Tell me about your first

[AlbertSiegel]

[yellowlightman]

My first thoughts once I landed in Japan was "I should take a picture." The security guard in the customs area didn't like that and yelled at me.
Out of the airport I spent three hours on a bus that made me sick. My first thoughts were that the cities all looked the same and the countryside looked greener than anything I'd ever seen.
First night in Japan I thought my host family's town looked like Shenmue.
The closest thing to a Japanese girlfriend was my host sister, who I had a short thing with.
The first time I rode a shikansen from Himeji to Kyoto I couldn't get off in time and got left on the train whiel my fellow students got off at the station. That was fun.

[jim katta]

First thoughts once you landed:
Wow, I'm in fucking Japan, the complete other side of the planet. The farthest I could possibly be from my country. I felt like James Fucking Bond.

First thoughts out of the airport:
Must not spend a billion dollars, must not spend a billion dollars, etc. Also, "Damn, people lied, hardly any of these signs are in English. I'm fucked."

First night in Japan:
Got in pretty late, so no partying the first night. But the person who picked me up from the train station had a van with an on-dashboard GPS monitor and a video screen (for backing up correctly). I'm not from a hick town, I'm from Manhattan, and this was about two years ago, so my eyes were fucking bugging out. Shit, I still very rarely see such things here in the U.S. Also was surprised to see so many lone people casually walking down deserted streets in the middle of the night. An overwhelming sense of safety (compared to nyc) came over me. Got to my place and just zoned out on weird japanese TV.

First attempt to take a picture at store:
I have to agree with the previous poster. Considering how the japanese come to the U.S. and take pictures of EVERYTHING, ALL THE TIME (okay, a bit stereotypical, but true), I was pissed that so many japanese places try to stop you from taking pictures. What the fuck is that about.

First Japanese girlfriend:
Dated many japanese women in the states before I ever went to japan. My first time in japan, I didn't hook up with anybody. Nada. No one. The myth of sex crazed japanese women jumping on gaijins, for me, was officially killed dead. I get WAY more action from japanese girls here in the U.S.

First Japanese train experience:
Intimidating at first. It was made clear to me that I was to follow a strict set of behaviors, or risk being stared at Even More than they were already staring at me. Also, Kanji maps had me absolutely fucked with no vaseline.

First Morning Train Ride experience:
I'm not a prude, I swear, but seeing all these really young girls in really short mini-skirt uniforms, I was like, "Dude, can someone cover these young girls up?? Don't their mothers realize it's not cool for them to dress like this? Shit, plus it's like 30 degrees out here. No wonder all these old dudes are pervs over here."

First Japanese shopping excursion:
Refreshing as hell. After years of walking into stores and people acting like they're doing You a favor by helping you, Japanese stores made me Want to give them my money. Also, I was struck by the fact that it was the first time I experienced, truly, the same level of product variety that I'm accustomed to in new york.

First Roppongi experience: I ended the night with the statement, "THIS is supposed to be the sleazy part of town???" Very lame.

First Shibuya experience: Ah, now this is the tokyo I was looking for...

First Shinjuku experience: Ah, this is why japanese people commit suicide...

First Harajuku experience: Ah....!

Weirdest Cultural moment:
Being honestly and truly baffled and surprised to see so many africans in japan. Israelis? Uh, kinda weird, but okay. Iranians? Huh, wtf?! But, I can go there. Africans?? And "a lot" of Africans? Okay, I really must be missing something here...

First biz meeting at big japanese corp.: Ah, this is why japanese commit suicide.

First biz meeting at big japanese corp. (later): damn, this Is kinda sweet if you're a top-level japanese dude. the 80s must have been a fucking paradise ride.

First dinner at a real Japan restaurant:
"I'll be damned, I love japanese food." Japanese food in the U.S. ain't that hot.

First real encounter with Japan Gaijin Discrimination: Amazement as me (flush with cash), and my two white friends got turned away from 5 different strip clubs. Signs outside read "Japanese Only" (in kanji, of course). Oh shit...

First marginally depressing moment in Japan:
Crap, if I can't read japanese, I'm basically missing like well over half the fun/interesting stuff here. Also, realizing that as international as tokyo is supposed to be, it's really very isolated and it can be hard to even find a Time Magazine in english OR japanese. Also, shit, I didn't know these guys had constant on and off rain like London. Bummer.

Lastly...Only thing I never quite got used to: Japanese toilets. It is, without a doubt, the one thing that brings to bear the sheer otherness of where I'm at when I have to use one of those things. On the other hand, the western style toilets they make are so good, you want to buy one, put a CD player in it (oh right, they already come with music!) and drive it around town.

Hope that gave you a little taste of FIRSTS that you were looking for.

[GomiGirl]

First time I was in Japan was in 1987 - I was still in high school (and still a virgin now that I think of it.. )

I had a blast visiting with my brother and other friends that I already knew. Riding the trains was no trouble at all but I seem to remember always using the Yamanote to get around as much as possible as I was using a JR rail pass. As I was on holidays but on a budget, I didn't mind spending the extra time from Shinagawa to Ikebukero on the Yamanote Line.. these days I wouldn't even dream of doing this.

Travelled to Gifu, Kyoto region, Hiroshima, Kanazawa all on my own and had a ball. It was really easy.

I had already studied Japanese for a few years at high school, but that and 390yen only got me a san-kyu setto at McD's.. so I was not really speaking in Japanese.

The funniest thing that happened to me was in Chiba near my brother's apartment. I was walking to the store and a young boy rode past me on his bike, saw me, double backed and rode past me a few more times and then plucked up the courage to say, "gaijin desu ka?" it took me completely by surprise.. all I answered was, "hai, gaijin desu". He smiled and said "domo", turned his bike around and rode off. I laughed out loud at this curious little exchange.

I also remember a mother bending down to her child in a stroller, pointing at me and saying something to the effect of, "Look, there is a foreigner".

Ah the memories...

[Taro Toporific]

[American Oyaji]

My first thoughts when I landed at Yokota Airbase was, "DAMN! I'm in Japan. I'm in Japan!" It had been a dream a year before when I met my first Japanese woman that I decided I was gonna go to Japan the next year. I didn't know HOW I was gonna do it, but it worked out OK. I could see the signs and business a little in the distance since I was on a military installation.

An hour later, I had to board a flight to Misawa in Aomori. HICKVILLE. But hey, I didn't care, it was STILL Japan.

I wandered around Misawa city my first night and tried to find a place I could buy sake. I bought a bottle and took it back to my room. Drank some and spit it out. I thought something was wrong and that I had bought cooking sake by mistake. I poured it out. (Sake is an acquired taste)

Oddly enough, my first true Japanese job was working at a disco as a bartender/bouncer. I've got stories from THAT job. I had worked as G.I. for 4 years and left the military. This was my first pure Japanese job after I left. But it was a part time job as I worked at the base airport.

My first Japanese girlfriend....sweet roundfaced girl with the same name as my NEXT Japanese girlfriend. Akiko. She was fun, but I really, REALLY hurt her with some insensitive and extremely rude Japanese that I didn't understand. I thought hentai meant strange. Well, I was not sexually experienced and I said to her after she "dried up". Anata hentai desho?
I was just trying to say she was a little different. She began crying and I didn't understand why. But anyway, that was the last night we spent together. It had been a fun week because she was staying with me while I was house sitting.

Anyway, my next girlfriend (who became my wife) came over that weekend. I had already met her, but we didn't hit it off right away. We hit it off THAT weekend alright.

My first Experience with an English School was with NOVA. They were opening their first school in Hachinohe and I my wife saw that they were hiring. Well, the hiring was actually for STAFF, (not teachers), but I was able to get a number to their hiring section in Tokyo and they set up an interview. (the hardest damn interview I've ever had). Anyway, I got the job. I think one of the reasons was that they had problems getting established teachers to MOVE to Aomori. Most of the teachers that came to us, were brand new in country.

[AssKissinger]

:love2: :love2: :love2:

First time I was in Japan was in 1987 - I was still in high school (and still a virgin now that I think of it.. )

:love2: :love2: :love2: :love2: :love2: :love2:

[ramchop]

I just saw my first Gaijin in a sailor suit. It just looked wrong.

[Taro Toporific]

I just saw my first Gaijin in a sailor suit. It just looked wrong.

OH MY EYES HURT!

Ok, ok, maybe not...

[AlbertSiegel]

well.... that killed any fantasy I had..

... well.. that girl in blue is not too bad

Taro, larger photo please!

[Big Booger]

gaijin+school uniform= sick

[Taro Toporific]

well.... that killed any fantasy I had..

... well.. that girl in blue is not too bad

Taro, larger photo please!

This site ought to "cure" you....
http://students.washington.edu/medikiti/seifuku/seifuku.html

[AlbertSiegel]

LOL!!!! HA HA HA HA!!! is the toast with jelly sexy? I would just laugh if someone did that in font of me!! LOL!!

[Caustic Saint]

LOL!!!! HA HA HA HA!!! is the toast with jelly sexy? I would just laugh if someone did that in font of me!! LOL!!

Maybe it's a subliminal (or spuraliminal) reference the the nosebleed thing.

[American Oyaji]

The first time I saw a Japanese school uniform was a guy friend of mine. He wore his black uniform to a graduation ceremony at our university. I thought it was one of the COOLEST things I had ever seen. I kept telling him how cool it was. (I really wanted one).

[GomiGirl]

I didn't go to school here.. I came during the school holidays for 3 weeks and spent my time travelling around Japan by plane train and automobile. I hitched a few times too. That was so much fun..

[GomiGirl]

gaijin+school uniform= sick

Why? What are the exchange students supposed to wear to school?

[AlbertSiegel]

Why? What are the exchange students supposed to wear to school?

This...

[Kurofune]

[kamome]

First time I entered a Japanese home: completely forgot to take my shoes off and stomped right on in there. Thinking back to the look of horror on their faces, it was one of the most embarrassing things I've done.

[Taro Toporific]

First time I entered a Japanese home: completely forgot to take my shoes off and stomped right on in there. Thinking back to the look of horror on their faces, it was one of the most embarrassing things I've done.

REVERSE CULTURE-SHOCK --- the most embarrassing thing I've done


Jet lagged and straight from Narita to Milan flight, I took a cab directly from the airport to see the Leonardo's "Last Supper" in Rectory of Santa Maria delle Grazie.

I got there 15 minutes before closing. It was 30 degrees C and I had to go up stairs and thread my way for 300 meters because the taxi dumped in the back. Sweating, I came running into the Catheral through sidedoor for the choir and started taking a few pix. The Father rushed me and started chewing me out as a heathen beast FG:
I was still wearing my hat in the main sanctuary,
I had walked through the Convent during devotions, and
photography was prohibited.

Dang have I been here too long. Of course in Japan:
wearing a hat or a even a bunny suit is ok at a Shrine]http://artchive.floridaimaging.com/l/leonardo/thumb/lastsupp.jpg[/img]

[Big Booger]

[quote="Taro Toporific"]


Jet lagged and straight from Narita to Milan flight, I took a cab directly from the airport to see the Leonardo's "Last Supper" in Rectory of Santa Maria delle Grazie.

I got there 15 minutes before closing. It was 30 degrees C and I had to go up stairs and thread my way for 300 meters because the taxi dumped in the back. Sweating, I came running into the Catheral through sidedoor for the choir and started taking a few pix. The Father rushed me and started chewing me out as a heathen beast FG:
I was still wearing my hat in the main sanctuary,
I had walked through the Convent during devotions, and
photography was prohibited.

Dang have I been here too long. Of course in Japan:
wearing a hat or a even a bunny suit is ok at a Shrine]

Typical American LOL

[jingai]

The first time I saw a Japanese school uniform was a guy friend of mine. He wore his black uniform to a graduation ceremony at our university. I thought it was one of the COOLEST things I had ever seen. I kept telling him how cool it was. (I really wanted one).

There's always auctions.yahoo.co.jp
type in "gakuran" and you can buy your very own!

Here's my uniform of choice:

Try "tokkofuku" or "sentofuku"

[maraboutslim]

My first thought when I landed in Japan the first time (May '92):

What are these people thinking? It's too damn hot to have to get out of the plane and get on a damn bus to get to the terminal! (this was before the second terminal was built at Narita...).

-Slim

[kamome]

First taste of natto: "Since when did they start packaging bile?"

[Caustic Saint]

[Big Booger]

first thought of suicide in Japan:
No wonder they did harikari, harakiri, suppuku or whatever you want to call it..

The above is a jest, not an actual contemplation of suicide.

[kamome]

...not an actual contemplation of suicide.

I'm surprised no one has been contemplating homicide.

[Jack]

First time in Japan was with my ex-wife on holidays in early nineties.

First reaction? Must come here again alone.

[Alcazar]

First time in Japan was with my ex-wife on holidays in early nineties.

First reaction? Must come here again alone.

While still with the wife, the mind is ticking over.....classic....