Best products from r/japanlife

I can't give too much insight as to how to deal with this, as I decided to leave after 2 years. There were many things I loved while I was there, but especially at the "working level" (I was a grad student) I found the cultural differences to be such that I was not confident I would be able to succeed. Also, I found that while language was a barrier, I had more and definitely graver misunderstandings due to culture than to linguistics, and I decided I did not want to change most of my morals/ideals.

That being said, I would like to highly recommend the book The Chrysanthemum and the Sword by Ruth Benedict. Ruth was an anthropologist tasked with analyzing Japanese morals, ideals and mentality towards the end of the second world war, in order to understand what surrender conditions would be accepted (she was one of the major proponents of allowing the Emperor to maintain his position) and how to administer the subsequent occupation, which ended up being very different from how Germany was handled, for example. Although the book is dated (1946), I found it to be very insightful and helped understand a lot of the experiences I went through.

If you enjoy reading, and want to round this out, I also recommend The Making of Modern Japan by Kenneth Pyle (not the same title by Marius Jansen, which I haven't read and can't comment on... probably also good). This does not focus so much on mentality, but you do see a lot of how society was actively shaped through history and it explains a lot (i.e. I assumed company-loyalty stemmed exclusively from medieval Japan, whereas it takes it's roots primarily from the creation of Zaibatsu and policies they created to keep skilled artisans in the early 1900s).

And good luck!

There is so much pollution in the air from China and the tap water is also a huge culprit for people.

Your skin is constantly being bombarded with irritants. Invest in some Korean skin care products with some sun screen. Get some oil cleanser (I like Dust Off Oil cleanser) that will wash off with the first step. Then use another product like COSrx Good Morning cleanser to help the ph balance with your skin. At night time, I use a green tea cleanser. I then use an essence and then an oil or heavier cream at night time. I also use rose hip seed oil for the Vitamin C and it's gentler on the skin than most products. Antioxidants are your best friend. Manuka honey, or even normal honey, can also help to calm your skin since it's antibacterial.

Also, if you can, consider investing in a shower head that has an added water filter. This one I ordered off of Amazon was super easy to install. The cartridges need to be changed every 6 months or so. My skin got a lot softer after using it. It's not just foreigners; many Japanese people also have a lot of skin issues because the water is crap! I suggest stop drinking the tap water and buy bottled, or buy a filter for your kitchen sink where you drink water. Most apartments still use lead pipes in the older buildings.

https://www.amazon.co.jp/%E4%B8%89%E8%8F%B1%E3%83%AC%E3%82%A4%E3%83%A8%E3%83%B3%E3%83%BB%E3%82%AF%E3%83%AA%E3%83%B3%E3%82%B9%E3%82%A4-SK106W-GR-%E4%B8%89%E8%8F%B1%E3%82%B1%E3%83%9F%E3%82%AB%E3%83%AB%E3%83%BB%E3%82%AF%E3%83%AA%E3%83%B3%E3%82%B9%E3%82%A4-%E6%B5%84%E6%B0%B4%E3%82%B7%E3%83%A3%E3%83%AF%E3%83%BC-%E3%82%B7%E3%83%A3%E3%83%AF%E3%83%BC%E3%83%98%E3%83%83%E3%83%89/dp/B006HW2L6Q/ref=sr_1_8?__mk_ja_JP=%E3%82%AB%E3%82%BF%E3%82%AB%E3%83%8A&keywords=cleansui&qid=1573392788&sr=8-8

• Today is my last day before a 9-day vacation. I have absolutely nothing planned beyond getting a few more items checked off my to-do list (such as visiting the rest of the locations in my Little Adventures in Tokyo book and finishing the dozen or so recipes I've yet to make from the 101 essential recipes in the back of How to Cook Everything [incidentally, also a great phone app]).
  
  
• Radish Bo-ya delivery incoming tomorrow morning. One of the best things about getting a box of new vegetables every other week is that I'm finally starting to learn some food names, which has strangely been a bit of a mental block of mine. Just the other week I learned what 菜の花 is (rather, I learned the name for it), and that it cooks up quite nicely with some olive oil and canned tuna.
  
  
• I'm visiting Le Wagon today for their student demos. I'm still not quite ready to commit to joining a bootcamp (or even figuring out what direction I want to move my so-called career in next), but this will be further information for my (at times agonizingly slow) internal analysis.
  
  
• Rewatched Three Amigos and Sneakers this past week. Three Amigos seemed well meant, but sadly devoid of much actual laugh-out-loud humor. On the other hand, I'd forgotten how much I loved Sneakers as a kid. There were some parts near the end that didn't hold up (where exactly did all those extra guards get to?), but the movie is so much fun it's hard to find fault with it.
  
  
• Also saw Things We Lost in the Fire, which was fantastic. Not a false or saccharine note throughout.
  
  
• While I've fallen a bit behind in my Anki studies and meditation, and neither are getting completed every day recently, I'm looking forward to getting back on track over GW. I know my recent struggle to stay on top of these is mostly due to the slow buildup of stress that comes from not having had a long vacation since December, so GW should be just the thing.
  
  
• Exhibiting some of my sketches this weekend along with the rest of my drawing group. Nothing special on my end, but it's the first time I've shown my drawings publicly so that's some sort of small milestone. Honestly, I thought I might be more nervous, but really they're just sketches and not anything I've poured my heart and soul into. I'll aim for the heart and soul pouring for the next exhibition ;-)
  
  EDIT: My proclivity for anal retentiveness forced me to link all the things :-D I am now at peace with the world.

I have one of these. It's 188x130cm, but they don't mention the size on the Amazon page. You can see it on the maker's page though.

It works great. I have a top sheet, then the electric blanket, then a futon on top of that. I turn it on mid-high about an hour before getting into bed and the bed is super warm when I get in. I change it to a low-mid setting and stay toasty warm all night.

People have mentioned earplugs but if you havent tried them then you really should.
For reasons I ended up getting some and they improved the quality of my sleep dramatically.

Sure its not pleasant to put them in at first and when you take them out in the morning it feels like youre removing a buttplug (I assume of course) but you get used to it.
Try this: https://www.amazon.co.jp/gp/product/B008CC8582/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
It has a few different types, slightly different in size and shape etc. so you can see which ones you like best.

I highly recommend reading "The Bogleheads" as a great introduction to investing.

The Bogleheads are basically a group of people following the investment principles of late Jack Bogle, founder of one of the most successful investment companies, Vanguard.

Have fun.

https://www.amazon.com/Bogleheads-Guide-Investing-Taylor-Larimore/dp/0470067365

There's also a remarkable forum/ community over there:

https://www.bogleheads.org

There are some where you pour the water in (Balmda and etc) and it just does its thing, but mine just has a ceramic cup I fill and put in the corner, in a spot marked for it, which does some sort of induction cooking to the pot of water. It's fucking great. Seriously, if you're looking for an oven, the model I have is wonderful. I use it to bake out of for a cafe on a weekly basis. Don' t be afraid!! Haha.

Have you tried these? (link is to Amazon, but they sell them in Donki and drugstores. I sweat a lot too, and while this (and its menthol blue cousin) doesn't do much to reduce the amount (even though it says it's an antiperspirant), it helps a lot with the smell. It's definitely the best thing I found in Japan - not too expensive, so you can give it a try and see if it works for you.

I know this is asking about store bought ice coffee, but this is ridiculously easy and cheap.

Just buy one of these. All you have to do is fill the steeper to the top of the filter screen with ground coffee of your choice, pour enough cold water so it comes to the top of your ground coffee and put it in the fridge to brew overnight. It takes about 8 to 10 hours. Wake up, pull the filter out, and pour yourself the absolute best glass of ice coffee you've ever had.

If you care about not producing heaps of garbage from capsules you could get an aeropress:

https://www.amazon.com/AeroPress-Coffee-Espresso-Maker-Bitterness/dp/B0047BIWSK

I absolutely love mine:

- cheap

- take it everywhere you need it, even camping and traveling

- can get a metal filter and you won't even need new filters

- can also make normal coffee

- with a bit of experimenting you can make your espresso exactly how you want it to be

- doesn't take up space in the kitchen

- easy to clean

Downsides:

- needs a bit of experimenting

- can get annoying if you make for multiple people

- need to find good coffee beans

Had french presses, pad machines and Nespresso machines, and those metal cans to put over the stove. Can't imagine to switch back to any of those.

Cheaper than buying it in 7-11. Personally I think home ground and brewed tastes much better, so even if the price is similar I'll go with better taste. I use the Starbucks roast Kirkland coffee beans: https://www.amazon.co.jp/gp/product/B003M71UUC/ref=as_li_qf_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=thejetlounge-22&creative=1211&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B003M71UUC&linkId=97445c490517159884aae912756d3b91

You can get them for 2150 for 900g. Makes really strong coffee :)

https://www.amazon.com/Japanese-Spoken-Language-Part-1/dp/0300038348/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_14_t_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=46116G1V2311FB6QKHQH

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This book series, while short uses Romaji and diacritic marks to give you a feel for the intonation of words. Might be useful, depending. The audio drills help immensely, as well. /u/hattori31's recording suggestion is pretty solid as well - especially if you have comparable audio from native speakers on the same vocabulary.

it might be worthwhile to find a real teacher/tutor who understands shadowing, and will do a class with you that's 1/3 shadowing, 1/3 feedback, drills, tips and techniques, and 1/3 using what you learned in natural conversations.

The other idea I had is that you need to find a drama that matches your situation as a freelancing, work-at-home guy. When I was student, I found stuff like Chibi Maruko and Sazae to be very valuable in conducting at-home conversations with my homestay family.

Maybe something like this? https://www.amazon.co.jp/フリーター、家を買う。DVD-BOX-【予約特典クリアファイル%EF%BC%8B初回生産特典ドラマオリジナルグッズ付】-二宮和也/dp/B0045UADW6

https://www.amazon.co.jp/%E3%83%9E%E3%83%BC%E3%83%95%E3%82%A3%E3%83%BC%E3%81%AE%E3%82%B1%E3%83%B3%E3%83%96%E3%83%AA%E3%83%83%E3%82%B8%E8%8B%B1%E6%96%87%E6%B3%95-%E5%88%9D%E7%B4%9A%E7%B7%A8-%E7%AC%AC3%E7%89%88-Basic-Grammar/dp/4889967656/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1540272129&sr=8-4&keywords=Basic+Grammar+in+use


I use both the Basic and intermediate books religiously. I have both Japanese and English versions as well and they are a godsend.

Hope you find it useful!

Yep. No English classes yet. I had been worried that they'd speak down to the level of an elementary school English class, but I think they're already beyond that sort of regression. I've been thinking of shipping them off to Canada for a year of elementary in a couple of years.

BTW, for reading we're using this book to great success (about halfway through now.)

I should write a guide about this... the outline is:

0. Don't be American.

1. Get educated: I recommend this book plus a good amount of reading on the net.
   
2. Set your goals (whether you're going to spend some of your invested funds in the short term vs just retirement fund, when do you want to retire, acceptable risk, etc). 2a. Determine your asset allocation from that (mainly % of stocks vs. % of bonds). 2b. Calculate how much you need to save per month.
   
3. Get an account at a Japanese online brokerage, and select the mutual funds that correspond to the previous step.
   
4. Transfer a % of your income every month to that account and then into the funds.

The Daily Stoic



I read it every morning after I wake up to kind of kickstart my day. Ryan Holiday is a great author. I remember you reading a Tim Ferris book. I hear mixed opinions in the self improvement world on him. What are your thoughts on the book?

Ah sorry yeah I just linked those as a quick reference, this is an example of their branded sugar-free syrups. Anyway, the link was pretty helpful, it just confirmed to me that they don't have the sugar-free kind available. Thanks!

The Tab A uses a shit processor and will be shitty for anything other that video. Web browsing will be slow. The Tab S series is much nicer.... I have the older Tab S 8.4 and use it occasionally for browsing, but the AMOLED screen is amazing for video. They aren't sold in Japan anymore though.


The Tab S5e is great though (https://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Galaxy-Wifi-Tablet-Silver/dp/B07Q5VPXG4/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=tab+s6&qid=1565750610&s=gateway&sr=8-1)

Check out Flossy Carter's review of it on YouTube.

This is great for the money. The best oven I've owned in Japan or back home. It's red though!..

https://www.amazon.co.jp/gp/aw/d/B00KV9W4EU?psc=1&ref=yo_pop_mb_yo_pop_mb_pd_t2

If you want wired, I like Etymotic MC3s. If you want wireless, I've been really happy with my Jaybird X2s.

2 Questions from me this week!

1. I want an oven, I miss having an oven, I want to bake and make pizza and baked potatoes and anyway... I am looking at the SHARP RE-SS10B-R for around 26K from Amazon.. Now it says that it is an oven and steam oven. Will this be okay to use like an English oven? Also does it have a microwave function?
   
   
2. I also want a blender, I am looking at getting the Ninja Ultimate, in Japan it costs nearly 40K, where as back home in the U.K it costs <20k. Now for the question, if I were to purchase it in the U.K and send it over to Japan, would it work? U.K uses 230V compared to Japans 100V.
   
   Thanks!

Check your local drug stores plenty of them should have it like HAC drug, fit care depot etc. Amazon also has it of course.

> I've accepted that I can no longer bake the dishes I spent years perfecting due to the lack of anything like a decent oven.

If you adjust time/temperature a bit, this type and similar ones work just as well.

So far I tried without issue: pizza, frozen pizza, all kinds of cake, cookies, gratin, roast chicken/ vegetables, bread,...

Can't say anything about big pieces of meat...yet

Basically you'll have to become one of those kyoiku parents everyone hates; simple osmosis from Thomas the Tank Engine reruns is not sufficient. Head over to r/homeschool and do some research, they have experience with the nuts and bolts of formally teaching their own kids English (which is what you'll be doing). Your kid is still a bit young but when he's bigger you might give this book a try. I'm going through it with my five year old now and we spend about 10-15 minutes a day doing the lessons. It can be a bit of a slog at times but teaches reading, pronunciation (reading a lot of words slowly to make sure the sounds are correct) and writing. Teaching one's own child is insanely fun and rewarding... If you outsource by throwing your kid into a school you'll never experience that kind of bonding.