I worked in the Japanese mobile phone industry, and I am fairly familiar with SoftBank in that respect, so I'll do my best to answer your questions.

How easy is it to get out of a two-year contract with Softbank before it runs out, assuming you have already paid for your handset? Is there a penalty fee for early cancellation? Is it possible to put a contract "on hold" for a few months and resume it afterwards if you're temporarily leaving Japan but... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by armage at 1:34 AM on July 25, 2008 marked best answer

You can download the drivers from Panasonic's website here. If you can read Japanese, page 334 of the manual should have instructions on how to manually send/receive data to/from your mobile phone. I'll abbreviate the steps from the manual just in case:

1. [決定] -> 5 -> 8 -> 2 -> [通常モード] -> [送信]
2. フォルダを選択 -> [決定]
3. 送受信するデータを選択 - > [決定]
4. [送信] (それとも[受信])のソフトキー

Incidentally, what sort of... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by armage at 3:12 AM on July 21, 2008 marked best answer

There's Wonder Books, a huge used bookstore. I recommend the Golden Mile location on W. Patrick Street.
posted to Ask Metafilter by armage at 1:16 AM on June 5, 2008

Here's the relevant page from Japan Customs' website. Basically, two months worth of medicine is the limit for private consumption.
posted to Ask Metafilter by armage at 9:27 PM on May 18, 2008 marked best answer

Here are some prior threads on the subject for you to have a look at.
posted to Ask Metafilter by armage at 6:36 PM on April 18, 2008

DoCoMo has a technical lab in Akihabara where you can try out the latest phones and features.

There's also au's Design Studio in Harajuku. If you want to read about the latest happenings in the industry, I recommend ケータイ Watch or Nikkei's 携帯＆モバイル ITpro site.
posted to Ask Metafilter by armage at 5:47 PM on April 15, 2008 marked best answer

Incidentally, if you want to see what manufacturers and carriers are planning to release in coming years, you should attend expos like Expo Comm Wireless Japan in July or CEATEC in October. The carrier showrooms focus on current models and don't tend to show a lot of next-generation things that the manufacturers are working on.
posted to Ask Metafilter by armage at 6:23 PM on April 15, 2008

By the way, I doubt that you'll be housed together unless you're actually married, according to anecdotes from friends who have participated in JET.
posted to Ask Metafilter by armage at 3:35 PM on April 9, 2008

The big thing in your favor is that you're looking for a job in your home country, where you have permission to work. The reverse situation (looking for a job in a foreign country in which you do not reside and for which you have no work visa) is much more difficult to do.

It depends entirely on what industry you're looking into, as well as the size of the companies you're applying to. Smaller companies generally won't have the financial means to fly you somewhere for... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by armage at 4:40 AM on April 3, 2008

The mall Doctor Fedora's talking about is Kobe Harborland.

Incidentally, one of my most favorite bakeries in Japan is in Kobe: Boulangerie Comme-Chinois.
posted to Ask Metafilter by armage at 6:12 PM on March 11, 2008 marked best answer

Evidently it's Taito Kubo, but "Tite" is definitely a non-standard way to write that.
posted to Ask Metafilter by armage at 2:50 PM on March 7, 2008

Note that if you are on a temporary visitor visa, you cannot buy a prepaid phone. Japanese law requires that foreigners have an official document from the Japanese government (alien registration card, Japanese passport, insurance card, etc.) in order to buy a phone.

If you have a friend in Japan, he can purchase the phone on your behalf. But if you're only going to be in the country for less than two weeks, a rental phone is the better option.
posted to Ask Metafilter by armage at 6:08 PM on March 4, 2008

One thing you should know if you don't already -- and gomichild alluded to it -- is that in Japan you're not so much buying the house as you are the land it comes with. Residential single-family dwellings are usually not built to as high a standard as they are in the United States, for example. Although there are plenty of older houses all over Japan, the tendency is to rebuild a house after twenty or thirty years.

To be honest, if you're not intending to stay in Japan... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by armage at 5:24 AM on March 2, 2008

This isn't really answering your question, but because of my experience with GPSes in Japan I feel compelled to comment.

I think you'd be better off either using a map with numbered blocks (which is what most Japanese people do) or renting a phone in Japan with an English GPS. The problem with what you want to do is that the software may be prohibitively expensive, only in English, or both -- plus the PDA itself will cost you a chunk of change.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by armage at 4:29 PM on February 24, 2008

If his connection is anything like mine, it's probably about ¥4000-6000 (about US$35-55) a month.

And yes, 100 Mbps throughput is FABULOUS. (Though I'm actually running my laptop through an airport express, so I'm not making full use of my downstream unless I wire up... An Airport Extreme is on my shopping list!)
posted to Ask Metafilter by armage at 5:15 AM on February 16, 2008

I found a job in Tokyo from the United States without having a visa. I work for a large Japanese manufacturer doing mobile phone product planning and development. However, I had the following in my favor:

1) I spoke fluent Japanese before I came
2) I went to a career fair in the US for J-E bilinguals, where I interviewed with the company
3) The process took, from first interview to coming to Japan, 10 months

Her best bet... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by armage at 3:03 AM on January 30, 2008

panamax: I have JLPT 1-kyu, and I rarely use English on a daily basis either at work or at home. If you have 2-kyu, you should have a good chance at DISCO -- most of my non-Japanese friends who went had 2-kyu or something close, and I know of at least one who got a job with UBS and came to Tokyo thanks to DISCO.
posted to Ask Metafilter by armage at 4:00 AM on January 30, 2008

How about The Wings of Honneamise?
posted to Ask Metafilter by armage at 1:20 AM on December 29, 2007

holgate is somewhat mistaken; Japan is mostly WCDMA, but some SoftBank phones have built-in GSM roaming capabilities for use on the 1900 MHz band. In theory, you should be able to use another SIM card in an unlocked handset.

However, the probability of being able to get an unlocked phone in Japan is slim to nil, even if you pay the full price of the phone up front. I have never tried to do such a thing, so it may not be possible. A friend of mine was able to bring... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by armage at 11:29 PM on December 21, 2007 marked best answer

Note this important bit from holgate's link:
SoftBank 3G phones (except 802N, 703N and 905SH) and DoCoMo "FOMA" roaming-ready phones:
They work with your local GSM networks. But you cannot use them with your local operator's subscription because they do not accept other operators' SIM cards.So yes, you will need to get it unlocked somehow with a third-party. SoftBank will almost certainly not do this for you, nor will the manufacturer.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by armage at 11:35 PM on December 21, 2007

Get thee to a yokocho. Omoide Yokocho, Shomben Yokocho, Nonbei Yokocho or Harmonica Yokocho just to name a few. They're ramshackle bars and restaurants built around major train stations during post-war period. Most have a bar, three or four counter seats, and a small nook where the proprietor cooks. I've heard that they tend to frown on outsiders just dropping in, but if you find an interesting place, go ahead and have a seat. If you get turned away there are plenty of other places to go.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by armage at 10:53 PM on November 4, 2007

Get some pizza at Crozet Pizza (15 minutes west of Charlottesville).
posted to Ask Metafilter by armage at 8:38 AM on August 28, 2007

If you really want to keep people from connecting to it, use a whitespace character as the name, or perhaps a long alphanumeric string.
posted to Ask Metafilter by armage at 1:58 PM on August 17, 2007

...but that wouldn't be paranoia-inducing. In that case, perhaps something Lovecraftian?
posted to Ask Metafilter by armage at 1:58 PM on August 17, 2007

I did exactly the thing you are asking about (with a laptop, iPod, lamp, and cell phone charger plugged into a power strip, the strip plugged into an adapter, and the adapter into the wall). It worked fine.

Note that as hattifattener says, the frequency may be different which can cause some clocks and other sensitive items to run fast or slow. Most modern electronic devices, however, can handle those minor variations.
posted to Ask Metafilter by armage at 2:31 PM on August 10, 2007 marked best answer

Also, if you are concerned about grounding, affix the wire dangling from the Japanese adapter (if there is one) to a ground. For some reason using a third prong for ground never took off in Japan.
posted to Ask Metafilter by armage at 2:32 PM on August 10, 2007

Espy Gillespie, I used a generic Staples brand power strip. It probably cost me $10 or so.

Since I'll be moving to Tokyo myself in a few weeks, I'm considering doing the same thing, or simply breaking down and buying Japanese-style plugs/cords for everything. I'm cheap, though, so I'll probably just bring a US power strip again.
posted to Ask Metafilter by armage at 5:34 AM on August 11, 2007

(I am not a realtor, real estate attorney, or otherwise have any specialized knowledge in this field, so take this as advice only.)

To rent the house, I'm not aware that she would need to do anything other than have a prospective tenant sign a lease. Also, as far as I know, there is no law that says that Japanese cannot be evicted "after a certain amount of time." Renters laws in Japan certainly favor the tenant, and eviction tends to be more difficult than... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by armage at 4:10 PM on July 22, 2007

Have you tried this translations request forum at Jpopsuki? It's a forum for a tracker that I use from time to time, and I know there are some Morning Musume fans on there. Give it a try—I'm sure someone would be willing to help you out.
posted to Ask Metafilter by armage at 12:16 PM on July 19, 2007

I can tell you for a fact that it isn't Japanese. It doesn't look like Chinese, either, but I'm not fluent in Chinese so I can't say with certainty. As others have noted, perhaps it's just four characters strung together...?
posted to Ask Metafilter by armage at 1:10 PM on July 15, 2007

Incidentally, another book by the same author is "Universe for Rent". I can't recall whether it's only in Japanese or not, but it's full of pictures of people's apartments—300 in all.
posted to Ask Metafilter by armage at 4:57 AM on July 7, 2007

I am fluent in Japanese, and I'm about to start working for a large Japanese electronics company in Tokyo. I've studied Japanese for eight years. I am American, FWIW, and have lived here my entire life.

That being said, if you intend to remain in America, learn Spanish. Spanish, more than any other language, will be the most useful in business or in everyday life in the future. Any other language you learn will have the following caveats:1) You must be fluent,... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by armage at 3:49 PM on June 26, 2007

Aoyama Book Center is not a used book store, nor is it primarily an English bookstore, but they carry quite a range of fiction and non-fiction in English, including quite a good selection of design books. Also, they often have "rainy-day" sales where the English paperbacks are half-off, and the occasional clearance of old stock. The ABC Outlet in Roppongi apparently specializes in ABC's unsold English stock.

Also, just in case you weren't aware, Tower and... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by armage at 5:21 PM on June 14, 2007

mkb: Yes, I saw it last week.
posted to Ask Metafilter by armage at 3:19 PM on June 13, 2007

I've taken both Vamoose and Washington Deluxe within the past week.

Vamoose picked up from Rosslyn (where I live) and Bethesda; most people got on at Bethesda. We rode two hours, stopped outside Dover at a highway rest area, then drove the rest of the way to New York. This was on a Sunday; I had a pair of seats to myself. They showed a movie (The Pursuit of Happyness? I don't really remember) and that was about it. We picked up two Hasidic Jews around 33rd and 10th,... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by armage at 6:39 PM on June 12, 2007

When I was visiting NYC earlier this week, I was a bit surprised to still see some police officers and National Guardsmen with submachine guns at the WTC PATH station, the financial district, Penn Station, etc. Even in DC you rarely see that.
posted to Ask Metafilter by armage at 8:36 AM on June 8, 2007

In this picture, the rightmost two characters are "陶噐", with the character 噐 being the older form of 器. It means "pottery." The left three characters are "窯出し", which means to take a pot out of the kiln.

The three characters at the bottom are 橋、会、and 版. 版 means "edition" or "version," but I have never heard of the other two characters being used together like that. The smaller characters to the left say ”とみ” and then... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by armage at 1:50 PM on May 27, 2007

Abiezer is right, the character is 橘 (tachibana), not 橋 (hashi). Unfortunately, I don't have any further knowledge of this kind of artwork so I can't be much more help.

I'm fairly certain that the character in the bronze is not Japanese, because I have never seen 光 written like that, pre- or post-war. Obviously I can't say with 100% certainly, but my inclination is to say that it is Chinese.
posted to Ask Metafilter by armage at 6:16 PM on May 27, 2007

Coming from San Diego you can probably get all the Vietnamese you want, but if you want a "Little Saigon" experience, go to Eden Center. (It's accessible by Metrorail alone if you walk a mile; otherwise you can take a taxi or wait for a Metrobus to connect you from East Falls Church station.) It's packed full of supermarkets, pho joints, restaurants, bakeries, music stores, etc. Tyler Cowen's recommendations are, as others have mentioned, the best.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by armage at 4:57 AM on May 24, 2007

Just as a warning -- if you want to eat out some place nice in Georgetown or the vicinity this weekend, you may be out of luck. Georgetown University has its commencement this weekend, so many of the high-end restaurants in Georgetown are booked solid.
posted to Ask Metafilter by armage at 4:59 AM on May 18, 2007

If you don't mind something at the casual end of the spectrum, I recommend Dixie Bones in Woodbridge. A barbeque place, but I daresay the best barbeque north of Richmond. No reservations, but if you show up at noon on Sunday when they open you're bound to find seats without a problem.

Barring that, I second COD's recommendation of Claiborne's, but good luck getting a reservation...
posted to Ask Metafilter by armage at 12:20 PM on May 8, 2007

If you're looking to travel between now and late September, chances are good you'll get the best deals from a West Coast hub like LAX, SFO, SEA or YVR if only because of fuel costs. After the peak travel season ends in September, you may see deals from other places to fill empty seats. As yoyo_nyc says, you're usually going to have the best prices flying between large hubs. I've found that flights between the US and Asia are not nearly as numerous as between the US and Europe, so there's not... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by armage at 7:18 PM on May 6, 2007 marked best answer

Just out of curiosity, did you take this in Nakano Broadway? I swear I've seen this store before.
posted to Ask Metafilter by armage at 5:00 AM on May 3, 2007

FYI, Away.com is owned by Travelport, which also owns Orbitz.
posted to Ask Metafilter by armage at 12:17 PM on April 26, 2007

In my experience, getting to know the itamae is a great way to be remembered on future visits. If he doesn't speak much English, that could be a problem, but small talk works wonders.

I have no idea what a "humble" sushi place that throws people out for "small infractions" is, but I'd much rather patronize a restaurant where I felt comfortable and relaxed, and where the owner/itamae welcomed me. If they throw you out for "being too American,... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by armage at 6:05 AM on April 24, 2007

Sushi-ya (寿司屋) is just Japanese for "sushi restaurant."
posted to Ask Metafilter by armage at 6:51 AM on April 24, 2007

Folks, one-way student tickets are usually quite cheap, unlike regular one-way tickets. Check out statravel.com or studentuniverse.com to see for yourselves.

Gaiwan, I agree with those who are saying buy a (refundable) ticket on a low-fare airline flying out of the UK. That'll be your easiest way to handle queries from HM Customs. Otherwise, prepare to bring a lot of documentation.

(I despise Heathrow, so my real advice to you would be to fly... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by armage at 1:23 PM on April 17, 2007

Go to an Asian supermarket and buy a two-liter container of green tea or barley tea. Or you could buy bags and brew your own. Oolong tea also goes quite well with a relatively tasteless liquor like vodka (best with Japanese shochu, in my opinion) in a highball glass. You probably won't be able to find that at your local bar, I'm afraid...
posted to Ask Metafilter by armage at 4:37 PM on April 13, 2007

According to this page in Japanese, Designers Week 2007 is from October 31 to November 5 this year. The English version hasn't been updated yet.
posted to Ask Metafilter by armage at 7:43 AM on March 28, 2007

Oops, I take that back. The Japanese site still has the 2006 dates listed. But according to this, Oct 31 - Nov 4 sounds right.
posted to Ask Metafilter by armage at 7:45 AM on March 28, 2007