokyo Clone, everyone, anyone, wear the morals and trends

Permanent wounds are what’s really special. They look lit as fuck

Tokyo Clone, I wear the same clothes as everyone elseー sing with me 

Hierarchies don’t mean anything here! Just dance how you like

Until tomorrow comes

東京クローン wow

Wow　東京クローン

Tokyo Clone, wow

Wow, Tokyo Clone

君が泣きそうな夜へ

For the nights you want to cry

東京クローン wow

wow　東京クローン

Tokyo Clone, wow

Wow, Tokyo Clone

ボクらトんでいくぜ

We’re gonna go all out!

ハイセンスナンセンス

ぶっ壊してオッケー

High-sense nonsense

Beat the shit out of it, ok?

[stormblessed95]

Memories 2016: Disc 4

So I asked awhile ago when I said I was going back to watch every memories DVD they have released so far, if you would be interested in commentary from me as I did so. There were a lot of people who said yes, so here we are! I have officially watched BTS Memories of 2016. Here are my thoughts as I went. There were 4 DVDs in this one. The posts over first 3 discs is already up and on my masterlist. Reminder that these aren't going to be smoothly written out thoughts. You get these like I'm live reacting, texting my bestie or live tweeting. Lol it'll be in like bullet point format sort of, just... a commentary post as I go. Lol Hope you enjoy anyway! Let's go!

Disc 4:

On Stage Asia Tour:

They went to 10 cities (Seoul / Taipei / Macau / Nanjing / Osaka / Nagoya / Beijing / Manila / Bangkok / Tokyo) for this tour. It was an extension of their 2015 HYYH tour. The tour kicked off in Seoul on 160507.

Track List:

1. Run

2. Danger

3. Autumn Leaves

4. Tomorrow

5. Butterfly

6. Outro: Love is not Over

7. Outro: House of Cards

8. Intro: What Am I To You?

9. Boy In Luv

10. Save Me

11. Fire

12. WAB pt 2

13. Cypher pt 3: Killer

14. If I Ruled the World

15. Silver Spoon

16. Dope

17. Boyz with Fun

18. Attack on Bangtan

19. No More Dream

20. Epilogue: Young Forever

21. Whalien 52

22. Miss Right

23. I Need U

We start in June with the boys in Taipei. A minute into the video and we have jikook playing games already. Lol little wrestling robots game. Jimin bragging he won too much and JK saying it's only because I let you win (something he started doing with frequency in 2015) and then doing a rematch where he wins super quickly. Lmao poor Jimin.

This was also the same time as rehearsals for this concert that we see jikook practicing their COA performance. And JK mimicking Jimin on his 333 dance and immediately turning to check to see if he made Jimin laugh (he did 😊). Maknae line crazy dance times together in between stages 🥰

In Macau is where we get the iconic Sope skit with the recorder music that Hobi plays with his nose and Suga can't help but giggle over. And they thank their fans for the gift of such a luxurious recorder

I will never understand why they film them eating meals or snacks right up in their faces. I really don't need to see it and dang, let them eat without risk of accidentally inhaling the camera too with how close they get 🤣 the dance party from how good the snacks were though and excitement for the concert was adorable.

In Nanjing (July), Love seeing Jihope help the others perfect the choreo and picking out little things they can do to make the overall performance better. Main dancer things 🥰 and then vmin taking a break between rehearsals and the concert to play basketball together!

Jin dancing to ARMY singing songs before BTS even takes the stage 🥺 I love that they get to feel so much love. RMs inspiring little speeches before they go on to his members, do our best! And then we just got clips of total chaos and I want more please! Lol taekook piggy back ride, everyone hyping Suga up for his verse by patting him all over and jumping, Jimin swinging in between TaeJin, Tae on JKs shoulders, Tae's Boyz with Fun dance... I'm noticing a common factor in this craziness being Taehyung 😂 love him.

Tae2Seok proposing to ARMY during their ending mentions. Lmao dangerous idea to give out my guys. 😂 followed by their talks to the camera at the end with Jin continuously proposing to Jimin (somewhat aggressively lmao) before JinJiKook all ask ARMY to marry them too. What is this?! What was the joke? 😂

In Osaka now! They were all so excited during rehearsals and cutesy teasing Tae about how often he said "now" during his VCR recording. (He did say it a lot lol.) Man, rhey also are making Jimin dance on every show! Either showing parts of Fire and the 333 dance before, but now it's Butterfly 😂 and ahh the way JK looks at him while he sings so Jimin can dance everytime. So fond. Such a big smile. And this time Jin did it too!

Jimin jokingly holding Jin back from giving the camera kisses for the end of show mentions. And then Jikook have been doing so many of their camera talks together lately. Lol "the youngest teased me so much today everyone" lol okay Jimin. They are so cute. Followed by Jin and Jimin reacting to JKs celebrity bromance show, which I have already made a post over here too.

Nagoya concerts! Yoongi being so professional and working with the sound techs over what should be higher/lower for instruments and Members voices. Being so knowledgeable and so cool. And then JK following him around in tiny and mimicking everything he says giggling softly to himself and at the camera 🤣 "suga hyung won't scold me" indeed.

Lmao right before the concert. JK is trying to talk to the camera and Tae is just belting his lungs out across the room everytime he tries to talk 🤣 jin sharing how backstage is like a war zone as they have all 7 members trying to get changed and their hair/makeup freshened up in just 3 minutes but that he always finishes first.

Jikook playing together before rehearsals on day 2 with silly dances 🥺 Jin proposing to ARMY AGAIN and the editors being savage lmfao "Jin became cringeworthy" rude omg 🤣 everyone teasing Joonie for his Day 1 Day 1 chant the day before. Lol and at the very end, Jimin jumping onto JKs back when they are leaving the stage before giving his ending mentions to the camera. 🥺

Beijing concerts. I'm not sure what Jimin was dancing too in the middle of rehearsals but JK was loving it. Jimin was going hard too! Lol during their rehearsal break we saw Jimin cracking up laughing while filming a video of Hope, which he later posted to Twitter for us. And the way they have meetings together before every show to hash out exactly what minor things need to be changed depending on where they are performing and give reminders on how to give the best show. They work so hard it's crazy.

Beijing is where we had RM, Jin and Jimin all take turns dancing part of the Butterfly choreo to either JK or Tae singing acapella. Something they have been doing this whole tour, switching it up. But this was the iconic one where JK was watching Jimin dance with all the love in his eyes while singing

RM ended up suffering from over heating and having trouble breathing and couldn't finish the concert. It was heartbreaking but also very touching watching JK and army fill in for his rap verses and Suga take over for the speeches. They did a really good job though. And they were all so worried and concerned when talking to the camera afterwards, especially Jungkook, who couldn't even really think of anything to say, just kept looking off to the side, like he was wanting to be able to just go check on his hyung. They love each other so much. It's never the same if one isn't there.

Manila shows, end of July finally. Jikook walking to the stage with their arms around each other 🥺 and Jin is always acting the cutest on his way to their stages!

Lmao JK playing around with sunglasses and acting silly while the stylist Noona is trying to shove clothes at him and help him get dressed quickly for the encore stage. He is NOT making her job easy. Lmao these stylists all the patience of saints, I swear! The rapline hyping each other up on stage will never not get to me! And they were all so hype for the NMD dance break too!

Everyone was soooo excited by the crowds reactions. JK saying ARMY was his energizer. The hyungs all smiling super hard and being so thankful. Tae just shouting love you to the camera for army over and over. Jimin crashing his interview and jumping on Tae's back this time. Lol they were all so happy after this show!

Bangkok shows now! (160806 now). The amount of Thai food they had on a spread looked amazing and the short impromptu eat jin video we were gifted as well! Jungkookies smile hearing ARMY screaming before they go on stage 😭 Tae giving using his hand to give flying kisses from Jin and JK both. So cute

Yoongi walking off stage so tired he basically just skips saying anything to the camera. 😭 someone let him take a nap soon! We also see the staff taking JKs mic off and him holding his arm like it hurts. Then when Jimin comes up while he is talking to the camera to give him a back hug, he knocks his arm a bit and JK is obviously in pain. Jimin then practically forgets all about the camera, trying to figure out what happened and what hurts. While JK spends just as much effort trying to pretend he is fine and to distract Jimin from it, including teasing him and when Jimin says he is getting old going, but you are only 22? Lol before they walk off together. I'm sure Jimin did not forget about his arm and wanting to find out what happened either. It was cute the way JK wanted to not worry him over it though.

Toyko tour stop! Hoseok, our dance leader, scolding JK for not properly checking his in ears and sending him off to fetch them again. Lol I love that side of Hobi too. Jimin spent almost this entire video with black hair, and is now back to blond for Toyko! And Yoongi has darker auburn type of hair now!

Hobi dancing to JK singing Tomorrow this time! And TaeJin dancing to Fire! And Jin is letting the whole "Nikonikoni" thing GO. Lmao TaeJin are sitting back stage with their arms around each other and Jin is STILL going on with "Nikonikoni" into the camera and during when he danced Fire. Lmao is this where Tae picked it up from for his iconic line in the middle of Attack on Bangtan that sent Jimin into a laughing fit so hard he missed his lines to sing after that? 🤣🤣

Day 2 shows everyone preparing to get on stage, stretching all serious. Captions "everyone relieves stress in their own ways" cuts to Jin acting a fool and big smiles all silly. Lmfao Jimin walking up behind him watching him with the fondest smile, and trying not to laugh. And JK practicing the choreo the same exaggerated way with Namjoon walking up behind him with a smile and then a nod to the camera 😂

Taes voice during Boys with Fun will always be one of my favorite things! Plus his improvised dance moves that the rest of the group then copies afterwards! And Tae being RMs biggest fanboy during his Save Me verse!

Jin and Tae hanging out under the stage waiting for their cue to enter, Jin blowing kisses to Tae and Tae rapping along with the verses above.

The way that everyone encore stage included Miss Right where they passed out little merch balls from baskets, throwing them into the crowd was adorable. Even more so watching them skip around stage with the baskets and half the time someone ended up wearing said basket on their head when it was empty. Lmao surprisingly, it was usually the rapline who wore the basket hats so proudly!

The utter CHAOS that broke out right after Hobis ending mentions to ARMY and Otsukare started playing and everyone went crazy on stage dancing and jumping around to it. Lol just for RM to bring it back down after a bit with being the last to give his greetings and making everyone cry saying "we would have no most beautiful moment in life without you." And Jimim giving his backup dancer friend a big hug when they all came out before everyone joined hands for the final bow😭

Hobi ending the DVD off with a super sweet speech about the tour admist all the staff cheering like crazy for the members so sweetly.

And that wraps up Memories 2016! This was amazing and their hardwork, as always, is so highlighted and soooo admirable. One of my favorite things was seeing Namjoon greet ARMYs in their language everywhere they went. The dedication he has in making everyone geel welcomed and special is so beautiful. In conclusion, I love them. Thanks for letting me share my thoughts! 💜

(No Gifs/photos are mine)

[cyrillean]

today, in "things literally no one asked for": all of sasara's verses in every song and drama track, ranked from worst to best

disclaimer that if you know enough about rap to be able to actually discuss and compare this sort of thing, uh, i have to warn you i don't so you might take psychic damage from reading this. but I TRIED

(also, this does not include the stage plays songs, sorry about that. it also does not include the curry thing, because i refuse to acknowledge it, thank you.)

ALSO OBVIOUSLY THIS IS JUST MY OPINION and if you disagree id love to hear why. this is just for fun and because the funnyman lives rent free in my head

14. sasara's verse with rosho in Aikata: deep sigh... im holding myself back from ranting for 10 paragraphs about this, but i genuinely think this showcases all their flaws as partners. it's not atrocious or anything, it's just. their styles cancel out in a way that reflects all their fears come true. it's cute tho

13. Survival of the Illest: Maybe I just didn't like the live performance, so I won't be able to rank it for sure until we get the official version of this and the BAT ones, but given Dotsuhon live performances tend to be even better than the studio versions, I'm inclined to say I straight up don't like his verse here lol?

12. Wara Osaka: ......yeah this is just thoroughly meh to me. Gives me the same vibes as his verse with Rosho in Aikata. Just not interesting. At least the song itself is really fun for something to vibe with without demanding that much attention.

11. Summit of Divisions (the bit from the leaders section in the trailer): Literally the most forgettable verse in this part of the song. Not bad, just thoroughly unremarkable both in the context of Sasara's verses and in the fact that all the other leaders have STELLAR verses here. Structure wise it makes sense going into Kuko's final verse, which probably only hits AS hard BECAUSE sasara's bit passes right by you, but still.

10. his parts in N☆PS: This song is fantastic, but Sasara is really just here as the glue to tie things together- the real standouts in this one are Rei and Rosho. Still, special shotout to him counting down in a speech.

9. sasara's solo verse in Aikata: perfectly standard sasara rap. this is like the baseline of what should be expected from this clown imo. the lyrics are kinda toothless but the way he delivers it doesn't disappoint

8. Joy for Struggle: It's only just a bit above The Sasara Standard Of Quality. Real good, real fun, takes advantage of the fantastic instrumentals of the song, and his confidence carries him a long way- but let's be honest, Ichiro sort of wiped the floor with him on this one

7. His first verse in Summit of Divisions: Judged solely as rap his bit here is nothing special, but in the context of the song itself, it's one of the most fun parts, he really leans into the vibe of the song by giving a little breather that's still genuinely fun and keeps the energy going into Rosho's verse.

6. Helter Skelter: much like everything else about sasara in helter skelter, his verse here is INTERESTING... he drops a lot of his usual flair and instead delivers a very, hm, i don't know enough about rap to describe it; it's very technically impressive compared to his usual stuff? I wouldn't be surprised if this is a peek at what he sounded like in Ikebukuro. If he'd carried this energy into Joy for Struggle it would have at least been a more interesting fight

5. Division Battle Anthem +: ...I think Sasara may well be the ONLY person who perfomed BETTER in Rap Battle than in Battle Anthem. I still prefer his verse here, but it's very style over sustance. That in no way means it's bad tho because absolutely NO ONE has a bad or even mediocre verse in this song, and I appreciate his kanto-ben joke its cute

4. Division Rap Battle +: I don't actually like his verse here much, but relistening I have to admit it's actually very, hmm... it's sasara going all out with style, he does SO much in just 20 seconds. In Tragic Transistor he calls himself a southpaw rapper, and I don't know enough about rap to know if he's bullshitting or not, but this verse makes it hard to argue with him.

3. Tragic Transistor: He does not shut up for a single SECOND in this entire song, and lets none of that time go to waste. The song itself barely changes at all, and the choruses are relatively speaking very short, so he carries the whole entire three minutes by himself without it EVER getting boring. He manages to rap for a whole song about himself, without actually SAYING anything meaningful about himself, and yet STILL asserting dominance WHILE being a clown. this song is a joy to rap

2. Aikata(s): Unironically fantastic, which goes for rosho's parts as well. in many shonen Fights Between Allies (tm), i feel like even if they SAY they're not holding back, they end up being like "oh it doesnt matter who wins, what matters is that we're enjoying the battle and giving it our all" etc. well this is NOT the case here, they are HONEST TO GOD BOTH FIGHTING TO WIN, and sasara genuinely throws out some lines i wouldn't have thought he'd say to rosho. just a great battle imo

Tragic Comedy #1. Osaka Dreamin Night: talented, brilliant, incredible, amazing, show stopping, spectacular, never the same, totally unique, completely not ever been done before, COME ON EVERY PART OF HIS VERSE HERE IS ICONIC. HAI DOMO DOTSUITARE HOMPO DESU. TAMUKETARO KA HIGANBANA. IM A TRAGIC COMEDY NUMBER 1. THE BIT WHERE HE PUNS AROUND HIS NAME FOR LIKE FOUR FULL LINES. this is such an addictive verse to rap it's just so fun and bouncy with just a dash of threathening. HONA NEEEE

[shoujoaccent]

I feel like whatever happens between Yoshino and Kirishima, they'll always at least stay friends. We see this more in the omake and extras, but when they're not caught in the middle of something very high-stakes, they have a really compatible domestic vibe with each other. They had similar upbringings and have similar interests in terms of the mundane. If they don't get married I know Kirishima won't be able to leave her alone, and I think she'd let him hang around as long as he behaved.

i feel like they would stay friends too....... or at least, be cordial because kirishima to yoshino is very much, "if you can't do anything about it, might as well learn how to tolerate it." they're very much the only pairing i don't mind having any specific way bc i know their story will be written well enough to be satisfied with any conclusion. like truly, its very much anyone’s game rn

lately however, idk about their actually compatibility lmao like they get along just fine for what it is, but its hard to actually see any genuineness when the circumstances are so shady tbh. 

dont get me wrong!! the mundane scenes are my FOOD!!! but again, yoshino genuinely doesn’t have anyone to depend on in tokyo but kirishima, so it’s better not to be on his bad side, even if she doesn’t tolerate everything. (thats kind why osaka is so interesting for the recent chapters bc we’re finally seeing a more proactive yoshino bc they’re finally on HER turf + she’s not putting up with his bullshit in the slightest). nonetheless, kirishima may love yoshino in his own way, but he’s also going to die and have all of japan descend into a turf war should he and yoshino break up, and aggravate two regions that already have a lot of bad blood. there’s lots at play on both parts bc lbr we don’t even know yoshino’s objectives yet when this is supposedly her story

but i do like the idea that she’d let him hang around if he behaved....... yoshino seems like the type to use kirishima for information/security after she’s accepted the fact that he’s probably watching her anyways LOL

[junionigiri]

BNHA 231 - my head is spinning

Seriously wow the events of this fricking chapter made me pause and wonder, who the heck is the real villain here huh?!

The chapter opens with Hawks dramatically flying over Osaka, talking to someone quite seriously on the phone while carrying a suspicious looking black bag that I naively thought was a bag of his belongings because he's ready to run away and escape from it all. Fans are clamoring that he's talking to his GF despite us knowing who exactly he is that he's talking to because it's just a matter between one Todoroki or the other one right?

Anyways, since when was Jeanist missing? It seems like such an out of the blue thing to reveal, wasn't this around the time the joint exercise was happening or am I wrong? And why was it being shown in the first place, I asked myself

Hawks is eerily confident about his job; he has the same amount of cunning and apparent lack of conscience that one needs to be a double agent. It is so scary how fit he is for the job???

"The next job will be the last," Dabi assured him, and then he's officially with the league and Hawks can finally speak with Shigs and be in on their affairs. Its obviously not gonna be an easy job, it's for the vague purpose of "taking down the system" so it's designed to be uncomfortable or unthinkable for a so-called righteous pro. It's merely a test for Hawks in other words, so--

Shit. Hawks... What did you do?! WHAT DID YOU DO. WHY JEANIST. WHY THE BAG. WHY THAT EVIL SMILE. WHAT DID YOU DO

Don't get me wrong, shit what an awesome, awful twist this is--Hawks would have eventually done whatever it is that Dabi asks, because he has to but look at the ease, the lack of hesitation, the seeming lack of conscience that he executes the task given to him by the league? With natural banter and rapport, Jeanist has no choice but to trust him and Hawks isn't shown to flinch, not even once, to do whatever it was?! Shit I hope he just stole a pair of booty jorts or something but that bag, that frickin' bag he has to present to Dabi, what the hell is in it, it better not be bits and pieces of my fav snarky pro hero Hawks huhuhu

So now I am concerned? Hawks seems to be doing a much better job at being a villain than anyone in the League of Villains? And he's supposed to be the hero and the newbie at this wtf

Is this his downward spiral??? Is what he said about everything he does, he does for the League an actual truth now??? Even tho there's a chance that the scenes we are shown do not show the full picture... Damn and holy and shit wow

Legit have a hard time getting over that scene but... Look, Shigs. Shigs being supported by his friends/family. Spinner, who supports him mentally and emotionally about his decision making process, and Twice who is really the man of the hour, literally jumping in to save him from the angry horde of extremists.

It's odd to see a villain leader being so,human? Questioning his choices, being genuinely impressed by his subordinates??? Hating on the Liberation Army for "playing with people's feelings"??? The contrast between the sleep deprived Shigs who's supposed to be the worst of them, and Hawks who's loved by everyone is so apparent in this chapter!

Also, lol Move Bitch Get Out The Way--ILU Twiiiice

It looks like we're in for a spinner chapter next? It will be awesome to see what he can do about this politician guy. I bet that his powers really have something to do with powering up other people's quirks with his presence! That, or an abnormal amount of charisma.

So!!!! Machia's on the way, Twice has finally got to Giran, Shigs is getting closer and closer to an actual nap, Dabi's struggling and Hawks is...still carrying that bag somewhere in Osaka.

Shit. This villain arc really, really played with my heart and all the concepts of morality and ethics and good and bad, in the context of this universe and I am,,, living for it, what an amazing story. I can't wait for the next chapter!!!!!

[i-growl-growl-growl]

Hii, I wanted to ask you something, I read that you study in Japan and my friend asked me a while ago to go with her to Japan to study there because I wanted to study abroad cuz Europe is boring lol and so she asked me and I really don't know about it, could you maybe list some bad and goid things from your experience there ? That'd be helpful I think thanks for your time bubs❤

You should definitely take the chance to study abroad here, or where ever you have the ability to go, if you ever get the chance.

I would just like to start off by saying that many people come here excited to explore Japan but often leave disappointed because they had expectations that were far too high to ever be met. If you’re going to come to Japan be open minded about how it’s not going to fit every stereotype and every rumor that you’ve been led to believe about it. A lot of people come here believing that all of Japan is this futurist wonderland, like in all of those sci-fi movies, and although it does have its advanced technological aspects it isn’t the entirety of Japan that is like that, in fact it’s mostly just the major touristic spots that are typically that way. A lot of people also come here thinking the exact opposite, that it’ll be like stepping into a land that has been preserved by history: they’ll see samurai, sumo wrestlers, and geishas walking around in their kimonos everywhere, that is also not the case.

Now, I can tell you that this is going to be pretty lengthy so strap yourselves in and prepare for “a long ass ride.”

From my experiences ((and overall just random information that I think would be benefitial for you to know)), lets start with the BAD/shocking ones:

  1.       I don’t know what the bicycling situation is like in Europe but, here in Japan, bicyclists will use the sidewalks alongside normal pedestrians. The sidewalks are already pretty small, and considering how crowded it can get, things can get a bit scary when you find yourself having to play chicken with a bicyclist on the sidewalk. Always have one ear clear of any headphones or earphones so that you can hear the bicyclists approaching you from a distance so that you can prepare yourself to move out of the way. Japanese bicyclists will tend to not move out of the way for you so, if you find yourself in the position of playing chicken with them and you think you’ll have the chance at winning…. you won’t! They will ram your ass into the concrete OR stop dead in the tracks right in front of you and wait for you to step to the side for them. (I have a personal story that goes with this situation that explains why I have such an undying H.A.T.R.E.D for bicyclists here in Japan but it’d take centuries for me to write so I’ll leave it out.)

2.           Bring a small bar or bottle of soap that only you will use and carry it with you in your personal purse or bag because many of the public Japanese bathroom DO NOT have soap, if they do then it’s usually a single bar of soap that everyone who has been in the restroom has used.

3. & 4.     This isn’t an experience that I had because I did research before coming here but make sure that you bring a laptop that will work in Japan and make sure that you have a phone that is unlocked . There are many laptops that WILL NOT work once you try to convert them to work with the Japanese…… (I forgot what it’s called)….. computer systems……..     Luckily my laptop is an ASUS which works wonderfully in Japan. Unfortunately, I don’t know what other laptops work in Japan after being brought from other countries so I can’t help you much in that aspect. If your laptop isn’t compatible to work in Japan then you’ll have to buy one in Japan (which could be a hassle because you’ll have to convert it to function in a language that you do understand etc. etc.) As for the phone, unless you have worldwide coverage, you’ll need to order a SIM to put in your phone so that it’ll work while you’re here. Many international students weren’t aware of both of these things and found out that their phone was locked so they couldn’t remove the original sim and put the Japanese one in so they had to buy new phones in Japan (which is a pain in the ass) or they had to buy a new laptop. When ordering a SIM, if that’s the route you’re going to take, you have the choice of Data only or Voice and Data. Prices will vary depending on the provider you’re going through, how long you intend to use their SIM, and how much data + voice calling you want to have each month. I’d personally recommend that you go through SakuraMobile (the provider I’m using).

5.       It is rude to eat or drink while you are walking around or sitting in public. On a hot summer or fall day, this will REALLY SUCK because you’ll want nothing more than to take a few swigs of your water, or whatever beverage you have, to cool you down. There will also be days where you want to rip open one of your snacks and eat it at the park or as you’re walking or waiting for the train or bus but you can’t, because it’s rude.

6.      Blowing your nose in public is EXTREMELY rude. DO NOT  blow your nose in public, EVER! If you find yourself to be in a pickle because you have allergies or have a runny nose you better run to a convenience store and buy yourself a good pack of surgical masks to put on over your face. It is considered a kind and considerate thing to do, especially if you are sick because no one wants to catch or spread germs.

7.      make sure you know where you can use you credit card to pull out cash because Japan is a cash based country. It is RARE  to find a place that will take credit cards, especially foreign credit cards. AGAIN, this could be where convenience stores are of convenience to you: convenience stores will often have an atm within them that accepts credit cards from various countries and you can use these to get cash so long as you pay an exchange fee for the transaction. Be aware that, if these atms do accept your card, you know how much you can withdraw within a 24 or 48 hour period because it’d suck for you to spend all the money you have while thinking you can just withdraw more once you run out only to find out that you’ve maxed out how much money you can take out within the specified 24-48 hour period.

8.        CROWDS!!!!!!!!!! If you hate crowds you’ll hate Japan. Even if you don’t hate crowds you’ll simultaneously learn to hate crowds but learn to live with them at the same time during your stay in Japan. If you think Japan is crowded based off of what you’ve seen in animes, movies or tv shows or based off of horror rumors that you’ve heard from friends, family, or online and you wonder if it can really be that crowded… yes it is. IT’S WORSE ACTUALLY!!!! The rumors about being crammed against each other, packed in the trains or buses like a can of sardines is NO FUCKING JOKE!!!! If you’re a person who needs their personal space… good luck finding it in Japan, most specifically when on public transit. Tokyo, by far, is the ABSOLUTE WORST when it comes to crowds.        ((just some personal advise, try and avoid Tokyo unless you’re going there just for a few days or a week. the crowds suck, it smells bad, the people aren’t as friendly as those in Osaka, Kyoto, Hiroshima and Nara, everything is expensive, and the public transportation is an absolute bitch to get around!))

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Now, on to the GOOD experiences:

1. & 2.        food is CHEAP and food is FRESH!!!! You will find that the convenience stores have pre-made foods that cost anywhere from $1 USD to $6. These include pasta dishes, salads, soups, miscellaneous snacks, sweets, drinks… you name it!!  If you look at the packages you’ll often find that NONE of the dishes are older than the exact day that you’re at the store OR, a good way to tell if they are older than 24 hours is you’ll see a red stamp on them that says 20% or 20cents… which means that you get 20cents to 20% off of that dish due to how “old” the dish is. In the entire 8 months that I’ve been here, I have never seen a pre-made convenience store dish that was still on the rack that’s 2+ days old.

3.           Convenience stores ARE ACTUALLY CONVENIENT! Not only do they have a variety of fresh food and the usual chips and other junk food to choose from but they also have microwaves that you can use for a small added charge to your total if you wish to have a dish heated up for you on the spot! They will also provide you with a choice of chopsticks, a fork, or a spoon as well as a damp hand towel to clean your hands off with once you’ve finished your meal.

4.        people are polite. When you enter a store or restaurant you will hear the word “irasshaimase“ (E-la-shy-mas-Ay) which means “welcome” and they will also bow to you. people will also apologize when approaching you or after bumping into you by saying either “sumimasen” (sue-me-mas-en) “excuseme/I’m sorry” or  “gomennasai“ (go-men-na-sa-E) “I’m sorry” depending on the nature and severity of the situation. Japanese people will also greet you with “ohayou gozaimasu“, or sometimes just “ohayou” (Ohio/ go-za-E-mas)) “good morning”, “konnichiwa“ (ko-n- knee-chee-wa) “good afternoon”, or “konbanwa"- “good afternoon.” They are also extremely helpful and will do their best to help you if you approach them and ask them a question, do keep in mind that many Japanese don’t speak must English or any other language so they may have trouble explaining it so they’ll try and settle for repeating it in Japanese over and over again until they think that you understand.

5.        Public transportation is convenient and cheap. Despite the crowds, public transportation is EXTREMELY convenient in Japan. There are different buses, trains and taxis that can get you ANYWHERE in Japan. It may be difficult to learn to navigate from the different railways when using trains but once you have it under control, it’s easy to get wherever you want to go. At the train stations there is a system where you go to buy the train tickets but, you have the option of buying a special card for $20 that you can recharge,I highly recommend that you get the card because it will become your best friend! All you’ll have to do it hold it up to a scanner each time you enter or leave a station and it will automatically deduct the cost for the ride rather than having to constantly pull out cash, insert it into the systems and tell them where your going, then insert the tickets into the gates each time you go somewhere. In Osaka the card is called “Icoca.”

6.     The food is DELICIOUS!! (and have I mentioned it’s cheap?) Please please please be open minded about trying new foods. No matter where you’re traveling, be open to trying some of the native dishes, especially in Japan. I know it can seem a bit terrifying but believe me, if you just tell yourself “fuck it” and grab those weird, unknown dishes/snacks or order something random from the menu- you WILL NOT regret it 99.9% of the time ((this is actually how I’ve come to find out what my favorite Japanese dishes are))

7.      You will have many chances to travel around the country. Take those chances and enjoy yourself! Japan is such a beautiful place with its historical and futuristic clashing culture and locations. The less chances you take, the more opportunities that you’ll find out that you’ve lost for making great memories, making more friends, seeing beautiful places, etc. Travel travel travel! Each city, each prefecture is drastically different from the last, so explore as much as you can as often as you can and don’t be afraid to try new things, don’t be afraid to push yourself out of your comfort zone.   

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More general information:

1.     cars won’t come to a complete stop for you as you are crossing the street, they will keep inching forward until you have passed them so that they won’t miss their light. It’s frightening to experience because there are times when you think that they’re going to run you over if you don’t cross the street fast enough but, believe me, they won’t run you over… they may intimidate you but they won’t harm you ever.

2.        It may be a bit hard to make Japanese friends. You may be thinking that you’ll come to Japan, make lots of friends, and speak Japanese a lot but it’s more than likely the opposite. You may make Japanese friends but they’ll want to practice their English with you so don’t get uptight about not having the chance to speak Japanese to them often. One great way to make it easier for you to make friends with Japanese people is to apply for speaking-partner programs through your school and/or apply to live in the dorms with local Japanese students ((this is how I’ve made 99% of my Japanese friends)). Once you’ve managed to make some Japanese friends, make them a deal that you’ll help them speak English (or your native language, or both) in return for getting to practice Japanese with them.

3.      You will become the minority here, no matter what part of Japan you end up going to. As a foreigner you will be stared at often and some people, especially the elders, will try to avoid you. Don’t be surprised if you find people staring at you and do not find it surprising if no one wants to sit next to you on the bus or trains, no matter how crowded it may get, because they may be intimidated by you as the “Gaijin” (guy-jin) “foreigner” that you are.

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There are many more experiences and much more general info I could give you but I feel like this post is too long as it is so I’ll leave it to you to look up.

I’d recommend that you learn some Japanese before you come to Japan. It may not be necessary but it would certainly be beneficial to you and your friend. There is a wonderful youtube channel and website that you can learn some Japanese from: JapanesePod101

There are many youtube channels that you can look up that can give you insight on what to expect and prepare. Rachel & Jun’s Adventures + Rachel and Jun (they have two channels), Sharmander, Ask Japanese, Abroad in Japan,  & Asian Boss to name a few.