Moving to Japan any advice ? (1 Viewer)

[Tomoko Noguchi]

I have never seen a Tex-Mex restaurant here, but that does not mean it is not here. Import shops would be the way to go for you if you want the things you have written.

 

[Jeff Kleist]

I think I saw a Mexican place in Harajuku in Tokyo. However I don't know if it's Tex-Mex
I'd fill your bags with beans, because if you CAN find that stuff, you're going to pay ludicrous prices for it. I should know, I pay $8 for a 6 pack of 6oz CC Lemon here As for the fresh vegetables, well, I'm afraid you're pretty stuck unless you've got a lot of cash. Have your parents send you care packages I guess. Japanese food is very good, and you can just put lots of wasabi on it.
Jeff, I thought you were taking Japanese....
You might want to download Microsoft Global IME first
Also do a search for "JWP Japanese word processor". That's a great freeware program that even has an extensive dictionary.
Hiragana is used for Japanese words. Katakana is used for foreign (to them) words. 95% of the time katakana is an English word, however more and more it's being used because it looks cool in graphic design, so watch out. The next most likely place a word comes from is German, followed by French (at least in my experience)

 

[Jeff Ulmer]

My Japanese is more anime immersion than anything. Unfortunately I don't think I'd get very far with what I recognise so far, unless perhaps I was attacked by a bunch of transforming school girls...
I figured I'd start with something simple, like learning to spell my name... I did find a pretty good hiragana/katana reference (I think) but I'm already lost. No Je, no f, no ul... doshite!! Back to the drawing board!

 

[Jeff Kleist]

Hahahahh
Yes, my Japanese is about the same level, except I do have the basics down. I can command the Imperial Japanese Navy into battle, but have trouble asking where the bathroom is
Tahgeto scopu OPAN! ...soun...ni...ichi.....HASHA!
Oh, I found out there IS a Tex-Mex place in Akabara in Tokyo, but it's Japanese Tex-mex, so there is some liberties taken. The guy doesn't remember the name of it tho

 

[Mark Romero]

I have lived in Japan for the last 3 years, just outside of Tokyo. Hope you are making some serious cash as it is very expensive like everyone else has already said. The people are very nice. Sometimes it's hard finding someone who speaks English. People told me most younger Japanese spoke English but if they did, they didn't want to talk to me! The train system is pretty easy to navigate. I miss some stops because I can't hear what the stop is over the speakers. Taxis are very expensive. 660 Yen (over $5) just to get in one. Roppongi is the bar district in Tokyo and nice to visit once or twice. Gets old after that. Standard tourist stuff everywhere else. Beer/drinks are expensive. $6 or more. A nice pint in an English style pub is about $7. Some of the best food I ever ate was in Japan. And none of it was Japanese food. I'm talking Italian, French, etc. If you ever go to Sapporo make sure to get a bowl of ramen at one of the many ramen shops. Good stuff. Also, the Great Buddha in Kamakura is very impressive as is a trip to Mt. Fuji. Overall, a very enjoyable country if you can afford it. My 2-cents.

 

[Jeff Kleist]

Update on a question I asked about finding concert tickets for Japan online. Possibly someone whose kanji is much better than mine can help (Babelfish is just a mess)
http://t.pia.co.jp/
Seems like a Japanese ticketmaster, but I'm not familiar with many of the katakana words they're using