i think ive outgrown fanimecon

[otakuapprentice]

go see sumo, i command you to.

[LordKefka]

woooow I feel like mikey your going to be arguing with a 12 year old imo HAY i watched some ultraman when I was six it was a friends copy since his family was japanese....it was weeeird

anyway Kefka yeah its called a bidae, Haha japanese toilets are almost everything a foreighner plays with. my group did in our hotel o__o though i think one of the girls liked it a bit too much...

Oh high schools in JP arent really special though I did meet the english teacher and what not. But man it would look great for some creepy photoshoots at night though.

Take lots of pictures kefkaa~ and go see some kabuki while your there. I loved it :B admist all the shopping and picture touristy places

Omg I wanna go now! >____<;

I wonder how much airplane tickets cost (for future reference of course..>_>) and what the hell I need to do to get around. Should I walk around holding a sign with the words " ANIMU ME!"?..>.>;;

But seriously, I think outside the busy city lights and all the anime shops I can pig myself on in the different districts, there is a side of me wanting to just walk down a long trail next to a river on a full moon with fireflies around me during the cool summer night~~~~ ^-^

That or go hiking and hopefully not get stung by one of those Japanese killer bees..o_o

[LordKefka]

go see sumo, i command you to.

>_>;

Will bringing back a flyer of a sumo event be enough?

And food, who could forget about food. Sit at one of the ramen stands and get drunk xD

[Stormfalcon]

Mikey, can you even claim to have seen Star Blazers when it first aired here in the US?  Hell, can you even claim to have been born when it did?  What about Battle of the Planets?  Oooh!  Oooh!  Space Giants!!  Ultraman!

I'm somewhat sure he can claim these.

He would have to be just shy of 30 currently to even claim to be alive when those first aired in the US in the late 70's.

[Kazuko]

Well try to go with a tourgroup or something :d or get a tour book that will tell you alot of places to go.
haha as for the sign thing it reminds me of this


In seriousness the tickets you could look on expedia or some other airlines site for future reference. Last time i went it was about 880. For nature settings you could go to mt fuji since there is a park and waterfalls near by (there is some history there). Kyoto is nice too i havent been there but its the old capital :3

hahaha bees....

[LordKefka]

Well try to go with a tourgroup or something :d or get a tour book that will tell you alot of places to go.
haha as for the sign thing it reminds me of this


In seriousness the tickets you could look on expedia or some other airlines site for future reference. Last time i went it was about 880. For nature settings you could go to mt fuji since there is a park and waterfalls near by (there is some history there). Kyoto is nice too i havent been there but its the old capital :3

hahaha bees....

$880 around trip is not bad. I'm really planning to when comiket is around so I can go attend that and then go "George of the Jungle" afterward.

But I really would just like to rent a car for 2 weeks with a friend or two and drive around the different places in Japan (if the roads will be generous in the mountain regions hah...) That or take a bullet train to different locations. I'm one of those guys who will get lost, suck it up, and do whatever I need to do/want before I end up finding my place again =D so going with a group of people is something I feel limiting. Then again of course I know as much jp as I watch from anime which is what... a few dozen if that? lol. Good thing I have a friend who is 2nd year jp who can at least know how to get around. Maybe I'll drag him along.

[Steve.Young]

my group did in our hotel o__o though i think one of the girls liked it a bit too much...

....I'm at a lost for words.

[luckyends]

my group did in our hotel o__o though i think one of the girls liked it a bit too much...

....I'm at a lost for words.

i know me to
i cant think of any words to describe my frustration that i didnt get one in my room -_-

[PyronIkari]

Mikey, can you even claim to have seen Star Blazers when it first aired here in the US?  Hell, can you even claim to have been born when it did?  What about Battle of the Planets?  Oooh!  Oooh!  Space Giants!!  Ultraman!

We're comparing... when we saw them? Oh wow... because that means so much... right? Have I seen all of those, yes. Who cares about when it aired in the US. I was watching crap before you even knew it existed. Anpanman? Sana-chan? Sana started before Yamato iirc. Did you ever watch it? Does this mean a damn thing? I don't give a damn how old you are, because frankly it doesn't mean crap. I've seen/done more in my years concerning this fandom than you have. It doesn't change the fact, that I'm not socially inept, nor do I not have a life outside of this hobby. You cannot claim the same thing, and that is the point.

Can't claim any of those?  Then don't bother claiming that you've been a fan as long as, or even longer than me.  No, better yet, keep claiming that.  I can use a really good laugh after a crazy day at work, and you claiming that you have equal or longer longetivity than I have as a fan is good for one.  I've seen you at the board panel this past Fanime, and if you're anything older than your twenties, then I'd be honestly surprised.  You don't look old enough to even have been conceived in the 70's, let alone born in them and watching some of the earlier anime that reached these shores.

I've been a fan since I was 3 years old, not of "cartoons that aired in the US that happened to be from Japan". But of Japanese culture, cartoons and the like. I read original pressed DBZ comics when they were being released. Can you say the same? Sure I didn't know JP and I had to have a friend translate it for the most part, but I still did it. I remember when the Goku vs. Frieza fight got released. I was so excited and he did genkidama for the first time. Frieza was looking at it and said "It's like looking into a sun". I was so excited me and my friend were like jumping at how awesome it was.

Oh, but you're older than me, so you probably did it too right? You totally read Dragon Ball as it was being released.

Don't you dare think just because you're older you've "done more". Reading City Hunter and the such. I didn't even realize most of this stuff

Now, since you seem to like "fixing" other people's posts, let me turn around and fix one of yours to better reflect my attitude about things:

"I don't care if you think I'm a pathetic loser."

Much more accurate, because I don't happen to think I am a loser, let alone a pathetic one.  I do quite fine given the circumstances, thank you very much.  While I don't have the best of jobs, I do very well at it and have gotten a fair amount of recognition from my managers and supervisors for it.  I have a small circle of friends, but I prefer it that way, letting me concentrate more time with them.  I'm even enjoying a recently formed relationship, and I even travel from time to time.  Not often as budget dictates, but enough to make me happy with life.  No, I'm not all that outgoing, but believe it or not, some people aren't all that outgoing and that doesn't make them social misfits as you seem to believe.  It just means that they may be more self-sufficient in life than others, that's all.

You doing fine has jack nothing to do with it. The most otaku of otaku are "doing fine" they have decent jobs, they usually do decently at work else they couldn't afford their hobbies. They have a small circle of friends, usually within their own hobbies. How does that change anything? Guess what, I've met you in person. A lot of people I know have met you in person. Their opinions of you are slightly different than how you see yourself. You may be comfortable in your position, but socially, you are rather pathetic. How you talk to people(if you even talk at all in person) is awkward. You tend to hide from people whether or not you realize it or not, and you are just... socially awkward. You're fine with this, that's great, you're not any less of a being for being fine with that, but it doesn't change that you are this...

and that is what a good amount of con-goers are. Socially inept people. That is the point of all this. You are a good representation of your average anime fan. You are content with that, that's fine.

I find it funny how YOU are attacking me, for being more. You are attacking me, for being social. For being capable of having lots of friends, and doing things like going out and partying with lots of people. Having crazy adventures in Vegas, or wherever else I might find myself going. But in addition to this, I share your fandom... hell I'm probably more into it than you are. You have what... 7 or so years in life on me... and that means little. How many people in the industry have I met and talked to? How many shows and comics have I read in my life. How much of the JP fandom have I seen and been a part of since I was about 3? And DESPITE THAT, I can talk and meet people without shying away like a child.

What I don't care about is if others such as yourself decide that, if I like certain things in life, or if I'm not as outgoing, or if I don't share the same likes as others, that I'm somehow a misfit, or maladjusted, or a loser.  Right now, I'm at a stage in life (usually a good while after high school or even college) when such things don't matter nearly as much.  I don't need your approval, or society's in general, to enjoy life or the things I enjoy in life.  If you enjoy some of the same things as well, that's nice.  If you don't, well, I've got my life, you've got yours, let's each follow our respective paths.  If you want to be vocal about it, I'm perfectly entitled to file that opinion in the appropriate category, which would be "bullshit to be ignored." in my book.

It has nothing to do with "likes" or "dislikes". It's about capabilities. You MIGHT have an argument, have I not met you before. Have I not seen how you interact with people.

Speaking of which, it's past time I started ignoring you in general anyway.  It'd be nice if the board has a proper ignore list function, but I suppose that, barring a proper ignore list, I should simply ignore your bullshit anyway with or without one.  I'm done with you.

And this is the best part of it all. If you frankly don't care, then why try so hard to ignore me? There has to be some truth behind it if it annoys you this much. Which goes against the "you not caring" part.

You jumped into this conversation to defend yourself, when I made no comments towards you at all. You tried extremely hard to defend your position, and that you don't care about being social, or not being seen as an outcast. It contradicts itself.

And you stating you're older than me won't change that.

[LordKefka]

*cough*...

Well, I mean, who doesn't like getting sprayed in the butt with water...

EDIT: Wow... my post just doesn't seem to fit anymore..~_~

[PyronIkari]

$880 around trip is not bad. I'm really planning to when comiket is around so I can go attend that and then go "George of the Jungle" afterward.

But I really would just like to rent a car for 2 weeks with a friend or two and drive around the different places in Japan (if the roads will be generous in the mountain regions hah...) That or take a bullet train to different locations. I'm one of those guys who will get lost, suck it up, and do whatever I need to do/want before I end up finding my place again =D so going with a group of people is something I feel limiting. Then again of course I know as much jp as I watch from anime which is what... a few dozen if that? lol. Good thing I have a friend who is 2nd year jp who can at least know how to get around. Maybe I'll drag him along.

Uh... I find this hillarious. Well if you're going to winter comiket, 880 is impossible. You'll be looking at 1400 no matter what. Winter prices are awesome. Rent-A-Car? You have an international license? You know Japanese traffic law? Hope you do, otherwise you're screwed.

Bullet Train places... you realize taking the train anywhere decently far is like 150$ right? Kyoto alone is about 200 for a JR express.

A 2nd year JP student will help you so little, it's hillarious. Anything he could possibly do, you could figure out on your own by reading the signs that are in romanji. 2nd Year wouldn't be able to read the road signs, since the majority of them are all in Kanji, especially in Kyoto. A car is almost useless in Tokyo, since parking is so horrid, and roads are so thin, you might as well be walking around because it's going to be faster. Unless you're in the outskirts where it's more rural or suburban, then a car is almost useless. Even people WITH cars rarely take them into the city areas, and train there instead.

But I don't know anything.

[LordKefka]

$880 around trip is not bad. I'm really planning to when comiket is around so I can go attend that and then go "George of the Jungle" afterward.

But I really would just like to rent a car for 2 weeks with a friend or two and drive around the different places in Japan (if the roads will be generous in the mountain regions hah...) That or take a bullet train to different locations. I'm one of those guys who will get lost, suck it up, and do whatever I need to do/want before I end up finding my place again =D so going with a group of people is something I feel limiting. Then again of course I know as much jp as I watch from anime which is what... a few dozen if that? lol. Good thing I have a friend who is 2nd year jp who can at least know how to get around. Maybe I'll drag him along.

Uh... I find this hillarious. Well if you're going to winter comiket, 880 is impossible. You'll be looking at 1400 no matter what. Winter prices are awesome. Rent-A-Car? You have an international license? You know Japanese traffic law? Hope you do, otherwise you're screwed.

Bullet Train places... you realize taking the train anywhere decently far is like 150$ right? Kyoto alone is about 200 for a JR express.

A 2nd year JP student will help you so little, it's hillarious. Anything he could possibly do, you could figure out on your own by reading the signs that are in romanji. 2nd Year wouldn't be able to read the road signs, since the majority of them are all in Kanji, especially in Kyoto. A car is almost useless in Tokyo, since parking is so horrid, and roads are so thin, you might as well be walking around because it's going to be faster. Unless you're in the outskirts where it's more rural or suburban, then a car is almost useless. Even people WITH cars rarely take them into the city areas, and train there instead.

But I don't know anything.

I was just trailing off after the whole $880 thing that was mentioned...

Wow... it sounds like a nightmare now.. hah.

Well, I figured I have to plan for a while. In fact, more like a year or even a bit further in time than that.

But yeah, some of that stuff is pretty informative to know I guess like price of the bullet train (wow..)..

Regarding my friend's skill level in jp, I think he's been doing hiragana and katakana for a bit. No clue what he's like in romanji. It's a vigorous class though is all I can say. Then again, jp is like the hardest language at the University...

[luckyends]

$880 around trip is not bad. I'm really planning to when comiket is around so I can go attend that and then go "George of the Jungle" afterward.

But I really would just like to rent a car for 2 weeks with a friend or two and drive around the different places in Japan (if the roads will be generous in the mountain regions hah...) That or take a bullet train to different locations. I'm one of those guys who will get lost, suck it up, and do whatever I need to do/want before I end up finding my place again =D so going with a group of people is something I feel limiting. Then again of course I know as much jp as I watch from anime which is what... a few dozen if that? lol. Good thing I have a friend who is 2nd year jp who can at least know how to get around. Maybe I'll drag him along.

Uh... I find this hillarious. Well if you're going to winter comiket, 880 is impossible. You'll be looking at 1400 no matter what. Winter prices are awesome. Rent-A-Car? You have an international license? You know Japanese traffic law? Hope you do, otherwise you're screwed.

Bullet Train places... you realize taking the train anywhere decently far is like 150$ right? Kyoto alone is about 200 for a JR express.

A 2nd year JP student will help you so little, it's hillarious. Anything he could possibly do, you could figure out on your own by reading the signs that are in romanji. 2nd Year wouldn't be able to read the road signs, since the majority of them are all in Kanji, especially in Kyoto. A car is almost useless in Tokyo, since parking is so horrid, and roads are so thin, you might as well be walking around because it's going to be faster. Unless you're in the outskirts where it's more rural or suburban, then a car is almost useless. Even people WITH cars rarely take them into the city areas, and train there instead.

But I don't know anything.

I was just trailing off after the whole $880 thing that was mentioned...

Wow... it sounds like a nightmare now.. hah.

Well, I figured I have to plan for a while. In fact, more like a year or even a bit further in time than that.

But yeah, some of that stuff is pretty informative to know I guess like price of the bullet train (wow..)..

Regarding my friend's skill level in jp, I think he's been doing hiragana and katakana for a bit. No clue what he's like in romanji. It's a vigorous class though is all I can say. Then again, jp is like the hardest language at the University...

actualy romanji is the same as the english alphabet

[LordKefka]

$880 around trip is not bad. I'm really planning to when comiket is around so I can go attend that and then go "George of the Jungle" afterward.

But I really would just like to rent a car for 2 weeks with a friend or two and drive around the different places in Japan (if the roads will be generous in the mountain regions hah...) That or take a bullet train to different locations. I'm one of those guys who will get lost, suck it up, and do whatever I need to do/want before I end up finding my place again =D so going with a group of people is something I feel limiting. Then again of course I know as much jp as I watch from anime which is what... a few dozen if that? lol. Good thing I have a friend who is 2nd year jp who can at least know how to get around. Maybe I'll drag him along.

Uh... I find this hillarious. Well if you're going to winter comiket, 880 is impossible. You'll be looking at 1400 no matter what. Winter prices are awesome. Rent-A-Car? You have an international license? You know Japanese traffic law? Hope you do, otherwise you're screwed.

Bullet Train places... you realize taking the train anywhere decently far is like 150$ right? Kyoto alone is about 200 for a JR express.

A 2nd year JP student will help you so little, it's hillarious. Anything he could possibly do, you could figure out on your own by reading the signs that are in romanji. 2nd Year wouldn't be able to read the road signs, since the majority of them are all in Kanji, especially in Kyoto. A car is almost useless in Tokyo, since parking is so horrid, and roads are so thin, you might as well be walking around because it's going to be faster. Unless you're in the outskirts where it's more rural or suburban, then a car is almost useless. Even people WITH cars rarely take them into the city areas, and train there instead.

But I don't know anything.

I was just trailing off after the whole $880 thing that was mentioned...

Wow... it sounds like a nightmare now.. hah.

Well, I figured I have to plan for a while. In fact, more like a year or even a bit further in time than that.

But yeah, some of that stuff is pretty informative to know I guess like price of the bullet train (wow..)..

Regarding my friend's skill level in jp, I think he's been doing hiragana and katakana for a bit. No clue what he's like in romanji. It's a vigorous class though is all I can say. Then again, jp is like the hardest language at the University...

actualy romanji is the same as the english alphabet

O...

But I guess if anything, I would like to go during the Summer time when I actually have time. Maybe two trips doing different things in the distant future.

Maybe I'll take the advice and go with a tour group...-_-;

[otakuapprentice]

there are harder languages than JP. I hear Tagalog is a bitch to learn...

[Steve.Young]

This thread is getting good.

[Jun-Watarase]

I nerdraged so hard at this thread.

1. OP, if you're not having fun at FanimeCon anymore, then find something else that fulfills your need for entertainment. There's no point in forcing yourself to go if you don't get any enjoyment out of it. There's plenty of other things in life that you could be doing instead, and it's only one weekend-- it won't make a huge difference. If anything, depending on what you do and how long you've been going to Fanime, there's plenty you can work with-- like the friends you've possibly gained at the con. They exist outside of it, too.

2. Plenty of people who attend Fanime are complete losers, and plenty else aren't. In the grand scheme of things, said losers don't function in society very well at all-- many of those come to mind are socially awkward, creepy, and unattractive-- what matters in anyone's perspective is that they accept and are confident in themselves. They aren't obligated to feel like shit, just because they're losers to SOCIETY, but can at least be content by not being losers to themselves. But uh, I know plenty of geeks and nerds that are able to function in society and socially interact with people avidly, so if anyone begins to think geek/nerd = loser, it may just be something else. :|

3. I've seen all those series listed, followed City Hunter, have watched plenty of series from the 80's and early 90's that apparently isn't nearly as popular as I thought they were, and I'm born 2 decades after the 70's. It isn't extremely impressive, but I'll say as-a-matter-of-factly that regardless of when I watched them, I'm still able to find people to share my fandom with without them flaunting their e-penis with "Well, I watched it before you were born!"

4. Kazuko, I really don't understand how any of what you said could make sense to you after all this trip-planning for THIS winter...

5. Romaji is pretty much the first method an American student can even comprehend words from, and example would be:

kana: かぜ
kanji:　風
romaji:　kaze
english: wind

But honestly, knowing just hiragana and katakana won't get you anywhere. I suggest you bring someone who you know is fluent, otherwise, staying in a tourist group would be advisable. You could try to read into things before you visit beforehand and get the gist of what you want to do while you're there, find guides that'll help you navigate or remember how to navigate. Most people I've met at cons and nerd fandoms like this have claimed to me that they're able to speak a decent amount of Japanese, but apparently, completely forget everything as soon as you speak to them back, or in the presence of someone who CAN speak fluently.

"Fluent" and literate, going by JLPT1 standards is having learned (though, people don't necessarily remember all without studying, just as English vocab) is knowing 2000 kanji and approximately 8,000-10,000 vocabulary words. I can't claim that I do know that set of 2000 kanji-- at best, I have a solid 500ish, knowing that I'm only able to pass JLPT3, the second lowest and basic proficiency exam. The requirements for that are 300 kanji and 1,500 vocabulary (correct me if I'm wrong) and honestly, I think that wouldn't really help me much at all if I were completely alone. Your friend isn't really going to be much of use pertaining that with just knowing kana.

[LordKefka]

Maybe I'll stick with a tour group. But damn, I really hate being limited like this..-_-;

[Lactose]

there are websites you can go to, (i cant think of any of them off the top of my head) that have english speakers advertising cheap room and board in their foreign countries. usually they are of american or english descent and fell in love with their new country SOO much, that they just have to spread the love. they usually act as basic tour guides that can show you around the area, or tell you exactly where and how to go.

just an example: my german friend momme, lives in germany, spoke only the english he learned in school (so enough to get around if he HAD to, but he wasnt really comfortable in the language). he looked in a magazine or a website or something and found a german man living in new zealand offering up his two bedrooms to german speakers who wanted to come to new zealand for a length of time. he jumped on that opportunity soo fast, he loves to windsurf, and wanted to improve his english. he stayed for a year and had one of the best experiences of his life, and actually made another friend in germany who was staying with the same guy.

something like this would probably be great for you, better than hostels and hardly speaking the language. you would have someone to host you, sort of like a host family. you might be a little more limited on where you could go, but you'd be a lot less likely to get lost, and honestly, having a friend, or anyone, who can guide you around a foreign country is one of the best ways to see it. when you go with a local you're not confined to touristy places. idk, look around for something like that if you're really serious, cause if i ever go to a country where i dont alraedy know someone, im sure thats what ill be doing. =)

[Steve.Young]

I'll stick to places like china and taiwan where I can get by speaking the language but fail at reading.
For Chinese Fluency, I think you need to know somewhere between 5000-10000 basic words.

Note: If your going to a country, you should bring someone "FLUENT".

Screw Japan. I wanna go to Australia. I need to punch a kangaroo.