I would love to hear more about choosing a preschool and the different schools that are available for Willa!

@OurStorytoTell

3 ай бұрын

Thanks for the comment! We will probably share sometime in the future 😊

Hi there, as I always say: language is a door opener. I am sure everybody very much appreciate when you try to speak their language. Well try yourself and support Willa to keep in touch with your and hers german friends. Time will come to meet each other again. Its a very nice feeling when you know friends somewhere in the world you can trust. Enjoy sour life now in Japan, go for challenges and enrich your life. CU

@OurStorytoTell

3 ай бұрын

Yes we still keep in touch with them and Willa is listening to German songs everyday! When we let her watch shows we watch them in German! 😊

It usually pays off if you take a risk and go experience something quite new and in a way also inspiring. Even though it is hard at first, it seems like it is a very enriching experience for your family!

I bet it is a culture shock! Y'all have taken on the world and looks like you're doing great.

@OurStorytoTell

3 ай бұрын

We are trying to make the most of it! Not every day is a high, but that’s normal anyways 😊 Hope you are doing well!

@jjivy6310

3 ай бұрын

@@OurStorytoTell life is good in MY part of Texas right now. Life is always up and down, it's all in how you take each part. I always look forward to seeing your adventures on Sunday mornings!

Thank you for your video. It brings me back to the old days when I was in your shoes. Looking forward to seeing new adventures!!

@OurStorytoTell

3 ай бұрын

Love to hear this! Thank you!

Compared with Europe, Japan is really a different place, I lived in Japan for three months before coming to the Netherlands, you can experience a lot of East Asian culture in Japan, many rules in Japan almost you can feel in Korea and China, this is the common East Asian culture. Most of us East Asians who go to Japan experience less culture shock and more praise the cleanliness and democracy of Japan, but Westerners must have a very different experience. By the way, Japan is already a relatively international country in East Asia

@OurStorytoTell

3 ай бұрын

That’s so cool you’ve lived in Japan for three months! Awesome to hear you’re in the Netherlands now too! Thanks for sharing your thoughts and info with us. It makes sense!

@VanX1989

3 ай бұрын

@@OurStorytoTell I hope you will explore all aspects of Japan, both positive and negative, and it will be a unique experience. Because the birth rate in Japan is very low now, my Japanese friend said that Japan hopes to have more "foreigners" to live and work in Japan in the future, so maybe life in Japan will be more convenient for people of different cultures in the future. I hope everything goes well with you！

@23Lgirl

3 ай бұрын

Look what happed in Europa it doesn't work.@@VanX1989

Thats must have been quite a challenge finding a school for Willa ,with so many international,and Japannees schools What the right one , be very interesting to hear your experience so far😜. thats Great that you found one you like Hows the house moving going ? .Our oldest son started to learn Japannees about say 10 years ago at uni He did a few years but the school sadly had issues getting the right teachers etc so he stopped the course . Its indeed challenging with all the different characters,etc He went on to learn Korean language sadly he didn’t keep it up . Hows your Job going Tanner ? Definitely a. whole new adventure just seeing how they go about their daily life 😊 have a Good week

I love your open mind to new things. You're curious in a charming and respectful way. And you transfer this openness to your children, they can only benefit from it. We lived in Japan for 2 and in Korea for 3 years and were very happy there with our child. Look forward to a good time surrounded by culture, progress and history. Best regards from Hamburg/Germany

@OurStorytoTell

3 ай бұрын

Great to hear you had such good experiences in Asia! We’re happy we’re able to take our kids here while they’re so young. Thanks for the comment!

Good luck. The culture shocks are not surprising...it's Japan, after all😂have a nice stay...

@OurStorytoTell

3 ай бұрын

Yes we knew we would have culture shocks, but we were surprised about what some of them were or were not. It’s been such an adventure!

It´s so good to hear that things start to fall into place. It´s just so nice to "just get on with life" without any major life-changing decisions constantly looming over you. Getting settled in and developing a routine that works for you will be a huge stress-reliever. Meanwhile, time flies! I can´t believe it´s been three months already! Big hugs from Germany!

@OurStorytoTell

3 ай бұрын

Ahh yes it really has been so nice to have the chapter of decisions close and just start enjoying what our life is now! And yes I know crazy it’s been three months!!

@OurStorytoTell

3 ай бұрын

Sending big hugs back!! 🫶

Always good to see you guys are happy in Japan 🇯🇵 Crazy how fast the girls grow. Greetings from Frankfurt to Tokyo.

At Xmas 1986 I traveled from Germany to Japan for the first time. Nowadays English is more widely spoken than 40 years ago, especially in the tourism business, but still you can't expect anyone to understand and speak English. As you already pointed out many people can only read and write English and are ashamed of showing their lack of listening comprehension and pronunciation. So it is always a good idea to speak a few Japanese words as a door opener.

I am so happy to hear that you finally found a school for Willa. I am also very surprised that Japanese prefer driving into Tokio although they have those wonderful trains, considering that Tokio with 39 million inhabitants is the biggest city in the world.

I wish you great joy in Japan. Moving around with little kids is exhausting but you are doing your kids a favor. Children are adoptable and absorb everything like a sponge so living in different places and experiencing different cultures will really open their minds and hearts.....

@OurStorytoTell

3 ай бұрын

Aww thank you! That really means so much and honestly we can say it’s been that way with our girls! They have surpassed our hopes with their adjustment to this move!

The little train at the parc (for visitors) looked very German :-)) or at least international. Have a great time and good luck for all your choices! Many greetings from Germany!

@OurStorytoTell

3 ай бұрын

Thank you!

You wonder why "No Fishing". I don't know either, but you realize that this sign is there because someone actually fished/cast there and something bad happened, otherwise they wouldn't put up the sign.

Nice explanations as to how you all are navigating the culture shocks and language issues in your new home (and don't feel too bad about not picking everything up straight away because not only does Japanese have no common ancestral proto-languages with English [unlike German] but also the language has three separate sets of characters! BTW, while the popular Godzilla franchise is not based on any mythology but has a become a symbol of Japanese culture worldwide (so they take pride in it), there IS a Japanese mythological catfish creature called the Namazue which postulated that earthquakes were caused by giant mud- or earth-cover catfish thrashing around. What's interesting is that in recent decades, scientists have found that genuine catfish seen frantically thrashing around in the the rivers and streams are fairly accurate in predicting impending earthquakes! Glad you found that park so close to your abode and good luck in the house hunting! Thanks for this!

@OurStorytoTell

3 ай бұрын

Thanks for sharing! Quite interesting to hear about the catfish moving like that close to when an earthquake happens. One slow bit at a time for sure with life over here. Its no joke trying to learn how to read hiragana, katakana and Kanji!

@wardarcade7452

3 ай бұрын

@@OurStorytoTell Well, FWIW, cats and dogs also have been known to get antsy right before major quakes so that might be a contributing factor if you ever decide to get a feline or canine companion for your family. Take care and good luck learning to read all those sets of characters (though I understand the English language is no picnic for others to learn).

日本語の字幕をありがとうございます❤　次の配信を楽しみにしています。早く日本での生活に慣れるといいですね。

@OurStorytoTell

3 ай бұрын

We are so glad they were helpful! We can’t wait to share more of our life here in Japan! 😊

Damit ihr eure Heimatsprache nicht vergesst, kommentiere ich in deutsch 😂 ich finde es bemerkenswert, in eurem jungen Alter, so viele Reisen und Unannehmlichkeiten, welche immer entstehen, so lächelnd zu schaffen. Klar, schneidet ihr natürliche immer die besten Dinge zusammen, und ihr seit finanziell privilegiert , aber das gönnen wir euch ❤. Weil, ihr unser Land so gut präsentiert, so hätte es kein Deutscher besser gemacht 😂 Für mich der Hammer die Geburt von Noah😮,ich konnte das nicht verstehen, warum ihr so ein Risiko eingeht😮, ich finde es toll , das so junge Menschen wie ihr , so unterwegs seit. ❤und Willa, kein knatschen und immer lächelnd. Klar schneidet ihr auch viel,aber ich glaube , da ist nicht viel zu schneiden,weil ihr einfach sehr positive Menschen seit.😂 So, viele Grüsse nach Tokio, and by the way😮, die Hintergrund Musik😢, ist schrecklich 😮, wie wäre es mal mit Musik von Khruangbin??? Passt viel besser. Viele Grüße ❤

How long will you stay in Japan and when do you come back to Germany (if...) We miss you!

@OurStorytoTell

3 ай бұрын

We miss Germany! We will be here in Japan for a little less than 2 years now. We are keeping our eyes open to return back to Europe after! :)

Hey, I was wondering if you guys are still showing the house you decided on? I remember there being a cliffhanger ;) Sorry if I missed it! I am just very interested to see what your final house looks like :)

@OurStorytoTell

3 ай бұрын

Great question! Yes we definitely are we just had an unexpected turn in the story so things took a bit longer. You’ll find out soon! Not this coming Sunday but the next 😊 Stay tuned! We have two house videos in queue actually!

I was surprised when one of your cultures shock in Japan was children taking public transport. I’m from Canada, and when I was traveling first in Europe, I thought that it was also normal for children to take public transport. Although, I only visited major cities, like Vienna, where I saw that.

@OurStorytoTell

3 ай бұрын

Great question! We do feel like kids in Europe are more independent then those typically in the States or other places in the world, but we don’t really remember seeing many kids under the age of like 6/7 on public transportation alone. We did live in a rural area so we werent riding on trains a lot. So maybe our perspective would be different then someone living in a city? It seemed that basically all the parents dropped their kids off at school that were less than 5 years of age too. We did see a lot of elementary aged kids walking alone back home though. Here in Japan, we see kids a lot younger (4 years and older), walking and riding public transportation alone. It’s definitely been surprising to us to see how young they are!

Given the price of secondhand cars in Japan, it is unsurprising that many are also exported for sale in Australia and New Zealand, both of which drive on the left.

@OurStorytoTell

3 ай бұрын

It’s interesting to hear! Since we’ve only visited both places (AUS and NZ) we didn’t pay much attention what make of vehicles were most common. But, it would make sense why they would be shipped there if they were less expensive than getting from other countries.

@phoebus007

3 ай бұрын

@OurStorytoTell When my son moved to NZ from UK, the infotainment system in his first car initially defaulted to Japanese until he figured out how to change it to English.

Yes I think the Japanese school system is one of the most interesting topics! Especially compared to Willa's German Kindergarten. And of course the language development, that's always exciting.

@OurStorytoTell

3 ай бұрын

We’ll be sure to give updates on the schooling experience for her!

Protecting US companys which "pay" taxes on the Bermudas or similar can be hard and brought you Japan. Did you know that US goverment gave money to start a rebellion in Columbia to separate Panama from them, just because to have a better start to build the channel?

The consumption of meat is a new phenomena in Japan. The traditional diet was very low on meat, and processed food did not exist. Hence the huge rise in degenerative illness, disease and obesity in Japan - cancer, heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, diabetes, Alzheimer's, ALS, and all of the other issues that come with a high meat diet and diet full of processed food. Meat used to be consumed only during holidays. The Okinawa diet, where the longest lived people live (One of the Blue Zones) used to be primarily sweet potatoes, vegetables, seaweeds, tofu, Goya, miso, pickles and small amounts of seafood. Then the Americans arrived and brought their toxic garbage high meat, fast food diet with them. Since then the health of the young Oknawan's has been ruined - and they are suffering the same diseases as young and old people in the west - including obesity. It is common knowledge now amount educated circles that a whole food, plant based diet is the healthiest - and optimum for longevity. It can be accompanied by small amounts of seafood, wild preferably - wild salmon, black cod, smaller fish like sardines etc - which are not as full of heavy metals (as bigger fish like tuna) which will end up destroying your health and the health of your children.

@publicminx

3 ай бұрын

you are just ideological and spread propaganda. Quite the opposite: Veganism (every Zeitgeist has its ideology) is EXTREME unhealthy! And ALL countries with a population who lived the longest (at the moment thats for males Switzerland and for women Spain ...Japan and Italy are also still good) are Meat-Fish eaters. NO vegan country or community (and there are already since a long time some for instance in many parts of India) comes even close. And because you tried to downplay fish (small amount of seafood). Please keep in mind that the hardware of homo sapiens for a reason can AS BEST process meat/fish! that one should eat in general good stuff has nothing to do with this or that (except that is REALLY EXTREME unhealthy to be vegan - and thats also the LEAST 'natural' food which means you need a lot of PROCESSED substitutes! Also vegeterian is not the best but at least not that dramatic unhealthy as vegan. And you can now in many countries get punished by law if you are destroying the health of children by going veggie! due to this ideology you also obviously share some countries started now to have more focus on this problem people like you spread around! -btw. mother milk is also NOT vegan! and because you obviously dont know it: the hardware of homo sapiens can without problems lives even only with fish and meat (even if it is still a bit better to eat more mixed). but if you do that just with vegan and anyone would o that in 'nature' then you are fucked (because again: the hardware of humans processes meat/fish better than plants)

@publicminx

3 ай бұрын

and i repeat it again: the people who get OLDEST ON THE PLANET are MEAT and/or FISH EATER! Switzerland usually doesnt eat much fish (but here males get the oldest in the world). Similar in Spain!and AGAIN: IN THE WEST! i repeat: IN THE WEST! (in difference to your propaganda)

German and Japanese are considered difficult languages to learn........ I think it's best to memorize it slowly and not force yourself. Hallo zusammen aus Deutschland 👋😃

I am so sorry

😃😃😃😃😃

For K-cars (very small cars) you only pay a little bit of car tax than for normal cars. That's why they are so popularr in Japan...🤓

@OurStorytoTell

3 ай бұрын

We’ve also noticed they still can drive in snowy conditions even considering they are smaller cars!

Your next big culture shock will take place within a few weeks when cherry blossoms start to bloom. Make sure to do some research to find Sakura/Hanami(flower viewing) spots in your local area and also visit some famous spots in Tokyo as well if you can,

@publicminx

3 ай бұрын

you have that also in Germany, in Berlin even over 20 Cherry Blossom spots. and even some large spaces with such trees (and a festival). I think in one or two cases it was even a cooperation with Japan (and gifts). so it depends. if you know that then the culture shock is lower. but it is anyway all the time a nice experience ...

@OurStorytoTell

3 ай бұрын

We cannot wait for this!! 😊 We plan to go into Tokyo and our local area! Stay tuned for when we share!

@OurStorytoTell

3 ай бұрын

We never saw them in Berlin (because we visited during the Summer) but that sounds like it would be so beautiful and fun to see!

@acatinny

3 ай бұрын

@@publicminx Thanks for that info! I found some videos of cherry blossoms in Germany, and they were pretty. However, the difference is the variety. The ones in Germany are “Kwanzan” which is a double petal variety with very pink color. On the other hand, the most common and popular one in Japan is called “Somei Yoshino” which is a simple flower with only five petals and very very pale pink, almost white. For each individual flower, Kwanzan is much more elaborated and gorgeous, but as a bunch, Somei yoshino looks like pale pink clouds from heaven. The ones in Washington DC are Somei Yoshino. You can see Kwanzan in Japan a little later after Somei Yoshino is gone.

@acatinny

3 ай бұрын

@@OurStorytoTell Definitely looking forward to seeing your Sakura video soon. Also check out any Sakura spot with “light up” during the early evening. The nighttime Sakura is truly breathtaking. But you have to find a spot with some big lighting system. The double petal varieties are commonly called “Ya-e zakura” in Japan, which is an umbrella term for double petal varieties and Kwanzan is one of them.

I’m a bit confused, coming to Japan from Germany, you should be used to rather independent children, walking to school by themselves or riding the busses by themselves, and such. Or did I miss this in your videos from Germany, that in your particular town that was not the case and parents took their children everywhere 🤔

@maryanngibbs6963

3 ай бұрын

I may be wrong but them being in rural germany may have been the reason, I think people would take their children more there as its farther and less public transportations

@ginster458

3 ай бұрын

@@maryanngibbs6963yeah if nothing is in walkable distance, people drive their kids too. Plus, Willa is still really small and only went to kindergarten, I don't think people send their kids to kindergarten by themselves anywhere. My kindergarten was just 500m away and we still had at least one parent accompany all of us that lived close by there and were picked up, not every parent came along since a lot of us kids were neighbors or lived close to each other, but there was always one parent with us. We didn't start going to school alone until first grade, and that was less than a kilometre away too. Other kids only went alone if a bus could take them straight to school and there were plenty of other kids around. That independence phase would only just be coming up for Willa

@christinehorsley

3 ай бұрын

@@maryanngibbs6963 No, children in rural settings also walk alone to the „preschool“ (deutsch: Kindergarten) as young as 4 years old, first & second graders walk alone to the village school (6 to 8 year olds in the Grundschule) and ride bikes or the bus latest in 4th or 5th grade. And of course thereafter. Maybe it has to do with so many American families living in and around Grafenwoehr, who take/drive their children everywhere …

@OurStorytoTell

3 ай бұрын

Our situation in Germany was not urban, and so it was nearly 2km to get to her school, not to mention with multiple hills to get to and from. No bus was available either. Plus, she still hadn’t quite turned 4 at the time when we moved, so she is still quite young to have gone alone, even if it was a flat road to school. I’m sure there are many neighborhoods and schools where they ride from an early age, but that wasn’t our case.

@christinehorsley

3 ай бұрын

@@OurStorytoTell Okay, I understand. A rather special situation where you lived. We live in a large village and the school is only 900 meters away, the „Kindergarten“ only 200 meters. Willa is still rather young, one looks at Noa „so big“ now and thinks Willa is older but she’s not, though talking up a storm 😉 Just trust your little girl, she’ll get around just fine, I guess you could walk with her to school resp take the bus for the first several weeks and pick her up after school (but not using the car) - that’s how German parents do it. The language barrier might necessitate a longer familiarization period - but young children learn a foreign language amazingly fast. (At least the speaking part.) I’m very curious to find out which house you choose 🤔

Hi. Wouldn´t it be good for your daughter to go to a school, where she learns more german? She can continue to learn german in Japan. Otherwise she will loose her german skills more and more...

@OurStorytoTell

3 ай бұрын

Yes we absolutely wanted her to go to a German school, but the nearest one is too far away from us to make it work! 😭 We were sad about it!

@kix1464

3 ай бұрын

@@OurStorytoTell You could get a German Au Pair if that's a possibility you can consider. Or look for weekly/monthly German activites for children in your area. I'm pretty sure there will be something you can find for her. 😊

Is life in Japan or outside of Europe or North America that shocking?

@OurStorytoTell

Ай бұрын

They all have their things that are shocking and take adjusting too. Overall Japan has been the most different, but that’s just because we were raised in the US. The longer we are away from it, the more shocking it becomes!

I don’t know Japanese language Is it harder than German grammar?

@martinkasper197

3 ай бұрын

The problem might be the Japanese characters/symbols 🉑🈶🈷️🈸 instead of roman alphabet 🔤

@OurStorytoTell

3 ай бұрын

That’s the biggest limiting factor for me! I genuinely feel like I’m learning at 1/3 of the speed as I did with German, and that’s mostly cause I’m learning three new alphabets 🤣

@OurStorytoTell

3 ай бұрын

Pronouncing words in Japanese is really quite straightforward and easy, especially comparing it to the umlaut and other words in German. It’s being able to learn the characters that takes so much time and energy. At least that’s been our experience so far!

@rairei

3 ай бұрын

@@OurStorytoTell Once I'll be interested how quick/easy Willa is learning Japanese speaking and reading/writing as she's a bit younger 🙂. Her school will be intesting as well, how much international or how much Japanese, how much nations in her class and among her teachers ..well, international might mean "international" lol

I think it was KZread's idea to make a german speaking headline in Germany? 🤔

@van03de

3 ай бұрын

KZread often translates headlines to your preferred language.

日本語を話せない事を恥ずかしがる必要はありません。もしもあなたがちょっとくらい間違った言葉を使ったとしてもほとんどの場合は理解してくれる筈です。あまり怖がる必要もないと思います。一方、英語を話せない日本人はそれを恥ずかしいと思っている人が多いです。

@OurStorytoTell

Ай бұрын

Thanks for the encouragement! We will try to speak more and be less concerned. 😊

Sad to see, the Best Germans left Germany 😢

@OurStorytoTell

3 ай бұрын

🫶

lol u will return to USA im sure

@OurStorytoTell

3 ай бұрын

We really hope to go back to Europe after actually! 🤞 Our work contract places us back in the US but we could technically decide to forgo it!

I have a rule: never move to a country with hard water. When I wash my hair with soft water it is beautiful, but when I wash it with hard water I look like a scarecrow. It probably sounds crazy to most people, but it is simply not possible for me to tame my hair. In Bavaria, for example, it was a disaster. So I wish you all the best and very soft water

@TheBlackbirdii

3 ай бұрын

What's hard and soft water ???

@isana788

3 ай бұрын

@@TheBlackbirdii Water has different levels of hardness. For example, you can float much faster in hard water. Pay attention to how different the water is when you are in two different places. These water filters soften the water, but I don't know exactly what is filtered out to make the water soft. But that's why I would always use a filter in places with hard water like Bavaria. Hard water is not harmful, and German tap water is probably the best in the world, but my hair just doesn't tolerate it.

@isana788

3 ай бұрын

@@TheBlackbirdiiok googled: tokyo has soft water. As a result, their hair should look better than it did in Bavaria.😁

@TheBlackbirdii

3 ай бұрын

@@isana788 thank you I did a little bit of research here are the conclusions: Hard water and soft water are two terms used to describe the mineral content of water: Hard Water: Hard water is water that has a high mineral content, primarily containing calcium and magnesium ions. These minerals are typically dissolved in the water as it passes through rocks and soil. When hard water is heated, it can cause the minerals to precipitate out, forming scale deposits in pipes, appliances, and water heaters. Hard water can also interfere with the lathering of soap and detergent, leading to soap scum and reduced cleaning effectiveness. Soft Water: Soft water, on the other hand, contains low concentrations of calcium and magnesium ions. It can naturally occur in regions where the water source has minimal contact with mineral deposits. Soft water is more effective at lathering with soap and detergent, leading to better cleaning results. It also helps prevent the buildup of scale in pipes and appliances.

@isana788

3 ай бұрын

@@TheBlackbirdiithank you. On a trip, I once bought a 5L canister of distilled water to rinse my hair with after showering. To my surprise, it didn't work and my hair just turned into a bird's nest again. This surprised me and I think it has to do with the fact that the hair has already been in contact with the tap water and the minerals have attached themselves to the hair.

Könnt ihr nicht eine nette Person männlich/weiblich engagieren, welche in beiden Kulturen zuhause ist und euch als Mittler zwischen beiden Welten behilflich sein kann? Bitte nehmt japanische Sprachkurse und erlernt die wichtigsten Alltags-Konversationen - es wird euch unendlich viel helfen . . .

Japan has a lot of those "background" jobs. I especially like the train station guys who make sure that everything is safe for the train to depart. As advanced as Japan seems to be technically it also values the human mind. While they can also make more mistakes than robots only humans can adapt to helping other humans and make them feel welcome. And to keep the mistakes at a minimum they also have a VERY organised system. I guess that's also a reason why the Japanese transportation system is working so well. They don't only rely on machines, they also rely on humans. I guess the quietness of Japan comes from many centuries ago when quietness was still something very serene and meant a quiet mind. But "nowadays" many Japanese people are very quiet if they feel seen and very self aware (hence their very loud behaviour when they are drunk etc.). It's been inscripted into their minds from a very early age that loud noises are a nuisance to others. I usually also like it quiet and serene but in Japan I feel the fear of them being "too loud". It can even go so far as them being annoyed by a baby crying in public. So I would suggest to you to just try to adapt as much as POSSIBLE to that aspect and if your children get louder (like how children just naturally do or even other natural reasons to be loud) to just let them and don't mind the possible (mean) looks or the clicking tongues (?) of the Japanese. As I said in my previous post: I'm really impressed by Tanner's ability to learn foreign languages so fast! My dad (who is German) lived in Toyko for around 9 years in the 80s and couldn't speak Japanese until the end. But he could read Katakana because those are used for foreign words and as he says it was much easier to learn those because they were very often accompanied by the Roman alphabets version of the words and they sounded like the words he knew. Other than that he could navigate through Japan just by the Roman alphabets used in those times already. The reason why there are so many cars and a good train system, I guess, is because there are SO many people driving on such a small drivable space and they needed a second option for people to move around. This is just my guess, though. 😁 In the 80s, when we lived in Tokyo, there were already LOTS of cars and there was always traffic jams on the roads. Like proper stand still traffic jams. So that's actually a reason to why to use the train instead of the car. BECAUSE there are so many driving cars. Not because of the outstanding train system. That was just a necessity which came from having to build out another option. Another one of my guesses is that quite a lot of Japanese have ADHD. That's why they are so good at so many things. And they need to have that much stimulation to actually calm down/quiet their minds (but also to counteract the restricting moral rules). Just think about the ever changing trends which the Japanese love to focus on for a short while and then disregard them again. And their "hyperfocus" and their love to details on almost all the things you will find there. I think the most important point in enjoying Japan is to not take everything too seriously and to just go with the flow as it can feel very restricting (but for that reason sometimes also very liberating). And preferably to be curious but at least open minded. Stay relaxed and HAVE FUN! 😊🍀

@OurStorytoTell

3 ай бұрын

Thanks for the comment! It’s true, the human interaction definitely goes further than a machine can, and it’s important to interact with people as well. Just the other day we were on a full metro and it was dead quiet. Like you could hear someone breathing quiet. Although it’s peacefully and relaxing at times, it’s also a bit eery as well. Like everyone is plugged into a phone or reading a book or sleeping, with only occasionally someone having a short hushed conversation. Languages really interest me, and so I find it easy to hear for repeating words and phrases and patterns when I learn. Japanese has definitely been the hardest language to learn so far, but I’m slowly gaining some words and phrases that make communicating a bit easier. 9 years is a long time to live somewhere and not be able to communicate with a lot of locals! I get it though, it’s difficult to use the language unless you’re really forced to. Did your dad work with other English speaking co-workers? We’re definitely trying to make the most of our time here and to to relax!

You are surprised, that you live near a coast? Excuse me, but look on the map at Japan, what you see? Japan is an island, a small, long island, there ar no places far away from a coast at all. And those lands, what are "inside", are rocks, hills, forests, not for living. All the towns are situated near a coast. I am again surprised about the general ignoranz of Americans, why you don't inform you BEFORE you travel to a foreign country about the specialities?

@OurStorytoTell

3 ай бұрын

Oh we can see how that was portrayed differently then we meant. It’s not a shock that our city (& all the cities in Japan are within a couple hours drive) of the coast, but rather the fact that our lives are as such that we actually live near the coast now! If you would have told us a year ago (or 5, 10 years ago) that we would be living in Japan, we would have been so happy but shocked!! It’s a bit of a “shock” and like reality check we are here, doing this. 😊

@udomann9271

3 ай бұрын

@@OurStorytoTell Okay, I accept this answer, but you should have find other wording for your "surprise" to find yourself living near a coast.

You are not look happy

@OurStorytoTell

3 ай бұрын

We aren’t always happy, but that’s normal. :) We can say we are happy here in Japan. We can also say we miss Germany. Both things are true. 😊

For no money in the world I would leave Europe and go to Japan … NEVER!

@putraappm

23 күн бұрын

L🤣L

You are in a unique position because you've lived in Germany and Japan so I have to ask you if you've seen the show The Man in the High Castle? It's a great show about what would happen if the Allies lost WW2. Germany takes over the East Coast of America, and Japan the West. It's based on a Philip K Dick novel, just as Blade Runner and Total Recall were. This isn't Sci Fi though, it's alternate history dystopia. Wiki: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Man_in_the_High_Castle_(TV_series)