[C7JjVczP]

yeh i loved the Lost in Translation soundtrack, matter of fact im listenin to it right now lol. Yhe Bill Murray is a brilliant actor.

[HwoRas1]

Not quite. You'll get the same sense of being in a totally foreign culture but not the feeling of being a little dot in the middle of a sprawling metropolis. Kyoto is the old capital of Japan and you'll find more cultural sights with the tallest buildings being temples. No skyscrapers anywhere. So yes, a similar feeling but a completely different setting.

[rusculture]

Just checked a the prices in the brochure this morning £2,500+ *clump*, i wonder how much the flights are and then i will stay at a Ryukan or a youth hsotel, hmmm choices choices lol

[JMLot]

Lost in Translation is not about Japan...it just happens to be the location for the story.
It's about 2 people being lonely in a foreign country/culture. Japan merely provided a convenient setting for it.

Jakob

[jurhoonee]

After living in Tokyo for 12 years and having watched Lost in Translation, I can tell you that the events that happened to the characters actually does happen more often than you think. Not quite to the same lengths that they go to but still pretty close. The movie was actually based on someone's experience in Japan (forget who but I think it was the person who either wrote it, produced it, or directed it). I agree that it's not about Japan and that it is more about being immersed in a completely foreign culture. I experienced some of this but not nearly to the same extent since I'm Korean and can blend in with the rest of the crowd. My mom on the other hand, who is caucasian, saw more of this and after watching the movie, she felt that it was a good representation of what a foreigner feels while staying Japan. Yes, American celebrities do get asked to make a lot of strange commercials (Leo DiCaprio was in a car commercial that consisted of him saying "GO! Wagon R!" and speaking in Japanese, Charlotte Church singing "Pie Jesu" while holding a CG globe of the Earth in her hands and a commentator talking about some sort of organization I couldn't figure out).

[Quaganoca]

Despite being a long-term resident of Japan, I've only been to Tokyo a half dozen times. Every time I go there, I feel that time is compressed. There's so much ground to cover that a day is over in a flash. IMHO, the experience improves dramatically if you have a Tokyo resident (Japanese or otherwise) with you to show you around and guide you to some of the grotty little hovels in back alleys ("This place serves the best Monja in Kanto...etc"). This is where you experience the gritty, non-sanitized side of urban life in Japan--though wherever you go, you're likely to be quite safe.

Getting back to the question, my experiences in Tokyo were nothing like either Bill Murray's or Scarlett Johnasen's because a) I am neither a dissolute Hollywood star or an aimless upper-middle class sophitikitten, and b) I don't have the connections needed to stay in a 5 star hotel for a week and mull over my existential crises, numerous though they admittedly are.

One more thing, if you're only in Japan for a week, don't spend the whole time in Tokyo. A week just doesn't do it justice.

[accelieda]

Yeh i got a new brochure in today from a travel agents, they have a holiday package called "The Samurai Experience", ooh im so lookin forward 2 going

[Ebjjrxrd]

If I may ask a quick question of people who've lived in Japan?

I'm thinking of going to Japan with a group of friends next February, and I'll be the only Asian person in a group of 9 very white Australians. I've heard that some Japanese tend to look down on non-Japanese Asians and am a little concerned about this.

The Japanese people that I've met through kendo and in other countries have all been lovely, but it does take a special kind of person to uproot themselves and come and live in another, totally different culture for an extended period of time. And I'm female, so will this count as two strikes against me? Will I be treated differently and have to "armour" up?

On the up-side, I suppose it's only three weeks so if it doesn't kill me, it can only make me stronger. Much like kendo

[Gymnarnemia]

Hehe I wonder what Kyoto is like....


sorry for the completely random comment. XD Lol

[piramirra]

Thanks for the advise

[CxofxJFm]

Thanks mate! I'm looking forward to it Going to hit the slopes at Niseko in early February - might see you there!

[nmnrIjGB]

I did not have the specific experiences that the characters in the movie did when I was in Tokyo. Too bad, it would have made it a much nicer stay .

Still, I thought the movie captured very well the feeling of alienation and discomfort that I had the whole time that I was there.

I'm Korean as well, so while I blended in, I actually felt more uncomfortable because of it. People looking at me would have different expectations of me that I could not live up to.

[popillio]

if you wait until mumeishi 3's there's normally a return ticket for the highest bidder. Since no one knows about it it usually goes for the region of £400-£500.

[Gymnfacymoota]

Just out of curiousity if anyone has watched the movie Lost in Translation, Has anyone had that sort of experience in Japan?

[Arbinknit]

If I may ask a quick question of people who've lived in Japan?

I'm thinking of going to Japan with a group of friends next February, and I'll be the only Asian person in a group of 9 very white Australians. I've heard that some Japanese tend to look down on non-Japanese Asians and am a little concerned about this.

The Japanese people that I've met through kendo and in other countries have all been lovely, but it does take a special kind of person to uproot themselves and come and live in another, totally different culture for an extended period of time. And I'm female, so will this count as two strikes against me? Will I be treated differently and have to "armour" up?

On the up-side, I suppose it's only three weeks so if it doesn't kill me, it can only make me stronger. Much like kendo

I think you're unlikely to have any trouble in the time that you're over here. Discrimination against non-Japanese asians (and "asian" as the Japanese use it always means "non-Japanese asian") certainly exists, but would only really be of consequence if you were say a Filipino, Thai, or Korean looking for decent work or long-term residency. And yes, racism is alive and well in Japan, but I haven't seen much evidence of what I would call "hard racism." In other words, while people are quite open about voicing preconceptions about foreigners, it's almost never in an aggressive way. Lastly, I think anyone you talk to will be pleased to see you taking an interest in Japanese culture. So plan your trip well and have a great time.

[DoterrFor]

:-), yep a whole year, whats wiv visas? i heard someone mention i needed one, i might hav a look for a job while im over in Kyoto

[LarryG1978]

Lol, yeah. I'm actually not in that pic at all, just found it somewhere but still looks pretty painful. Hopefully he didn't miss.

I believe it is the back cover of the fabled first issue of Kendo World Magazine

[Misiotoagodia]

Although not identical (and I'm sure that no experiences are), I've had similar cultural/emotional experiences when I was living in Spain. I'm visibly Oriental, which is not uncommon in Madrid or Barcelona, but quite uncommon in Pamplona, which is s city of about 150K to 200K. It was odd when kids would look at me with an amazed look on their faces. It was also interesting to note the look on some peoples' faces when I spoke, as I spoke Castilian quite fluently. The feeling of isolation lasted a few weeks into the experience, but abated when I moved in with some folks whol I now consider friends. It helps when you have poeple who can guide you along.

I have to admit the same feeling when I visited Barcelona for the first time after a few months living in Pamplona. It was made quite different though being able to speak the lingo while other tourists of the same ethnic background (or of different backgrounds but unable to communicate) were having trouble getting around. Alone in a big city (or small city) foreign to you is quite the experience though, and I would recommend it to everyone. As a note, Barcelona was fun the second time around with my wife along.

[rbVmVlQ2]

I can see how people can easily fall into the situation that the two main characters in the movie did, however, it is really easy to try and not fall into that scenario. The girl did try and join an ikebana (i think) club, but she didn't seem to into it. She should have looked for something different. Bill Murray just bummed around and didn't really do much of anything. If you go to a foreign country and don't make the effort to do things and make friends and join clubs, you are gonna hit the same crappy experience as those characters. You need to take the iniative to make it a good experience. I loved Japan and didn't have a sense of alienation because I found kendo and through that good friends and I didn't feel alone. Bill Murray's character totally blew a chance for a neat experience. The girl tried, but wasn't too successful.

Granted, I do know that there are other factors that pushed them in the directions and crappy moods that the characters had. The girl's husband was crappy and didn't care about her. Bill Murray had a strained relationship, granted I can see how it could get that way if he was doing lots of international commercials and was gone from home more than he was actually there.

So I do understand the other influences to their situation that didn't really make them happy to explore the country, but they didn't try hard enough to find some joy in being where they were. You have to make the most of a tough situation. They didn't.

That's my 2 cents... I loved the movie, it came out shortly after I came home and reminded me of all the little quirks that other people watching it missed, like Bill Murray sitting on the bed in slippers that only covered half his foot, and just little things like that that you can only really enjoy if you have seen it or experienced yourself.