How many of you want to actually visit Japan?

[Radical Dreamer]

Visit, maybe. I think it would be fun to experience the big cities and tourist sites of Japan for a couple of days. However, to live there....No way. XD It's just waaay to crowded, and the language barrier would certainly be a problem, not to mention I just...wouldn't want to live there. So yeah, I would probably enjoy something like a 3 day to week-long visit (living in such a small town, and having never been out of the country *or the east coast* before, I'd pretty much enjoy that kind of visit anywhere XD), but living there would definitely not be on my list of things to do.

[Nate]

Do I WANT to visit Japan? No. Would I visit Japan if I had the opportunity? Maybe. I wouldn't go out of my way to go there, but if the situation presented itself and I had some spare time, sure, I guess I would, but I don't really want to go. There are about ten other countries I'd want to go to first.

[Ashley]

Not only do I want to visit, I'd ideally like to live there. If all goes according to plan, in about 3 years (after I graduate and hopefully get married) I'll be moving out to the Land of the Rising Sun to begin my missionary career. I'm not sure where just yet, though.

[oro!]

I want to eventually want to be a journeyman somewhere, and it would be great if it was Japan, although it could be in Africa or Europe. The other language than English I know pretty good is Spanish, so I'd be better, though I am learning a bit of Japanese on the side. My brother and I plan to VISIT a year and a half from now, if all goes right, for a ocuple of weeks. Hopefully we could get in contact with some missionaries or get som pen-pals who would help us.

[oro!]

Sorry, I thought I hadn't posted yet! ^^

[Silent Hunter]

yippers! would definately like to go see Japan!

[Mave]

I can't imagine why I wouldn't want to visit Japan. I'll have to be particular about the actual locations but it'll help to understand their culture better.

[Felix]

I'd definitely love to visit Japan. I don't think I'd want to live there though.

[jon_jinn]

i've always wanted to go to japan. at first, when i was younger, i wanted to go because i would get to see all this anime and manga stuff. but now, that's not the ONLY reason why. i want to be a manga artist when i grow up and when i'm older (a lot older) i want to go to japan (when i've hopefully learned how to speak japanese) and try to see if i can become an artist there. like SO many other manga artist in japan. the most common way to become an artist is to submit your work in an amatuer manga contest and, if you're lucky, you'll be noticed by an editor or someone. that'd be pretty cool.

i also might get a chance to go to japan several years from now with a church that sends out missions teams to japan once or twice a year. i was able to meet the pastor of the church and get to know him when i went with my church on a missions trip to ecuador.

[ClosetOtaku]

Have been there four times, plan on going again in 2008 (part of a trip that includes the Beijing Olympics). I'm planning on traveling to the north of Tokyo this time, although I still want to take a day trip (or maybe a "two day" trip) to Kyoto again as well.

And, yes, the Ghibli Museum is worth the trip!

[mitsuki lover]

If ever I go I want to go in Cherry Blossom Time.

[Somebody'sPet]

Personally, I'm still deciding on whether or not I should visit Japan. The reason is because of the famous, yet very controversial Yasukuni shrine. I just don't feel right visiting a country where the Prime Minister still pays his/her respects to war criminials. I mean, I wouldn't mind going if the chance presented itself, but I'm going to be very careful in avoiding that one shrine. Also, another thing to consider is that Japan has never truly apologized for what it did to China and Korea during WW2, and that again makes me feel uneasy about visiting Japan.

[Warrior 4 Jesus]

Each country in one way or another hasn't apologised to each other about something. This is a corrupt fallen world mate. You can't expect everything to be daisy's and roses.
Don't let something like that stop you from visiting Japan.

[jon_jinn]

Each country in one way or another hasn't apologised to each other about something. This is a corrupt fallen world mate. You can't expect everything to be daisy's and roses.
Don't let something like that stop you from visiting Japan.

i agree. what would you do if God called you to go to Japan as a part of his wonderful and sovereign plan that he has laid out for you.

[Somebody'sPet]

Each country in one way or another hasn't apologised to each other about something. This is a corrupt fallen world mate. You can't expect everything to be daisy's and roses.
Don't let something like that stop you from visiting Japan.

I know that. Its just that I feel uneasy about going there because of some of the textbooks and websites that I've been reading over the past few years. Of course, China isn't exactly rosey either. Remember what happen in Tiananmen Square in 1989?

[Debitt]

Naturally almost every country has the skeletons in its closet - like W4J said, this is a fallen world, and atrocities are likely to happen everywhere. Japan, China, Russia, Germany, Korea, the African continent, the middle east - no place is "clean", and hopefully the negative won't blind you to the wonderful sights and experiences you could appreciate all over the world. :3

[Warrior 4 Jesus]

Even Australia's not immune! *Gaspeth* We have John Howard! (lol)
But seriously, jon_jinn is wise in saying that if God has a plan for your life including those countries, then His Will be done.
Go armed to Japan with lots of prayer cover though (especially if you are doing mission work) because while it is materially a rich country, it is spiritually poor and I could feel the sorrow of those with no hope. Prayer is very important.

[Radical Dreamer]

Naturally almost every country has the skeletons in its closet - like W4J said, this is a fallen world, and atrocities are likely to happen everywhere. Japan, China, Russia, Germany, Korea, the African continent, the middle east - no place is "clean", and hopefully the negative won't blind you to the wonderful sights and experiences you could appreciate all over the world. :3

Exactly, we can't judge a nation by what it's rulers or people did years ago. Even America has had its bumps in the past, when they began putting innocent Japanese citizens in concentration camps during WWII, after the attack on Pearl Harbor. All countries have their ups and downs in history; nobody's perfect.

[Mr. SmartyPants]

Korea isn't exactally pure either ya know? During the 1980s the government (South Korea) was pretty much a dictatorship! It wasn't up till the 1990s where South Korea saw true democracy. Somewhat similar to the Tineman Square incident in China, In Korea, a lot of students went up and protested against the government. And the army just shot them all down (Called the Gwangju massacre. See here for more info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gwangju_massacre)

Want to know what happened? They were protestors were originally regarded as communist sympathizers. South Korea, of course, being very anti-communist. Got the military to shot down and kill like 207 people. (With like 900 some injured. Though some sources claim that One to two thousand might have been killed) It wasn't until years later that the government realized it wasn't a pro-communist protest, rather a protest for South-Korea to reclaim true democracy. (Talk about a lot of miscommunication! O.o)

Also in the 1950s, you had the Korean War. Both sides weren't exactally honorable soldiers either. I mean, both sides killed a lot of innocent people and stuff. Nowadays you have Kim Jong-Il in power making nukes and blasting them into the sea of japan.

[mitsuki lover]

But without the Korean War we wouldn't have had ten seasons of M*A*S*H.

Ok,time to be serious now.Maybe some of those commermated at that shrine were indeed War Criminals and maybe it is a bit impolitic for the
PM of Japan to be his respects there every year,but if you let politics affect
wheter or not you visit a country I think you loose out some where.
To get to know a people you have to see where they live and how they worship and expierence what they're country is like.
Don't let one negative factor do away with all of the positive things about
Japan that you might miss.

[ShadowCat]

Ew, Japan..
Too much of buddha D:<
*killers Buddha*

[Radical Dreamer]

Ew, Japan..
Too much of buddha D:<
*killers Buddha*

And America is "too much of" atheism/Scientology/Mormonism/Jehovah's Witness/Marxist-Leninism/etc. Australia has people who register themselves under the Jedi religion, the Middle East is chock-full of Islam, and plenty of other nations share Cosmic Humanist, Secular Humanist, and Postmodern belief systems. If all Christians were to sidestep these countries because of their lack of knowledge of the Lord, how would any of their people come to know Jesus Christ? We can't just choose not to visit a nation because of its main beliefs, just like we can't choose not to go to them because of their history. If the Lord calls you there, you go, you don't tell Him there's "too much Buddhism" there for you.

[Debitt]

If the Lord calls you there, you go, you don't tell Him there's "too much Buddhism" there for you.

And if you try that excuse, you might end up swallowed by a whale.

[Mr. SmartyPants]

Ew, Japan..
Too much of buddha D:<
*killers Buddha*

Yeah well too bad for you. You're a few centuries too late to do that

:lol:
But without the Korean War we wouldn't have had ten seasons of M*A*S*H.

Totally!

[jon_jinn]

[quote="Kokoro Daisuke"]And if you try that excuse, you might end up swallowed by a whale. ]

ha ha! nice one.

[Warrior 4 Jesus]

Japan has many people who are Shinto, some that are Buddhist, but most are now Atheists.

[mitsuki lover]

I think they perfer to be called Secularists.There is also a small Moslem population.Though most Japanese would consider themselves nominal Buddhists/Shintoists like the majority of Americans would consider themselves
nominal Christians.

[toolegit]

I want to go to Japan! I saw a cool show on PBS of top 10 natural hot springs through out the Japanese countryside. I'd like my trip to be a combination of city and country, and a lesser island or two.

[HisaishiFan]

I would love to go to Japan. I've been trying more Japanese cooking lately, although I need to find a grocer who stocks things the fermented beans. And there is a Japanese bakery in a town nearby. I love the cooking, the culture. Definitely want to go.