Why do you like Japan so much?

RADICAL

Travel.
A good airfare deal will cost around $5-600 from SFO. There are better deals here and there if you are patient, flexible and travel out of season. A 2 week JR Pass which included shinkansen (bullet train) access to Osaka cost about $300. If you are under 25 I think there is a discount.

Hotels.
I stayed with my friend in Tokyo so that only cost a few dinners ($300). I also brought gifts ($300). So about $60/night. However, we stayed in a hotel in Kyoto (near Osaka) that was about $100/night ($50 split two ways).

Food.
Notoriously expensive to dine out (which I highly recommend, unfortunately), but there are some good deals to be had. Beer can be had for cheap ($2-3 sold in vending machines) but in bars/clubs/live music houses it can be about $8 per.

Shopping.
You have no idea. On the plus side, most of the Japanese vintage clothing* and record stores (I have been to probably 30-40 of each) only carry things in Mint/A++ condition. On the negative side, they take cash, credit card, and ultimately your soul. *One store owner saw some vintage jeans I was wearing and offered me an exorbinant sum for them due to the good condition and patina. I politely declined.

Baseball Games.
Our tickets cost about $150 for 2... wayyyyyyyyy below face value (courtesy of yahoo! japan auctions). The food was good (bento $15) and there are beergirls who carry ponykegs of beer on their back (3 different brands!) so you don't have to leave your seat to get a beer.

Language.
Lastly, more expensive than anything I found was the language barrier. Initially, you will be instantly humbled by the vast divide between western language and the three japanese alphabets and spoken language (both formal and colloquial). Yes, quite a bit of young urban Japanese people understand English, but not quite true to make some assumptions that English will get you by. I strongly recommend taking a class or crash course prior to travelling there. As a last ditch resort, I recommend networking with Japanese fluent in English or Western ex-pats just in case.

If you are under 25 I think there is a discount.

Dude, you know how old I am!

Entertainment.
Club shows are like $30-$100 (festivals can be more)
Museums are like $10-$25
Movies are $10-$15
Theater was $25 (one matinee act of Kabuki/Noh)

Taxis are really expensive (the JR trains don't run between 2-6am), like 2xSF/3xNYC prices.

TOMBOT: According to Mercer (they compile the global cost of living index), why do you know something they don't.

all my bf does is grab my boobs.. but im not offended.. does that seem weird?

not too many kisses and sweets things to u

CAN WE INVITE THESE PEOPLE TO THE NOIZE BOARD PLZ

They also change their ranking every year (like in 2003, London barely made the top 5 and this year it rated 2nd)... economies of scale and what have you. As Expose sang: "Things change, Seasons change..."

Hotels: You can stay on the cheap if you try. $70-$100 night is totally doable. If you are not traveling alone please be aware that some Japanese places charge PER PERSON and not by room. If you don't mind staying at youth hostels you can lodge incredibly cheaply. And if you're going into Tokyo, there are the capsule hotels which personally I am dying to try.

Food: One word: isakaya. They're supposed to be places primarily to drink and get snacks, but the snacks are cheap and great and become a meal if you order enough. The beer can run $5+, but you can pregame and drink afterwards quite cheaply with beer available at any corner store and vending machines.

Shopping: This is ridiculously expensive. The only place I ever buy clothes in Japan is at the giant Walmart-esque shopping center, because I am not willing to pay $60 for a T-shirt or $200 for a sweater.

Entertainment: Karaoke is not so expensive and fun, if that's your thing. Gygax is right about the other prices.

what is a good way to learn?

I don't speak japanese very well... probably like a kid's level (O-TO-SAN!!!) but I've been praised on my efforts. My friend from tokyo told me once after i apologized because i wasn't speaking japanese very well that day, he told me "don't worry about it... it's a good thing you don't speak it too well, because i really don't either".

the best way is to build a vocabulary, work on grammar/verb tenses/sentence structure, and get a conversation partner. one of my friends is in an intermediate japanese class (that his work pays for) and i think i speak better than he does.

nsfw

Last time, I helped an NWA stewardess with something heavy (she was shortish and I am oafy) and she bumped me up to business class.

Spencer - I know! someone had just sent it to me so i was all what the hell

NSFW

Daisuke Matsuzaka of the Lions is an absolute monster. I can't wait to see him play against Johan Santana next year.

xpost

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETSnFbmVJsY

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2702/4522071780_7b04826377_o.png

would eat

bet each hot dog has a mini bottle of thousand island inside

http://img716.imageshack.us/img716/3781/tumblrl2whoayfkh1qzpm4w.jpg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gD8nV8RlPU

http://i.imgur.com/4y15z.jpg

otm

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzC4hFK5P3g&feature=player_embedded

such a fkn choon

video is nutz

PON PON
WAY WAY WAY
PON PON WAY PON WAY PON PON
WAY WAY
PON PON PON
WAY WAY PON WAY PON WAY WAY

PONPONPONPONPONPON

i feel sick

everyday pon

every time is pon

that's really not very good

check out the k-pop thread

http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&feature=fvwp&v=wUIWKYzTDvE

yah right

kyaru + yasutaka nakata >>>>> k pop (apart from "gee" obvs)

http://i56.tinypic.com/23lbodx.gif