tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7452624.post113623193978731730..comments2023-10-23T10:31:21.856-07:00Comments on Gambatte!: Things I missAbsolutely Tokyo!http://www.blogger.com/profile/06956678063071700048noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7452624.post-1150251727583368802006-06-13T19:22:00.000-07:002006-06-13T19:22:00.000-07:00Not sure about clothes but for odds and ends at ho...Not sure about clothes but for odds and ends at home, how about Loft in Shibuya?<BR/><BR/>-BargarzAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7452624.post-1144086146267899322006-04-03T10:42:00.000-07:002006-04-03T10:42:00.000-07:00I can appreciate that you miss those things, but i...I can appreciate that you miss those things, but it makes me wonder about two things.<BR/><BR/>First, why does no one ever write about the things in their home country that they're glad to have gotten away from? Every day I lived in Japan I was extremely grateful not to be subjected to a lot of things I deal with regularly here.<BR/><BR/>Second, several of the things you mentioned seem very much to me like a lack of integration.<BR/><BR/>For example, Familiar Stores: I didn't have any difficulty finding anything I needed, including size 15 shoes. My Japanese isn't even that great.<BR/><BR/>Quiet: if you want quiet try living 20 minutes further away from work. Unless you're working in Ichigaya or somewhere similarly central, you can easily find a neighborhood with parks and trees only 20-30 minutes further away.<BR/><BR/>Car: how about the convenience of not ever having to worry about parking the damn thing? How about the convenience of not being forced to drive to go even to the convenience store?<BR/><BR/>Dryers: I assume <B>you</B> have one? If not, buy one. If so, why complain that no one else has one? Personally, I hate them. Whenever I can avoid using them I do. And, regarding the humidity, I never had a problem with my clothes failing to dry, or getting mildewy, or anything like that...<BR/><BR/>Insulated houses/apartments: if everything there were insulated as well as we might like, there'd be a rash of suffocation deaths as people's kerosene space heaters sucked all the oxygen out of the air. I'm not particularly fond of this approach, but, in fairness, those buggers put out a <B>lot</B> of heat. They do they job.<BR/><BR/>Japan has it's problems, obviously, every bit as much as any other place. But when I'm here I miss things there. When I'm there, I miss things here. It's just different things.ThoperSoughthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10476866865517800695noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7452624.post-1144036308599719432006-04-02T20:51:00.000-07:002006-04-02T20:51:00.000-07:00I am missing all those things also :-)I am missing all those things also :-)probloggerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17951420119039045738noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7452624.post-1136597783096000262006-01-06T17:36:00.000-08:002006-01-06T17:36:00.000-08:00Hi.I'm the managing editor of The Foreigner-Japan ...Hi.<BR/><BR/>I'm the managing editor of The Foreigner-Japan online magazine, and I was enjoying your blog site this evening. In fact, I liked your writing so much, I thought I would ask you to write something for my magazine. I particularly enjoyed your brown paper bag story, and the "things I miss" entry. Would you be willing to do a little re-writing in an article form, and send it to me as a submission? We are an all-volunteer organization, and we generally live by the good will of our writers who send us material. I hope you will check us out (www.theforeigner-japan.com) and send me an email in reply: managingeditor@theforeigner-japan.com<BR/><BR/>Sincerely,<BR/><BR/>Matt N. Goerzen<BR/>A Canadian and former English teacher in JapanAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com