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Forum - View topicNEWS: "Otaku Cultural Mecca" Welcomes Foreigners in PR Blitz
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Dargonxtc
 Posts: 4463 Location: Nc5xd7+ スターダストの海洋 |
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Come one come all, you foreigners too can be part of Japans crazy zaniness.
 
Now you even have a place to sign up!   And get a map! 
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10円
Posts: 605 |
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Only people with passports? Most Americans are already out of the running?
I must say that the idea of driving more tourism to Japan is somewhat amusing to me. I mean sure, serious otaku from Western countries probably have the will and the means to visit Japan, but most average people just don't seem that interested. My guess is that it will take a very long time to turn Japan into any sort of serious tourist destination, regardless of who they try to target. For the kind of money you're likely to spend on a short and humble trip to Japan you could really live it up in many other countries. You could even turn a one or two week visit to Japan into a month-long visit to multiple countries in Asia just by picking other locations with better values. |
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linlinchan
Posts: 286 |
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Maybe, but as a girl, Japan is probably one of the only places I feel comfortable traveling alone. That's one great thing about the country. Mainland Asia is straight out. |
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Roy9076
 Posts: 286 Location: California |
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Quite an interesting move. I really wonder if it'll pull off. But then, 2 episode DVDs and around $20 manga plus expenses, really, does the average otaku really have enough money? Anyways, I am really interested if it'll work out.
 Japan is like any other country. Still, traveling alone is not recommended, especially a female. There are guys out there who are really not trustworthy.
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linlinchan
Posts: 286 |
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I lived in Japan for 2 years and spent loads of time just wandering around Honshu alone, walking the city in the middle of the night, etc. etc. I never once had a problem, so I can say in my experience, it's really, really safe in that respect. |
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10円
Posts: 605 |
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During my very limited time there, Japan did seem pretty safe compared to many other countries, especially the US. Even the shadier folks I came across didn't seem very threatening to me. I walked around all by myself day and night, rain or shine and nobody ever hassled me or acted suspicious. Then again I'm a huge Amerika-jin-zilla so who was going to mess with me?
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JKNGP
Company Representative
Posts: 11 |
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IMHO the only reason they are doing this is that they're losing business to Akihabara. It used to be the mecca for anime goods, but Akihabara has become a bigger, newer and nicer place than Nakano for buying anime related goods with more stores and competitive prices. Broadway looks like a flea-market from the 70's. It's old, dirty and smells. They need a facelift, not just an English map (although that isn't a bad thing).
Regards, JK |
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BleuVII
 Posts: 672 Location: Tokorozawa, Japan |
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I agree with what everyone has said so far (it's not often that I can say that on a message board).
And, I will say that Japan is a very safe country. Though, it's not the only one in Asia. South Korea is definately safe to travel alone in, and from what I understand, so is Singapore. |
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dokool
Posts: 83 Location: Tokyo, Japan |
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I agree wholeheartedly - my apartment is a mile north of Nakano Station, but I almost never go unless a friend needs me to find them something. Nakano Broadway is great for finding random stuff from older series, but when it comes to newer stuff I'd rather just go to Akiba. |
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Abdallah
Posts: 21 Location: Doha, Qatar |
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Sounds great!
Got the chance of going to Japan for the first time last February, and checked this place. Had some difficulties finding it, because the map I got from Mandarake's website wasn't detailed at all  . So a guide map and a website in english is definitly a good idea.
And I agree that Japan is a safe place to travel to and walk there alone. I Only stayed there 3 weeks so I can't really be sure, but from what I saw and heard, it is a safe place.
Yeah, probably. I didn't expect it to be like that inside! The place really needs a facelift. But there are many interesting shops there. There's this shop that you can choose the trading figure you want, without hoping that you don't get the same figure again and again -_-". |
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Akukaze
 Posts: 185 Location: Stony Brook, NY |
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What manga are you talking about that costs $20? o_o Manga in Japan costs from 390 to about 700 yen, most of it being in that 390 block. And while retail price for just about everything else is really expensive, you can just hit up a used book or electronic store and get a lot of stuff for dirt cheap. As a matter of fact, I'm listening to the Day After Tomorrow "Selection Best" album which I got for a third of it's 2000 yen retail price.
It is a an expensive place ot live, but when you consider staying in manga cafes or karaoke bars for 1000 yen a night, traveling in Japan suddenly becomes a lot more affordable.
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mrgazpacho
Posts: 316 Location: Australia |
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Damn! Every time I visit Tokyo I spend at least half a day browsing at Broadway Nakano, but I wasn't there over the weekend.
I like the old-fashioned ambience. Some things aren't always totally improved by being brighter and shinier (although I will definitely visit the Yodobashi building in Akihabara in September, just to compare it to the one in Umeda, Osaka). It's like Aladdin's cave (especially Mandarake's "antiques" store which actually has a fake cave entrance  ), and I could browse the cels for hours.
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fxg97873
 Posts: 211 Location: Houston, TX |
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Same experience. Been there twice and each time felt very safe.
If anything, people seem to be scared of you! Must be special gaijin powers 
mk2000 |
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Zanoni
 Posts: 19 Location: San Diego, CA |
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[quote="Akukaze"]
You can stay at a Bar or Cafe over night? As in.. sleep there? Forgive my ignorance, but how does that work? I haven't been to Japan yet but I am dying to go some time soon. |
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linlinchan
Posts: 286 |
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There are people who rent out karaoke rooms or whatever after missing their train home, sing a bit with friends, then doze off and wait for the morning trains. Don't expect that you can just rent one and stretch out a sleeping bag and sleep there, though. It's clearly stated in the rules that this is not what they are supposed to be used for and the management will not hesitate to throw you out. At the same time, I'm just going to throw this out there: my monthly rent living in Kyoto was way, way less than that of where I live in St. Louis. The apartment here is only slightly bigger, and on top of that... we pay $4-600 in gas heating expenses a month during the winter. Given that we used a kerosene stove in Japan... living in Japan was way, way cheaper than here. |
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