I know this isn't a good QSN to ask here, but I'm just curious. Is there anything you carry with you at all times for personal safety? Please share your thoughts.

Hi! I have a friend who moved to Tsu City for work.

His birthday is coming up, and it will be his first birthday away from family and friends so we want to at least, make it special for him.

Can anyone recommend any stores that delivers cake?

Greatly appreciated! 🫶🏻

Hi there, I hope whoever is reading this is well. So I arrived in Osaka yesterday on a long term student visa and moved into my apartment today. I rented a place with Leopalace (should have read the bad reviews) and basically they told me that I will have to sort the electricity and gas by myself. This is a problem because my Japanese language proficiency is very poor. They recommended me a gas and electricity company and they gave me their numbers. For the gas company that Leopalace recommended (Miyakojima Gas Center), they answered but it was all in Japanese and they had no English support, so I was not able to sort my gas out. For the electricity company they recommended (Kansai Electric Power), they have English support, but when I give the English support line a call, it just tells me in English “We cannot put you on a call right now, please hang up and try again later”. I told Leopalace about this all, and the gist of their response was “Find a way to fix it bro”. So my question is which gas and electricity companies do you recommend I go for that preferably have English support and it is easy for someone who just arrived to sign a contract? And should I hire a concierge/ agency to handle the sorting out of my utilities? All of this just sucks because i can live without gas, but having no electricity has been especially hard. Thank you for your response and I look forward to your response.

Hey everyone,

Been part of a few subreddit but constantly see post about people looking to create meetups for events, sports, activities etc. So we created /r/osakameetup Feel free to join any existing threads or create your own event!

Hi all,

I'm hoping to find a cooking gig in Osaka (but will also consider close by cities). But there are a few issues.

1. I don't speak Japanese well. Just know greetings and then basic sentence construction.
2. I have no commercial kitchen experience (I think I'm decent in the kitchen at home though), but I'm eager to learn. Even if I have to be a dish boy.

Does anyone know if it's possible to find a kitchen job despite this? Been using job search apps but honestly feels like they're mostly looking for professionals or people who can speak decent Japanese. Is it ok to walk into restaurants and just start asking if they need staff and would hire me? Anyone out there know any restaurant people who may be interested in helping me out?

Thanks for reading!

Hi, I'm an exchange student in Kobe. I'm currently writing my master's thesis and unfortunately I still need some answers to the survey. I apologize if I shouldn't post this here but I'm slowly running out of ideas on where else I can share the survey.

*The survey focuses on people who did not experience the quake firsthand. It's about generational memory that is passed down through schools, museums or families so I focus on students/young adults (people up to 29 y.o.).*

I sent the survey to my Japanese friends and asked them to send it out further but unfortunately I still have a fairly small number of responses.

If you know any Japanese who would be willing to complete this survey, please share! It would help me a lot!

https://forms.gle/3pPSWFJn3tFU2D1C9

I'm going out to Shima around the 25th-28th of July and found an interesting experience (https://miescape.jp/plan/166/) where you can dive with "Ama" freedivers to collect shellfish, a tradition that's apparently beem around for thousands of years.

I don't go out to Mie too much so I figure when else am I going to have the chance to try this? Unfortunately for me, you need 2 people to participate and I'll be there on my own, so I thought I'd ask around to at least see if anyone would be interested. The cost according to the website is ¥22,000 per person.

I’ve seen a thread for Osaka, anyone here in Kobe doing anything for the 4th? Family friendly..

Cheers

Hi guys,

I'm currently stressed beyond belief and am looking for some advice.

I got accepted with the JET programme and am moving to Moriyama, Shiga at the end of July! (Yay!)

However, I'm planning on moving with my husband and 2 cats. And my supervisor has given me a deadline of 2 weeks to find an apartment. (Boooo.)

I've reached out to Apamanshop Inquiry Desk, Best-Estate.JP, Holmes Navi Moriyama store, LIXIL Real Estate Shop Amgent Co., Ltd, Conquest Minimini Fc Moriyama Ekimae Store, CENTURY21 Izumi Corporation, and Elitz Contact Center.

I have a meeting with Apamanshop and Elitz today at midnight and tomorrow at midnight. I'm getting an interpreter from fiverr.

So far I have a lot against me:

1. Low level Japanese (like N5 at most)
2. Pets
3. Being a foreigner
4. Needing a guarantor

Does anyone have advice? Do you think it's possible?

Thanks in advance :)

So I’ve met very cool people with posts on reddit since I moved to Kansai. One girl I could share creepypastas with, watch movies and go out to dinners with Nara and a couple I’ve been on a few weekend trips with at the beach! I’m very grateful for meeting them!

If you re living in Kansai and looking to meet new people, don’t hesitate to DM :)

Hello,

My family is looking to camp a lot this summer. 

Are there any campground recommendations by Biwako? Or in Osaka? 
And how much should I expect to pay for the campground? Sorry, this will be our first time camping.

Hi all, I just moved from the Tokyo area to just outside of Nara for a new job. Every day on the train on the way to work I see all these bamboo forests out the window, and now I've got the idea stuck in my head that I want to go walk around in one. I assume a lot of these are private property though and you can't just go into any random one. I've been to Arashiyama in Kyoto and it was packed full with selfie stick carriers -- while I don't begrudge anyone their hobbies, I am hoping for something with more of a serene vibe without having to arrive super early in the morning to beat the crowds. I read some info about Mt. Ikoma that said there are bamboo forests nearby -- that would be easy enough for me to get to, but I couldn't find any more specifics -- are those bamboo forests accessible? Is there some specific area around there I should be looking at? Any other pointers for publicly-accessible bamboo forests in other places near Nara would be very welcome, too.

It’s a pretty wide question but I noticed while in Bali that I miss these kinds of cafes and restaurants.

In my experience Japan only does three types of cafes which are chain cafes, kissaten and modern cafes.

These have been great but I have lived here for 5 years in Osaka so I am a little burned out, most of these places have identical menus or only sell coffee (I don’t like coffee, so of course that makes it worse)

However while in Bali I came across many cafes and restaurants in incredible locations, balcony views, mountain views, valley views and rice field views with menus selling wraps, pizzas, burgers, Japanese food, Chinese food etc.

Do we have such a scene in Kansai anywhere? Any places with a beautiful balcony view of anything? Outdoor seating in a rice field? With a menu to match that isn’t just the regular Japanese food?

I try to think from experience and I know a good few restaurants with scenic views in Umeda but they are usually just window views, I also know of some cafes in good locations like Okunoshima but the menu and food quality was abysmal. There was some I saw in Minoh but the menus were regular food I would find in Umeda such as curry or something.

I am sure we have them but I just suck at finding them.

Btw I don’t drive and live in Suita so that might exasperate things.

Does anyone know a place in the Kansai area where I can take my girlfriend to see - and possibly play with - ducks. I'm referring to the standard white ducks btw.

We cordially invite you to celebrate Cinco de Mayo in Kyoto with Democrats Abroad Japan. 

Cinco de Mayo is a bicultural Mexican-American tradition with roots in both the American Civil War and the French Occupation of Mexico, a dual struggle against racism and colonialism.  

On May 5th, we'll come together to celebrate this multicultural holiday with a piñata, music, and a picnic along the Kamo River. We hope to honor and share the rich traditions of Cinco de Mayo, foster connections within the international community, and assist Americans in registering to vote. This event is open to everyone regardless of nationality, political opinion, or level of English. This is a fun multilingual event with people fluent in English, Japanese, Spanish, French and other languages.  Join us from 2 to 5 PM, just North of Demachi Bridge on the West Side of the Kamo River (near Demachiyanagi Station). Public restrooms are available nearby, and in case of rain, we have a backup location secured.

For any inquiries, please reach out via email to lewisdajapan@gmail.com.

Americans, register to vote here: https://www.votefromabroad.org/

*Please keep comments relevant to the event*

Democrats Abroad Japan のみなさま

5月5日、京都でシンコ・デ・マヨを祝うために皆様をご招待します！

シンコ・デ・マヨは、アメリカ南北戦争とフランスによるメキシコ占領という両方の背景を持つ、バイカルチャーのメキシコ系アメリカ人の伝統行事です。それは人種差別と植民地主義に対する二重の闘いの表れです。

5月5日、鴨川沿いでピニャータや音楽、ピクニックを楽しみながら、この多文化の祝日を祝いましょう。シンコ・デ・マヨの豊かな伝統を称え、国際コミュニティ内でのつながりを育み、また、アメリカ人の選挙登録を支援することを願っています。このイベントは、国籍、政治的意見、英語のレベルに関係なく、誰でも参加できます。英語、日本語、スペイン語、フランス語など、多言語が話せる参加者と楽しむイベントです。

午後2時から5時まで、鴨川の西側、出町柳駅近くの出町橋の北にある場所でお待ちしています。近くに公衆トイレがあります。雨天の場合は、代替会場を用意しています。

お問い合わせは、lewisdajapan@gmail.comまでメールでお願いします。

敬具

¡Los invitamos cordialmente a celebrar el Cinco de Mayo en Kioto con Democrats Abroad Japan!

El Cinco de Mayo es una tradición bicultural mexicano-estadounidense con raíces en la Guerra Civil Americana y la Ocupación Francesa de México, una lucha dual contra el racismo y el colonialismo.

El 5 de mayo, nos reuniremos para celebrar esta fiesta multicultural con una piñata, música y un picnic a lo largo del río Kamo. Esperamos honrar y compartir las ricas tradiciones del Cinco de Mayo, fomentar conexiones dentro de la comunidad internacional y ayudar a los estadounidenses a registrarse para votar. Este evento está abierto a todos sin importar nacionalidad, opinión política o nivel de inglés. Este es un evento multilingüe divertido con personas que hablan inglés, japonés, español, francés y otros idiomas.

Únanse a nosotros de 2 a 5 PM, justo al norte del Puente Demachi en el lado oeste del río Kamo (cerca de la estación Demachiyanagi). Hay baños públicos disponibles cerca y, en caso de lluvia, tenemos un lugar alternativo asegurado.

Para cualquier consulta, comuníquese por correo electrónico a lewisdajapan@gmail.com.

From Osaka here and I've only gone to Kobe a couple of times. Been wanting to go to Chinatown but i'm not sure if Golden Week is the best time to experience the food scene. I don't mind the crowd!

Would love to here from Kobe locals! Thanks!

I am from France, and I arrived three days ago for a job. I speak basic japanese(+google translate and gestures haha) perfect english and french and spanish. I like hiking, cafe hopping, bar hopping and trying out new stuff! As long as you’re a nice person, it doesn’t matter if you are japanese or gaijin, we can make it work :)