How can this be acceptable ?

[Lacessit]

2 minutes ago, timendres said:

Yes. I very much wish to spend some time in Russia some day. Have a good friend who will be my guide.

I'm sure there are some wonderful sights there. However, when there is a maniac in charge who would probably relish the opportunity to take Western hostages, I'd suggest best to put your plans on hold until he is gone.

[it is what it is]

6 hours ago, Boomer6969 said:

How can one accept to live and work in big cities?

 

for the money, the culture, the arts, the museums, the parks, the buzz... lived in london for 15 years, what an amazing city

[scubascuba3]

59 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

True enough, Russia is not on my bucket list. Come to think of it, is it on anyone's?

One unexpected bonus when i was there was it was easy to pull hot Russian girls, westerners were in demand

[Kwasaki]

4 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

I encountered similar in London... Its just so busy...

 

I recall exciting a bus and a guy was trying to get on the bus at the same time (through me)... I think he was also fare dodging as I exited through the muddle doors, he ’should’ have go on at the front doors. As he tired to get on through me I just continued to exit with everyone else and he ended up getting pushed back....   He was so angry by the time he got on the bus, he was on the bus looking out through the window screaming at me....  punching the window !!!... (*nutter !!... so I blew him a kiss !).

 

Thailand does very well, it gets very busy and crowded yet people try to be as respectful of each other as possible. 

Japan of course takes this to another level where behaviour and restraint are paramount - Japan is quite *unique in the expectations of behaviour society places on itself.

 

Living in extremely busy areas and having to use rush our traffic is simply unavoidable for many. 

 

Those who have retired here can comment - but we all needed to work at some point, some of us were luckier than others. 

 

I recall driving to work (Rama IV to Ratchada) it took 1.5 hrs !!!....  I did that once... So I started taking the BTS then the MRT which was horrible. 

Motorbike to Ekammai BTS, then change at Asoke, then off at Thai Cultural Centre.... 

The return was so busy I simply chose to walk home from Asoke - by the time I’d get home I was sodden with sweat...  not exactly pleasant. 

 

Fortunately that was a shorter contract - but I’ve worked in many capital cities and working in busy cities in the tropics is horrible....  Its so humid walking any distance is horrible and sweaty so we are forced to use crowded public transport.

 

Cool post and Japanese to Japanese is not same, I luv Japanese girls as to say and I am a English person I would have to do a Samurai course before a Japanese man respected me for real is what I reckon.

[moogradod]

7 hours ago, Lacessit said:

It takes 30 minutes to get across greater Tokyo by train......

 

Sure you do not underestimate its size at least a bit ? If you include include the Airport (strictly not in Tokyo, but lets count it anyway) greater Tokyo is about 126 km from West to East and even only the prefecture itself spans a mere 90 km+.

 

The most preferred method of public transport is the Chikatetsu, some sort of mixture between a subway and a train. There are several lines, the ones passing Shinjuku get the special treatment by the white hand cuffed gentlemen during rush hours. I have been "sardinized" many times. Makes you enter and embark again regardless if you want to. Waiting for the next "train" does not help. They come in 2 minute intervals and its all the same during these times. Nevertheless you see most of them them running for the train that has just arrived as if it were the last ever.

 

To explore Tokyo by these, it would take hours to cross.

 

[JimTripper]

It's common for people to be sexually assaulted on those trains. They are packed in so tight you just have to endure the assault until the next stop. There were reports of guys sticking their fingers into people and just leaving it there and even fellow psssengers can't see what's going on.

Edited May 16, 2022 by JimTripper

[Lacessit]

17 minutes ago, moogradod said:

Sure you do not underestimate its size at least a bit ? If you include include the Airport (strictly not in Tokyo, but lets count it anyway) greater Tokyo is about 126 km from West to East and even only the prefecture itself spans a mere 90 km+.

 

The most preferred method of public transport is the Chikatetsu, some sort of mixture between a subway and a train. There are several lines, the ones passing Shinjuku get the special treatment by the white hand cuffed gentlemen during rush hours. I have been "sardinized" many times. Makes you enter and embark again regardless if you want to. Waiting for the next "train" does not help. They come in 2 minute intervals and its all the same during these times. Nevertheless you see most of them them running for the train that has just arrived as if it were the last ever.

 

To explore Tokyo by these, it would take hours to cross.

 

It's about 25 years since I was there, so presumably Tokyo has grown since then.

I traveled on the Shinkazen from Osaka to Tokyo. What amazed me was the Japanese men openly reading extremely graphic manga on the train, with women sitting nearby.

[moogradod]

1 hour ago, Lacessit said:

It's about 25 years since I was there, so presumably Tokyo has grown since then.

I traveled on the Shinkazen from Osaka to Tokyo. What amazed me was the Japanese men openly reading extremely graphic manga on the train, with women sitting nearby.

Sexually they have always been special with a kind of mixture of prudery and extreme predispositions. Better not talk about what is on sale there (online as well I think). So it does not surpize me at all that the guy did read his well deserved manga after a hard working day openly. Somehow they are shameful and sometimes very open.

 

I remember frequenting a small Sushiya near to the place I lived at the time and while chatting with the owner we ran into the topic of hobbies. He and his wife (they both did operate the place together) told me straight away it was porno. I have to admid that I was baffled that they were so open to someone who were not a customer for a long time and we were not alone - one other guest perfectly understood what had been said.

 

As for Tokyo-size: My time was even more than a decade before yours and it always has been big. Maybe too big to grasp correctly. I still have a city plan on paper of all greater Tokyo. It is a book with some 130 pages or so.

 

Nowadays the city has maybe more grown towards the sky (as in many places in the world). In my times there was only Shinjuku as the only center with high buildings. What you still find there today is a small wooden house right next to a super modern skyscraper. But the earthquake is much more fun in the small wooden hut.

 

And yes, I know the Shinkansen. I had the pleasure to go from Tokyo to Fukuoka and back once and then one time to Kyoto.

[Sticky Rice Balls]

9 hours ago, Lacessit said:

being forced to live cheek by jowl

reminds me of my last marriage

[Sticky Rice Balls]

1 hour ago, JimTripper said:

It's common for people to be sexually assaulted on those trains. They are packed in so tight you just have to endure the assault until the next stop. There were reports of guys sticking their fingers into people and just leaving it there and even fellow psssengers can't see what's going on.

they have lady only train cars.....not sure about ladyboys

[cdemundo]

Nothing new about that, SOP in Japan for many years.

[Orinoco]

12 hours ago, mtls2005 said:

Meh.

 

 

The Eurostar will look like that in a few years time,  on it's way to the UK 

 

[Fat is a type of crazy]

Working from home following Covid has helped a lot. Many working at home a couple of days a week. Some lucky ones full time. Trains much better. 

[Lacessit]

7 hours ago, moogradod said:

Sexually they have always been special with a kind of mixture of prudery and extreme predispositions. Better not talk about what is on sale there (online as well I think). So it does not surpize me at all that the guy did read his well deserved manga after a hard working day openly. Somehow they are shameful and sometimes very open.

 

I remember frequenting a small Sushiya near to the place I lived at the time and while chatting with the owner we ran into the topic of hobbies. He and his wife (they both did operate the place together) told me straight away it was porno. I have to admid that I was baffled that they were so open to someone who were not a customer for a long time and we were not alone - one other guest perfectly understood what had been said.

 

As for Tokyo-size: My time was even more than a decade before yours and it always has been big. Maybe too big to grasp correctly. I still have a city plan on paper of all greater Tokyo. It is a book with some 130 pages or so.

 

Nowadays the city has maybe more grown towards the sky (as in many places in the world). In my times there was only Shinjuku as the only center with high buildings. What you still find there today is a small wooden house right next to a super modern skyscraper. But the earthquake is much more fun in the small wooden hut.

 

And yes, I know the Shinkansen. I had the pleasure to go from Tokyo to Fukuoka and back once and then one time to Kyoto.

One of the features of Japan that pleasantly surprised me was complete confidence in my personal safety. I got the impression it would be a cause for national shame if a foreigner was assaulted in any shape or form. I was out on the Kabukicho at 2 am, and felt perfectly safe.

OTOH, there are places in New York and London I would never go in broad daylight.

[Lemsta69]

12 hours ago, Lacessit said:

True enough, Russia is not on my bucket list. Come to think of it, is it on anyone's?

yep, always had a hankering to visit. but with a heap of money and a local guide/bodyguard. i expect it'll be a very long time before that itch is scratched, as you say one does not want to be a Westerner in Putin's Russia right now. even if he does shuffle off his mortal coil I'm not at all confident his successor will be any better.

[Hanaguma]

As someone who has lived in Japan for 20 years, I can tell you with confidence that the video is PRE Covid, probably in Shinjuku station. There are myriad subways, private trains at the station.  That level of crowded is not the norm generally. It is also why I drive my own car and do NOT live in Tokyo. 

 

Whoever said that a car here has a lifespan of only 2 years due to environmental regulations is full of unko. My car is 12 years old and going strong!  What does happen is a safety check- after 3 years for new cars, then every 2 years after that. But there is no rule on having to scrap or replace vehicles. 

 

And yes, people are generally very tolerant of crowding and having their personal space invaded. 

[moogradod]

14 hours ago, Lacessit said:

One of the features of Japan that pleasantly surprised me was complete confidence in my personal safety. I got the impression it would be a cause for national shame if a foreigner was assaulted in any shape or form. I was out on the Kabukicho at 2 am, and felt perfectly safe.

OTOH, there are places in New York and London I would never go in broad daylight.

I absolutely agree with that.

 

Are you aware of the Omawari-San Concept as well in the living quarters ? The Japanese adress system follows a logical order where the adress consists of the identification of areas rather than streets.

 

One of the elements in that order stands for an area consisting of several houses in a cluster. And each cluster has its own Police Box, manned by one "Omawari-San" (Policeman). The guy knows who is living in his block and what they are doing. This would be suspicious in a country like North Korea - but not so in Japan. The relationship with the Omawari-San was not disturbing but rather the opposite, based on trust and positive social interaction. Your friend from the government so to speak, there to help and protect you. And you felt good about it.

 

I found this to be a big difference to the perceived relationship with the police in other countries. You need not look far to know what I mean ????.

 

This does not mean there is no crime. The Japanese Yakuza are world famous. In a lot of cases they do not hide at all but are an accepted and even respected part of the society. To be careful in some entertainment districts late at night would not be a mistake, but its not burglary. They trick you to enter some bars (if you let them) where you might pay a fortune for saying Hallo to a nice lady passing by - politely of course. And I really mean a fortune if it comes to the bill. Could be in the end easily worth a new house in the countryside in LOS. Have a look at YouTube. There are some revealing clips about the Tokyo nightlife.

 

Yes, the Japanese ways are different under many circumstances. I remember (and will never forget) when I saw a murder of the Yakuza LIVE on TV. If this is not different to many places then what is.

Edited May 17, 2022 by moogradod

[Lacessit]

3 minutes ago, moogradod said:

 

This does not mean there is no crime. The Japanese Yakuza are world famous. In a lot of cases they do not hide at all but are an accepted and even respected part of the society. To be careful in some entertainment districts late at night would not be a mistake, but its not burglary. They trick you to enter some bars (if you let them) where you might pay a fortune for saying Hallo to a nice lady passing by - politely of course. And I really mean a fortune if it comes to the bill. Could be in the end easily worth a new house in the countryside in LOS. Have a look at YouTube. There are some revealing clips about the Tokyo nightlife.

 

 

I never saw a yakuza, I was aware the tattoos were what distinguished them from other Japanese.

Quite a few times, I was carefully shepherded around. Although I was left to my own devices many times too.