Do you think Japan is cool?

What do you think is cool about Japan?

At first I thought the technology was cool. All the gadgets on sale were 2 to 3 years ahead of what was available in Australia, if they were ever available in Australia at all. Even now there are still many "Japan Only" models of electronics, but the time has shrunk to only 6 months.

In the case of electronics produced by Apple, all at the same time. In the case of Blackberry or Google Android phones, Japan is behind America & Australia by about 6-9 months!

When I first came here, I was really into Anime. I was always borrowing DVD's from my friends and trying to listen to and understand as many phrases from the Anime as I could. Now I couldn't tell you the last time I sat down to watch any Anime on TV or even something on DVD.

My understanding of "Otaku" has changed. Before I didn't feel anything special about the word, it was just a way to label someone who was really into Anime. Now that I live here and see true Otaku, my opinions have changed. While some are nice and interesting to talk with, the vast majority of true Otaku are a bunch of nerds who sit in their rooms all day either surfing the net, playing online games or watching Anime.

These are people who have more in common with mushrooms than the human race. They are truly sad & pathetic people, not what I imagined at all.

We all have a dream about places we would like to go to or have only visited. Living there is always a different experience.

How about you? Did you have any impressions about Japan that were different after you came here? Would you like to ask me a question about any impressions you have?

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Old & New in Japan

Last week I was wandering around Tokyo on my way to classes when something caught my interest. It reminded me of the picture I took in Kawagoe, contrasting old Japan with new Japan.

Here we have another cluster of vending machines out the front of some very old homes. The street is quite busy as it links two stations, so there is a lot of foot traffic going each way.

It isn't surprising that someone is trying to take advantage of these potential customers, it is interesting to compare the age of the vending machines to the homes behind them.

On the left we have an old home that is being used as a real estate office and a new building going up next door.

You don't get newer that that!

Here's a very old house with two much newer homes nearby.

In Australia I'd expect homes to be made of brick and last for well over one hundred years. They are renovated and cared for as the house is just as much an investment as the land is.

In Japan houses are temporary, with the dozen or so minor earthquakes rattling the country each year a brick house wouldn't last so long. Homes are built to a very high standard and then, almost, never touched again. Lasting long enough to be useful until they are torn down and replaced with something much more modern.

That, I think, is why there are so many neighbourhoods with homes of oddly contrasted ages. Of course you also get planned estates where all the homes are roughly the same age, but they aren't very interesting to me and I haven't stopped to take any pictures.

How about you? Have you noticed a contrast between old and new buildings in Japan?

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